This is actually a great week for collections. There's the Final Crisis Revelations collection, which fans of the current Detective Comics run featuring Batwoman should pick up. Written by the same writer, Greg Rucka, it shows Renee Montoya's Question going up against Darkseid's mind-controlled Gotham City... including Batwoman herself.

DC also has a new hardcover edition of the classic Flash of Two Worlds storyline, which introduced the multiverse to superhero comics and started something that, even forty years later, the company is still mining for new story material.

Marvel aren't exactly slouching either, and their best release this week is most definitely Agents of Atlas: Dark Reign, the first collection of Jeff Parker's must-read series — okay, there was a collection of the mini-series that preceded this, it's true — that embraces Marvel's pulp past and turns it into something new and glamorous.

If hardcovers are too expensive for your taste, there's always individual issues. This week, there are a few great-looking new launches. Like DC's new Doom Patrol (with Metal Men as a back-up strip, by the classic Justice League International creative team of Keith Giffen, JM DeMatteis and Kevin Maguire.) Marvel, meanwhile, has Iron Man: Armor Wars (Iron Man! Versus other Iron Men!). Dark Horse has Star Wars: Dark Times - Blue Harvest #0 (which collects the online previews for the New Hope-era story).) And IDW launches Star Trek Alien Spotlight: Q, which does exactly what it says on the tin.

Superhero fans who want to see good guys gone bad have a couple of things worth picking up this week. Boom! Studios' Irredeemable gets a paperback collection of its first four issues, letting you catch up with Mark Waid's "fall of a hero" fable in time for the fifth issue, also released on Wednesday. And Avatar is releasing the first issue of Absolution, Christos Gage's new series about a superhero who gets pushed to the limit... and then decides that he's done with limits.

And that's not even all. Warren Ellis' graphic novel Frankenstein's Womb, about the secret story behind the writing of Mary Shelley's classic novel, also makes its way into stores. And Dynamite's Terminator: Revolution continues the comic version of John Connor's story with a truly time-bending tale of Johns meeting to defend each other against the ultimate Terminator. Or something.

But the book of the week may be The Gigantic Robot, Tom Gauld's art comix story about a giant weaponized robot who doesn't fulfill his purpose. Sparse, beautifully illustrated and entirely not what you'd expect, it's well worth picking up.

As ever, all of this week's new releases can be found here, before being purchased at your local comic store. Whatever your tastes, you're likely to find something you want this week.

With so much of the new Batman status quo established in June's Batman Reborn event, and Dick Grayson and Damien Wayne now firmly established as the new dynamic duo, DC's Batman panel was relatively short on shocking revelations. The last great Bat-related mystery of the moment (well, other than the whole "how is Bruce Wayne coming back?" thing), the identity of the new Batgirl, remained unsolved, with incoming Batgirl writer Brian Q. Miller limited to only the tiniest of tidbits. There was only one concrete statement about her identity: Batgirl will not be Bette Kane, the Silver Age Batgirl who has since become Flamebird.

No matter who the new Batgirl will be - whether it's the incumbent Cassandra Cain, the iconic Barbara Gordon, or the Spoiler-ish Stephanie Brown - the book will feature lots of characters that haven't appeared recently, whom readers will be happy to see return. There are also big plans for Batgirl's costume, which will initially be the Barbara Gordon version but then change into a newer, sexier costume in the third issue. Finally, according to a prepared statement: "There are waffles in the first issue."

Elsewhere in the Batman books, Greg Rucka offered up a number of details on the future of Detective Comics. He promised that J.H. Williams's art will only get better with each passing issue, and he genuinely believes that Williams is redefining the language of drawing comics. Perhaps most interesting, there will be a massive change in art style in #858, and the comic will actually look as though a different artist drew it. The Question is set to take on an even bigger role in the book, as her second feature will expand to twenty pages and be the lead story during a break in the middle of Rucka and Williams's run.

Paul Dini, currently writing both Batman: Streets of Gotham and Gotham City Sirens, promised that the villainous Hush, now impersonating the otherwise dead Bruce Wayne, will continue his "one man stimulus plan", giving away Bruce's entire fortune and wreaking financial havoc on the Batman family. Hush is also out for revenge on the Gotham City Sirens characters, making him a key player in both books. Dini will also feature another villain, as he will be featuring the serial killer Mr. Zsasz (who makes the Joker look almost reasonable by comparison) in Streets of Gotham. Mr. Zsasz - newly redesigned to look even more horrific - is out to realize his truly disgusting vision of Gotham City.

