Originally released in March of this year, DC’s Batman: Urban Legends encompasses a wide variety of characters aside from just Batman himself. Despite the title, the comic anthology puts a spotlight on various members of the Bat Family and beyond whereas the Caped Crusader takes more of a sideline role.
The focus on the characters does not mean Batman is fully absent by any means as his presence is definitely felt throughout. This comic series sets itself apart as it boasts a very talented, experienced creative team as well as a mix of single one-and-done issues and longer multi-part story arcs.
10 Expected To Have At Least Six Issues
Batman: Urban Legends takes place in the Infinite Frontier era and explores the reborn Gotham City that comes along with it. It is not the first time DC has utilized an anthology to explore the larger universe, as various anniversary specials as well as tie-ins for crossover events have used this format.
In addition to being set in the Infinite Frontier era, the series deals with different plotlines that were first laid down in Future State. In terms of length, there is expected to be at least six issues as the Red Hood series is slated to have at least six issues.
9 Focus On Supporting Cast Of Bat Family
As mentioned, Batman: Urban Legends focuses largely on characters in or around the Bat Family besides Bruce Wayne himself. The series really serves as an opportunity to explore the larger world of Gotham and truly immerse readers in it.
One way this is done is making the city feel truly lived in by showcasing a wider array of heroes than the title potentially suggests. For issue #1, this includes Red Hood, Harley Quinn, the Outsiders— made up of Black Lightning, Katana and Metamorpho— and Grifter among others who appear alongside them.
8 More Expensive Than Other DC Single Issues
The first issue of Batman: Urban Legends is the only one out so far and it is a bit more pricey than typical single issue DC comics. It is priced at $7.99, unusually high for a single issue of a comic series.
This is largely due to the sheer size of the volume and collection of stories within. The page count comes in at 64 pages. The price and size of this volume takes into account that there are four different stories within. As such, it can be argued that the price is justified and well worth it.
7 Background Of The Writers Involved
Another one of the largest selling points for the anthology is the incredible talent involved in it. This can be said for both the writers as well as the artists.
For starters, Chip Zdarsky, known for his work on Howard the Duck, Spider-Man and Daredevil among others, takes the helm on the Red Hood series. Stephanie Phillips, known for her work with Batman and Wonder Woman, is leading the Harley Quinn one off. Brandon Thomas, who previously writes for Future State series such as Aquaman and The Next Batman, writes for the Outsiders here. Lastly, Matthew Rosenberg, who worked with characters such as Hawkeye, the Punisher and many more, is heading the Grifter series.
6 Spotlight On Artwork
Of course, the writers are not the only talented members of the creative team. On Red Hood, artist Eddy Barrows, known for Detective Comics and DC Future State: Robin Eternal, joins Zdarsky. Another connection to Future State, Laura Braga from DC Future State: The Next Batman also worked on the Harley Quinn one off. Max Dunbar, who worked on projects such as Champions, Dungeons and Dragons, and Judge Dredd joins Thomas on the Outsiders tale. Lastly, artist Ryan Benjamin who worked on titles such as Teen Titans, Cable and Iron Man joins Rosenberg on the Grifter series.
Some aspects of these artists’ work can be seen throughout all of the series present in the anthology. For example, there are a lot of times when different art styles are used in each to illustrate the contrast between flashbacks and the present day. Additionally, there is a good balance of introspection, flashbacks, and action in the stories.
5 Cheer
Speaking of action and introspection, Jason Todd’s story does this mix especially well. It is the first in the anthology and sees Batman and Red Hood teaming up to investigate a new drug called Cheer (also the title of the comic).
It really balances out the character of Jason Todd, even showing him in a more protective, almost parental role to a kid named Tyler who he finds all alone. Additionally, the tension is definitely felt between Red Hood and Batman and will continue to be felt in future installments.
4 New Roots
The second story and the only one in the anthology to be a one-off of sorts is the Harley Quinn in her story, New Roots. This story provides a true retrospective for Harley Quinn and her relationship with Poison Ivy. It has a key focus on looking at some of the happier moments between the two in the past and gives some insight into Harley in the present day.
While Ivy’s current whereabouts are unclear, many think that will be addressed in Harley’s solo series. Speaking of that series, her story here is really emotional and leaves fans with some cliffhangers and so leads into her series very well.
3 The Caretaker
The next comic in the series, The Caretaker, covers several characters in the form of the Outsiders. It ties directly into Future State and shows them on a mission on the other end of the world. As mentioned before, the team consists of Black Lightning, Katana and Metamorpho.
While Black Lightning is a focal point of this story at times, all members of the team could stand on their own. The comic does not necessarily get to go as deep into each character like the other stories because of the team aspect.
2 The Long Con
The last installment in the anthology is The Long Con which follows Cole Cash in the present day. It sees him in his newly appointed role where he is working for Lucius Fox. Of course that new job in and of itself is not enough, so the story even involves a murder mystery of sorts for Cash to uncover.
Cole Cash is a very comedic anti-hero and the story really delivers on who he is throughout. Additionally, it is an even better story for the character than his previous Future State stories
1 A Look At Urban Legends #2
The second issue of the anthology is set to release on April 13th and will pick up where most of the stories left off. As mentioned previously, there will not be a Harley Quinn series as she has her own series. In her stead will be Oracle which sees the character discovering a hack and squaring off with someone from her time as Batgirl.
The next Red Hood story will see tensions come to a head between himself and Batman as Batman is hunting him down. The next Outsiders installment will see a bigger focus on Katana as they work to uncover what brought them to Japan and who is trying to kill her. Lastly, the next Grifter story will dig into the mystery behind him being in Gotham as well as the mysterious Halo corporation.
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