One of the deadliest Dark Knights to ever grace Gotham City is back, and there is no escaping his righteous fury.

As Gotham City burns in the wake of the massive attack launched by Arzen Orgham, the Shadow Angel, a shadowy figure perches on the rooftops of the city to keep an eye on the chaos down below. Before he can act, however, this Dark Knight is stopped in his tracks by none other than Nightwing. As it turns out, the latter is only now realizing that Jean-Paul Valley, better known as Azrael, has returned, and Detective Comics #1087 has given them the perfect opportunity to catch up.

Written by RAM V Art by CHRISTIAN DUCE & STEFANO RAFFAELE Colors by LUIS GUERRERO Letters by ARIANA MAHER Main cover art by EVAN CAGLE Variant covers by KELLEY JONES & MICHELLE MADSEN, GUILLEM MARCH, and SEBASTIAN FIUMARA

The original, New Earth incarnation of Jean-Paul Valley first appeared in the pages of 1992’s Batman: Sword of Azrael #1 by Dennis O’Neil and Joe Quesada. From his conception, Jean-Paul was designed to be a more than peak example of humanity. Imbued with what he considered a greater purpose, Jean-Paul excelled in almost every aspect of his life. It was with the gruesome demise of his father, the prior Azrael, that Jean-Paul began unraveling the secrets of his life and began his training with the ancient Order of St. Dumas.

When Azrael and Batman first crossed paths, it was because the latter was investigating the death of the former’s father, which carried widespread implications beyond those involving the Order of St. Dumas. Eventually, the two were able to put their differences aside, even if they remained divided on Azrael’s frequently lethal methods. During the 1993 Knightfall crossover event, Azrael took up the mantle of Batman after Bruce was put out of commission during his infamous encounter with the back-breaking Bane.

Arzen Orgham was introduced in the pages of 2022’s Detective Comics #1062 by Ram V and Rafael Albuquerque. Born into the ultra-wealthy Orgham Family as a literal prince, Arzen took up the mantle of Auriga, also known as the Shadow Angel, as had his father. Historically, the Orghams were the ones who founded the quaint village that would go on to become Gotham City in the modern era. This long lineage and history of tradition also ties the Orghams back to other, more malevolent figures, including the Demon’s Head himself, Ra’s al Ghul.

Detective Comics #1087 is on sale now from DC Comics.

Source: DC Comics