Tom King returns to Batman as the Caped Crusader teams up with Jenny Sparks of The Authority in a new Black Label title

Writer Tom King is digging deep into another DC character with a new Black Label limited series, this time turning his insightful and experimental pen to WildStorm's Jenny Sparks of Stormwatch and The Authority fame to bring the so-called "Spirit of the 20th century into the 21st century."

King will be joined by WildCATs artist Jeff Spokes and letterer Clayton Cowles for Jenny Sparks, which also brings in Batman, who King wrote for years, to help solve a mystery related to Captain Atom, who has gone completely off the rails as a villain. 

For those not in the know, Captain Atom is basically a living nuclear reactor, who inspired the character of Doctor Manhattan in Watchmen (though Captain Atom spends a lot less time in the nude). 

Captain Atom is usually a hero and was even a member of the Justice League alongside Batman, but there's at least one alternate future in which he became a villain known as the Monarch after breaching the wall between the mainstream DC Universe and the WildStorm reality - home of the original Jenny Sparks. It seems the new Jenny Sparks title will revive some of that history.

Here's a gallery of interior pages for Jenny Sparks #1, featuring the Caped Crusader himself, along with covers by artists Guillem March, Homare, Saowee, and series artist Jeff Spokes:

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"What could four strangers have to do with the fate of the world? Find out as Captain Atom goes rogue, threatening to destroy the planet he once swore to protect," reads DC's announcement. "It may take the most unconventional hero of them all to stop him…Jenny Sparks, the one woman tasked with keeping all the heroes in line, no matter the cost. With a snap of her fingers, she’s entered the fray and won’t quit until the job is done!"

Jenny Sparks was a member of the original line-up of The Authority, the WildStorm Universe's equivalent of the Justice League, right down to its own Variants of Batman and Superman, Midnighter and Apollo. If you haven't read those comics, but The Authority is ringing a bell, it's probably because James Gunn announced an Authority movie way back when he was originally named co-CEO of DC Studios.

"Jenny Sparks is an epic, thrilling, mind-blowing series in the tradition of Strange Adventures, Mister Miracle, and The Human Target," says Tom King. "The Spirit of the 20th Century comes to the 21st to try to save five men and women taken hostage by an out-of-control and infinitely powered Captain Atom."

"Through this lens, we’ll explore the grip of Jenny’s time on our own; how, despite all our desperate prayers, the sins of our past refuse to die away," King continues. "Featuring astonishing art by Jeff Spokes (seriously, it’s so damn good), Jenny Sparks seeks to set the bar in superhero comics, to show how our heroes can illuminate and define our moment."

In addition to his Batman run, which culminated in Catwoman leaving Batman at the altar after the two became engaged, King is known for his award winning series Mister Miracle, Strange Adventures, and The Human Target, which use the canvas of classic DC heroes to explore all too human concepts and characters. 

Several of King's major titles, including the upcoming Jenny Sparks, have been released through DC's Black Label imprint, which publishes stories set outside strict DC continuity, with more adult-oriented content and themes.

Jenny Sparks #1 of six goes on sale August 21.

Learn all about the comic history of The Authority.