Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. This edition focuses on DC’s September 2025 solicitations. Hit the links for more information.
There’s not a lot of new stuff I haven’t already covered in DC’s September solicitations, but for those looking for a round-up of what’s “new,” you’ve come to the right place. In addition to what I cover here, September will also bring the first issues of C.O.R.T.: Children of the Round Table and The Red Hood.
Let’s start with a Superman project by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Scott Godlewski — Adventures of Superman: Book of El, which reunites the Future State: House of El team. The maxi-series was originally expected to begin earlier this year, but according to Johnson it was delayed so it could be timed to the release of the new Superman film.
Here’s the description from DC:
Superman returns! Fan-favorite Future State: Superman: House of El creators
Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Scott Godlewski reunite for Adventures of
Superman: Book of El! As the Super-Family settles into a well-earned time
of peace, a powerful ally-turned-enemy invades Earth with an army at his
back and a god-aspect of Olgrun, mad god of the First World. When even
the Super-Family lacks the power to stop him, Superman is sent against his
will to a place even he’s never been…where he’ll find allies he could never
have expected. Concluding the events of “Future State” and Phillip Kennedy
Johnson’s Action Comics, the next epic adventure begins here!
The first issue will have variant covers by Riccardo Federici, Rahzzah, Marguerite Sauvage and Dan Mora:
The first issue arrives Sept. 3.
DC’s annual Halloween special will arrive Oct. 1, but it managed to squeeze itself into the September solicits. Titled DC’s Zatannic Panic, the anthology will feature stories about Batman, Ambush Bug, Raven, The Demon, Plastic Man, Swamp Thing and Zatanna, by creators like Daniel Warren Johnson, Andrew MacLean, Cavan Scott, John McCrea, Riley Rossmo, Don Aguillo and more. The main cover is by Lee Bermejo, with variants by Johnson and Sean Tay.
Dan Jurgens and Mike Perkins’ The Bat-Man: First Knight Black label series gets a sequel in September, appropriately called The Bat-Man: Second Knight. This story moves into 1940 and is set against the backdrop of World War II, as a new serial killer plagues Gotham and a reporter from the Daily Star, Lois Lane, shows up in Gotham. Look for the first issue to arrive Sept. 17 with a main cover by Perkins and variants by Jorge Fornes, Marc Aspinall and Fabrizio de Tommaso.
Finally, DC announced in February that Matt Fraction and Jorge Jimenez would launch a new Batman title after Jim Lee and Jeph Loeb’s sequel to “Hush” concluded its run in the current Batman title. Fraction and Jimenez will be joined by colorist Tomeu Morey and letterer Clayton Cowles on the title, which promises to “introduce a new Batmobile, a new blue and gray costume, and new characters” to Gotham.
Here’s the solicitation text for the first issue:
A new day dawns for the Dark Knight Detective as Eisner Award-winning writer Matt Fraction (Hawkeye, Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen) joins forces with superstar artist Jorge Jiménez (Batman, Summer of Superman Special) for an unforgettable new era of Batman! The best superhero in comics gets a brand-new first issue to kick off this new era that will test Batman and Bruce Wayne like never before!
DC seems to be going all out on the title, offering it in several different formats.
Let’s start with the variant cover line-up for issue #1, which will include covers by Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, J. Scott Campbell, Frank Quitely, Gabriele Dell’Otto, Julian Totino Tedesco, Andy Kubert and David Aja, some of which you can see in the gallery above. There will also be a new Bat-Symbol variant cover and a blank sketch cover with the new Batman series logo. And then there’s also a premium “DC Showcase” wraparound variant cover by Stanley “Artgerm” Lau, retailing for $24.99:
They will also offer a “Giant-Size Special Edition” of Batman #1, available in a full-color 11″ x 17″ art board trim size format. Batman #1 Giant-Size Special Edition will be available in both a standard card stock main cover for $14.99 and an open-to-order foil variant for $19.99, featuring Jorge Jiménez’s cover artwork for both.
And finally, DC is offering an exclusive blind bag edition of Batman #1 to participating retailers. The Batman #1 “Blind as a Bat” polybag special edition will cost $9.99, and each blind bag will include one foil variant cover, selected at random from the lineup of variant cover artists. So, if you’re a collector, there should be plenty to choose from when the new series kicks off Sept. 3.