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It sounds like the Bat and the Cat are at loggerheads once more... DC has unveiled the next chapter in its ongoing Dawn of DC event, and Batman and Catwoman's often turbulent relationship is set to take a drastic turn for the worse... Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War sees Selina Kyle take on the mantle of crime boss, leading the sometimes allies/sometimes lovers to go to war against each other.
The event, which is written by Chip Zdarsky and Tini Howard and pencilled by Mike Hawthorne and Adriano Di Benedetto, will open with a special one-shot before continuing into the main Batman and Catwoman solo books, as well as a pair of two-issue miniseries, The Gotham War: Red Hood and The Gotham War: Scorched Earth.
This new Dawn of DC event follows hot on the heels of July and August's line-wide Knight Terrors saga and will pick up directly after Knight Terrors: Batman #2, by Joshua Williamson and Trevor Hairsine.
Here's a gallery of the covers for the opening chapter, Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War - Battle Lines #1.
DC's press release reveals that, "A coordinated effort in Gotham City has led to a reduction in violent crime, but at what cost? Villains scatter as their lives begin to crumble under a new regime. And as Batman recovers from his epic battle through the Multiverse and the horrors of Knight Terrors, one name runs through his mind. One name at the heart of this new, safer Gotham: Catwoman."
Here's a complete list of the titles that will be taking part in The Gotham War, as well as covers for Batman #137 and Catwoman #57, which make up the second and third part of the story respectively.
- Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War - Battle Lines #1
- Batman #137 and #138
- Catwoman #57 and #58
- Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War - Red Hood #1 and #2
- Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War - Scorched Earth #1
Chip Zdarsky and Tini Howard are the current writers of DC's core Batman and Catwoman titles respectively. This crossover gave the pair the chance to work together on shifting the status quo in Gotham City.
"From the moment Tini and I started working on these titles, we realized we had a huge opportunity to build toward something that would shake up the power structure of Gotham City," Zdarsky said in a statement. "The Gotham War is just that: relationships explode, relationships are formed, and it all leads to massive changes! Being able to take these kinds of big swings together has been extremely exciting."
He also teased, "I don't want to spoil anything, but with Selina's recent breakout from jail and Bruce's struggles with Zur-En-Arrh, things are going to get intense in Gotham."
"Comics thrive on team-ups," added Tini Howard. "Whether it's a team of creators or a heroic partnership, all of my favorite stories are about two strong personalities and the space between them. On the page, we've got one of comics' greatest love stories: the world's greatest detective and the world's greatest criminal. And they both love Gotham City. But the course of true love never did run smooth."
DC has also unveiled timeline graphic (above) to show how The Gotham War fits together with other recent Dawn of DC events, starting with Lazarus Planet and continuing into Knight Terrors. It's certainly shaping up to be a hectic summer!
Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War - Battle Lines #1 is published by DC Comics on August 29.
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