We finally know how Sanctuary will figure into the DC universe. EW has learned that Batman writer Tom King — who appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Tuesday — is teaming up with frequent collaborator Clay Mann for Heroes in Crisis, a new seven-part limited series that will explore how Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and more heroes handle the trauma of their lives as they deal with a murder mystery. Due in September, Heroes in Crisis will mark the introduction of Sanctuary, a crisis center established by the Trinity that uses Kryptonian technology, Amazonian mysticism, and Bruce Wayne’s money to help “superheroes who spend their lives fighting villainy and protecting others.” Created by King, a former counterterrorism operations officer with the CIA, Sanctuary and the limited series reflect his ongoing interest in exploring the consequences of violence on those involved. This theme has been present in almost everything he has written, including Batman (see the I Am trilogy, Kite Man, or how Batman’s relationship with Catwoman asks whether happiness is possible for the Dark Knight), Omega Men, and Mister Miracle (which begins with its titular hero attempting suicide). “I feel like I’m part of a rolling generation of people who spent their 20s overseas fighting terrorism,” King said in a press release. “Millions of people cycle through that machine and come home to America. And I think that sort of experience of violence is shaping who we are as a culture, and as a country. And I want to talk about that. I want to talk about that experience, the experience of what violence can do to a person, to a community, to a nation, to a world.” This isn’t the first time Sanctuary has come up in DC Comics. It has been referenced in King’s Batman and Christopher Priest and Carlo Pagulayan’s Deathstroke. According to the press release, Heroes in Crisis will explore the first time that Sanctuary fails and how that affects the entire universe. The cover image, which you can see below, also teases that Booster Gold and Harley Quinn will play roles in the story too. “If I could do anything to the DCU,” said King, “it would be to bring a sense of community of superheroes and people. I feel a duty to talk about what violence does to a society through the comics I’m creating.” Here’s the official description of the project: “Heroes in Crisis is not a tale of universes colliding and dying. Instead this is a story centering on the humans and superhumans under the mask; this is about what allows them to get up and fight when it appears they can’t ever get up and fight again. When it’s too much, and it’s often too much, heroes go to Sanctuary — created by Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman — to find a moment of safety before returning to a universe of violence. Heroes in Crisis is also about what happens when Sanctuary fails, resulting in catastrophic consequences for the DCU.” Check out the full cover: Heroes-In-Crisis-Cv1 Credit: DC<doc-sep>It’s not every day you see a comic-book artist get the spotlight on one of the big late-night shows, but Tom King is not your everyday comics writer. And Seth Meyers is apparently quite the nerd. As you can see below, King appeared Tuesday night on NBC’s Late Night With Seth Meyers to discuss his ongoing work on Batman and Mister Miracle, as well as his former life as a CIA counter terrorism officer. But while that conversation may have been revelatory, it’s DC’s post-show announcement about King that’s got us even more excited: He’s set to write Heroes in Crisis, a new miniseries focusing on Sanctuary, a trauma center for superheroes created by Wonder Woman, Superman, and Batman. (Credit: DC Comics) Differently than say, Crisis on Infinite Earths, or many of the other Crises in the DC catalog, Heroes in Crisis explores conflict far less galactic, and far more personal. “I feel like I’m part of a rolling generation of people who spent their twenties overseas fighting terrorism,” said King in a press release. “Millions of people cycle through that machine and come home to America. And I think that sort of experience of violence is shaping who we are as a culture, and as a country. And I want to talk about that. I want to talk about that experience, the experience of what violence can do to a person, to a community, to a nation, to a world.” And fictitiously speaking, no one sees more violence than a modern-age superhero. Fortunately, Sanctuary’s got the combined resources of Superman’s “Kryptonian technology,” Wonder Woman’s “Amazonian mysticism,” and Batman’s big bucks. But even such a well-stocked trauma center can fail its heroic patients, “resulting in catastrophic consequences for the DCU.” Video of Tom King Went Undercover as a Comic Book Nerd While Working in the CIA While that sounds like plenty to hang a story on, there’s more! Heroes in Crisis will also feature a murder mystery to move things along, involving the likes of the aforementioned Big Three, as well as Harley Quinn, Booster Gold, and “the rest of the World’s Greatest Super Heroes.” King’s seven-part series drops Sep. 26 with art by Clay Mann and Tomeu Morey, and lettering by Clayton Cowles.