Batman Guardian of the Night Panini Comic

Panini Comics UK began publishing Batman comics in 2003 with Batman Legends which would feature three US issues in one, bound in a cardboard cover like Paninis Marvel Collectors Editions. They eventually lost the license to Titan Comics but in 2020 regained it and released the one and only issue of Batman: Tales of the Dark Knight. Unfortunately the global pandemic quickly put an end to what was to be a new series. This one issue still had the cardboard cover but now only included two US comic issues rather than three to reduce costs, coming in at £4.50

 Panini made a second attempt to return Batman to UK comic stands with Batman Guardian of the Night. Featuring two US comic issues but without the cardboard cover the Collectors Editions are known for. This change knocked the cover price down to £2.99. It was sad to see the cardboard covers go but £4.50+ per issue was getting a little high for many readers. Especially if they bought multiple titles from Paninis Marvel and now DC range every month.

Unfortunately Batman Guardian of the Night was cancelled after issue 22 in 2023. Not quite lasting two years. It's sad to be without a UK Batman comic on shelves again like the late 1990s. 

Batman Returns to Panini Comics UK

Batman returns to Panini Comics UK 17 years after they published the first issue of  Batman Legends.

In 2003, Panini comics in the UK published the first issue of Batman Legends. The first DC comic to copy the ''collectors edition'' style comics Panini had been publishing since 1995 starting with Essential X-Men and Astonishing Spider-man. These comics collected three or four issues of the American comics, wrapped in a cardboard cover. 

The title lasted 41 issues until Panini lost the DC license to Titan Comics UK in 2006 who promptly published their own Batman Legends Volume 2. This would  later be rebranded as simply ''Batman'' and then again as Rebirth: Batman. 

The Titan DC comics always struggled with sales and poor marketing leading to Titan cancelling all their DC titles, including Batman in December 2018. Luckily now Panini have regained the rights to publish DC comics in the UK and have started with Batman: Tales of the Dark Knight. Now however the Collected Editions only contain two issues of the American comics rather than the previous three due to cost restraints. The title has also been prematurely put on hold due to the global pandemic interfering with production of the comic. DC titles just don't seem to have much luck in the UK!

Super Looney Tunes - Bugs Brigade International.

 The Super Looney Tunes were released with McDonalds happy meals back in 1992, amalgamating the Warner Bros cartoon characters with DC superheroes. The set of four was made up by Bugs Bunny as Super Bugs, Daffy Duck as Bat Duck, Porky Pig in drag as Wonder Pig and The Tasmanian Devil as Taz-Flash. 

The gimmick of the toys was that you could switch them from the regular characters of Bugs, Daffy, Porky and Taz to their superhero identities with snap on outfits. 

The Looney Tunes comic at the time featured strips about the Super Looney Tunes naming them the Bugs Brigade International. 

Batman Legends Ends

After 15 years and four volumes, the UK Batman Legends comic title has sadly come to and end.

In 2003, almost ten years after the last Batman comic ended in the UK, Panini picked up the license for the character and gave us Batman Legends. The comic was styled like the popular Marvel collectors edition comics Panaini have published in the UK since the mid 90s, collecting three issues of the American comics in each issue, starting with the popular Hush story line. The comic lasted 41 issues till Panini lost the license to Titan Magazines. Titan relaunched the title as Batman Legends volume 2, keeping the same format as Panini had used. 57 issues later the title was relaunched yet again as volume 3. Simply called ‘Batman’ the comic was relaunched to tie in with the release of Dark Knight Rises in cinemas and the launch of the New 52. It primarily reprints the US Batman and Batman and Robin comics. In September 2016 the title was again relaunched in it's 4th volume as Rebirth Batman, later dropping the Rebirth to simply be Batman again. It was during this time that the title, along with all of Titans DC reprints became bi-monthly releases. An indicator of poor sales. Batman having been the only Titan DC reprint series to show any level of success. Others Such as Superman, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Suicide Squad, Green Arrow etc had all fallen by the wayside after only a few issues each. Even the Batman title had begun to suffer after poor distribution from Titan. A title change in one of the Batman comics had caused it to totally disappear from the W.H Smith database. A mistake Titan never seemed to rectify despite multiple customers informing them that their local Smiths no longer stocked the Batman comic.  The poor reception of most of the recent DC shared universe movies also can't have helped matters. 
Finally, at issue 14 of what was essentially Batman legends volume 4, the title along with all the Titan DC comics were cancelled. 