We didn't hear as much about Grant Morrison's Batman & Robin book, although artist Philip Tan, who will take over art duties from Frank Quitely starting with issue four, did reveal that he's got a "crazy, crazy script" to work from. He hopes that his three issues will provide something a little different from the rest of Morrison's run on the book, although it will still be consistent with the overall gonzo tone of Batman & Robin. Batman group editor Mike Marts also confirmed that Morrison is still working on his masterplan for the character, and he mentioned that we haven't seen the last of the future Damien Wayne from Batman #666.

Batgirl isn't the only new book that will be joining the already crowded Batman franchise. Sterling Gates has written the four-part World's Finest miniseries, which will start in October. The story will explore the relationship between Dick Grayson and Clark Kent (or, as he is now, Commander El of New Krypton) in light of all the massive changes Batman and Superman have seen over the past year. Fabian Nicieza is writing the Batman and Detective Annuals, both of which will feature the new Azrael and help launch the character in his upcoming monthly series.

Finally, senior executive editor Ian Sattler let slip one intriguing (if cryptic) detail that may or may not amount to anything. When asked about DC's plans to bring in the Batman Beyond characters into the comics continuity, something that has been rumored for years, he replied, "You might see more Batman Beyond than you expect." I'm calling it - Terry McGinnis is going to join the Legion of Superheroes. Somehow.

It's a bold new Batman status quo, with a whole new lineup of crimefighters behind the various masks. In case you've been taking a break from the goings on in Gotham City (and, considering a lot of what's been coming out lately, I couldn't exactly blame you), Dick Grayson is Batman, Damian Wayne (the supposed son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul) is Robin, Tim Drake is Red Robin, and somebody still to be revealed is Batgirl.

There's plenty more happening beyond just the immediate Batman family. Socialite Kate Kane is still Batwoman and is taking over the starring role in Detective Comics, the rogues Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn are reluctantly teaming up, and Kate Spencer (alias the lethal vigilante Manhunter) is Gotham's new District Attorney. And both the Question and the Outsiders are still doing their things.

There's a lot there to set up and establish, but with so many books (two of which even have second features), things don't get too rushed. Admittedly, it can be a little hard to remember exactly who is doing what and where. So let's break this down one book at a time.

The flagship for the relaunch really has to be Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's Batman and Robin. Considering their last collaboration was the pretty much universally beloved All-Star Superman, expectations were understandably high for this new book, which is already guaranteed to run at least twelve issues with Morrison at the helm (although Quitely will depart after just three issues).

As I mentioned in my Trinity review, I have mixed feelings about Quitely's distinctive drawing style, which despite its unmistakable energy can make some of the characters look a bit, well...ugly. Still, I'd say his work has improved with each new project he undertakes, and it's hard to imagine a better partner for his images than Grant Morrison's ideas.

Compared to Final Crisis or Batman: RIP, Morrison is downright straightforward here, eschewing a lot of his usual mystical material for a more grounded tale that's a better fit for the world of Batman. In particular, Dick Grayson and Commissioner Gordon are far too sensible to readily fit into the usual insanity of Morrison's work, and it's nice to see Grant Morrison can write normal just as well as he can the crazy.

That said, there's still a giant talking toad who is introduced as one of the main new villains and goes completely unexplained, so I'm clearly grading on a curve here. And I'd be remiss if I ignored just how creepy and horrific the final few pages are, as they introduce the utterly deranged main villain for the book's first arc. Even for those who swore off reading Morrison in the wake of his last two big events, Batman and Robin is not to be missed.

Judd Winick's first issue of Batman (and the only one to feature the art of Ed Benes) largely concerns itself with retelling the events of the last few months, starting with Bruce Wayne's death at the end of Final Crisis. This might well seem redundant, but Winick manages to do in one issue what the entire Battle for the Cowl event could not - explain what Bruce's death means to the two people closest to him, namely Alfred Pennyworth and Dick Grayson (with apologies to Tim Drake).

This first issue is long on character and emotion and short on plot, and it works beautifully. It alternates between filling in the gaps of what happened during Battle for the Cowl and simply rewriting it, and it's hard to find fault with any of the alterations. In Battle for the Cowl, Dick's character arc was that he didn't really have any big problem with becoming Batman, but Bruce didn't want him to. It's valid enough, I suppose, but distinctly less satisfying than what Winick does here, as Dick tries to figure out how he can truly be Batman, not just an impostor wearing Bruce's suit.

