Happy BATMAN OFF-WORLD #1 Day!

Notes on my DC debut & the launch of my all-new online store

Nov 21, 2023

After more than twenty years of working my childhood dream job, today it all gets a bit dreamier. That’s because today I make my long-awaited proper debut as a writer for DC Comics.

Sure, in many ways my career began at DC Comics way back when, with THE OTHER SIDE and SCALPED, my first two full-length comic series. But I never thought of myself as a DC writer in those days. I was a Vertigo writer. It was a different. Vertigo always felt very much like its own entity, its own funky little clubhouse secreted away within the DC offices. I learned how to write comics at Vertigo. Built my full-time comic career at Vertigo. Quit my last shitty day job while writing for Vertigo. I will forever be a proud graduate of the Vertigo School of Comic Book Making.

The only time I ever previously ventured within the borders of the DC Universe was for a JOKER’S ASYLUM: PENGUIN one shot way back in 2008. It’s a dark and gritty little character drama with gorgeous art by the late Jason Pearson where Batman shows up for all of one shadowy panel. 1

So here we are now, all these years later, and I’m finally getting to go full-Batman and full-DC. Feels really good.

BATMAN OFF-WORLD is just the first of a number of new projects currently in the works for me with DC Comics (along with a lot of other projects other places, I should add, including more work for Marvel). And it feels extra special because story-wise this series is basically a love letter to a lot of the comics that first made me a spinner rack junkie and quite literally changed the course of my life.

ATARI FORCE, NEW TEEN TITANS, OMEGA MEN, BATMAN: YEAR ONE. I fell in love with reading comics in large part because of those books. I grew up wanting to write comics because of those books. I’d still be working that shitty day job if it wasn’t for those books.

My basement spinner rack is home to the same copies I plucked off the drugstore spinner rack as a kid.

BATMAN OFF-WORLD represents me walking into the halls of DC Comics while paying homage to what brought me to the party in the first place, while trying to take what I love, what is foundational for me, and do something a bit different with it, to tell a Batman story I hope will prove unlike anything you’ve seen before.

Joining me on this adventure through the darkest wilds of uncharted space is a stellar crew of seasoned ass-kickers, starting with the legendary Doug Mahnke on pencils, Jaime Mendoza on inks, David Baron on colors, Troy Peteri on letters and my old friend Ben Abernathy on edits.2

I hope you have as much fun reading this book as we’re having putting it together for you.

Variant covers by Doug, Lesley Li, Ben Oliver, Pete Woods, David Finch & Skottie Young.

And here’s a tease of what’s to come for Batman on his adventure through space, as he makes some new friends along the way. The BATMAN OFF-WORLD #2 cover by Doug, Jaime and David has Batman spending some quality time with your new favorite space-based bounty hunter, Ione of Tamaran, and this first glimpse of the fully colored cover for issue #3 shows us where things begin to get even wilder.

ALL-NEW JASON AARON WEBSTORE

In other big news, I’ve partnered with the fine folks over at Third Eye Comics, one of the best comic book shops on the planet, to relaunch and run my online store. The new webstore went live today and features loads of trades and hardcovers, both Marvel and creator-owned work, that all come with an exclusive signed bookplate. And look for us to add more exclusive items as we move forward. Go now and get your granny that GODDAMNED trade she’s been wanting for Christmas.

jasonaaronshop.com

NOTES & LINKS & THINGS & STUFF

—All copies of BATMAN OFF-WORLD #1 are available in your local comic shop as we speak (or maybe tomorrow, depends on the store), or you can pick up an unsigned issue #1 bundle from the online store. But if you want that gorgeous Skottie Young cover, you can only get it from the man himself, over at SkottieYoung.com.

—You say you want more BATMAN OFF-WORLD talk? Here’s my first ever official DC press interview, with ComicBook.com.

—And here’s me talking with Josh from iFanboy for the first time in forever. No real promotional talk here. Just an in-depth chat about process and my career overall. Love doing these kinda talks.

iFanboy Talksplode #108 -- Jason Aaron

—Here’s another recent podcast appearance that was a delightful departure from the norm. Therapist Jeremy Schumacher’s Your Therapist Needs Therapy covers all sorts of different issues related to mental health, along with comics and wrestling and other such nerdery, so as you can image we had a whole lot to dig into.

—If you need even more of me talking in your life, I keep an updated playlist of interviews over on my Spotify.

—Thanks to everybody who came out and said hi at Thought Bubble a couple weeks back. It was my third trip to Northern England for the con, but my first in several years, and it remains one of the most creator-friendly, soul-nourishing conventions anywhere. Also this time I had some proper afternoon tea at Betty’s and discovered the wondrous joys of clotted cream, a thing that tastes so much more delicious than it sounds.

My partner Jen and I had a lovely day exploring York, including its street of delightfully wonky medieval buildings, the Shambles.

—Speaking of conventions, here’s another one to add to the list of upcoming appearances. I’ll be returning in full-force for the 25th anniversary edition of Planet Comicon here in KC, alongside my BATMAN OFF-WORLD cohort, Doug Mahnke.

—And because you’re so great and I love you so damn much, I leave you with this tease of my ACTION COMICS run that kicks off next year.

Cover to ACTION COMICS #1062 by John Timms.

This has been Beard Missives, direct from the officially DC-writing face of Jason Aaron.

This week’s newsletter has been brought to you by dreams of clotted cream, along with such souvenirs as Spiced Christmas Tea from Betty’s and Whitley Neill rhubarb and ginger gin (my favorite discovery from this most recent UK visit, good lord is it delicious). 3

Here’s wishing you and yours a festive Batman Off-World Day and a happy Thanksgiving.

Cheers.

Jason Aaron

KC, November 21, 2023