Batman: City Of Madness - Why Batman Had To Be Terrifying According To Christian Ward - Exclusive

Contains spoilers for DC Comics' "Batman: City of Madness" by Christian Ward

"Batman: City of Madness" is the latest project from Christian Ward, who is known for his unique cosmic-tinged style on comics such as his covers for "The Ultimates" for Marvel Comics and his interiors for "Aquaman: Andromeda" by DC Comics. The talented writer-artist is now getting the chance to tell a story he's been planning for years with "Batman: City of Madness," with the three-issue miniseries exploring a part of Gotham City never seen before, the Gotham Below. In the upcoming story, the Court of Owls will call on Batman's help after the door to Gotham Below is pried open and a twisted, nightmare version of Batman emerges, looking to infect those who lived above him with his darkness.

With the new book, Ward is putting his own spin on the Batman Universe, bringing a gothic, cosmic-horror take to Batman's world. The story will introduce a dark reflection of Batman called the Batman Below, a Cthulhu-inspired Caped Crusader. During an exclusive conversation with Looper where we discussed his inspirations for the book, Ward revealed that he wanted to create a version of the Dark Knight that was genuinely terrifying.

Christian Ward told us the idea for the Batman Below was inspired by a conversation in the animated film "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" between Bruce Wayne and Alfred Pennyworth, where Batman's loyal butler expresses worries about Bruce and him falling into the abyss. Ward said he wanted to take that common theme and make it a reality.

"You look into the abyss, and the abyss looks back. What I'm proposing in this story is Batman looks into the abyss, and Batman Below is the Batman that looks back," he said. "He has to be hideous. He's monstrous. As we find out, the hook of the book — the mystery of the book — is who is Batman Below, and how does he connect to Bruce, the mirror version? What has led him to be this monstrous version of the same character?"

While readers have seen dark reflections of Batman with characters like the Batman Who Laughs, the Batman Below being from the same universe underneath Gotham City will give him a unique relationship with the hero. The frightening counterpart will likely see Batman as a threat just as much as Batman views the Batman Below as one.

Batman getting a dark redesign with the Batman Below isn't the only terrifying change a character gets in "Batman: City of Madness." In our exclusive preview of the first issue, redesigns can be seen for Harvey Dent's Two-Face — inspired by the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat — as well as a new costume for Talon, a prominent assassin for the Court of Owls. Both characters will play roles, while the Batman Below is the main antagonist in the story.

Between a new "Batman" tale with new characters, significant changes to iconic villains' looks, and a fresh take on Gotham City with Gotham Below that has never been seen in the comics, there's plenty to be excited about with the upcoming comic. It's shaping up to be an incredibly unique take on a world that's seen many different variations over the years. "It's fun to put your spin on there because I might not get this chance again to do another 'Batman' story," Ward told us. "I hope I do, but I may not. So I've approached this book with the idea that I am going to put 100% in — everything is Christian Ward."

Issue 1 of "Batman: City of Madness" arrives at comic book stores on October 10, 2023.