DC Just Killed a Major Batman Villain

This week saw DC Comics begin its latest publishing initiative with the release of Infinite Frontier #0. The 64-page issue shows off the various corners of the DCU after the events of Dark Nights: Death Metal, setting up the next new wave of stories from their all-star creators and flagship comics. Among them was a tease of what's happening in Gotham as we not only see the newly formed "Batgirls" group, Grifter, and Batman in action, but something really goes down at Arkham Asylum. Though DC just wrapped up their Joker War arc a few months ago, it seems the Clown Prince of Crime has returned and he's claimed high profile victims

Spoilers for Infinite Frontier #0 below! The Gotham-set stories in the issue all tie into a major event, the release of what is believed to be a Joker toxin into the vents at Arkham. A guard at the Asylum, Mahoney, goes to check on none other than Bane only to find the back-breaking villain and other Arkham guards have died from the gas. Unlike previous Joker toxins though, this one doesn't put a smile on the face of those that have died. To that end it's really unclear if this is actually Joker gas, especially since in the end of the issue we see a new and improved Scarecrow, could he be behind the attack? Maybe so!

This is a huge piece for DC to have taken off the board, especially considering the place that Bane had during Tom King's Batman. Comic fans will no doubt wonder how long Bane will actually "be dead" though, but it's worth noting that Deadshot has stayed dead since he was killed in the pages of Suicide Squad last year.

The full list of stories and creators that contributed to Infinite Frontier #0 includes:

• Framing sequence written by Joshua Williamson with James Tynion IV and Scott Snyder, illustrated by John Timms and Alex Sinclair
• Justice League by Brian Michael Bendis, David Marquez, and Tamra Bonvillain
• Batman by James Tynion IV, Jorge Jiménez, and Tomeu Morey
• Wonder Woman by Becky Cloonan & Michael W. Conrad, Alitha Martinez & Mark Morales, Emilio Lopez
• Wonder Girl by Joëlle Jones and Jordie Bellaire
• Green Lantern: Alan Scott by James Tynion IV and Stephen Byrne
• Teen Titans Academy by Tim Sheridan, Rafa Sandoval & Jordi Tarragona, and Alejandro Sanchez
• Superman by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Jamal Igle, and Hi-Fi
• Green Arrow & Black Canary by Joshua Williamson, Alex Maleev, and Jordie Bellaire
• Stargirl by Geoff Johns, Todd Nauck, and Hi-Fi
• Green Lanterns by Geoffrey Thorne, Dexter Soy, and Alex Sinclair
• The Flash by Joshua Williamson, Howard Porter, and Hi-Fi
• Epilogue by Joshua Williamson, John Romita Jr. & Klaus Janson, Brad Anderson

Infinite Frontier will continue through the rest of the year with a freshly announced new series featuring Joshua Williamson and Xermanico bringing the six-issue Infinite Frontier event beginning this summer. The event series sees the DC Universe heroes exploring the new, expanding DC multiverse created by the conclusion of Dark Nights: Death Metal.