Batman fans excited to learn that a new version of the character will be Black

There has been a lot of Batman news in the past 24 hours given that the first trailer for the highly anticipated new film starring Robert Pattinson was unveiled at DC's big online Fandome event.

However, one story that hasn't gotten as much attention but definitely deserves it is the announcement of a new four-issue limited series comic penned by John Ridley, who won an Academy Award in 2014 for his adapted screenplay of 12 Years a Slave.

This was confirmed on the' Legacy of the Bat' panel and will see Ridley work with award-winning artist Jose Ladronn and interior artist Nick Derington. This all sounds great but why should anyone who doesn't read comics be interested in this?

Well, according to Ridley himself, there is a good likelihood that this version of Batman will not be the Bruce Wayne we are all familiar with but a person of colour. Speaking at the virtual event, Ridley said:

I think it's a pretty safe bet that if I'm writing Batman, it's probably a little better than a 47 per cent chance he's going to be a person of colour

A stronger indication that this will be a Black Batman is that Ridley confirmed that the series will concentrate on Lucius Fox and his family, a character you might remember from Christopher Nolan's Batman movies where he was played by Morgan Freeman. In the comics Fox's son, Luke is the hero Batwing, who is more of a sidekick to Batman so this series would suggest a more prominent role as the main Dark Knight.

Ridley added:

[Fox] has a family and this is a family that has secrets, has kept secrets from one another. It's a little bit different dynamic than the Batman that we've always seen.

Jim Lee, the CCO of DC Comics put any speculation to bed and said that the new character will be Black during the 'Tomorrow's Super Heroes with Jim Lee brought to you by Gold House' panel.

Fans reaction to this news has been largely positive and can't wait to see what a different iteration of Batman will look like.

There is no news when the first issue of the comic will be released but it marks another positive step-forward in the efforts to increase diversity in the superhero genre. Last month, it was confirmed that Black bisexual star Javicia Leslie will be replacing Ruby Rose as Batwoman in The CW's superhero show.