Warning: contains a preview for Jurassic League #1!
In a new preview for DC Comics' Jurassic League, Batman's secret obsession with dinosaurs comes full circle as he's depicted as an anthropomorphic T-Rex. Set in a prehistoric world where dinosaurs can talk and have superpowers, the Justice League exists as an impressive collection of giant lizards. While seeing all of these prehistoric heroes in action will no doubt be a fun time, there's something truly special about the Dark Knight taking a dino form.
DC's new Jurassic League series is releasing right on the heels of the primary Justice League dying ahead of Dark Crisis, DC's massive summer event. As such, it seems as though the DC dino-heroes will be the only League available to readers in the months to come from DC Comics as other heroes step up to fill the League's void in the main canon.
In the new preview for Jurassic League #1, from Daniel Warren Johnson and Juan Gedeon, a dinosaur egg is seen falling from the sky in a rocket to be found by a caveman and his wife: the dino-Superman of this new universe. Additionally, a T-Rex dressed like a bat is hunting his prey, seeking justice for "Growltham City" just as any human Bruce Wayne would. It also appears as though the Bat-Rex will be encountering none other than the dinosaur version of the Joker, who's a venom-spitting dilophosaurus. Enjoy the preview pages and a synopsis for the upcoming issue:
JURASSIC LEAGUE #1 - You know the story: an infant escapes the destruction of its home planet and is deposited on Earth to be raised by human parents. A goddess from a lost city defends truth. A Tyrannosaurus Rex dons the visage of a bat to strike fear into evildoers’ hearts. This heroic trinity, alongside a league of other super-powered dinosaurs, join forces to save a prehistoric Earth from the sinister machinations of Darkseid. Wait…what? Okay, maybe you don’t know the story. So join us and bear witness to a brand-new yet older-than-time adventure and experience the Justice League as you have never seen them before!
While it isn't a trait that typically comes to mind when thinking about the Dark Knight, Batman loves his dinosaurs. While this was a trait even Green Lantern found surprising when the Dark Knight mentioned it in Batman Universe, Bruce Wayne reminded him that he famously has a giant T-Rex in his Batcave. Furthermore, Dark Nights: Death Metal even featured a Batman who transferred his consciousness into that same robot T-Rex, becoming one of the most monstrous Batmen of all time. Now, Batman is finally a living, breathing, (and talking) T-Rex who for some reason thinks dressing like a bat is scarier than just simply being a killing machine.
It's going to be exciting to see what other dinosaurs the rest of the Justice League have become beyond Batman's T-Rex. While the cover art sees Superman as a brontosaur and Wonder Woman as a triceratops, that still leaves Green Lantern, Flash, Aquaman, and perhaps even more like Martian Manhunter or even Cyborg. However, none of these heroes are likely to get the same rush out of finally living their dinosaur obsession as Batman.
Jurassic League #1 is available now from DC Comics.