Few comic book heroes have had as many sidekicks as Batman, but it looks like the Dark Knight is about to get yet another assistant. The previews for the upcoming Batman Black and White #4 reveal that this time, Batman’s helper will be an actual bat.
Batman Black and White vol. 5 continues the tradition started back in 1996, when a group of Batman's best creators came together to create a Batman anthology series depicted entirely in black and white. Each issue contains five separate short stories within the Batman mythos. Some are told from the perspective of the Dark Knight himself, while others center around criminals or civilians of Gotham, who see Batman as more of an urban legend made real. Indeed, the series excels at examining the Caped Crusader from different angles, and the next issue will take perhaps the most interesting angle yet - the perspective of a real bat.
The previews for Batman Black and White #4 give a sneak-peek at the issue’s first story, titled “A Night in the Life of a Bat in Gotham.” Written by Joshua Williamson and illustrated by Riley Rossmo, the story will evidently be told from the point of view of a bat who has, for whatever reason, decided to follow Batman around. The pages provided show Batman and his adorable new sidekick investigating what looks to be a home intrusion and double homicide. The Riddler’s cap and staff are conspicuously left on the floor, and in the next page, a man wearing a similar hat captures Batman’s new friend using a net. Given those clues, signs certainly point to the Riddler being the villain of the story. Hopefully the Dark Knight will be able to save him before it’s too late.
Batman having an actual bat as a pet/sidekick seems so obvious that it's a wonder it hasn’t happened before. He’s used bats tactically in the past, like in Batman Begins when he uses a sonar-type gadget to summon a swarm, and he even had a wounded fruit bat as a kind of pet in Tim Burton's Batman film from 1989. However, this is one of the first instances of Batman ever having a bat actually accompany him on missions and serve as a kind of sidekick. Interestingly, the whole reason Bruce Wayne chose the bat as his symbol is because he was frightened of them as a child, so the fact that he is now traveling with one proves he’s finally come full-circle and truly conquered his fear.
“A Night in the Life of a Bat in Gotham” will only be one of the five stories in Batman Black and White #4, so it's unlikely Batman’s cute new sidekick will stick around. Regardless, Bruce having a bat-buddy is long overdue.