Batman is going to outer space in writer Jason Aaron’s first DC story after nearly fifteen years working exclusively with Marvel – Batman: Off-World, a six-issue limited series, will not only reveal the previously untold details of Bruce Wayne’s first adventure into space, it will reunite Aaron with the company that helped give him a start in the industry.
In a preview shared by IGN, DC’s official description for Batman: Off-World #1 declares, “Superstar writer Jason Aaron delivers his first Batman story ever, partnered with blockbuster artist Doug Mahnke for a unique, brutal tale!” The book promises to take Batman, “into the far reaches of the cosmos for the very first time, where the Dark Knight will face the fight of his life!“
Jason Aaron Sends A Young Dark Knight Into “The Far Reaches Of The Cosmos”
Jason Aaron’s tenure with Marvel Comics has seen him work on dozens of titles, including Avengers, Deadpool, Thor, X-Men, and Wolverine, as well as Marvel’s Star Wars line, and many more. Prior to his time with Marvel, Aaron spent his early career working on titles for DC’s Vertigo imprint – though as IGN notes, “Off-World is only the second time Aaron has written a story set in the DC Universe itself. The first was 2008’s Joker’s Asylum: Penguin #1, commissioned shortly before Aaron began his long exclusivity with Marvel.” Batman: Off-World will catapult Batman into the starry depths of the DC Universe, in what is canonically his earliest space adventure.
Batman: Off-World Redefines The Dark Knight’s Relationship With Space
Batman has been to space before, but rarely on a solo mission – and no book before Batman: Off-World has previously depicted such an early iteration of the character leaving Earth. For a creator who is being given the reigns of the Caped Crusader for the first time, it is a bold narrative decision, but one that will surely pay off with Jason Aaron at the helm. As Aaron explained to IGN: “I fell in love with comics because of DC. So it is with great honor and excitement that at long last I get to make my proper debut as a DC writer.“
Further details about the series are elusive, but Batman: Off-World’s formula of an early-career Batman, and a mysterious alien threat, in the hands of writer Jason Aaron, artist Doug Mahnke, and inker Jamie Mendoza, is sure to be a highly engaging entry in the Batman mythos, one that is likely to have both DC and Marvel clamoring for the creative team’s next projects. While Batman tends to be at his best when protecting Gotham, heavyweight writer Jason Aaron would not put him in space without having concocted new and unexpected ways to test Bruce Wayne and forge him into the ultimate hero.
Batman: Off-World #1 is available November 2021, 2023 from DC Comics.
Source: IGN
Comics legend Jason Aaron returns to DC. Read More