DC Comics November 2022 Solicitations Launches Image Comics Founder Marc Silvestri’s Batman / Joker Series!
DC Comics reports.
Batman and The Joker in the Ultimate Team Up by Marc Silvestri!
DC Presents Batman/The Joker: The Deadly Duo, A New DC Black Label Limited Series by Marc Silvestri
Issue #1 on sale Tuesday, November 1
Issue #2 On Sale Tuesday, December 6
The conflict between Batman and The Joker has been one of the most storied in all of literature. Always adversaries, they’ve rarely had to work together, but this November iconic storyteller Marc Silvestri tells the ultimate tale of a fragile alliance between The Dark Knight and The Clown Prince of Crime in Batman/The Joker: The Deadly Duo, a seven-issue DC Black Label limited series arriving in comic book stores and participating digital platforms on Tuesday, November 1.
This meticulously crafted take on Batman’s deadliest team introduces readers to a horrifying and suspense-filled version of Gotham City, one that only Silvestri can deliver. “Batman and The Joker are two of the world’s most iconic characters and have been at each other’s throats for more than 80 years,” says Silvestri. “I always thought is would be pretty entertaining to have them on the same side, so I wrote a story about it. Needless to say, stuff happens.”
The Joker will go to any lengths to get Harley Quinn back after a strange and mysterious culprit abducts her. But who would be brazen enough to incur The Joker’s wrath by committing such an unthinkable act?
To compound the terror, mysterious, Joker-like creatures are stalking the streets of Gotham, collecting severed heads, and no one knows why. Furthermore, Jim Gordon is missing, and after receiving a package containing a bloody piece of Gotham’s police commissioner, Batman realizes he must be willing to do anything to save him. But how?
When The Joker proposes an uneasy alliance with Batman, the answers to those questions begin to become clear—and they will shake Gotham City and the Bat-Family to their cores!
A series featuring two of the most recognizable characters in popular culture deserves powerful cover art, and Batman/The Joker: The Deadly Duo features an incredible selection of cover art for its debut and second issues. In addition to a main cover by Silvestri, issue #1 features variant covers of both Batman and The Joker by the incomparable Greg Capullo (Batman, Dark Nights: Metal, Dark Nights: Death Metal), a 1 in 25 ratio variant cover by Kyle Hotz, a 1 in 50 black and white ratio variant cover by Marc Silvestri, a 1 in 100 variant cover by Rorschach artist Jorge Fornes, and a 1 in 250 signed ratio variant cover, signed by Silvestri. Check out your local comic book stores for additional details and pre-ordering.
In December’s issue #2, Batman and The Joker’s relationship is off to a rocky start, but differences need to be put aside in a hurry, as another piece of Commissioner Gordon is delivered to the Gotham City Police Department. Hopefully, they can work together fast, while there’s something left of Jim Gordon! Issue #2 also features words, interiors, and cover art by Marc Silvestri, with main variant covers of Batman and The Joker by the incomparable Kelley Jones, plus a variant by fan-favorite artist Jim Lee. This issue also features a 1 in 25 variant cover by Yanick Paquette, with a 1 in 50 black & white ratio variant by Silvestri, and a 1 in 100 ratio variant by Christopher Mitten.
All covers for Batman/The Joker: The Deadly Duo #1 and #2 are card stock, and each 32-page issue is priced at $4.99…
What follows are several variant covers for the series by the industry’s top talent.
For those wondering this is NOT Marc Silvestri’s first work at DC Comics. In fact he worked for DC Comics before his iconic Marvel Comics run that led to the founding of Image Comics.
- House of Mystery #292 (May 1981)
- Ghosts #104 (September 1981)
- The Unexpected #222 (May 1982)
- Weird War Tales #113 (July 1982)
He also returned to DC Comics in the 1990’s after Image Comics’ founding and the launch of his Top Cow flagship title CyberForce.
- Batman Black and White #3 (August 1996)
I am intrigued by this new limited series that gets the DC Black Label treatment.