Great as this first issue is, it doesn't necessarily give the best sense of Winick's ongoing run on Batman. This is very much a prologue to everything that will follow, and how he handles Batman in a character piece might not the same thing as how he will use him in an action story, but there's every reason here in this first issue to be optimistic for what lies ahead. If nothing else, the art will likely be enough to justify picking Batman up on a regular basis. Ed Benes is wonderful here, and I'm expecting similar brilliance from his successor, Trinity's Mark Bagley.

I suppose the big story with Detective Comics is that DC is making a lesbian character the protagonist of their longest continuously published book. That really should be some kind of milestone, right?* But, much like Batman's death, DC really hasn't done much to publicize this development. Whatever one makes of the company's public relations, Detective Comics is at least a pretty good consolation prize for Batwoman, who was meant to get her own book shortly after she was first introduced way back in 52.

Greg Rucka played a huge role in originating this new incarnation of Batwoman in 52, and it's hard to imagine a better writer to handle the character's starring debut. Kate Kane's close relationship with her military-minded father is a real highlight of the first issue, although it's fairly clear that's about the only thing going well in her life. Still scarred emotionally and physically by being stabbed in the heart at the end of 52, Kate's life is mostly in turmoil, with only the thought of vengeance against those who stabbed her to give her purpose.

Which brings me to the villains of this and pretty much every other Batwoman story, the religious fanatics of Intergang. Their role shouldn't really come as a surprise, considering how important the Crime Bible was to her story in both 52 and Final Crisis: Revelations (both written by Rucka, and both costarring Renee Montoya as the Question, who now occupies the second feature in Detective Comics). But I must admit some disappointment that they look set to dominate her story for the foreseeable future, partially because I've never really found the Crime Bible stuff all that interesting. Mostly, however, I'd like to see her establish herself as a character independent of Intergang, particularly when there is such an iconic cast of Gotham City villains for her to interact with.

I'm also not crazy about J.H. Williams's artwork. It veers wildly between gorgeous and pedestrian, with the former style for the Batwoman sequences and the latter for those following her alter ego. It's an interesting conceit, but I didn't really enjoying looking at the Kate Kane sequences, which seems like a drawback to a medium dependent on visual storytelling. Unlike, say, Ed Benes, whose style is consistently aesthetically pleasing and well-suited to action sequences, Williams seems more interested in establishing mood and atmosphere, which at times works beautifully.

There's no denying the Batwoman parts of Detective Comics are visually stunning, and it's entirely possible Williams's style will grow on me. Although - and this may sound like a very minor gripe - I doubt I'll ever like how pale Williams has made Kate Kane. There's one panel where she looks more like V from V from Vendetta than anything else, and that was a guy wearing a mask.

*In case you doubt the special place of Detective Comics, I would remind you what the "DC" in DC Comics stands for. And, yes, that does technically mean the company's full name is Detective Comics Comics. But I digress.

When I heard all the new titles announced back at New York Comic Con, I'd have to say Gotham City Sirens sounded the most intriguing. It also sounded like it had the potential to be DC's answer to Marvel Divas, which isn't what I'd call a good thing. The presence of writer Paul Dini confirmed my initial optimism, and I'm happy to say that he doesn't disappoint.

First, Dini created Harley Quinn back in Batman: The Animated Series. Then, he paired her up with Poison Ivy later in the show's run, with fantastic results. Now, he's adding Catwoman to the mix, who provides the perfect voice of sanity for this unlikely trio. (At this rate, by 2040 Paul Dini will be writing a movie that teams up every female character in the DC universe. I can't wait.) Dini is on very firm ground here with characters he knows very well, and it shows. (Another Dini favorite, Zatanna, also puts in an appearance, and I can only hope we'll see more of her as the series progresses.)

Catwoman is still recovering from having her heart removed by Hush (long story, but a good one), and she recognizes the need for teamwork in this harsher, more deadly Gotham City. Although the new would-be supervillain Boneblaster provides the trio with some rather irritating distractions, this first issue is mainly about setting up the dynamics of the three potential partners. The article ends with Poison Ivy drugging Catwoman and forcing her to answer one simple question: "Who is Batman?" Actually, that's not such a simple question these days, and I'm not completely sure Catwoman knows the answer herself. Either way, it's a pretty fantastic hook for the next issue, and I'm having trouble imagining what scenario Dini could come up with in which the team of Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, and Catwoman wouldn't be massively entertaining. Plus, Guillem March's artwork is a joy to look at.

