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Some of the best writers figure out the ending to their stories before they decide where to begin, and Ram V, the writer of DC's flagship (and namesake) book Detective Comics, has had his in mind for some time — and he's sticking to it. We now know exactly when the final issue of his acclaimed Batman run will be appearing, and it’s sooner than you might think.

It’s official: Ram V will be ending his current run as writer on Detective Comics this September, capping off what will be a two-year run on the the monthly title over three acts and 28 issues which will culminate in what he has described as "the metaphorical death and rebirth of" DC’s Dark Knight. The publisher has confirmed the writer’s earlier estimation of his final issue with its description of Detective Comics #1088 in its August solicitations:

”Chaos against order. Good against evil. The Dark Knight against…everything,” reads the description. “The end is nigh, and nothing can prepare you for what’s to come in the penultimate chapter of Ram V’s gothic opera.”

So now you have it: Ram V will be departing Detective Comics with the following month’s Detective Comics #1089.

According to V, he and then-Batman group editor Ben Abernathy mapped out a hopeful 30-issue run for the writer from the beginning.

"This is the longest single work I have done so far," Ram V wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) back in December 2023. "There were a lot of things to juggle. And the whole team, artists, letters, editors - everyone stayed with the plan. Given the nature of comics - pretty insane to be here, almost at the end!"

Ram V has several additional projects running through 2024, including three creator-owned series (The One Hand, Six Fingers, and Dawn Runner), as well as several unannounced projects with DC as part of his recently-signed deal with the publisher. Could one of those mean that the writer might be persuaded to stick around in Gotham? Time — and, probably, his final Detective Comics issues themselves — will tell.

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