Why DC Comics' Overexposure Of Batman Creates Problems
Does DC Comics' overexposure of Batman create problems? The second week of August saw nine Batman or Batman-related titles being published, and the publisher's main Batman title wasn't even one of them. While there's certainly a rich history to be explored and narratives to be continued in Gotham, the city protected by the Dark Knight is one of several locales to be explored in the greater DC Universe. Likewise, Batman is just one of countless heroes available to DC Comics, so why does it feel as though there's such a large focus on Batman at the cost of others?
Not only did DC publish a new issue of its long-running Batman: Detective Comics, but also a brand new series that continues the story of Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film. Additionally, there's Batman: Urban Legends, an anthology series set in Gotham City; Future State: Gotham, which shows Gotham in the years ahead; Joker, which details Jim Gordon's manhunt for the Clown Prince of Crime; and Pennyworth, detailing the early life of Batman's butler. Beyond those, there are more ongoing Batman-related titles, such as the primary Batman series from James Tynion IV and Jorge Jimenez, as well as Catwoman, Nightwing, and Robin to name a notable few.
Clearly, DC Comics' offerings have been heavily weighted towards Gotham and the Bat-mythos as of late, and it's not hard to see why. Batman has consistently proven to be a property that sells in every medium, so why not double down? Tynion himself has even recently revealed that there's been a major publishing push for Batman that's been inspired by Marvel's X-Men titles, creating a micro-universe with Gotham just as Marvel has with the nation of Krakoa. However, it seems as though DC Comics is missing the balance as the aforementioned micro-verse is currently outweighing any weekly titles that cover other corners of the greater DC Universe.
While the world of Batman, his family, his foes, and the city they all coexist in are always interesting and dynamic, there are plenty of other areas and characters in the DC Universe that are just as entertaining as Gotham - if not more so. This isn't to say that any particular title out of the plethora of Batman titles is so bad that it needs to be canceled, however, one might wonder if it's really necessary for new Bat-titles to start at the cost of other lesser-known DC titles never seeing the light of day (there are only so many titles DC can publish at a time).
Something similar has been happening in DC's films as well. Batman was the first hero added to the DCEU once Man of Steel launched the shared universe. Batman foes were the ones largely featured in 2016's Suicide Squad, and it was Batman's arch-nemesis who got DC's first standalone film outside of the DCEU with Joker. Not only that, but multiple Batmen will be featured in Ezra Miller's Flash. Again, while it makes sense that Batman receives such a large focus spanning different mediums, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing, especially when other just as dynamic options are available for DC to make greater use of. Heres's hoping DC can reclaim more of a balance with Batman in the future and share some of the love.
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