DC Comics and Geoff Johns’ Ghost Machine imprint have announced a new crossover that will see the two companies trading artists for a pair of very cool variant covers. It’s effectively the first crossover between the DCU and Ghost Machine’s Unnamed Universe.
This arrangement will see Geiger artist Gary Frank contribute a cover to the upcoming Batman #163, the final part of the Hush 2 storyline. Meanwhile, current Batman artist (and DC Publisher, President, and Chief Creative Officer) Jim Lee will hop over to Ghost Machine to draw a cover for Geiger #19. This will mark Lee’s first time drawing for an Image Comics-published book since 2011’s Spawn #200.
IGN can exclusively reveal both covers. First, check out Frank’s Batman #163 cover below:
Next, see Lee’s Geiger #19 cover below:
As you can see, both covers share a similar composition, meaning they should look good when displayed together as a pair.
“Jim’s a great friend and inspirational artist,” said Frank in a statement. “When we first began talking about doing covers for each other’s projects, it instantly became a moment where you realize why you got into comics. The community, the friendships, the love of the medium and the appreciation of each other’s work is something unique to comics and its creators.”
“When Jim delivered his Geiger cover featuring The Glowing Woman, Ashley Arden, it was a special moment for all of us at Ghost Machine,” continued Frank. “It was also fun for me to dip back into the world of DC with a Batman image featuring the Dark Knight and some of his greatest villains.”
“I’m thrilled to be able to collaborate with the massively talented Gary Frank who I’ve had the good fortune to call a true friend since the early 1990’s,” said Lee. “Gary is a consummate professional, a Bonafide artist’s artist, a master of capturing light and form, and he’s drawn some of my favorite comics ever.”
“We hatched this idea to do a ‘crossover’ even if it is truly only compositionally,” continued Lee, “and I’m so honored to have a Gray Frank Batman Hush piece grace our ‘who’s who’ list of variant virtuoso cover artists!”
Batman #163 will be released in August 2025, while Geiger #19 will be released in October 2025.
As previously announced, Batman #163 also serves as the series finale for the current volume. It’ll be replaced by a new Batman series in September, as Hawkeye writer Matt Fraction teams with Batman veteran Jorge Jiménez to kick off a new era for the Dark Knight.
Will we ever see Batman actually cross over into the Unnamed Universe? Time will tell, but for now, check out our picks for the top 10 Batman crossovers of all time.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.
