DC Comics has been providing readers with a wide array of different Batman and Batman-related stories, throwing the publisher’s Caped Crusader into a wide array of contexts and creative teams. The latest to join that list will be Batman: The World, a hardcover anthology that will represent a “first-of-its-kind publishing event.” The World will feature Batman stories by top creative teams from across the globe, each of which will take place in their home countries. The anthology will feature stories from, and be localized in, the following territories — North America, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic, Russia, Poland, Turkey, Mexico, Brazil, China, Korea, and Japan.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Kicking off the anthology is a story from the award-winning duo of writer Brian Azzarello and artist Lee Bermejo (Batman: Damned, Joker, Lex Luthor: Man of Steel, Batman/Deathblow). In the story titled “Global City,” Batman reflects on his time in Gotham, protecting his city and its inhabitants from all manner of threats. But when he looks beyond the bridges, alleys, and skyscrapers, the Dark Knight realizes that the call for justice knows no borders, as there are wrongs to be righted everywhere. Their story sets off a series of tales chronicling Batman’s past and present, stories told by some of the best-known international voices in comics.
These voices include Mathieu Gabella (writer) and Thierry Martin (artist) for France, Paco Roca (writer/artist) for Spain, Alessandro Bilotta (writer) and Nicola Mari (artist) for Italy, Benjamin von Eckartsberg (writer) and Thomas von Kummant (artist) for Germany, Stepan Kopriva (writer) and Michal Suchánek (artist) for Czech Republic, Tomasz Kolodziejczak (writer), Piotr Kowalski, and Brad Simpson (artists) for Poland, Ertan Ergil (writer) and Ethem Onur Bilgiç (artist) for Turkey, Alberto Chimal (writer) and Rulo Valdés (artist) for Mexico, Carlos Estefan (writer) and Pedro Mauro (Artist) for Brazil, Inpyo Jeon (writer), Jae-kwang Park, and Kim Jung Gi (artists) for Korea, Xu Xiaodong, Lu Xiaotong (writers), Qiu Kun, and Yi Nan (artists) for China, Kirill Kutuzov, Egor Prutov (writers), and Natalia Zaidova (artist) for Russia, and Okadaya Yuichi (writer/artist) for Japan.
“Batman has grown into a true pop culture icon, known the world over,” DC publisher and chief creative officer Jim Lee said in a statement. “Batman: The World is DC’s way of showing fans everywhere that Batman is more than a character; Batman is a phenomenon that transcends languages and borders.”
Each international version of Batman: The World will also feature its own unique cover art by the local creative team. International publishing and distribution partners include Urban Comics (France), ECC Ediciones (Spain), Panini (Italy, Brazil, Germany), CREW (Czech Republic), Azbooka-Atticus (Russia), Egmont Polska (Poland), JBC (Turkey), Editorial Televisa (Mexico, Central America), Sigongsa (Korea), Starfish Media (China), and Shopro (Japan).
Will you be checking out Batman: The World? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
Batman: The World will be released on Tuesday, September 14th.
