Batman has gone full Webtoon in maybe the best way

DC Comics has announced the first of its new comics series created through the company’s partnership with the popular digital comics platform Webtoon. The first free-to-read episode of Batman: Wayne Family Adventures will be available at 1pm EST on Wednesday.

Drawn by StarBite and written by CRC Payne — with storyboards from Maria Li, backgrounds from Lan Ma, lettering by Kielamel Sibal and colors from C.M. Cameron, Camille Cruz, and Jean Kim — Batman: Wayne Family Adventures is what it says on the tin. The new series will follow Bruce Wayne and the challenges he faces as a father figure to “an endless supply of adopted, fostered, and biological superhero children,” according to the official synopsis.

The series’ promotional art is light on crime fighting while heavy on the family dynamics between a stern, exhausted Batman and his complicated web of brightly colored kids, from Dick Grayson (Nightwing), Jason Todd (Red Hood), Tim Drake (Robin), and Damian Wayne (also Robin) — to Cassandra Cain (Batgirl), Stephanie Brown (also Batgirl), and Duke Thomas (Signal).

Image: StarBite/Webtoon/DC Comics

DC and Webtoon announced their partnership to produce “several” standalone comics series available in multiple languages in August, but Wayne Family Adventures is the first release. While DC Comics is recognized as a titan of the American direct market for comics, Webtoon is its own formidable pillar as a platform for free, often creator-owned, webcomics in a form built for mobile scrolling with millions of users. The smash hit webtoon Lore Olympus was recently optioned for an animated series.

The Soap Opera and Slice of Life genres reign supreme on Webtoon, and one of the DC Universe’s most well-established superhero soap operas is the sprawling Batfamily. Wayne Family Adventures looks like it will take advantage of that peanut butter and chocolate combo already explored in fan comics across Tumblr. This time, of course, the Batfamily slice of life stories are officially licensed — though not set within current DC Comics continuity.

Batman: Wayne Family Adventures is available now, for free, on Webtoon.com and in the Webtoon app.

Image: StarBite/Webtoon/DC Comics