The big question for Batman: Streets of Gotham is how it's going to distinguish itself as something more than just the other, other Batman book after Batman and Batman and Robin. Reteaming Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen, who last worked together on what was easily the best part of Batman: RIP, the Detective Comics storyline "Heart of Hush", is a good start. The series is also taking its "Streets of Gotham" subtitle seriously, as this story is as much about Commissioner Gordon and a mysterious (but seemingly benevolent) new vigilante as it is about Batman.

Indeed, Dick Grayson is only seen "in character" as Batman, and Alfred is nowhere to be seen; I wonder whether this series will tend to downplay the behind-the-scenes aspects of Batman in favor of, well, the streets of Gotham. Still, Damian Wayne is given some time in the spotlight, and he's paired with a most worrying new chess partner: the recently incarcerated Thomas Elliott, alias Hush, who has surgically altered his appearance so that now he looks exactly like Bruce Wayne. I'm interested to see where that particular dynamic takes the series, although I'm guessing it's nowhere good.

The main thrust of this first issue is that even second-rate villains have become far more creative and disturbing in their schemes, as the formerly low-level bad guy Firefly starts remotely lighting people on fire using explosive nanites. The sight of people spontaneously bursting into flames is a horrific image, and the sight of Batman shooting the victims with a gun (even if it is just loaded with foam capsules) is off-putting in an entirely different way. Dini and Nguyen clearly aren't afraid of disturbing content and imagery, something confirmed by a scene where this brutal new vigilante rescues a child prostitute.

Still, none of it seems gratuitous or exploitative, and considering Paul Dini's work on Batman: The Animated Series is a huge reason why I love superheroes in the first place, I'm definitely optimistic that he knows what he's doing. Batman: Streets of Gotham also features a second feature starring Manhunter, which picks up on some threads from Battle for the Cowl. Right now, I'm treating it strictly as a nice bonus to the main story, but I was impressed with what I saw and am interested to see how successfully a complete story can be told in this shorter format.

Red Robin is something of an oddball compared to the other five major new or renewed Batman books. It's very decidedly not set in Gotham City, as Tim Drake sets out to travel the world in search of Bruce Wayne, who he is convinced is still alive (looks like somebody read to the very end of Final Crisis). He's also struggling to make sense of Dick Grayson choosing Damian Wayne over him as Robin, forcing him to don his new Red Robin identity. Even his name is providing him with existential angst - is he Tim Drake or Tim Wayne, and what does either say about him?

Tim Drake was probably always destined to be the character who lost the most in the wake of Bruce Wayne's death. There was no way he was ever going to become Batman instead of Dick Grayson, and I'm not sure the two really could have worked as a Batman and Robin pairing. Clearly, the powers-that-be at DC agreed, as a flashback shows Dick rather unceremoniously sending Tim on his merry way, primarily on the grounds that Dick needs to keep a close eye on the probably psychotic Damian Wayne. Dick has a point, but it doesn't make it seem any less unfair.

Not to belittle Chris Yost's writing or the artwork of Ramon Bachs, but I suspect Red Robin will become more interesting down the road. This is clearly being set up as the key book in Bruce Wayne's ultimate return, but that isn't going to happen for at least a year or two. Much as I like Tim Drake, I'm not sure his angst-ridden solo adventures can really maintain consistent quality before the series reaches its natural conclusion, in which Tim finds his adoptive father.

Tim states explicitly in this issue that he became Red Robin in part because it is not closely associated with Batman, meaning he can cross lines without reflecting poorly on Dick and Alfred. He is clearly headed for a darker place, and DC's recent track record in taking characters to darker places gives me serious concern. (I'm still not over what they did to poor Mary Marvel.) That said, this first issue pulls off the new, darker Tim fairly well, and placing at the end of the issue a reveal of Ra's al Ghul (who is fast becoming Tim Drake's archenemy) is a pretty good way to keep my interest.

Finally, Outsiders seems barely related to the rest of these Batman books, and it's almost surprising that this month's issue actually carries the "Batman Reborn" banner. As though to remind casual readers of the connection, issue 19 features Alfred and the Batman-influenced Owlman on the cover, but this is the only book of the seven in which Batman isn't even really referenced.

