Batman: Arkham City Gets Comic Book Prequel

In anticipation of Batman: Arkham City, WB Interactive will be releasing a six-issue digital comic mini-series this May.  The comic will likely tell the story of how Arkham City came to be and shed light on the relationship between Batman and the game’s villain, Dr. Hugo Strange.  The series will be written by Batman: The Animated Series’ Paul Dini and illustrated by Arkham Asylum/Arkham City concept artist Carlos D’anda.  Each issue will be released online worldwide and will cost 2.99.

The comics will help bridge the gap between Arkham Asylum and Asylum City.  To add a little context, after the events of the first game, Arkham’s warden Quincy Sharp becomes the mayor of Gotham.  Sharp closes “Arkham Asylum” and replaces it with “Arkham City”, a walled-off section of the city where criminals can do as they please so long as they stay inside.  Sharp hands the keys of Arkham City to Dr. Hugo Strange, one of the few people who knows that Batman is Bruce Wayne.

The comics will be released bi-weekly.  On the off-weeks, WBi will be releasing a set of short stories – also written by Dini and drawn by many different authors – set during the same period.  These short stories will only be 99 cents.

All of the comics, the series and the short stories, will be included in the collector’s decision of Arkham City.  Batman: Arkham City will be in stores some time this fall.

A few Batman: Arkham City Screens

Rocksteady put out a few new Arkham City screens.  Not much to say about ’em; I think Harley Quinn has bigger boobs in this game than she did in Arkham Asylum.  After looking at the screens, feel free to go tie a sheet around your neck and yell; “I’M BATMAN”!  We all know you want to.

Warner Bros Interactive Acquires Rocksteady

It was announced today that Warner Bros Interactive has purchased “Arkham Asylum” developer Rocksteady.  Rocksteady announced late last year that they had begun working on a sequel to the game, which critics considered to be one of the best games of 2009.  For, Warner Bros, who definitely had their biggest hit ever last year with “Arkham Asylum”, the move ensure that they have a high-class developer for their projects, which are mostly based on WB’s film and television licenses.  Though the producer has worked on some high-profile games (Enter the Matrix), many of them have been declared middle-of-the-road by critics.  Buying Rocksteady giving them the in-house muscle to create strong games based on their products, which include Lord of the Rings, DC Comics and Looney Toons.

Though the deal definitely has strong short-term benefits for both sides, Rocksteady may regret the decision five years from now when they are forced to make a game about Bugs Bunny rather than some more interesting project that they could have pursued if they were independent.