The rise of Bane ended up tearing Batman and Gotham City down to their very foundations. But as Bruce Wayne now looks to rebuild both, the rest of his iconic villains are joining forces to finish the job. Well, technically, they joined forces years ago under total secrecy. Only now is their master plan finally being launched… and threatening to end Batman for good.

Readers who expected James Tynion IV’s takeover in Batman #86 to be something of a fresh start were in for a surprise, as contract killers descended on Gotham City, and Catwoman recognized the past returning to bite her. Eventually the rumors of a mysterious new Batman villain called The Designer were explained, along with their link to Batman’s current wife(?) Selina Kyle. Now thanks to our exclusive preview of Batman #90 fans can see for themselves how Catwoman, Riddler, Penguin, and the Joker were all selected by the Designer to launch ’the perfect crime’… and are now all living to regret it.

The preview from Tynion, Jimenez, and Morey shows readers are about to have their attention split between the present day threats to Gotham – like Deathstroke being chased by Harley Quinn – and the real secret fans are waiting to see explained. The secret that goes back to the earliest days of Bruce Wayne’s war on crime, when it was fast becoming clear that Catwoman, Penguin, Riddler, and the Joker would spend the next decades of their life at odds with Batman. They have risen and fallen to different levels of friend or foe in the years since, but now readers have a clear picture of whose precisely designed plan is truly beginning to unfold.

Being invited to a meeting by a legendary criminal mastermind doesn’t exactly spell betrayal, so judging by Selina’s struggle to apologize and confess the past, the real meat of this story is still to be revealed. And considering the undead boatman chauffeur who comes and goes in these pages, it’s impossible to say what will or won’t be possible for the next Bat-bombshell. To see how this twist plays out, readers can pick up their own copy in March. Until then, read on below for the full solicitation and details:

  • BATMAN #90 Release Date: March 4th, 2020 Written by: James Tynion IV Art by: Jorge Jimenez, Tomeu Morey Cover Art by: Jorge Jimenez, Tomeu Morey Variant Cover by: Francesco Mattina The mysterious master criminal known only as the Designer once brought together Gotham City’s greatest criminals to plot the perfect crime, and now his plan has been unleashed upon the city in all its might. Batman will go to any length to uncover the grand design, but Catwoman is the one who holds the greatest secret. If Batman wins against the Designer, he will lose everything.

Batman #90 will be available from your local comic book shop on March 4th, 2020.

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