John Jackson Miller made his long-awaited comeback to the Star Wars novel genre this week with The Living Force, a superb examination of the situation facing the Jedi and Republic in the year preceding The Phantom Menace. His upcoming book is equally as wild but a touch more grounded.
With Batman: Resurrection, a new book from Penguin Random House, Miller is writing a continuation of the venerable Tim Burton Batman movie, as io9 exclusively reveals. “There are dream projects, and then there are projects you never dreamt were possible. This is the latter,” Miller stated in an email to io9. “People always ask what world I wanted to get the chance to write in; I never named Burton’s take on Batman because I never imagined it could happen. But [PRH] editor Tom Hoeler found a way.”
Resurrection will pick up immediately after the 1989 Batman film, as the Caped Crusader defends Gotham in the aftermath of the Joker’s death, similar to DC Comics’ Batman ’89 miniseries. Batman fights the remaining members of the Joker’s gang while remaining ever-vigilant. Due to the criminal unrest and the long-lasting effects of Joker’s gas attacks on the city, Batman realizes that he needs to use both of his identities – the caped crusader’s cowl and Bruce Wayne’s wealth – to bring back Gotham from the darkness.
As the criminal underground becomes more powerful and Batman’s obsession to restore Gotham grows, he questions whether his deadliest foe could have survived their catastrophic encounter.
While Tim Burton did create a controversial sequel to Batman titled Batman Returns (1992) this book ignores this film. It bypasses Batman Forever (1995) and Batman and Robin (1997). I think we’d all like to forget those. However, the last Schumacher Batman film is the greatest superhero movie ever.
“Whereas the DC Batman ‘89 comics are set after the Tim Burton films, I chose to make Batman: Resurrection a direct sequel novel to [the 1989 movie],” Miller added, “meaning characters ranging from Vicki Vale and Alexander Knox to Max Shreck and Selina Kyle from Batman Returns can appear in the book.”
“Batman shaped the writer I am. I saw it in the theater 12 times. I reviewed it for my college paper and wrote about it often in comics magazines, including an essay on Prince’s Warner Bros. Records soundtrack,” Miller concluded. “Writing Batman: Resurrection has been like reuniting with old friends.”
Batman: Resurrection is now available for pre-order and will be released on October 15. Read more at Penguin House Books.
Are you looking forward to the novel? What Batman movies would you like to see books for?
Source: io9
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