¡Kapow! Batman takes holiday in Benidorm in DC Comics anthology - The Guardian

Given his 82 long years of rooftop vigilantism, the dank, lonely surroundings of his home office – not to mention the tickly throat irritation caused by all those growled threats – few would begrudge Batman some sun, a nice paella and a cheeky mid-morning pint. Or five.

Benidorm, fortunately, is only too happy to oblige. The eastern Spanish resort is among the exotic locations that feature in Batman: the World, a new global anthology to be published by DC Comics in September.

But while the Caped Crusader will face all manner of threats and challenges in 14 different countries – including Brazil, Japan, Mexico and Turkey – the Spanish segment will allow him to feel a little warm sand between his clawed toes.

The Spanish story in Batman: the World was illustrated by the graphic artist Paco Roca. Photograph: TM & © 2021 DC COMICS

The award-winning Spanish graphic artist Paco Roca admits that it took him a while to alight on the idea of sending Bruce Wayne on holiday to Benidorm. But, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.

"Short stories are always tough – this one is only 11 pages – so you run the risk of trying to fit too much in," he said. "And these kinds of stories are crammed with action-packed, fistfight-heavy tales because that's what the public expects. So I thought it would be quite fun to focus on relaxation."

The juxtaposition is neatly summed up on the title page, on which Batman, cup of coffee in one hand and mobile phone in the other, crouches on top of a famous Osborne bull as the sun goes down over Benidorm.

Wayne tries to take his mind off his vigilantism while in town. Photograph: TM & © 2021 DC COMICS

Although Wayne does his best to engage in typical tourist behaviour, from hitting the buffet to raiding the minibar, he won't quite be going full guiri by getting hideously sunburned since DC stipulated that his shirt had to remain on to avoid disclosing acres of scar tissue. Nor will he completely escape his familiar darkness.

"You could say the story is about what happens when Bruce Wayne meets Bruce Wayne without the Batsuit, and about what he finds," said Roca.

"I think some of it comes from the confinement we've all been through, and about what we see staring back at us from the mirror. Very often, it isn't what we expect. There's also that feeling of loneliness you get in hotels when you travel a lot, when all the ghosts and doubts and fears come out in the darkness and solitude of your hotel room."

While the artist admits it would have been more obvious to have Batman perched atop the Sagrada Familia, prowling Madrid's Plaza Mayor, or lurking in the Giralda in Seville, he hopes readers will understand why he opted to locate the action in his native Valencia.

"I know Benidorm very well and have been there many times," said Roca. "It's a good place to set a story because it's somewhere between Las Vegas and Gotham with all its skyscrapers."