Earlier this week, DC canceled retail orders for Batman Universe: The Deluxe Edition, an upcoming hardcover collection featuring the work of writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Nick Derington. It didn’t take long for the rumors to take root, and this move tied in with rumors that Bendis might be returning to Marvel in the near future. That’s all well and good, but The Beat learned that the reason for the cancellation was more mundane.
The book is far from ready by its (now-canceled) February release date, according to people familiar with the story. I’ve heard that some of the bonus content planned as backmatter for this book isn’t ready yet and will be re-recruited at a later date when the collection is complete.
When will that be? Well, no one knows, but maybe that’s why the order was canceled. This typically occurs when the publisher does not yet know when it will be able to resubmit and fulfill the order.
The Batman Universe is a cosmic mystery that could only take place in the DC Universe, as the Dark Knight pursues Vandal Savage through time and space. As a writer with cutting experience behind some of Marvel’s best street comics of his generation, it was no surprise that Bendis would take on Batman, with fans considering the Batman Universe to be some of his best work at DC.
This series started life as one of DC’s Walmart exclusive comics. The move was intended to expand DC’s readership by making comics more easily available to new readers, but it largely failed. One reason for this is that the book was snapped up almost immediately by avid comic book fans and retailers, and scalped on eBay.
Walmart DC articles were originally published in an 80-page broadsheet, including reprints of past fan-favorite articles, but were eventually published for the direct market. One of his most successful works, Tom King and Andy Kubert’s Superman: Up in the Sky, is already on stands in deluxe hardcover edition.
DC describes the hardcover in its solicitation as follows:
“The world’s best detectives travel across the multiverse to take on the most outlandish cases. When a precious Fabergé egg goes missing, a cosmic case only Batman can solve begins. From Gotham to Dinosaur Island to the depths of space, the Dark Knight’s pursuit of Vandal Savage takes him to D. As the Riddler, Green Lantern, Jonah Hex and more cross his path, Batman must overcome ancient secrets and cosmic threats to prevent the universe from unraveling. Collects Batman: Universe #1-6.
Something like this:
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