There was little send off for the DC universe from Titan. Not even an editorial inside the front cover lamenting the end of the series or thanking the customers for their loyalty. This really reflects Titans attitude towards the comics they produce. Little real care or passion seems to go into what they do. With little to no customer interaction on social media or through editorials. 

15 years isn't a bad run for a UK comic, however it is sad to think that there is once again no Batman comic in the UK. There was a span of 9 years between 1994 and 2003 where the UK had no Batman title on the shelves. Hopefully it won't be as long this time before another publisher picks up the license. Perhaps Panini will regain the rights to publish Batman as they had in 2003. 

Batman Monthly 6

London Editions Batman Monthly issue 6 features two christmas stories. First off is 1979's Have Yourself A Deadly Little Christmas from the US Batman issue 309 featuring Blockbuster. Next up is Silent Night, Deadly Night, originally published in the US Batman issue 239 from 1971.

An American Batman in London

Batman Monthly issue 35 reprints the Detective Comics 590 story An American Batman in London. Where we see Batman on a rare trip outside Gotham but to a similarly appropriate city, London in England. After preventing an attack in Gotham by two criminals shouting ' Allahu Akbar!' Batman has tracked down a islamic terrorist organization to the England capital and tries to prevent them from doing what Guy Fawkes failed to by blowing up the houses of parliment on the 5th of November.

 At the end of the story, Batman is faced with a possible uncomfortable truth that our Western society may well provoke some of these terrorist attacks and attitudes. 
Even though this story is over 25 years old, it still holds relevance today. With islamic terrorist attacks on London and other major Western cities still prevelant. Though with our cultural sensitivity, the depiction of someone shouting Allahu Akbar whilst commiting a crime would probably never appear in a modern comic book.

Batman 465

 Batman issue 465 from July 1991 featured the first outing of Tim Drake as the new Boy Wonder sporting an updated, more modern Robin costume. The cover was later used for the 1993 UK Batman annual though the story from issue 465 was not featured.

Titan All Star Batman

 Titan Comics UK have launched a new Batman title, Rebirth All Star Batman. This is one of two ongoing Batman comics in the UK. The other being Batman Rebirth. All Star Batman is volume 4 in a series that began in 2012 with Batman The Dark Knight to tie in with the then current Nolan Dark Knight Rises movie. This then became Batman Arkham to tie in with the popular game.Volume 3 was retitled Batman Gotham Central to accompany the TV series. Now in it's forth incarnation as All Star Batman it coincides with the Rebirth DC titles hitting the UK.

Titans other Batman series is also in it's forth volume. Starting with the initial Batman Legends published by Panini back in 2003. This was the first Batman comic in the UK for ten years. In 2007 Titan gained the rights to publish DC comic in the UK and continued the Legends series with volume 2. In 2012 as the New 52 hit the UK the title was changed to simply Batman for volume 3. With the recent DC event of Rebirth, the series has entered it's 4th volume with Batman Rebirth.

Batman Magazine 52

Batman Monthly Magazine UK issue 52. Reprinting the US Batman 451. featuring Jokers return after the famous Death in the Family story arc.

Batman Monthly 9

Batman Monthly Magazine UK issue 9. One of my favorite Joker covers. Reprinting issue 321 of the US Batman comic.

Harley Quinn Issue 1

Harley Quinn issue 1 of her 3 issue mini-series and now ongoing title from Titan UK. After a successful test run starting in August with a three issue mini-series, Harley gets her own ongoing UK comic starting from November 2016.

Batman Rebirth

Titan UK has relaunched their Batman title as Batman Rebirth. This serves as a volume 4 to the Batman Legends title that began back in 2003 under Panini publishing, taken over by Titan in 2007 and then re-titled simply Batman in 2012 to tie in with the New 52.

Batman Adventures

Batman Adventures volumes 1 and 2 UK releases. Based on Batman: The Animated Series. Volume 1 was published by Fleetway in the early 90s lasting 22 issues, then volume 2 by Titan ten years later in 2004.

