Gotham Knights prequel follows Batman's last case before his death

(Image credit: DC)

Ahead of the highly anticipated Gotham Knights video game, DC has announced a six-issue prequel comic to debut alongside it in October.

Batman: Gotham Knights - Gilded City #1 cover (Image credit: DC)

Batman: Gotham Knights – Gilded City is written by Evan Narcisse and illustrated by ABEL, and it will chronicle a mysterious virus that has infected Gotham City and turned citizens into rabid, violent criminals with yellow eyes.

In his last case before he dies – yes, Batman is really dead in Gotham Knights – Bruce Wayne attempts to contain the virus and determine its origins. He and his Gotham Knights figure out this isn't the first time the virus has taken over the city, and they also discover the Runaway, one of Gotham's earliest masked vigilantes.

To tell the complete story, Batman: Gotham Knights – Gilded City takes place in two time periods: the present day and the 1800s.

Gotham Knights Batcycle preview (art not final) (Image credit: DC)

Each issue in the limited series will include a code that can be redeemed in Gotham Knights for special items. Issue #1 will grant players the BOSO22 Batcycle Skin, available at game launch, and readers who purchase all six individual issues will get a special seventh item.

Check out character designs for Batman: Gotham Knights – Gilded City below, as well as video game character skins designed by Jim Lee.

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Batman: Gotham Knights - Gilded City Batman design(Image credit: DC)

In addition to series art by ABEL, each issue of Batman: Gotham Knights – Gilded City will also feature main cover art by Greg Capullo. The debut issue will have variants by Yanick Paquette and Christopher Mitten, as well as a special wraparound cover featuring the game's playable characters – Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl, and Red Hood – by Jim Lee and Scott Williams.

Covers for issue #1 and some interior art can be seen here.

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Batman: Gotham Knights – Gilded City #1 will be available October 25.

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Samantha Puc (she/they) is an editor at Newsarama and an avid comics fan. Their writing has been featured on Refinery29, Bitch Media, them., The Beat, The Mary Sue, and elsewhere. She is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative nonfiction at The New School.