Jim Lee, Tom King, and the USO Bring Batman to the Troops

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In honor of Batman’s 80th anniversary celebration, DC has joined forces with The United Service Organizations (USO) to bring the World’s Greatest Detective to the nearly 12,000 U.S. military members stationed in Kuwait. Taking The Dark Knight’s 80-year cultural legacy to the Middle East, legendary artist Jim Lee and award-winning Batman writer Tom King embarked on a multi-day tour alongside Nafessa Williams, who plays Anissa Pierce/Thunder on WBTV’s Black Lighting on The CW; as well as Candice Patton (Iris West Allen) and Danielle Panabaker (Caitlin Snow/Killer Frost) who star on The Flash. In addition, DC  brought the famed ‘Tumbler’ Batmobile – bringing an immersive Batman experience to active-duty service members currently stationed abroad.

Jim Lee (DC Chief Creative Officer, Publisher and legendary artist) and Tom King (Batman comic book writer) visit military ships on the Camp Patriot base in Kuwait on May 30.
credit: DC

To honor the service members in Kuwait, DC toured five military bases, including Camp Buehring, Camp Arifjan, Ali Al Salem, Camp Patriot and Al Jaber, giving dozens of military units the chance to meet and take pictures with the celebrity visitors as well as the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sit inside the ‘Tumbler’ Batmobile. Service members were also treated to an exclusive first look at the highly anticipated Pennyworth television series.

Legendary artist Jim Lee taught a comic artistry masterclass to a packed room of service members at Camp Buehring in Kuwait on June 1 and commemorated the third annual Comic-Con event with an impromptu drawing of the Dark Knight.
credit; DC

In true superhero style, DC and the USO orchestrated exclusive screenings, cosplay contests, and special group panels where acclaimed DC writer Tom King shared his experience as a former CIA counterterrorism operations officer and his transition into comic books and writing Batman. Artist Jim Lee also taught an art masterclass for service members interested in illustration, while actresses Candice Patton, Danielle Panabaker and Nafessa Williams met with fans, signed autographs, participated in panel discussions and made special unit visits to service members on the job.

For the first time ever the iconic ‘Tumbler’ Batmobile was deployed on a special USO Tour to visit U.S. service members at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait on May 30. The 2-ton ‘Tumbler’ traveled from London to Luxembourg and on to Kuwait in a custom 1.7 ton crate.
credit: DC
DC celebrates Heroes Without Capes during a USO Tour to Kuwait, bringing a Batman Comic-Con experience to fans at Camp Buehring on June 1. The visit included panels, signings, trivia and cosplay contests, as well as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for fans to take photos with the iconic ‘Tumbler’ Batmobile. L-R Tom King (Batman comic book writer), Candice Patton (star of The CW’s “The Flash”), Nafessa Williams (star of The CW’s “Black Lightning”), Danielle Panabaker (star of The CW’s “The Flash”), and Jim Lee (DC Chief Creative Officer, Publisher and legendary artist).
credit: DC

In addition, service members had the opportunity to take photos with the legendary ‘Tumbler’ Batmobile and the Camp Buehring Base Commander, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Kate Conkey, rode in the famed vehicle while service members posed alongside for photographs.

Later this year, DC and the USO are bringing Batman to service members around the world with a special Batman-themed USO2GO kit featuring comics, movies, TV shows, games and more. The kit will offer a fun diversion for service members stationed in remote locations around the globe, connecting them to home and all things Dark Knight.

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