It’s the Start of an Exciting New Era for Gotham City

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New York Comic Con is a huge annual pop culture event, held each fall and modeled after the summer’s San Diego Comic Con. Drawing hundreds of thousands of fans, it’s a must-attend for anyone interested in manga, movies, TV shows, collectibles, and comics. Visitors can spend their time exploring the exhibit hall, getting autographs, admiring costumes, showing off their own cosplay, attending parties, and much more. A major draw is the convention’s panels, where fans often line up an hour or even weeks in advance to get a good seat and be the first to hear news about their favorite comics, creators, and shows.

Both DC and Marvel usually have big, well-attended panels announcing their future plans. Even panels for less prominent stories can draw a crowd, like the “Gotham City” panel at the convention. DC editor Rob Levin led a discussion with creators Tini Howard, Babs Tarr, Jorge Jimenez, Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, Che Grayson, and Erica Henderson. They talked about current books like Batman and Absolute Batman, works in development such as Harley and Ivy: Life and Crimes, and brand-new projects announced that day, including Sirens: Love Hurts and Absolute Catwoman.

The Gotham City Sirens Are Back With A Black Label Miniseries

The Gotham City Sirens have a unique publication story. The original series was a beloved comedy from the late 1980s and early 1990s, known for its great character work focusing on three iconic Gotham villains: Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn. While the team occasionally appeared in other comics, the title wasn’t revisited until 2024. Since then, there have been two series, Gotham City Sirens and Gotham City Sirens: Unfit for Orbit, both written by Leah Williams with art by different artists.

The creative team behind Sirens is returning with a new miniseries called Sirens: Love Hurts. Illustrated by Babs Tarr (with assistance from unnamed layout and background artists), they’re clearly enthusiastic about continuing the Sirens’ story. Their last project featuring the team was a story in Harley Quinn: Black, White and Redder #6, which hinted at more adventures to come. After a three-year wait, that promise is finally being fulfilled!

Howard compared the new book to Long Halloween, but geared towards a female audience, calling it the “hot girl Gotham book” fans have wanted. The story will center on the friendships and romantic lives of the Sirens – along with Black Canary, who’s considered one of the Gotham girls. Each issue will cover a different season, following a year in the comic. The characters are all dealing with personal issues: Pamela Isley is grappling with loneliness, Selina Kyle is navigating a complicated relationship with two men, and Dinah Lance is working through the challenges of her marriage to Oliver Queen, especially the difficulties of being engaged to someone so famous. However, they support each other while facing a new villain. The villain is described as a serial killer with a unique style, blending the grittiness of modern villains from the Absolute universe with the classic feel of foes from the 1966 Batman show. Howard also playfully suggested the villain will be an even more ruthless and unpleasant version of herself.

Overall, Love Hurts looks like a charming addition to the Black Label series. It appears the publisher is aiming to explore different styles and themes, and creators Howard and Tarr have described the story as sophisticated, sensual, and drawing inspiration from romance manga. The first issue is scheduled for release in February 2026, with a total of four issues planned.

Jorge Jimenez Chatted About His Several-Year Stint On Batman

It’s rare for an artist to work on a major, ongoing comic book series like Batman for several years, but Jorge Jimenez has done just that. He’s been the primary artist on the main Batman comic since around 2020, and he’s successfully collaborated with different writers, including James Tynion IV and Matt Fraction, adapting his style slightly with each new creative team.

During a recent panel discussion, Jimenez discussed his work on the current Batman comic series with writer Fraction. He described the first issue’s success – already exceeding half a million copies and requiring a reprint – as “crazy,” which is understandable. Jimenez explained he aimed for a more streamlined and iconic look, moving away from the highly detailed, cyberpunk style of his previous Batman work to better match Fraction’s vision. He also made a point of acknowledging the contributions of his colorists, specifically praising Tomeu Morey for the flatter, retro color palette used in this new run.

When asked about his favorite gadget to illustrate, Jimenez said he enjoys them all. He’s having a lot of fun designing and using Batman’s various tools. The conversation then turned to a new villain, the Minotaur, who will appear in December. Jimenez playfully mentioned that writer Fraction instructed him to keep details about the Minotaur secret. It will be interesting to see how the Minotaur and his group, Taurus, differentiate themselves from other villainous secret societies, and we’ll find out more in December. Audience members received temporary tattoos featuring the Taurus logo, and Jimenez and Howard joked about Jimenez potentially getting a permanent one.

We Learned About How Far Absolute Batman Can Go

When asked about the current Batman storyline, Scott Snyder’s first response was a grim, “It only gets worse,” and it’s easy to see why. Since the end of the first story arc, Snyder, Dragotta, and Martin have steadily increased the tension, with Batman enduring significant physical and emotional trauma inflicted by this version of Bane. And just when it seemed things couldn’t get any harder, the creative team revealed a new challenge for Batman – a fresh take on the villain – just weeks before a major convention.

