This October, Batman fans get a new and different look at Gotham’s guardian as he begins his war on crime in “Batman: The Imposter,” a three-issue Prestige format series from DC. The series will debut in print and on participating digital platforms (English-language version) on Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021. In addition, the series will be collected in a hardcover format, available Feb. 22, 2021.
Localized print versions of the series will also launch day and date in the following territories: Spain, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Italy, France, Russia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Japan, South Korea, Turkey, and Argentina.
Director and screenwriter Mattson Tomlin (“Project Power,” “Little Fish”) has teamed up with Eisner-winning suspense and horror artist Andrea Sorrentino (“Joker: Killer Smile,” “Batman: The Smile Killer,” “Green Arrow”) to create a gritty, hard-boiled version of Gotham City, where “every punch leaves a broken bone and every action has consequences far, far beyond Batman’s imagination.”
Written by Mattson Tomlin
Art and main cover by Andrea Sorrentino
Colors by Jordie Bellaire
Variant cover by Lee Bermejo
1-in-25 “ratio” variant cover by Kaare Andrews
“As a lifelong Batman fan, putting my spin on Gotham City has been a dream come true,” said writer Mattson Tomlin. “Taking the question of ‘What if Batman was real?’ as far as narratively possible conjured incredible potential that hasn’t recently been explored in the comics. ‘Batman: The Imposter’ treats Bruce Wayne, and the people around him, as tragically flawed and vividly real, with the obstacles Batman faces coming from a reality that closely mirrors our own.”
In the story, Bruce Wayne’s mission as the Batman has only been under way for a year or so, but he can tell he’s making a difference. Unfortunately, he’s made some powerful enemies. All the traditional power brokers of Gotham resent the disruption the Batman has brought to town… and it seems one of them has a plan to neutralize him. There’s a second Batman haunting Gotham’s rooftops and alleys — and this one has no qualms about murdering criminals, live and on tape.
“Having been a fan of his for years, working with Andrea Sorrentino is an absolute gift,” added Tomlin. “His vividly graphic art and truly genius layouts brought this story to new heights, and Jordie Bellaire’s astounding color work has truly spoiled me for my first outing with DC.”
“I’ve worked on Batman as a supporting character in a couple of books, but this was the very first time I had the chance to work on a Batman title, and it was amazing,” added artist Andrea Sorrentino. “I’ve been a huge fan of Batman ever since I was a kid and saw Tim Burton’s ‘Batman’ movie in 1989, so having the chance to work with Mattson and Jordie on this take on the Caped Crusader was like an early Christmas present!”
