DC Comics is continuing to flesh out the shared world of Tim Burton’s Batman and Richard Donner’s Superman. Both Batman ’89 and Superman ’78 are getting sequels in November 2023, meaning we’ll finally meet the Burtonverse versions of Scarecrow and Harley Quinn.
As revealed by ComicBook.com, Batman ’89: Echoes brings back writer Sam Hamm (who also penned the screenplays for 1989’s Batman and 1992’s Batman Returns) and artist Joe Quinones for another tale starring Michael Keaton’s Dark Knight. In this sequel, Batman himself has gone missing following his tragic showdown with Two-Face, prompting the ordinary citizens of Gotham to wage war on crime in an increasingly dangerous state of affairs.
Based on the cover to issue #1, the series looks to be focusing on Scarecrow and Harley Quinn as its main two villains, suggesting Echoes is at least loosely inspired by the abandoned Batman: Unchained screenplay from the late ’90s. Unchained reportedly focused on the two villains teaming up to drive Batman insane, and would have introduced Harley as the daughter of Jack Nicholson’s Joker. The script was even said to have featured a scene where Nicholson’s Joker returned in the form of a fear toxin-induced hallucination, a scene which appears to be represented in artist Riley Rossmo’s variant cover.
Quinones’ concept art shows off the redesigned Batsuit, which takes on a more tactical, armored quality for Batman’s fourth Burtonverse adventure. As Quinones notes’ confirm, the new suit is also drawing inspiration from Keaton’s appearance in The Flash.
Meanwhile, Superman ’78: The Metal Curtain pairs returning writer Robert Venditti with artist Gavin Guidry. This sequel deals with the revelation that another relic of Krypton crash-landed in the Soviet Union, fueling the rise of a powerful new enemy for Christopher Reeve’s Man of Steel (likely Metallo, based on the cover art).
Superman ’78: The Metal Curtain #1 will be released on November 7, 2023, followed by Batman ’89: Echoes #1 on November 28.
The original Batman ’89 and Superman ’78 comics debuted in 2021. DC later confirmed both comics are set on the same world – Earth-789 in the DC multiverse – though there’s been no sign of a direct crossover between Keaton’s Batman and Reeve’s Superman yet. You can learn more about how Batman ’89 reveals the lost history of Michael Keaton’s Batman.
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