Batman #1 — only the fourth time DC Comics has renumbered the title in 85 years — is hitting stores on September 3, 2025. And in advance of the release of the book by Matt Fraction, Jorge Jiménez, Tomeu Morey, and Clayton Cowles, the publisher has revealed multiple covers for the issue, as well as a “Blind as a Bat” polybag special edition.
“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Batman. It was the first comic I ever read, ” said Fraction via a press release provided to Comic Book Club. “Jorge and I have a very superhero-forward kind of take on Batman. We’ve got a new Batmobile, we’ve got a new costume, we’ve got new characters, and we’ve got a lot of old ones too—good and bad; all the stuff that makes Batman the coolest character in comics. We want to celebrate it all.”
In the series, Fraction and company will deliver “connected but self-contained stories,” each with a “thrilling surprise.” That’s a pretty lofty goal, but Fraction is a generational writer who constantly reinvents the form; and Jiménez, despite penciling Batman for multiple regimes, has reinvented his own art each time. So they’ll likely deliver.
But what about those covers? Jiménez will pencil the main cover for Batman #1 alongside a foil variant cover. And additional cardstock variants will include artists Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, J. Scott Campbell, Frank Quitely, Gabriele Dell’Otto, Julian Totino Tedesco, Andy Kubert, and David Aja. There will also be a Bat-Symbol variant, and a blank sketch cover with the new title treatment.
Not only that, but Stanley “Artgerm” Lau will infect a premium “DC Showcase” wraparound variant with his art germs. And similar to recent issues of the H2SH saga running in current issues of Batman, DC will also release an 11″ x 17″ Giant-Size Special Edition, along with a foil variant.
There’s one more cover program the publisher has announced, a polybagged “Blind as a Bat” program that will retail for $9.99 and include a foil variant at random from the above lineup of artists.
Also of note? Despite some speculation online to the contrary, Batman #1 is still planned for a September 3, 2025 release. Batman #161, the fourth part of H2SH, has been pushed to July 23, Batman #162 is coming out on September 17, and Batman #163, the conclusion of Jim Lee and Jeph Loeb’s storyline, is currently scheduled for my birthday, October 29. So most importantly, happy birthday to me. But second most importantly, it seems like there will be two different volumes of Batman on the stands at the same time. Given there are [checks notes] 3000 other titles on the stands with Batman at any given time, these doesn’t seem to be a big issue. But it is noteworthy!
You can check out some of the covers for Batman #1, below. And click for larger versions!
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