Popverse's top stories of the day

• Dune: Prophecy creators promise to bring the "complexity" and "grand scale" of Frank Herbert's books and Denis Villeneuve's movies to TV
• Marvel's TV head says there's "absolutely" a future for Jon Bernthal's Punisher after his Daredevil: Born Again appearance
• Meet the Grim Reaper of The Walking Dead TV show cast, and what goes into killing someone off in the show

As I’m sure all Batfans are already aware, the end of September brings with it a beloved annual holiday: Batman Day, in which the world celebrates the positive influence that Bruce Wayne’s alter ego has had around the globe, in terms of exciting storytelling, fashion choices, and general inspiration that helps others discover their own heroism. (Okay, maybe not that middle one.) This year’s Batman Day is taking place September 21, and it’s going to be marked once again by a number of events and releases for everyone who’s ever spent any time in Gotham City… in any incarnation.

DC will release a number of special editions for the day, including a Batman Day Deluxe Edition of Batman: The Long Halloween, and a ‘Noir Edition’ re-release for the critically acclaimed Batman/Elmer Fudd, as well as Joker: The World, an 184-page graphic novel anthology featuring 13 different stories starring the Clown Prince of Crime created by an international group of creators, each telling a story set in their own home country. Each of these titles will be available in participating comic book stores, but if you’d rather read your comics digitally, subscription service DC Universe Infinite is offering a selection of Bat-themed titles for free on the day, as well as offering a 30-day free trial offer with the code BATMAN8530DAY. (Sadly, that last one is only available in the US.)

Perhaps your preferred Batman is one that appears onscreen; thankfully, the Batman 85th Anniversary Collection — which features the animated movies Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Batman Year One, Batman: Assault on Arkham, Batman: The Killing Joke, Batman and Harley Quinn, Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, Batman: Hush, Batman: Soul of the Dragon, Batman: The Long Halloween, and Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham in a deluxe package, with each movie in 4K UHD — is released September 10, and Batman’s live-action movies will be available to stream on Max, alongside both Batman: The Animated Series and the new live-action show The Penguin, which debuts on the service September 19.

Other products available to help celebrate the day include a Batman-themed dog harness, Batman Crocs, and — in an announcement promised September 18 — a collaboration between Mattel’s Barbie Signature line and DC that will celebrate “two of Gotham City’s most notorious troublemakers.” (I’m calling it: Joker and Harley Quinn. Who’s with me?)

As if that’s not enough, DC is promising fan activations around the world, with Bat-Signals being switched on during September 21 in Rio de Janeiro, Guangzhou, London, São Paulo, Tokyo, Milan, Mumbai, and more — not least of which being a special Bat-Signal ceremony during a screening of 1989’s Batman at Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood. (You can get tickets for that screening https://www.wbstudiotour.com/tour/wbmovienights/ right here.)

Further information about what to expect on Batman Day is expected in the next few weeks; fans looking to find out more can head to DC’s Batman hub in the meantime.

Want to know what's coming up next in pop culture? Check out Popverse's guides to:

• Upcoming movies
• Upcoming TV shows
• Upcoming comics
• Upcoming comic conventions

And if you're looking for specific franchises or genres, we've also got lists for the:

• Upcoming MCU
• Upcoming Star Wars
• Upcoming Star Trek
• Upcoming DC movies & TV

Finally, if you're a fan of superheroes and not specific to just Marvel or DC, we have overall guides to:

• Upcoming superhero movies
• Upcoming superhero TV shows (and new seasons)