After becoming a more prominent member of the Bat-family in the post-Rebirth DC Universe, Duke Thomas was given new responsibilities, a new costume, but oddly enough, no superhero codename – that would come later, courtesy of The Joker, who dubbed Duke “The Signal” in July’s Dark Nights: Metal prelude Dark Days: The Casting. However, in Batman and the Signal #1, the Caped Crusader provides us with a relatively simple explanation for why his protégé’s seldom-used alias from the New 52, Lark, doesn't suit him.
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“I’ve seen your notes, Duke,” Batman says while giving Duke a tour of his new headquarters. “Lark? Too soft. And no bats come out by day.”
Though he’s currently unknown to fans outside the realm of comics, Duke played a big role in Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s “Zero Year” arc on Batman, before going on to factor in the series’ “Endgame” arc, the series We Are Robin, and most recently, the latest volume of Batman and the recently concluded All-Star Batman that launched as part of DC Comics’ Rebirth initiative.
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Batman and the Signal #1, written by Tony Patrick and Scott Snyder with art by Cully Hamner, is on sale now.