That said, writer Peter Tomasi is crafting a worthy followup to his work on final Nightwing and Robin books, and if the somewhat tenuous Batman connection was highlighted to drive up sales, at least readers are being pointed in the direction of a good book. It's refreshing to see a superhero team that can actually work together effectively (although the angst gets ratcheted up in this issue as Geo-Force looks for some even more final vengeance against Deathstroke).

The ongoing story pits the Outsiders against the very appropriately named Insiders, a mysterious quintet with greatly extended lifespans who are looking to achieve true immortality. To do this, they need to recover fragments of the meteorite that gave supervillain Vandal Savage his immortality 52,000 years ago. The story becomes significantly more interesting in this issue, as Savage himself turns up, followed by DC's other immortal supervillain, Ra's al Ghul, whose appearance will hopefully push this into more solidly Batman-related territory. (Also, if you're scoring at home, that means two different books in this month's "Batman Reborn" showcase end with last page Ra's al Ghul reveals. That guy sure gets around.)

So with all these various launches, relaunches, and continuations, which books are actually worth buying on a regular basis? Honestly, I'm excited for all seven of them (I'm also excited about my impending bankruptcy). But for those looking to be a little more selective, I'd have to say Batman and Robin, Batman, and Gotham City Sirens are the most promising series thus far and the ones most deserving of your immediate attention. It's been a long road back, but it looks like Batman is finally in safe hands once again, even if Bruce Wayne is still nowhere to be seen.

Admittedly, fans of beefcake may find the amusingly titled Milo Ventimiglia Presents Berserker #1 - All Beef Edition more to their liking. (I promise, I am not making that title up.) But I'm sure there's an audience out there for Barack The Barbarian, the swords and sorcery satire launched by Devil's Due this week.

If equally ridiculous comics are your forte, then DC's Superman: Tales From The Phantom Zone reprints some stories about Superman's least favorite interdimensional prison, while William Shatner Presents Tek War promises to be ridiculous in a whole other, ego-trippical, way.

Marvel Comics's weekly haul may look very grim at first view, with so many books tying into the ongoing Dark Reign storyline. The books The Sinister Spider-Man, about Venom, Zodiac, about a new - and suitably deadly - character up to no good, and Dark Avengers/X-Men: Utopia, bringing Norman Osborn's bad guys to San Francisco to screw around with mutantkind.

But fans of ultraviolence and snark will treasure the complete collection of The Ultimates by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch, while everyone else can treasure two recent classics: Kathryn Immonen and David LaFuente's Patsy Walker: Hellcat and a hardcover collection of The Immortal Iron Fist by Matt Fraction, Ed Brubaker and David Aja, both of which are as highly recommended as I can manage.

Over at DC, it's all about the ladies for their two new releases. Paul Dini brings together Catwoman, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy for the new series Gotham City Sirens. And Greg Rucka and JH Williams III launch Detective Comics into a new era of greatness, with the beautiful new Batwoman strip (and Rucka and Cully Hamner provide a Question back-up, for extra value).

Dark Horse, meanwhile, have the first issue of their great new Predator series coming out. And IDW have three GI Joe books for you to use as preparation for next month's movie: the Movie Adaptation, a Movie Prequel and the first volume of a new regular series. Who knew that military maneuvers had so much homework?

If you're still looking for more four color fantasies, you could do worse than take a peek at this week's Diamond Distributors Shipping List, which - as ever - is completely printable for a trip to your local comic store. Just make sure that your credit card is ready to take a pounding.

Artist JH Williams III put the original black and white art, along with his colored versions, on his Flickr feed... which also includes unlettered pages from the first issue, just to offer some more teasing.

Detective Comics #854, the first issue of Batwoman's series by Williams and writer Greg Rucka (Also including a The Question series by Rucka and artist Cully Hamner), is released on June 24th.

Images Copyright DC Comics.

Actually, there's a pretty movie-centric feel to most of this week's new launches or noteworthy titles; even the non-obvious ones (Detective Comics #853 is finally released, only two months late, finishing up the Neil Gaiman two-part storyline "Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader?") have some kind of cross-media connection (It's Batman).

Admittedly, you may have to squint to see that connection with Marvel's new series Skrull Kill Krew, but come on; alien invaders and biker gangs. That's got to have been a movie at some time, right?

