The Dark Knight's Shadow

For as much complaining I did over Christopher Nolan's long and dreary take on the Batman mythos, it should be reminded I did enjoy The Dark Knight Trilogy. Behind every distorted remark and cerebral metaphor, The Dark Knight movies did capture the psychology and personality of Batman and his characters fairly well. I'd say the biggest gripe with the film series is that it ended with less resolution and more sequel bate. So, rather than pitching another fan-film entree into Nolan's mostly-spotless trilogy, I'm pitching a comic book series set in The Dark Knight Trilogy universe.

The story would be centered around John "Robin" Blake, the cop Bruce Wayne left the Batcave to at the end of The Dark Knight Rises. Blake may have Batman's arsenal, but what use is there for a hero when Gotham is supposedly clean of crime? That's where the time skip comes in as this book would be kicked off four years after Batman's faked death. By then, Commissioner Jim Gordon is retired and crime has resurfaced. Blake by then would be a freelance detective, separating himself enough from the law enforcement to keep his vigilantism a secret, but close enough to stay ahead of crime. With Batman being believed dead, Blake would have to take the new identity of Nightwing. With a new hero in Gotham comes new problems. Public admirers of Batman would be torn on whether Nightwing is just a copycat of Batman or a worthy successor, with the GCPD's new Commissioner Jason Bard believing him to be a setback for Gotham's future. Since Nolan's take on the Batman mythos is more on the realistic side, many of Nightwing's foes could be more believable versions of many Batman villains. Instead of Mr. Freeze being an ice-blasting scientist, he could be a cold-hearted drug lord who's torture method of using liquid nitrogen on his victims would earn him his moniker. Rather than having control over plants, Poison Ivy could be an eco-terrorist who weaponizes deadly spores to kill industrialists. The Riddler could be a brilliant computer hacker who covers his digital tracks with complex riddles and computer-detonating viruses. Another bonus would be the reuse of villains we've already seen in the movies, specifically The Joker. With the unfortunate death of Heath Ledger, audiences will never again see his masterful performance as The Clown Prince of Crime. Through a spin-off book series, Ledger's legacy as the character could go on in new stories. As icing on the cake, each issue would have a short story at the end featuring other characters like Alfred Pennyworth, Lucius Fox, and the couple of Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle, who attempt to start a new life.

Something The Dark Knight Trilogy did better than most superhero movies is that it spawned a new generation of fans. People who have never read a Batman comic now claim to be the biggest Batman fans because they saw The Dark Knight nine times and can recite every scene. People can wear Batman-themed clothing and accessories without being mocked because the Dark Knight Trilogy made it socially normal to love the character. When comic book companies try to make their comics more like their movie counterparts it's usually to lure non-comic readers into buying comics. "Oh, The Avengers. I liked that movie, and here they are on the cover of this book". More often than not the comic book in question is following a completely different storyline and the only thing reminiscent of the movie are the designs of the characters. With a Dark Knight Trilogy comic book, you not only hook the movie fans into the book, but you give them a resolution to their favorite movie franchise. TDK fans would pick up the book to find out what happens next, then maybe they read main Batman comics, and from there they read more comics. It could literally be the gateway drug of comic books. A book like this wouldn't just honor Nolan's trilogy, it would please it's diehard fans and open the floodgates for new comic readers, uniting superhero fans even closer. That's my pitch, thanks for reading.