DC Comics recently shared its second variant cover for Future State’s The Next Batman #1, illustrated by Olivier Coipel on social media.
DC Comics will bring in the new year with its highly-anticipated two-month event, Future State, which explores its iconic heroes set in a world outside the confines of the Multiverse, within a future where new visions of heroes exist parallel to DC’s older origin stories.
Batman will be reimagined by award-winning writer, John Ridley within a four issue arc titled, The Next Batman. Recently, DC Comics released the second variant cover for the series’ inaugural issue, illustrated by Olivier Coipel, as shared by DC’s Batman Twitter account.
Coipel’s cover shows a battered Batman, with blood and grime on his fancy armored suit. The image suggests that his upcoming battle will not be easy and perhaps he will need to leave behind the gadgets and gear he’s known for, for something altogether different.
The Next Batman is set within a world where vigilantes are outlawed and citizens are highly monitored digitally, forcing Batman to reevaluate how much he relies on technology. Ridley’s take on the caped crusader envisions a Batman that relies instead on his physical strength and cleverness than necessarily high-tech gear, battling a technologically advanced and oppressive government called the Magistrate.
“You have a Batman who has to operate in a space where the only advantage he can have is to be analog. When you start removing those digital tools, you’re like a caveman fighting computers… the only thing you can really do is go back to the original Batman — the shadows are your friend. Night is your ally. The city is your battleground,” Ridley said within a DC Future State preview.
The Next Batman #1’s first variant cover was also recently released, created by Ken Lashley and Juan Fernandez, which confirmed that Ridley’s arc will be the first time a Black man will wear the iconic cape and cowl.