DC Comics and Warner Bros have announced that a Gotham Knights prequel comic is coming this October, telling the last story of Batman before his apparent death in the upcoming superhero game. It’s by a Black Panther writer currently working on Bethesda’s Redfall, and collectors will be able to claim free DLC – including a neat bat-bike.
Batman: Gotham Knights – Gilded City was confirmed by the publisher during SDCC after it was teased earlier this year by Batman artist Greg Capullo, who is doing the covers for the six-issue monthly series. Harley Quinn artist Abel and writer Evan Narcisse are the main creative team behind the prequel.
Other than being a writer for Kotaku, Narcisse has written for Black Panther several times, including the Rise of the Black Panther comic series and the well-received Marvel’s Avengers: War for Wakanda expansion. He was narrative design consultant on Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which is coming to PC soon, and is currently working on Arkane’s vampire co-op game Redfall.
As for the story, Gilded City details Batman’s last case, so the prequel will likely lead right up to the events of Gotham Knights. In it, Batman and his allies investigate a zombie-like virus that’s been unleashed on Gotham, with apparent ties to another vigilante called Runaway who protected Gotham in the 1800s. If none of this has any connection to the game’s antagonists the Court of Owls and their deathless servants the Talons I will eat my nearest Batman shirt.
And yes, there will be free DLC too. Much like with Fortnite tie-in comics, each of the six issues will contain codes to unlock exclusive content in Gotham Knights. The debut issue, which arrives alongside the Gotham Knights release date just in time for Halloween, features a code for a cool white BOSO22 Batcycle skin. Collect all six issues and you’ll unlock a seventh DLC item, which is under wraps at the moment.
In other Gotham Knights news out of SDCC, Batman’s son Damian Wayne and Harley Quinn may play a part in the game’s events – but not the Joker.