On 9/2, writer Steve Niles and artist Kelley Jones’ 12-issue Batman tale, GOTHAM AFTER MIDNIGHT will hit stores, collecting a horrifying tale of the Caped Crusader in one neat volume. But did you know director John Carpenter wrote the intro? Well, he did. And we’ve got the whole thing here for your perusal. Take it away, John:

BATMAN has been around since 1939, has been reinvented by each generation of comic book creators, and definitely has the best costume of any superhero ever. For 70 years the Dark Knight has walked tortured urban streets, but never as darkly and stylishly as in Steve Niles and Kelley Jones’ hands.

GOTHAM AFTER MIDNIGHT is an absolute blast. Niles’ sharp narrative blends horror, humor, noir and sweeping action, and his collaborator Jones is such a gifted artist that you can’t stop looking at the panels. I’m an enormous fan of these two gentlemen. BATMAN comic books get no better than this.

So start turning the pages. Steve Niles and Kelley Jones will transport you to a giddy, beautiful fever dream. I guarantee it.

John Carpenter is the visionary film director responsible for many of today’s cult classics, such as Halloween, Escape from New York, The Thing, Starman, Big Trouble in Little China, and many more.

Circle June 19-21 on your calendars, gang — DC NATION is making a stop at the Heroes Convention in Charlotte this year.

Sadly — or thankfully, for some — I won’t be there personally, but we’ll have an impressive lineup of creators holding court at Shelton Drum’s event, including Mark Bagley, Ivan Brandon, Bernard Chang, Cully Hamner, Scott Hampton, Adam Hughes, Jamal Igle, Georges Jeanty, Dustin Nguyen, Steve Niles, Phil Noto, George Perez, Stephane Roux, Brian Stelfreeze, Jen Van Meter and a ton more. Senior Story Editor Ian Sattler will also be the ringmaster for any and all panels, so make a point to stop in to hear the latest bits of DCU info.

While you’re there, make a point to stop by the DC booth to say hi and pick up some free swag. Free stuff is cool. It makes people happy.

The final chapter of writer Steve Niles and artist Kelley Jones Batman horror maxiseries hits soon, and The Dark Knight closes out the story with a deadly confrontation, facing off against the monstrous Midnight for the fate of Gotham. We’ve got a few pages of the finale right here.