Batman's first post-Future State and Infinite Frontier crossover event is here and promises to turn the Dark Knight, Gotham City, and the extended Bat-Family on its head. A horror-infused epic spanning multiple titles; James Tynion IV's Fear State swears to shake up the status quo of the bat titles and lead readers into terrifying, uncharted territory that will introduce new allies and villains to the Batman mythos, while also redefining classic characters.
After the events of Joker War and A-Day, Gotham City balances on a knifes edge. Vigilantes have been outlawed, and Christopher Nakano, the new mayor of Gotham, has struck a deal with a sinister paramilitary police forced named The Magistrate to help restore order. Behind the scenes, Scarecrow has plans to capitalize on these events and control the people of Gotham with a new agenda; all-out fear. He will stop at nothing to control the city, and in doing so, Batman, his supporting cast, and Gotham City will be changed forever.
7 The Magistrate Are Here To Stay
First introduced in the possible-future pages of Future State, The Magistrate is the paramilitary police force led by the nefarious Simon Saint. Determined to rid Gotham City of masked vigilantes, The Magistrate has used the events of Joker War and A-Day to turn the city into a police state. With the inmates of Arkham Asylum either escaping or dying during A-Day, and the city still feeling the effects of being thrown into all-out anarchy, Saint has been able to manipulate Gotham's mayor into giving him total control over the city.
While Future State showed a glimpse of what Gotham could look like under the control of The Magistrate, Fear State gives readers a look into the terrifying reality of how this may yet come to pass. With Scarecrow pulling Saint's strings behind the scenes, manipulating the citizens of Gotham into accepting their new normal, and the Bat-Family forced into hiding - Batman and his allies are going to have to pull out all the stops to ensure that Future State doesn't become reality, and in doing so may have to accept that their old ways of doing things might not be good enough this time around.
6 Harley Plays The Hero With Her Path Of Redemption
Determined to make up for her past, villainous, misdeeds - Harley Quinn is on a path of redemption and will do whatever it takes to prove herself to Batman and the rest of the Bat-Family. Fighting side-by-side with Batman during Joker War, and helping to clean up during the aftermath, Harley has proved herself time and time again to be an invaluable ally to The Bat, even if he is reluctant to admit it.
With Harley pushing herself as far as she can go to show Gotham City that she is no longer an enemy and attempting to reform other past allies of The Joker who wish for redemption, she has become an invaluable tool in the fight against The Magistrate and Scarecrow. Indeed, after the revelation that the twisted, newly resurrected Queen Ivy may be the key to saving all of Gotham; Harley Quinn may be the best hope that Batman has of winning.
5 Gotham Might Never Be Able To Fully Recover
With tensions already at an all-time high on the streets of Gotham after the events of Joker War - with its citizens as untrusting of masked heroes and vigilantes to save them as they have ever been, The Magistrate and Scarecrow have wasted no opportunity to jump on these feeling of unrest and to exacerbate them for their gain. Leaving no time for Gotham to rebuild or attempt to come to terms with its identity as a city always on the brink of disaster, it is going to be incredibly hard for Batman and his allies to turn things around and win back public acceptance.
The city is at a breaking point and susceptible to any promise of change. With anti-mask sentiment and propaganda running rife, and mayor Nakano being elected based almost entirely upon this factor, the time of heroes in Gotham City may finally be coming to an end. If Batman is unable to put a stop to The Magistrate and Scarecrow, he may find himself at odds with the people of the very city that he has dedicated himself to protect forevermore.
4 Nightwing Is The Best Of Us All
Not only is Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo's Nightwing one of the most consistently brilliant comic books on shelves right now in terms of both story and art - but Taylor's recent depictions of Dick Grayson, the original Robin, has also made him into one of greatest heroes that DC has, both with and without the mask.
As sworn protector of Blüdhaven, Nightwing may not still call Gotham his home - but that doesn't stop him from jumping to Batman's help at the first sign of trouble. Not only has he, as Dick Grayson, promised to use his incredible wealth (inherited from the late Alfred Pennyworth) to end homelessness in Blüdhaven and to continue to protect his city, but he also wastes no time in coming to Gotham's aid when The Magistrate looms its ugly head. This unstoppable thirst for justice, both social and judicial, shows us a man with convictions that not only match but may even dwarf those of Bruce Wayne.
3 New Allies Will Come From Unexpected Places
The Magistrate and Scarecrow are not only antagonists to Batman and the Bat-Family; their presence and hatred of masks is also a detriment to the lives of those most associated with the other side of the law. The Magistrate's police state, and Scarecrow's ever-looming threat of fear-toxin attack, has ruffled the feathers of many a character in the DC universe; so much so, that they have joined together to fight alongside the heroes of Gotham City.
Within the pages of Ram V's Catwoman, a reformed Clayface has assumed a team of villains to help protect Alleytown while Catwoman focuses her attention on restoring Queen Ivy to her previous state; Poison Ivy, who now dwells deep below the bowels of Gotham. Cheshire, Killer Croc, Knockout, and Firefly comprise this unexpected group of misfits, but whether or not this alliance will last past the events of Fear State remains irrelevant - as for now, the heroes of Gotham will have to put their differences aside and accept any help that they can get.
2 Even The Dead Won't Take It Lying Down
After The Joker destroyed Arkham Asylum and escaped during the events of A-Day, he left many of Batman's most famous rogues gallery either dead or M.I.A. Some of these aforementioned dead villains, however, would not be down for the count for long.
Brought together and resurrected by a mysterious organization; Bane, Man-Bat, The Arkham Knight, Sundowner, and Mr. Bloom are led by ex-Robin Jason Todd, AKA Red Hood, and form Task Force Z, an undead Suicide Squad tasked with bringing down Scarecrow and The Magistrate in their own, unique way for a promise at a second chance at life. Whether or not this group will manage to work together and help Batman and his allies, or prove to be unable to leave their past behind remains to be seen. What is evident, however, is the opportunities that such a title offers - such as the many different deceased villains in the DC universe who may be drafted in the future and forced to work alongside characters who were once sworn enemies.
1 There Is No Going Back To The Previous Status Quo
With the introduction and utilization of so many characters, new and old - friend and foe alike; such as Miracle Molly and The Unsanity Collective, The Magistrate's Peacekeeper-01 and Peacekeeper-X, Ghost-Maker, and The Gardener and Queen Ivy; one thing is for sure - Fear State is ushering in a new normal, and a vast change to the status quo of all Batman books going forwards.
As new characters promise to change the way that Batman thinks about his way of doing things, as well as the future of Gotham City and his place within it - one thing is for sure; change is coming, and Batman will never be the same again.