In what many would call one of the worst-kept secrets in comics, DC Comics has finally announced the long-rumored Batman project by writer/artist Marc Silvestri at Comic-Con International in San Diego.

The project will be titled Batman/Joker: Deadly Duo. Silvestri was introduced as a surprise guest during today’s “Meet the Publishers” panel. Jim Lee joked, “Now Marc you’re not here to promote an Image project here, you’re here to talk about Batman,” he laughed and continued, “Marc and I worked in the X-Men offices back at Marvel together, we shared studio space together. When I left, I was still in contact with a lot of the folks at Image and [Marc] drew a piece for a Batman anniversary special and ever since I saw that piece — I knew he had to draw a Batman project. It was out of that conversation that this project came.”

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“As you’ve probably guessed, I’m working on Batman. It’s a Batman/Joker team up. We’d talked about it and I couldn’t believe that it hadn’t been done before at least not a serious level,” Silvestri said. “It would be full of dramatic and comedic moments. I’ve been wanting to do this story for 20 years.”

Silvestri explained, “The premise is that someone is screwing around with the Joker really hard and Joker can’t deal with it. He can’t handle it. So Joker makes it so that Batman has to help him. Joker takes Jim Gordon and holds him hostage — not even Joker knows where he is — and uses that to make Batman help him. Little pieces of Gordon keep showing up and Joker says ‘look, we’re going to run out of pieces that aren’t important here soon.'”

JUST ANNOUNCED at #SDCC2018: The Dark Knight is no stranger to working on a team, but how will he fare with the Joker by his side? Find out in BATMAN/JOKER: THE DEADLY DUO by @Marc_Silvestri! Here's a FIRST LOOK at the cover to Issue #1! #DCSDCC pic.twitter.com/JUA6r2KwJB

— DC (@DCComics) July 19, 2018

The villain in the book will be new and original for the story, created by Silvestri, and the project will run about “seven and a half issues,” he laughed, “because I couldn’t help myself.”

Silvestri is writing, drawing and inking his story.

Silvestri hopes that this story will hit fans “in the feels,” he laughed, “I hope it makes fans say ‘wow, I didn’t expect to feel that way about Batman or Joker.'”

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There is no official release date for Silvestri’s book, DiDio explained, “We’re going to hold this book until it’s ready.” Though the official DC Comics Twitter account called the title, Batman/Joker: Deadly Duo, Didio alluded to it being a working title.