Fear State is already partially done, as Scarecrow continues to enact his plans for Gotham while Batman struggles to play catch-up after being captured for an indeterminate amount of time. It’s a given that Batman will be able to eventually defeat Scarecrow’s efforts; however, that doesn’t mean Gotham is safe for good.
No, even though James Tynion is walking away from Batman, there’s already a new story starting up in December. It begins with November’s Detective Comics 2021 Annual from Mariko Tamaki, Matthew Rosenberg, David Lapham, and Trish Mulvihill. This will lead into a massive storyline that will run for twelve weeks, within the pages of Detective Comics.
8 Batman Is Leaving Gotham City
The biggest thing people need to know is that Batman is leaving Gotham City for this event. That’s right, for the first time ever, Batman has decided he’s had enough of Gotham and that he doesn’t deserve to continue to be the protector of the city.
Of course, even with Batman gone, it’s not as if the city will be without a Batman, as Jace Fox will continue to patrol the cities even after Batman has disappeared again.
7 The Bat-Family Will Take His Place
Though Batman is gone, that doesn’t mean that Gotham will be completely defenseless. Batman’s never had a larger group of allies to work with, and many of them will seek to take Batman’s place for the sake of looking out for the city.
Characters like Harley Quinn will still be around, along with heroes like Batwoman and the Batgirls to continue taking care of the city in Batman’s absence.
6 The Arkham Tower Begins To Be Built
The Gotham City Police Department hasn’t been making good decisions since Jim Gordon left, and their politicians have always been terrible—there’s a reason why all the Batman Rogues Gallery are just sitting around in Arkham Asylum.
In spite of seeing Arkham Asylum turned into a revolving door that eventually lead to a bunch of villains being killed along with the staff there, the people in charge are unconvinced that they need a different approach. Now, Mayor Nakano aims to build Arkham Tower in the center of Gotham City itself.
5 Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne Are Not Getting Along Again
From the time Robin left college to continue being a crime-fighter until the early ’90s, Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson weren’t on the best of terms. For a long time, Grayson spent more time on the Titans than in Gotham, leaving Bruce Wayne to his own devices.
They patched things up after Bruce picked Dick to be Batman while he went training, but it looks like Shadow of the Bat is about to change this up again. The Detective Comics 2021 Annual mentions Bruce and Dick not getting along over the idea of Arkham Tower, and this could potentially lead to another rift between the two heroes.
4 A New Villain Is Coming To Gotham
Naturally, what’s a new Batman story event without some new villains? A new villain is being introduced at the start of this new storyline in the Maeger Man, a man who starts causing chaos in the middle of Gotham.
At the same time, the new person in charge of Arkham Tower, Dr. Wear, doesn’t exactly seem all that trustworthy. He seems to believe he can lead Gotham’s criminals down a better path by the usage of drug treatments, and from the solicits it seems like only a matter of time before he crosses a fine line.
3 Spins Out Of Fear State
When Fear State begins, it starts with Batman having been off the street for an unspecified amount of time. He’s gone long enough that people actually believe he’s been dead.
And while Fear State is supposed to be a self-contained event unto itself, it only makes sense that Shadows of the Bat will come from the storyline of Fear State. What’s confirmed is that in the aftermath of Fear State, the Peacekeeper program is completely shut down, making a Gotham that’s safe for masks again… but not necessarily safe for the citizens of Gotham City.
2 A Lot Of New Books Are Launching
For those who are bummed out about Batman leaving Gotham, there are good news. There are going to be plenty of new Bat-books for people to check out at the same time. After months of waiting, Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown team up with Barbara Gordon to become Batgirls in their own comic book.
Meanwhile, Jason Todd leads a team of revived former prisoners of Arkham Asylum in Task Force Z. And all that is just to start, as the Robins are all getting a comic book where they work together for a brief mini-series.
1 Batman Incorporated Is Making A Return
Anyone wondering what’s happening to Bruce while he’s leaving Gotham in the hands of others has a great question. And the answer is, he’ll be written over in the main Batman title. He’s not quitting his job as Batman, it just seems like he’s decided to branch out instead.
In a new storyline, Batman will be suiting up in a familiar outfit to handle a case that involves Batman Incorporated. Batman will be going on an adventure that takes him across the world. It also answers a new question that perhaps not many were thinking about beforehand: who’s financing Batman Incorporated if Bruce doesn’t have the cash?
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