Snyder’s take on the Joker is interesting. While usually shrouded in mystery, this version shows him as a strangely calm character obsessed with order and chaos. In this universe, the villains actually represent order, and the heroes are the disruptive force. The Joker has figured out that Batman embodies chaos, and many fans believe he’ll become jealous of that – Batman gets to freely break the rules, help people, and be a force of change, while the Joker feels trapped by fate.

The fifteenth issue of the series, releasing in December with artwork by Jock, will finally reveal the origins of Absolute Joker. Both Dragotta and Snyder praised Jock’s work, discussing the creative process behind designing Joker’s terrifying appearance. They focused on prioritizing impactful visuals and maximizing the horror throughout the book. Snyder also shared the story of how he and Jock first connected creatively. Initially, his editor doubted Jock would join the project, as Jock was already a well-established artist and Snyder was relatively new. However, Snyder was determined and flew to California to meet him. After a meeting at a bar – complete with a bit of drinking – Snyder convinced Jock to join by sharing the deeply personal core of the story. Jock was moved by the pitch and immediately signed on.

It’s great to see Absolute Batman developing so well. The upcoming story arc, which will feature Scarecrow and Poison Ivy and increase the horror aspects, is particularly exciting, as is the news that it will be followed by its own separate miniseries.

Absolute Catwoman Has Finally Joined The Absolute Line

The first three Absolute books were a huge surprise, and the second wave of releases generated even more excitement. Overall, fans have really enjoyed them, but many wondered if more books were planned. There was a lot of discussion about which lesser-known characters might get their own spotlight, and some predicted we’d see a book focusing on Darkseid’s Legion of Superheroes. The announcement of the 2025 San Diego Comic Con briefly calmed this speculation, but it exploded again when Oliver Queen was unexpectedly killed in the recent Absolute Evil special.

Okay, so the buzz is real – they’re giving Catwoman her own series! It’s being written by Che Grayson and Scott Snyder, with art by Bengal, and it’s spinning out of her appearances in Absolute Batman. We’ve gotten glimpses of her backstory and what she’s up to now in Absolute Batman, but this six-issue run is going to really dig deep. Apparently, Snyder realized Selina had so much story to tell that she couldn’t get a fair shake as just a supporting character. That’s why he teamed up with Grayson to give her a solo book – it’s awesome to see her finally get the spotlight she deserves!

According to Snyder and Grayson, this version of Catwoman is positioned as a counterpart to Batman, possessing comparable wealth and resources. While Batman builds his gadgets himself from whatever he can find, Catwoman is equipped with high-tech gear. She sports a helmet similar to Black Mask’s – a connection the story promises to explore further, as hinted at in Absolute Batman #13 – and boasts advanced tools like a robotic tail that functions as a weapon, grappling hook, or whip, as well as camouflage technology. To demonstrate her influence, she maintains a network of vaults and safehouses in the world’s tallest buildings.

This version of Catwoman isn’t just a thief; she’s also an information broker. While she’s known for finding things rather than simply stealing them, she’s still capable of a good heist. The comic centers around the biggest theft of her career, and it also reveals her backstory. Writer Ram V. Grayson portrays Selina as someone striving for more than just wealth, hoping to escape her past. He asks, “What price does freedom cost?” The story will explore Selina’s ambition and the consequences of reaching too high, ultimately showing her that she needs to reconnect with her origins. It’s a twist on the Icarus myth, and whether she succeeds in finding balance remains to be seen – the comic is scheduled for release in 2026.

Harley and Ivy’s Romance Is Getting a Dedicated Origin Mini

Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy have been reinterpreted countless times, leading to a confusing history of their relationship and how Harley broke away from the Joker. A new comic series, Harley and Ivy: Life and Crimes, aims to clarify their origins and the difficulties they faced. The series, releasing November 5th, will focus specifically on the beginning of their romance and everything that came with it.

Henderson was thrilled about the project, especially the chance to play with existing storylines and build something new. She compared the freedom she had with this mini-series to the creative team behind Absolute, who also enjoyed bending the rules. Despite some limitations—like needing to adhere to established details, such as Joker’s injuries—she’s having a lot of fun developing the story. She particularly enjoyed writing a scene where Harley Quinn breaks up with a genuinely monstrous character.

Henderson explained the challenges of being both the artist and writer of a comic. She playfully noted that her artistic side sometimes clashes with her writing side when she creates scenes that are hard to draw, though she did enjoy illustrating one particularly dynamic scene involving a character twisting into an unusual pose. While Life and Crimes is a relatively short series, Henderson aims to make it impactful and emotionally resonant.

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2025-10-29 00:14