There's a new Batman in DC Future State, and he's going back to basics to fight crime in Gotham City. Oscar-winning writer John Ridley and artist Nick Derrington will be taking on this story in The Next Batman, and there are some significant changes in store for the future.
In DC Nation Presents DC Future State magazine, Ridley said, "It's really difficult to avoid technology and facial recognition. You have a Batman who has to operate in a space where the only advantage he can have is to be analog. When you start removing those digital tools, you're like a caveman fighting computers."
In the upcoming mini-series, the new Batman operates in a Gotham City that has adopted a zero-tolerance policy against "masks." A technologically advanced and ruthless law enforcement agency known as the Magistrate has been brought in to rid the city of vigilantism in all its forms, which forces the new Batman to go old school to get the job done.
Said Ridley, "It really is rolling Batman back to being an individual who is so much about his wit, his guile and his physical acumen. You definitely have to have a different strategy. You're outmanned, you're outgunned and the only thing you can really do is go back to the original Batman — the shadows are your friend. Night is your ally. The city is your battleground."
In the past, Batman's relationship with the GCPD has fluctuated. With his longtime pal Commissioner Gordon in power, he's had some breathing room and has even worked with them on occasion. The new Batman won't have as much luck with the Magistrate's leader, Peacekeeper One, whose grand plan will be revealed as the story progresses.
DC Future State is a two-month, line-wide event beginning in January 2021. February will feature a combination of monthly and twice-monthly oversize anthologies, as well as a monthly schedule of miniseries and one-shots starring current and future DC heroes.
Sources: DC