Ghost-Maker and the 'Grinners' take to the streets in Batman #102 preview

Pages from Batman #102 — (Image credit: DC)

Now that 'The Joker War' has concluded, the Dark Knight is about to face a new challenge as his relationship with Gotham continues to evolve, and this preview of November 3's Batman #102 showcases one of the new characters joining the scene – Ghost-Maker.

As for who Ghost-Maker is, the mystery is part of the story – but according to DC, he's got ties to Bruce Wayne's distant past, in his teen years. In Ghost-Maker's first appearance, he mentions that he and Bruce had similar teachers and that they would be ashamed of what Batman has become. Batman has had many teachers over the years – but given Ghost-Maker's use of swords, there could be a connection to Batman's great nemesis Ra's al-Ghul.

This preview of interior pages by Carlo Pagulayan and Danny Miki offers a new glimpse of Ghost-Maker, and focuses on Batman taking down a gang of clown-like thugs who call themselves 'Grinners.'

"Bruce Wayne and the city he loves have changed dramatically following the events of 'The Joker War,' but Batman and his mission are eternal. But not everyone thinks that should be the case," reads DC's official description of Batman #102. "The mysterious vigilante known as Ghost-Maker has known Bruce since they were teenagers, and he's made his decision. It's time Gotham City had a new hero."

'The Joker War' shook Batman's mythos to the core and introduced a host of new characters including Joker's newest henchwoman Punchline, the brutal, youthful vigilante Clownhunter, and more – alongside, of course, bringing the Clown Prince of Crime back into focus for writer James Tynion IV's run.

Here's a gallery of interior pages.

Image 1 of 6

Reading Batman digitally? Here are the best digital comic readers available.

I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011, and now I'm the Entertainment Writer at GamesRadar+. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)