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If you’re looking for a holistic theory of how new Batman comic writer Matt Fraction is approaching the character and the assignment, you need to look beyond comics — and get ready to appreciate the fact that Batman contains multitudes of interpretations and media alike.

“There were, once upon a time, three Batman movies in two calendar years,” Fraction explained during his Batfraction panel at Rose City Comic Con 2025. “One was Batman v Superman, and then there was Justice League, which are like the biggest, most apocalyptic, grim, 'it's black on black on black and gray and grrrrrrr.' And right in the middle was The LEGO Batman Movie. All of which are perfectly valid expressions of Batman! That they could coexist in that moment without [people saying] ‘There's confusion in the marketplace! People don't know if he's a Lego or an angry man!' It's all Batman, right? He can be all of these things.”

For those wondering: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was released March 25, 2016, The LEGO Batman Movie was released on February 10, 2017, and Justice League was released November 17, 2017. Yes, that means the three movies actually came out within 18 months of each other, which feels even more impressive and somewhat unbelievable. 

Fraction continued, pivoting from movies to television: “This is why the Batman animated series is the best iteration I like to use as a goal. It’s awesome, because it’s nothing like Batman, except all of it is like Batman. It’s never looked like that before, it’s never moved like that before. It's all different, but it's all the same, and somehow, because it's all different, it's even more the same. And because it's so similar, you can make it so different and that's what the freedom is. That's the job: ‘How do I reinvent this in a new and exciting way?’”

Batman #1 is available now, for people looking to find out how he makes a start.

Batman is the most well-known superhero in the world — surprisingly, given how much he loves hanging out in the dark. But between his comics, TV shows, movies, games, and more, DC's Dark Knight is the hero this city/country/world/universe needs, and we have all you need to enjoy him even more: 

• All the best Batman comics
• The best Batman villains, ranked
• How to watch all the Batman live-action movies in order
• How to watch all the Batman animated movies in order
• All the Batman actors, ranked
• All the Batman TV series, ranked
• All the Batman movies, ranked