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<\/a>Art by Jorge Jimenez. (Image Credit: DC)<\/p>\nHere’s DC’s official solicitation for Batman #12:<\/p>\n
SIX ASSASSINS. ONE CITY. COUNTLESS WAYS TO DIE! Six of the world’s deadliest killers have descended on Gotham City at once\u2013but who hired them, and who’s the target? Surely, it can’t be the Batman\u2026 As the Caped Crusader races to uncover who set this deadly plan in motion, the late Alfred Pennyworth provides a gift from beyond the grave with the arrival of a brilliant new ally to the Bat-Family at a time when it needs one most.<\/p>\n
Based on that description, it soudns as though Alfred was grooming his replacement before he died. But is this a long-lost daughter like Julia Pennyworth, or someone else entirely? Some fans seem convinced this character is a modernized take on Alfred’s niece Daphne Pennyworth<\/a>, who was introduced in 1969’s Batman #216.<\/p>\n Regardless of her identity and origins, Batman could certainly use a new ally right about now. Batman #8 just shook up the Gotham City status quo in a major way, with Barbara Gordon being arrested for her vigilante activities<\/a> and Batman forced to destroy Wayne Manor to keep its secrets out of the hands of Police Commissioner Vandal Savage.<\/p>\n Batman #12 is written by Matt Fraction and drawn by Jorge Jimenez. This issue will be released on August 5, 2026. You can preorder a copy at your local comic shop<\/a>.<\/p>\n For more, find out what to expect from Marvel’s Star Wars: The Fall of Kylo Ren<\/a> and see which books and creators were nominated for the 2026 Eisner Awards<\/a>.<\/p>\n