Marvel's also launching Fantastic Force, a spin-off from Fantastic Four written by Doctor Who director Joe Aherne. And Marvel is making up for Gambit Classic Volume 1 - I swear, that title is taunting me by including the word "Classic" - by also releasing collections of Warren Ellis' short Wolverine run as Wolverine: Not Dead Yet and the first volume of the enjoyable-if-blindingly-colored Spider-Man 2099, which introduces you to the Spider-Man of the future. And if you're rich, there's a hardcover omnibus of the first 31 issues of the original X-Men run, for "just" $99.99.

But for the most part, the releases you'll want to look out for are all tied into nostalgia and TV or movies; Dark Horse's wonderful Star Wars: Dark Times series returns, with the first part of Blue Harvest (I'll allow you a moment to get over the geeky perfection of the title), while Boom! Studios has Farscape Script Book, letting fans see Rockne S. O'Bannon's original script and plans for the comic continuation of the beloved TV show.

IDW go for the gold with two collections - GI Joe: The Best of Larry Hama (celebrating the comic writer who shaped the franchise so much during the '80s) and Terminator Salvation: The Movie Prequel, letting you see just what made Christian Bale's John Connor so screwed up (Clue: Everything in his life up until that point).

Dynamite Entertainment, meanwhile, are putting out a collection of the unlikely Army of Darkness/Xena Warrior Princess crossover series, as well as their Battlestar Galactica: Adama flashback book (And, finally, the Final Five comic that was supposed to come out last week), but that's only a distraction from the true prize of the week - Their 25-cent preview of the new Buck Rogers series launching this summer. At that price, how can you resist?

So, come tomorrow - Thursday if you're in the UK (And potentially the rest of Europe?) - strap on that jetpack and fly down to your local comic book store to demand your cheap future. And, if that doesn't do it for you, you can always check out the complete shipping list of what's making it to stores this week and find something else to spend your money on, instead. Just remember to turn that jetpack pack off before entering the store. Comics are flammable, after all.

With Bruce Wayne "elsewhere" (and that's all DC is saying about that), 2009 will see its first lesbian superhero in its longest running book as Batwoman takes over Detective Comics. DC super-writer Greg Rucka and artist J.H. Williams will be taking over the reins of the flagship title for "at least" twelve issues. Although Batwoman is not the first openly gay character to star in a DC series – her former partner Renee Montoya is just finishing up starring in Final Crisis: Revelations, also written by Rucka – this does represent the most high profile title starring a gay superhero for the publisher.

Rucka's run will start this June as part of DC's massive month of Batman releases, with eight different titles hitting comic book stores. Joining the venerable Detective and Batman will be Red Robin, Batman and Robin, Outsiders, Batgirl, Gotham City Sirens, and Batman: Streets of Gotham.

Of course, all of this will be spinning out of this spring's Battle for the Cowl storyline, where various potential heirs will fight for the right to succeed Batman. At today's panel promoting the coming year of Batman comics, it was clear that everybody in the Batman family (except, you know…Batman) will have a huge role to play in the upcoming stories, including all three Robins, Batgirl, Catwoman, Knight and Squire, Damien, and characters from the late, lamented Gotham Central – because, as Greg Rucka explains, "He just can't keep himself away from [them]." There's one other returning person that will likely make Batman fans very happy, as the panel assured the fans that Batman: The Animated Series and Detective Comics scribe Paul Dini will be back in the near future.

And finally, Outsiders writer Pete Tomasi promised the Batman's most faithful friend will be getting his time in the sun. Alfred Pennyworth will feature in upcoming issues of the series where he will be "the eyes and ears" of the audience. Outsiders will explore the faithful Wayne family retainer's prior history, including his military experience, all as part of a larger plan to show Alfred can do more than simply get beaten up all the time. Or so he claims.

Dan Didio hinted at another announcement earlier in the panel by accident, saying "Okay, so we got Battle For The Cowl - Oh shit! Cut that," before moving into a Q&A session where the new writer of Booster Gold was announced (creator Dan Jurgens is taking over writing as well as art), we were promised new focus on Aquaman, and given hints about the identities of future zombie supervillains in Geoff Johns' The Blackest Night (Will we see zombie Jor-El or zombie Earth-2 Superman? "Anyone dead is eligible," said Johns - Except for Garth Ennis' Hitman).

The announcement itself came in the form of a thirty-second video at the end of the panel, which showed a Bat-Signal shining on a coffin while the words "Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader?" appeared on screen. The story - written by Gaiman and drawn by Andy Kubert - will begin in January next year, but no details were given on where it will appear or in what form. But it's beginning to look a lot more like Batman's definitely going to disappear at the end of RIP, if not die outright...