After surviving the events of Dark Nights: Death Metal and Joker War, the next big Batman event will build on story threads introduced in Future State and Infinite Frontier to create a horror-themed storyline called Fear State. The Scarecrow has been working in the shadows for months, and Fear State will cross over with the ongoing Catwoman and Harley Quinn comic books when it begins on August 10.

　　For Batman fans worried about catching up, DC is promising that Fear State will be the launching point for several new series and plotlines across all Batman-family titles, directly leading into a new status quo for the Dark Knight and his allies in 2022.

　　"This Fall, The Scarecrow is sending Gotham City straight to Hell, and it's up to Batman and his allies to stop it," DC's synopsis reads. "Fear State not only continues the Scarecrow's vision of a fear-controlled Gotham, but also Mayor Christopher Nakano's mission to protect the city with his ground-breaking deal with The Magistrate."

　　Fear State begins with the 40-page I Am Batman #0 by writer John Ridley and artist Travel Foreman, which continues on after the events of The Next Batman: Second Son. You can see a full selection of covers below from August's tie-in issues, with the main Batman title having six variant covers from artist Jorge Molina that forms an interconnected showcase.

　　Batman: Fear StateGallery

　　It's a big week for Batman and his DC Comics counterpart Superman, as the world's finest heroes are heading back to television screens in solo animated outings. Batman's new show is titled Batman: Caped Crusader and features the creative team of JJ Abrams, Bruce Timm, and Matt Reeves, while My Adventures of Superman follows Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen as they try to save the world from the Daily planet newspaper offices.

　　Darryn Bonthuys on Google+