Since Batman is one of the most beloved superheroes in pop culture -- and DC's biggest cash cow -- it isn't a shock that the Dark Knight has plenty of comic book series lined up for 2022. The character is in the process of his second major crossover event since last year's Infinite Frontier launch with Shadow War.
But GamesRadar+'s April solicitations for DC's comics shows Batman also has important story arcs coming up once he returns to Gotham in his self-titled book and Detective Comics, with an assortment of creative teams handling the series. However, several spinoffs and alternate canon comics are coming that are more than worth taking note of.
Batman
With former writer James Tynion IV leaving the title and DC after the Fear State arc, as mentioned by GamesRadar, the acclaimed Joshua Williamson is taking over Batman for the time being with Jorge Molina on the art. His first issue in his run sees Batman leave Gotham City temporarily and handle missions abroad, with the Dark Knight going up against a new villain in the form of Abyss.
This leads into the current Shadow War crossover arc, centering on Talia al Ghul's father, Ra's, being murdered by the hand of Deathstroke and the enraged daughter out for revenge. It pulls in Batman, Robin, and Deathstroke Inc. to culminate in one explosive feud. Williamson's tenure so far has been highly acclaimed and touted as the main comic's return to form, so it'll be exciting for fans to see where and how long this run goes.
Detective Comics
As one of DC's best superheroes, Batman was pivotal in the comic book publisher's early years. Detective Comics was part of that influence, as well as where the World's Greatest Detective made his debut. Mariko Tamaki stays on as the writer since her Infinite Frontier premiere, currently writing DC Comics' weekly Shadows of the Bat arc detailing Bruce's greater Bat-family filling in his absence in Gotham.
The April solicitations note that Tamaki (and guest writer Nadia Shammas) return to the monthly format and team up with artists Ivan Reis and Danny Miki for a new story arc pitting Batman against the Riddler. Surely being partly influenced by Matt Reeves' The Batman, this comic arc will have Riddler return to Gotham after gaining prominent media to back his latest schemes.
Urban Legends
One of the new "core" ongoing Batman comics released with Infinite Frontier was Urban Legends. It was an excitingly fresh way to approach storytelling with this character, as its main appeal is being an anthology-formatted series. Each issue is longer than typical monthlies and features a variety of different writer/artist teams doing their own stories.
DC had this title packed with a host of talented creatives attached, including acclaimed Daredevil writer Chip Zdarsky, with artist Eddy Barrows on a Batman and Red Hood storyline. Urban Legends has brought in other characters like Batwoman, Signal, Zatanna, and even Terry McGinnis' Batman.
Beyond The White Knight
Some of DC's best comic books have recently come from their Black Label Imprint, and one of Batman's best modern works returns for its third mainline installment this March. Beyond the White Knight is a sequel to both White Knight and Curse of the White Knight, and it follows the shocking consequences of Bruce willingly revealing his identity, giving up everything he owns, and being imprisoned after defeating Azrael -- along with a mysterious youngster stealing Batman's old tech.
This limited series will run for eight issues, and writer/artist Sean Murphy noted to IGN that he still has plans for at least one more main sequel. Black Label has been great for isolated alternate-canon stories, with Murphy doing well in playing with conventional Batman lore and presenting lasting (and dire) consequences in tandem with his broodingly stylish art.
One Dark Knight
Another promising series that recently began publishing is Jock's One Dark Knight. Jock primarily entered the comic book scene as an artist, and he illustrated fan-favorite writer Scott Snyder's underrated The Black Mirror, which was one of the best Batman story arcs from the 2010s. The artist now gets to combine his illustrating talents with his writing in this three-issue, prestige-format miniseries.
One Dark Knight tells a small-scale story detailing Batman the GD's attempts to escort a new villain to Blackgate Penitentiary before the night takes a turn for the worse in a city-wide blackout. Issues #2 and #3 don't publish until March and beyond, but the first has already been released to resounding praise.
The Knight
Though origin stories have typically been done to death with legacy heroes like Batman and Spider-Man, the approach the 10-issue The Knight is taking seems to be intriguing in its own right.
The aforementioned writer Chip Zdarsky -- who's written some of Daredevil's best comics, in general -- partners with artist Carmine Giandomenico for a different kind of origin story that focuses on Bruce Wayne's younger days going to school and training abroad before settling on the idea of the Batman. It's essentially as if The Knight honed in on Bruce's training from Batman Begins and fleshed it out for an entire series.
Killing Time
Tom King's run on the main Batman series was characterized by high highs and low lows, but his six-issue miniseries starting in March will focus on a tightly-packed thriller premise. In Killing Time, King and artist David Marquez will present an earlier-days Batman be on the heels of Riddler, Penguin, and Catwoman as they pull off a heist for an ancient artifact.
While introspective and gritty crime-noir is where Batman's best works lie, this heist-thriller approach could be a refreshing one for King to take. Likewise, it could be interesting to see Catwoman portrayed as an anti-hero/supervillain again, given the timeline.
World's Finest
Despite being popularly depicted at odds with each other at times, Batman's dynamic with Superman is one of the Caped Crusader's most important friendships in the comics. Fans were likely excited to hear that industry veteran Mark Waid -- of The Flash and Daredevil fame -- was paired with the exceptional artist Dan Mora for Batman/Superman: World's Finest this March.
Mora previously drew two volumes' worth of Detective Comics with Mariko Tamaki but is (at least for the time being) going to be focused on this for the time being. The art style looks like it will fit the setting and tone immaculately, as well the story setting up Batman to help Superman in Metropolis and elsewhere. It appears World's Finest is also set to be an ongoing series.
Batman Beyond: Neo Year
The previous Batman Beyond comic book series was unfortunately canceled back in 2020, but it appears that 2022 is going to be much kinder to Terry McGinnis and his cyberpunk incarnation of the Dark Knight. On top of featuring in the Black Label Beyond the White Knight, writers Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing and artist Max Dunbar will have him lead in Batman Beyond: Neo Year this April.
This six-issue series spins out of the events of Urban Legends #7, where Terry learns that Bruce's killer was the now-sentient Bat-computer. Neo-Gotham has had all of its computerized systems taken under control of the computer, leading Terry's Batman left without the mentorship of Bruce Wayne.
