New Batman Mythology As DC Comics Explores Caped Crusader’s Past In ‘Batman: Zero Year’

“Batman: Zero Year” is the next big Batman comic series and follows the 23-issue “Death of the Family” that included several crossover plots in “Batgirl,” “Catwoman,” Nightwing” “Teen Titans and “Batman and Robin” comics. “Batman: Zero Year” will alter some aspects of Batman’s origins to better fit the “The New 52” universe that DC Comics launched in 2011. “The New 52” event reset the DC Comics universe and helped resolve continuity problems and to bring in new readers.

Most of Batman’s origin story will remain unchanged, including the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents, notes “Batman: Zero Year” writer Scott Snyder. In an interview with The Associated Press, Snyder said, “We tried to preserve as much of Batman’s history as we could and keep what we could of this history intact. It’s ‘The Zero Year,’ the one that no one has told the story of before. We see how Bruce became the Batman, built the cave, faced off with his first super villain … It’s time for a new story showing how Batman became who he is in The New 52. It builds up the mythology.”

Snyder previously wrote “American Vampire” for Vertigo and for DC Comics he has worked on “Detective Comics,” “Batman” and “Swamp Thing.” “Batman: Zero Year” will be illustrated by Greg Capullo, who has worked on “Spawn” in the 1990s as well as on several DC Batman titles.

The new look at Batman’s early years will help reconcile Batman’s origins from 1939 as well as the look at Batman’s first year fighting crime in “Batman: Year One,” which was written by Frank Miller in 1987. “Batman: Year One” reworked Batman’s origins to better fit Miller’s creation in “Batman: The Dark Night Returns.” Snyder says to AP that they will not abandon Batman’s origins from “Batman: Year One” and will only look at Wayne’s formative years in “Batman: Zero Year.”

“Batman: Zero Year” will run for 11 issues and will begin in “Batman #21,” which is scheduled for released in June.