Posted By Dan Greenfield on Mar 6, 2021 | 3 comments

PLUS: It looks like Luthor, Brainiac — and the Joker (!) — will be making appearances…

Best comics news of the year so far? DC’s upcoming Batman ’89 and Superman ’78 comic books. You can — and should — click here to read the nifty details, but now we’ve got some more news for you:

The publisher has set dates for the comics’ hardcover collections. Not just that, we have apparent confirmation that both Lex Luthor and Brainiac will be in Superman ’78 and that a version of the Joker will be in Batman ’89.

Dig these descriptions, according to listings on Amazon:

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SUPERMAN ’78

By Robert Venditti (Author), Wilfredo Torres (Illustrator)

DC follows the very successful Batman ’66 with the new Superman ’78, inspired by the Man of Steel’s movie adventures starring Christopher Reeve.

In the late 1970s moviegoers were thrilled by the words “You’ll believe a man can fly!,” which introduced actor Christopher Reeve as the silver screen’s charming new Man of Steel. These adventures are set in a world where superheroes are strange, thrilling, and romantic.

These stories, written by comics veteran Robert Venditti (Hawkman, Green Lantern, Justice League) with crisply drawn art by Wilfredo Torres, feature colorful villains like Brainiac and Lex Luthor, as well as the heroism of Superman and the determined grit of reporter Lois Lane.

Collects the first 12 chapters of the Superman ’78 digital comics series.

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BATMAN ’89

By Sam Hamm (Author), Joe Quinones (Illustrator)

Continuing the adventures of the Dark Knight from Tim Burton’s classic movie Batman, Batman ’89 pulls on a number of threads left dangling by that film while continuing in the tradition of DC’s very successful Batman ’66 series.

In 1989 moviegoers were amazed at the new vision of the Dark Knight brought to the screen by filmmaker Tim Burton, starring Michael Keaton as Batman and Jack Nicholson as The Joker. Now, in the tradition of DC’s very successful Batman ’66 series, Batman ’89 is set in a truly gothic Gotham City and features colorful villains including The Joker, Two-Face, and many more.

Collects the first 12 chapters of the Batman ’89 digital comics series.

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A few thoughts:

— OK, so we knew these collections were coming already, but the pub dates are as follows: Nov. 9 for Superman ’78 and Oct. 26 for Batman ’89. Both hardcovers are listed at 152 pages for $24.99.

— Let’s talk Batman ’89 villains: So far, we know Catwoman and Two-Face will be in the series and there have been hints that a Joker based on Prince would be introduced. Since Nicholson’s Joker died at the end of the first Burton movie, the description above could further the Prince theory. (Click here for much more on this.)

— Let’s talk Superman ’78 villains: This is the first mention of either Lex Luthor or Brainiac — though the latter is a bad guy fans have wanted to see for decades. Hopefully, DC has Gene Hackman’s likeness rights (I’m betting yes) and I’m curious what Brainiac would look like. By the way, Wilfredo Torres has also tweeted images of Darkseid and Bizarro, which could be meaningful, too. (Click here for much more on this.)

— Standard caveat: The hardcovers have not been solicited by DC yet so these descriptions are not official until they’re official. Anything, especially the dates, can change — or not. Regardless, just keep coming to 13th Dimension for updates.

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MORE

— The SUPERMAN ’78/BATMAN ’89 Comic Book Index of News and Features. Click here.

— SUPERMAN ’78: Dig These Hints That MARGOT KIDDER, BIZARRO Will Be In DC’s New Comic. Click here.