Batman fans, among many other comic book readers, have grown to love the art of Jock, the Scottish artist with the singularly catchy nickname, over the last two decades.
He made a name for himself on this side of the ocean with his amazing Losers work alongside writer Andy Diggle for DC Comics more mature imprint, Vertigo Comics, in 2003. That series, which ran for nearly three years, reinvigorated a World War II comic book franchise, serving it up as a contemporary A-Team sort-of Guy Ritchie-governmental-heist story for the twenty-first century.
They made a really fun movie out of it as well, featuring an outstanding cast that has gone on to be damn famous anchoring huge pulp culture franchises. It was a film that asked…no, BEGGED for a sequel that fans never got. Utter disappointment from this particular writer alongside many others.
Among other projects, Jock also illustrated the marvelous Hellblazer: Pandemonium graphic novel, teaming his with original John Constantine writer/co-creator, Jamie Delano before moving on to more mainstream titles like Green Arrow: Year One and then Batman in the pages of Detective Comics with writers Greg Rucka and Scott Snyder.
That writer/artist relationship with Snyder really blossomed. Their Batman in Detective Comics, under the encompassing story title of “The Black Mirror” (collected in various trades and hardcover Absolute Edition formats over the past years) was a revelation – a “Batman” tale for the ages, even more highly regarded now than when those issues were first published during 2010-2011.
Together, Jock and Snyder went on to create the horror title Wytches, published by Image Comics – another highly rated series.
Collaborating with all of those great writers over his career has paid off. Today sees the release of Jock’s return to Batman – this time as both writer and illustrator of the new highly anticipated three-issue DC Comics Black Label miniseries, Batman: One Dark Knight.
The story is a fairly straightforward one: Batman must escort a supervillain from one prison to the famous Blackgate Prison. Of course, nothing is as it seems in Gotham City and neither is the villain, known as E.M.P. I
In the course of one night, in the middle of a heat wave, what happens when all the lights go out in Gotham City and Batman is left to fend for himself with no gadgets, no help, and trapped within an absolutely insidious plan? It’s a block-by-block reckoning in a nighttime, nightmare city that Batman used to own, where shocks reveal themselves around every dark corner!
Make the (daytime) run to your local comic book shop today and pick up Batman: One Dark Knight #1 and discover the action, energy and mystery created by a luminous comic book creator!
You can catch more of Batman: One Dark Knight in this DC Beyond the Panels: Batman: One Dark Knight feature:
