For, well, almost his entire history Batman has always been a protector in the shadows. Okay, so in the 50’s he was something of Gotham’s first citizen but who the heck remembers those stories? I mean, weren’t there dragons and aliens and whatnot? See, Batman has traditionally been a presence of the night. Now, for the first time in a long time, a member of the Bat-family will become a daylight savior. Batman And The Signal #1 introduces Duke Thomas as the protector of the light.
Duke Thomas has been a pet project of Scott Snyder’s ever since the Zero Year saga. And now Duke becomes the latest Scott Sndyer original character to receive a push into the forefront of the Bat-family’s saga. Unlike Snyder’s previous original character who was supposed to go on to bigger and better things, Bluebird, Thomas has remained a steady presence for a couple years now. Starring in the short but fun We Are Robin series and with a second feature in Snyder’s underrated All-Star Batman, Duke Thomas has been primed. Not to mention he was a major component of the current Dark Nights: Metal epic that Snyder and his Batman brother from another mother, Greg Capullo, are unleashing. Signal is the best hope Snyder’s had for an original character to make a lasting impact.
By the way, that kind of challenge is pretty monumental. Think about the dozens and dozens of new characters introduced every year in comics. How many of them last very long? How many become more than punchlines for Top 10 Most Forgettable Lists some time later? To have even one new character stand the test of time and outlast your own run is a milestone. Who was the last one for the Bat corner of comics? Harley Quinn? Renee Montoya? Batwoman? Not many in the past twenty-five years. Make no mistake, Batman And The Signal is going to be attempting the nigh-impossible. But wouldn’t it be pretty cool if they pull it off?
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