Flash UK Comic

For the first time since the 60s, The Flash has his own ongoing UK comic published by Titan. They tested the waters in June 2015 by releasing a 100 page one shot souvenir issue of the Flash. This must have sold well as in November an ongoing 76 page Flash series began titled DC Superheroes: The Flash. Perhaps so that they can alternate the lead hero if Flash's popularity dies down. Harley Quinn also features in a back up strip in each issue. Titan have never had much luck with titles not containing Batman. Their four long running comics being Batman, Gotham Central, Batman & Superman and Justice League Trinity all of which feature Batman. Around the same time The Flash ongoing comic debuted, Green Arrow and Supergirl also had a comic each begin. Neither of which lasted more than a few issues. So far the Flash has outrun sharing their cancellation fate.

Batman UK 50th Issue

This week see's the 50th issue of the current Titan UK Batman comic hit store shelves. The title is in essence, volume 3 of the Batman Legends comic that began back in 2003 under Panini publishing. Volume 1 lasted 41 issues before Titan took the license and began volume 2 which ended with issue 57. Volume 3 was re-titled to simply 'Batman' to coincide with the release of Dark Knight Rises at the cinema. So you could class the latest issue as 148 which is quite impressive for a UK comic in this day and age.

DC Universe Classics

                    My DC Universe Classics collection of Batman, Superman and Flash characters.

Bane

The front cover of issue 9 of Fleetway Editions UK Batman & Superman comic. 20 years later the cover of issue 6 of the Titan UK Batman the Dark Knight comic pays homage.

Batman Annuals UK

Batman Annuals from the UK. 1981, 82, 83, 85, 89, 91, 92 and 93. Published by London Editions who at the time also produced the UK Batman comics.

Batman annuals in the UK had been constant for several decades until 1998. It was then 8 years till the UK saw another Batman annual in 2006. This could be seen as the fault of the terrible Batman and Robin movie with a new annual not appearing till the Nolan Batman Begins movie came out. Between 2006 and 2014 only one other Batman annual was produced to tie in with the Dark Knight. This however was basically just a puzzle book and not what I consider a ‘real’ annual.
Titan Magazines who publish the UK Batman comics produced two annuals for 2014 and 2015 but unfortunately a 2016 book was not released.

Batman Comics UK

 

 A brief look at the history of Batman comics in the UK. The Batman magazine from London Editions which ran through the 80s ended in 1993 after 56 issues. This was followed by Fleetway Editions Batman volume 2 which began by printing the Batman Year One and Two story lines. The comic also printed the under rated Dark Knight, Dark City story line which is in my opinion the best Riddler story the comics have seen. This comic ran a mere 11 issues only to be replaced with the Batman & Superman comic which was marketed as the fall of the superheroes. Reprinting the now classic Knightfall and Doomsday story lines showing the breaking of the Batman and the Death of Superman. Batman & Superman ran 11 issues before being cancelled. It would be almost ten years before the UK saw a proper Batman comic again.

 In the early 00s, almost ten years after the last Batman comic ended in the UK, Panini picked up the license and gave us Batman Legends. The comic was styled like the popular Marvel collectors edition comics Panaini have published in the UK since the mid 90s, collecting three issues of the American comics in each issue. It started with the popular Hush story line. The comic lasted 41 issues till Panini lost the license to Titan Magazines. Titan relaunched the title as Batman Legends volume 2, keeping the same format as Panini had used. 57 issues later the title was relaunched yet again as volume 3. Simply called ‘Batman’ the comic was relaunched to tie in with the release of Dark Knight Rises in cinemas. It primarily reprints the US Batman and Batman and Robin comics.

At the same time as this, another Batman title was added to the Titan UK range. Batman: Dark Knight was a larger format comic to differentiate it from the main Batman comic. This comic reprinted the US Dark Knight and Detective Comics. After 19 issues it was transformed into Batman Arkham to tie in with the popular game. This new volume was reduced to the same size format as the main Batman title which pleased collectors. After issue 26 the title was relaunched a third time as Batman: Gotham Central to tie in with the popular Gotham TV show.
During Batman Arkhams run, a third Batman title was released called Batman Superman featuring cross over stories between the two characters as well as individual stories. This replaced the Superman comic which was unable to hold enough sales on it’s own without Batmans inclusion.

 Titan UKs larger format DC titles. The Dark Knight reprints the UK Dark Knight and Detective Comics and ran 19 issues before being replaced with Batman Arkham in the smaller US comic size. Superman came out to tie in with the Man of Steel film but ran a mere 5 issues before being cancelled and replaced with the Batman/Superman comic. Arrow did not last long either though a new collectors edition style Green Arrow comic has recently begun to cash in on the TV show along with Flash, Supergirl and Wonder Woman.