PEARL #1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos hits stores next Wednesday and is the first Jinxworld book to be published by DC. Jinxworld, for any fans who are unfamiliar, is Bendis’ line of creator-owned books and graphic novels spanning a variety of genres and featuring some of the best artists in the business.

Pearl introduces the first original character created by the team of Bendis and Gaydos since they created Jessica Jones for Marvel in 2001. A tattoo artist who through a set of circumstances is forced to enter the world of professional assassination, Pearl’s story is a stylish crime thriller with a compelling relationship at its heart. It’s a gorgeous-looking book that fans of Bendis’ work and underworld stories in general will love.

But even the best stories can be made even better with Batman.

Unannounced until now, PEARL #1 will also include Bendis and Gaydos’ very first DC work—a black and white Batman short called “Citizen Wayne” that was first published in 2000. Recently, we asked Bendis how this nifty little bonus comic found its way into Pearl. Here’s what he had to say…

Pearl #1 is the first title out under the new Jinxworld imprint. It’s by me and Michael Gaydos, it’s a very beautiful book, and we’re very proud of it.

Recently, DC announced that I’ll be writing some Batman . It’s a big twelve-part Batman story with Nick Derington, and people were very excited about it. In fact, I was kind of overwhelmed by how lovely everyone was being about it. And in the conversations online, some of the older fans started laughing about how many people were saying, “Finally, Brian’s going to write Batman.”

The longtime fans were saying, “Brian has written Batman.”

Newer fans don’t know because it was a long time ago, but just before I signed with Marvel—just before I started Ultimate Spider-Man and Jessica Jones—Michael Gaydos and I were hired to write and draw a six-page Batman story. It was an Elseworlds Batman story called “Citizen Wayne.” It was Citizen Kane with Batman.

Genius, I know! You might want to sit down while you process how genius that was.

Not only was it not a genius idea, but it wasn’t even an original one! Mark Waid had done it six years before and no one had told us. But it is a lovely little curio. We love it, and we realized that it’s been twenty years and no one has seen it. Nor would they. It ran as a backup in BATMAN CHRONICLES #21.

So, I asked. I called up Dan DiDio and I said, “Hey, can we reprint that Batman story in the back of Pearl? People don’t know about it and it’s cute.”

Dan said yes, so our very first Batman story will be reprinted in the back of Pearl #1. People who have already ordered the issue are getting a bonus. This is on the house, as they say. For anyone else who wants a copy of it, pick up Pearl #1. You’re going to get a brand-new character from the creators of Jessica Jones and as a bonus, a pretty fun Batman story.

PEARL #1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos will be available in print and digital on Wednesday, August 15.