Yesterday was One Bad Day for comics journalists trying to keep up with DC Comics. From Noon to 7PM Eastern, the publisher announced via social media a series of new Batman one-shots all subtitled “One Bad Day,” with each book focused on the character’s iconic villains. The one-shots, which feature characters from Two-Face to The Penguin to Ra’s Al Ghul, come from a veritable murderers row of top creative teams, including Tom King & Mitch Gerads, Mariko Tamaki & Javier Fernandez, G. Willow Wilson & Jamie McKelvie, and more.
Here’s the full breakdown of info on all eight 64-page one-shots, which will release monthly beginning in August and, according to DC, “tell definitive tales” featuring the villains spotlighted.
Batman – One Bad Day: The Riddler by Tom King & Mitch Gerads:
Tom King and Mitch Gerads reunite in a new 64-page one-shot comic this August! Edward Nygma’s meticulous rules and systems go out the window when he kills seemingly at random, but Batman isn’t buying it! This tense intellectual thriller sees Batman unravel as he tries to decode the Riddler’s motivation!
Batman – One Bad Day: Two-Face by Mariko Tamaki, Javier Fernandez & Jordie Bellaire:
Heads or Tails, when it comes to Two-Face Batman always loses! Is Harvey Dent back to save Gotham City? In a new 64-page one-shot comic this September, Mariko Tamaki and Javier Fernandez’s tragic noir Two-Face epic will flip that iconic coin…on its head?!
Batman – One Bad Day: The Penguin by John Ridley, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Cam Smith & Arif Prianto:
When the Penguin’s criminal empire is stolen by a former associate, Batman faces both Cobblepot and THE UMBRELLA MAN on the burning streets of Gotham! John Ridley and Giuseppe Camuncoli’s ONE BAD DAY one-shot arrives this October!
Batman – One Bad Day: Mr. Freeze by Gerry Duggan, Matteo Scalera & Dave Stewart:
Save your sympathies, Batman and Robin! Years ago, Gotham City experienced a winter so icy that Mr. Freeze could live without his containment suit! Gerry Duggan and Matteo Scalera deliver a cold new take on Mr. Freeze this November!
Batman – One Bad Day: Catwoman by G. Willow Wilson, Jamie McKelvie & Tamra Bonvillain:
A brooch Selina Kyle’s mother once pawned for pennies is now part of a high-bid auction! The stakes are personal, and Catwoman will steal it back at any cost this December in G. Willow Wilson and Jamie McKelvie’s ONE BAD DAY one-shot!
Batman – One Bad Day: Bane by Joshua Williamson, Howard Porter & Tomeu Morey:
The man who broke the Bat returns for the last vengeance of Bane! See Bane’s mind, body and spirit get ravaged in a ONE BAD DAY one-shot by Joshua Williamson and Howard Porter in January 2023!
Batman – One Bad Day: Clayface by Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing, Xermanico & Romulo Fajardo Jr.:
Clayface’s dream was to be famous, but Gotham’s stars don’t always shine bright! Batman chases Basil Karlo to L.A. where Clayface is killing his way to fame in Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing and Xermanico’s ONE BAD DAY February one-shot!
Batman – One Bad Day: Ra’s al Ghul by Tom Taylor & Ivan Reis
Finally, capping off the run of one-shot issues is Tom Taylor and Ivan Reis on Ra’s al Ghul’s ONE BAD DAY story in March! You know his name, the Bat will know his wrath!
The “One Bad Day” subtitle is a clear reference to Batman: The Killing Joke, the 1988 one-shot comic by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons that many believe to be the definitive Joker story. Darran Robinson‘s logo design for the new one-shots is even reminiscent of the trade dress on The Killing Joke. It’s a lofty goal to shoot for so clearly, and inviting comparisons to such a classic story right off the bat is, frankly, a ballsy move for DC to make. Time will tell if these one-shots have the same impact that The Killing Joke has had over the past thirty-plus years.
Look for the first of the Batman: One Bad Day one-shots to arrive in stores and digitally in August.
My son, who has been a huge Clayface fan for going on fourteen years or so, will be delighted to see another book devoted to the character!
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