The Dark Knight’s 80th birthday celebrations will begin in earnest this March, with DC Entertainment releasing plans for that month’s Detective Comics No. 1000, featuring an all-star lineup of creators celebrating Batman’s career.
In addition to a story by the new regular Detective creative team of Peter J. Tomasi and Doug Mahnke — which introduces a version of the Arkham Knight character from the Batman: Arkham video game series into mainstream comic book continuity for the first time — the 96-page special issue will feature contributions from creators including Kevin Smith, Brian Michael Bendis, Warren Ellis, Geoff Johns, Tom King, Scott Snyder, Becky Cloonan, Joelle Jones, Batman The Animated Series producer and writer Paul Dini and DC Entertainment co-president and CCO Jim Lee.
Lee will also provide the main cover for the issue, with inker Scott Williams and colorist Alex Sinclair. Variant covers for the issue will be available, by artists including Steve Rude, Jim Steranko, Frank Miller and more.
“Batman is one of the most enduring characters in popular culture, and his debut in Detective Comics represented a pivotal moment in comics and pioneered a new type of superhero that would appeal to every generation,” DC co-publisher Dan DiDio said in a statement. “Batman continues to have an impact on entertainment worldwide and the 1,000th issue of Detective Comics is a testament to the creative genius of Bob Kane and Bill Finger and is a fitting tribute to Batman on his 80th anniversary.”
Detective Comics will be released March 27.