<doc-sep>Mister Miracle writer Tom King gave clues about a secret place within DC Comics at a convention back in January, and now we know more. DC has officially announced a seven-issue mini-series, Heroes In Crisis. The series arrives in September, and introduces a superhero crisis center specializing in mental health known as Sanctuary. This news comes only shortly after King's appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers Tuesday evening. Here's the first look: The crisis center is founded by Wonder Woman, Superman and Batman, using Kryptonian technology, Amazonian mysticism and backed by the Wayne financial empire. "There's a crisis headed toward DC's greatest heroes, but it isn't coming from outer space or another dimension--this time, the threat is homegrown," says DC in a press release. King discusses a superhero's struggle to deal with the trauma of war and a life of violence in a great deal of his work. Heroes In Crisis will further explore these themes, using a mystery involving Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn, Booster Gold (and more) as the backdrop. "I feel like I'm part of a rolling generation of people who spent their twenties overseas fighting terrorism," says King, a former counterterrorism operations officer with the CIA who served In Iraq. "Millions of people cycle through that machine and come home to America. That sort of experience of violence is shaping who we are as a culture, and as a country. I want to talk about that." The story centers on the humans and superhumans under the mask, according to the DC press release. "It's about what allows them to get up and fight when it appears they can't ever get up and fight again. When it's too much, and it's often too much, heroes go to Sanctuary. It's also about what happens when Sanctuary fails, resulting in catastrophic consequences for the DC Universe." DC and King left clues about Sanctuary in recent issues of Batman. Hints even made their way into the latest issue of Deathstroke, written by Christopher Priest. King calls Sanctuary the "most obvious idea" he ever had. "We have a bunch of superheroes. All they do is fight every day, all the time. That must have a psychological effect on them, right? You can't live a life of violence and not feel the violence deep in your heart and your soul," King told Newsweek in January. "Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman can help you, and themselves, through Sanctuary." The first issue of Heroes In Crisis, written by King with art by Clay Mann and Tomeu Morey, lettered by Clayton Cowles and edited by Jamie S Rich and Brittany Holzherr, arrives at your local comic book shop and digitally Sept. 26.<doc-sep>
Tom King’s been teasing his next project as far back as January. Initially known as “Sanctuary,” it was to be a story about the mental health repercussions for superheroes and a place they could go to recover. That project now has a name: Heroes in Crisis. Scheduled to ship in September, Heroes in Crisis will be written by King with art by Clay Mann and will run seven issues. It sounds like DC had intended for this to be announced last night when King was a guest on Seth Meyers’ late night chat show, but no such announcement aired. (Then again, half the time the primary guest runs over and the writer doesn’t even get on screen, so it really wasn’t a total loss by late night PR rules.) The general premise appears to be the same as teased in January: Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman have set up a sort of traum a center where heroes can go when things get overwhelming. Something that’s likely modeled, at least in part, by services offered for military veterans. Heroes in Crisis is what happens when Sanctuary fails. It’s described as a murder mystery starring Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Booster Gold and Harley Quinn. (Remember, Harley was in the mental health field before she met Mister J.) Tom King’s official quote that’s making the rounds on the mainstream news sites: “I feel like I’m part of a rolling generation of people who spent their twenties overseas fighting terrorism. Millions of people cycle through that machine and come home to America. And I think that sort of experience of violence is shapi ng who we are as a culture, and as a country. And I want to talk about that. I want to talk about that experience, the experience of what violence can do to a person, to a community, to a nation, to a world.” This appears to be a personal project for King, a former CIA intelligence officer who’s spent some time overseas. According to official DC pr: HEROES IN CRISIS is not a tale of universes colliding and dying. Instead this is a story centering on the humans and superhumans under the mask; this is about what allows them to get up and fight when it appears they can’t ever get up and fight again. When it’s too much, and it’s often too much, heroes go to Sanctuary—created by Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman—to find a moment of safety before returning to a universe of violence. HEROES IN CRISIS is also about what happens when Sanctuary fails, resulting in catastrophic consequences for the DCU. “If I could do anything to the DCU,” concluded King, “it would be to bring a sense of community of superheroes and people. I feel a duty to talk about what violence does to a society through the comics I’m creating.” The premiere issue of HEROES IN CRISIS, written by Tom King with art by Clay Mann and Tomeu Morey, lettered by Clayton Cowles, and edited by Jamie S. Rich and Brittany Holzherr, will reach comic book stores and be available digitally on September 26.