With Arkham City’s release date creeping closer, and our excitement creeping up just as quickly we’ve been given an exciting bit of news by Warner Brothers regarding a mini-series of Arkham City comic books.
Written by Batman: The Animated Series writer Paul Dini (who also penned both Arkham games) and drawn by Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City concept artist Carlos D’anda, Batman: Arkham City picks up one year after the original game, where former Arkham Warden turned newly elected Mayor of Gotham City Quincy Sharp has decided to close down the infamous institution. In its stead, he establishes “Arkham City,” the new maximum security “home” for all of Gotham City’s thugs, gangsters and insane criminal masterminds. Set inside the heavily fortified walls of a sprawling district in the heart of Gotham City, inmates can roam free and do whatever they want as long as they don’t try to escape. To run this urban prison, Sharp has appointed Dr. Hugo Strange, a man who knows that Bruce Wayne is Batman.
Each issue of the mini-series will be available day-and-date digitally worldwide for $2.99 each, although prices for other areas haven’t been confirmed. These releases will alternate with eight-page digital-first interludes that will expand on the story included in the miniseries. Written by Dini and drawn by a variety of artists, these digital stories will focus on The Dark Knight’s many enemies as they vie for power in this new city within a city. Each eight-page digital-first interlude will be available for 99 cents, releasing in between issues of the mini-series, and will later be included in print in the Batman: Arkham City collected edition.
“The digital first stories offer a unique incentive for fans to experience interesting and exciting stories beyond the pages in the printed comic,” said Jim Lee, DC Comics Co-Publisher, “The additional pages will serve as interludes within the regular issues and won’t be necessary to follow the main story of the mini-series. Fans will also be able to read these interludes in print later, when we publish the collected edition.”
Read the comic before you play the game, and keep an eye out for the issue #1 variant cover, utilising in-game graphics.
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