If you’ve been reading DC Future State, particularly the Batman titles like Future State: The Next Batman and Future State: Dark Detective, you’ve become familiar with the Magistrate—the authoritarian regime that’s taken control of Gotham City. But how did it all start? How did Bruce Wayne wind up “dead” and working in secret? And why didn’t he just call Superman?

Well, that’s the thing. He did. And the results were absolutely terrifying.

Future State: Batman/Superman #1, by Gene Luen Yang and Ben Oliver, takes us back to the early days of the Magistrate’s time in Gotham, filling us in on how things got so bad and everything the Dark Knight and Man of Steel did to try to prevent it. It’s a surprising story, taking our two heroes to some of the darkest depths of the city while showing us how truly powerful a threat the Magistrate is. It also features one of Batman’s most terrifying villains, Professor Pyg, who uses Superman to…

Well, that would telling, wouldn’t it? You can get a hint by reading our exclusive sneak peek of the debut issue. But first we must ask—you’re not afraid of rats, are you?

Future State: Batman/Superman #1 by Gene Luen Yang, Ben Oliver and Arif Prianto is in stores and available digitally on Tuesday, January 26.

Eager for more Future State? Check out a preview of a VERY different Superman story—Future State: Superman vs. Imperious Lex #1—right now in the new DC Community. Click here to go there now!