Fan-favorite Batman writer Chip Zdarsky has officially announced his departure from DC Comics’ ongoing Batman comics. His last issue on the series will be Batman #157.

Zdarsky released an official statement about his exit from the series in his official newsletter, expressing his reasons for deciding to leave. “I love Batman. It’s been a true joy working on the title. But some time in the spring I got the itch in the back of my brain to wrap things up,” Zdarsky wrote. “Partly because Jorge and I were finishing up the giant Failsafe/Zur story, but also because my amazing Bat-editor Ben Abernathy had left for Transforming G.I. Joes at Skybound. I also had a terrifying workload in front of me and had to make some hard decisions about what needed to be prioritized.”

Zdarsky shared that he let DC Comics know of his plans before C232 in April, and he agreed to stick around for an arc in October to create something special with artist Jorge Jimenez. “I’m super proud of our final story,” Zdarsky said before joking, “I won’t get all maudlin here ’cause we still have issues coming out until February. This is me pre-maudling, priming the maudlin pumps!” Zdarsky’s full statement, including a comedic “juicy story to get tongues wagging on the Internet”, is available to read in his newsletter.

At New York Comic Con, DC Comics announced that Batman legends Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee would return for Batman: Hush 2. The series will be published in DC’s ongoing Batman comic book series following Zdarsky’s exit from the title, beginning with Batman #158. The original Batman: Hush story arc was published monthly from October 2002 until September 2003 and told the story of the mysterious stalker Hush as he meddles in Batman’s life, with guest appearances by other villains in Batman’s Rogues Gallery.

For now, fans can continue to enjoy Zdarsky’s run on the title, which began in July 2022 with Batman #125. Earlier this month, Batman #153 was released as a jumping on point for new fans as part of DC’s All In Initiative, with plenty of changes to Gotham City — including the Riddler seemingly going legit and a mysterious new hero named Commander Star. Batman #154, drops in November and sees Batman and Commissioner Jim Gordon dealing with the aftermath of a brutal murder in Gotham. Next year, the climactic issue of Zdarsky’s run, Batman #157, will see Batman fight a war on multiple fronts as the sinister plot of the Court of Owls is finally revealed and the fate of Jim Gordon, the Riddler and the rest of the city rest in Batman’s hands.

Zdarsky’s Batman run continues with issue #154, releasing Nov. 6 from DC Comics.

Source: Chip Zdarsky