Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. This edition focuses on DC’s February 2026 solicitations.
One of the big announcements to come out of the 2024 New York Comic Con was the return of Vertigo, DC’s long-running mature readers imprint that was shuttered back in 2019 in favor of DC’s Black Label imprint. While Black Label will continue as the home for more mature stories about DC’s existing characters, Vertigo is back as a creator-owned imprint, and at this year’s New York Comic Con, DC announced a full Vertigo slate for 2026 — which kicks off in February.
The first four out the gate include three new creator-owned titles and the return of another — The Nice House by the Sea, whose seventh issue leads the pack.
The Nice House by the Sea #7
James Tynion IV and Álvaro Martínez Bueno “return to the apocalypse” for the second half of their 12-issue miniseries. It takes a more twisted (if that’s possible) approach to the concept introduced in their first minsieries, as the alien master in charge of this house sends their collection of residents — all ultra-competitive — to kill the residents we met in The Nice House on the Lake.
Here’s a look inside:
And here’s a look at the issue’s variant covers by Max Fiumara, Cliff Chiang and the first of several connecting covers by Bueno:
The Nice House by the Sea #7 arrives Feb. 4.
Bleeding Hearts #1
Then we have a series that not only reunites writer Deniz Camp and artist Stipan Morian, the team behind the well-regarded 20th Century Men, but is also Vertigo’s first new #1 in years. Set 10 years after the zombie apocalypse, the story imagines a world where the undead have not only survived, but thrived, forming their own societies, language and culture.
Here’s a look inside the first issue:
And a look at the variant covers by Chris Bachalo, Jae Lee and, again, Bueno with the connecting cover:
Bleeding Hearts #1 comes out Feb. 11.
END OF LIFE #1
Writer Kyle Starks and artist Steve Pugh introduce us to Eddie Stallion, a professional hitman whose latest mistake has put a deadly target on his back. After accidentally robbing the Raven, a powerful figure in the global assassin network known as the Menagerie, Eddie seeks refuge in Pluto, the small midwestern town where his estranged father, George Stallion, lives. What should have been a safe hideout quickly becomes a chaotic mix of old grudges, deadly assassins and familiar faces, as Eddie learns whether you can go home again.
Take a look inside:
Seba Fiumara and Dave Johnson did variant covers for the first issue, with Bueno’s connecting cover continuing here as well:
End of Life #1 arrives Feb. 18.
THE PERIL OF THE BRUTAL DARK: AN EZRA CAIN MYSTERY #1
The final Vertigo title for February is by the team behind That Texas Blood, so I’m in from the get go. Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips present another story featuring their character Ezra Cain that’s a gumshoe detective meets science fiction tale. I say “another story” because this isn’t the first appearance of Ezra Cain — he appeared back in 2020, in a comic they did on Patreon during the pandemic.
Here’s a look at some of the interior pages from the first issue:
Tula Lotay, Hayden Sherman, Jacob’s dad Sean Phillips and once again Bueno with a connecting cover, provide variants:
The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery #1 arrives in stores Feb. 25.
Those are the four Vertigo series coming in February, with six more planned over the following months. I’m not sure how long the connecting variant cover that Bueno is doing will actually be, but let’s take a fuller look at them connected together:
…which Vertigo fans probably know is a homage to Brian Bolland’s iconic cover for Vertigo: Winter’s Edge from 1998:
… so there’s a nice piece of symmetry there between the past and future of the line. OK, moving on to the rets of DC’s February line-up …
DC K.O.: BOSS BATTLE #1
The DC K.O. event continues in February with not only its fourth issue, which will feature a few Absolute characters showing up, but also the DC K.O.: Boss Battle special, where a bunch of non-DC characters also show up. DC teased this at New York Comic Con, and have verified it is indeed a real thing in their February solicitations.
As DC’s big tournament to decide who fights John Cena who becomes King Omega continues, the remaining fighters realize they’ll need reinforcements from far beyond the DC Universe. That’s where things take an unexpected turn, as champions from other worlds (and other companies) step into the arena—including Annabelle, Homelander, Sub-Zero, Beneath the Trees‘ Samantha Strong and more.
This oversized one-shot is by Jeremy Adams, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Ronan Cliquet and more, and it comes out Feb. 4.
SIRENS: LOVE HURTS #1
Tini Howard returns to Gotham’s most chaotic friend group with Sirens: Love Hurts #1, a four-issue DC Black Label miniseries that brings Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and a new addition, Black Canary, together for a mystery only this quartet could solve (or survive). With Babs Tarr on art, the series is a murder hunt, it’s a brunch gone wrong, and it’s shaping up to be one of the most stylish Sirens stories yet.
“I’ve been loosely calling it ‘Sex and the City meets The Long Halloween,’ which isn’t really a joke: four issues, each one season, while the Gotham City Sirens (+ Gotham girl Black Canary) team up over one year to take out a serial killer that’s targeting Gotham’s women,” Howard said in her newsletter, adding: “Remember: this is a Black Label book, which means it is 1) meant for adult readers and 2) out of main DCU continuity. We’re able to play with the timestream a bit in a really fun way – god I love Black Label.“
Derrick Chew and Tula Lotay provide variant covers:
The first issue arrives on Feb. 11.
Absolute Wonder Woman Annual
Kelly Thompson’s Absolute Wonder Woman run hits a mythic crescendo with Absolute Wonder Woman Annual 2026 #1, a 40-page story that sends Diana back into the shadow of her brief, haunting transformation into Medusa. Still searching for answers the gods have long denied her, Wonder Woman finally gets a response from Athena. Artist Mattia de Iulis joins Thompson on this one, and it comes out Feb. 11.
SUPERMAN: CHAINS OF LOVE SPECIAL #1
Superman: Chains of Love Special #1 brings a chaotic Valentine’s Day to Metropolis with a 48-page tale from Leah Williams, Dan Slott, Ig Guara and Rosi Kampe. When Livewire walks out of prison and straight into an unexpected romance with the Creeper, the city suddenly has a brand-new media powerhouse on its hands: the Wiretap, a shock-jock news outlet ready to rival the Daily Planet.
With variant covers by Juan Ferreyra, Ig Guara and Mirka Andolfo, this special promises love, mayhem and at least two kinds of electricity. It comes out Feb. 18.
New History of the DC Universe: The Dakota Incident #1
Spinning out of the recent miniseries written by Mark Waid and pulling the Milestone universe further into the DCU, New History of the DC Universe: The Dakota Incident #1 expands the newly uncovered DC timeline with the pivotal clash between Dakota City’s heroes and the U.S. government. Writers Joseph P. Illidge, Stephanie Williams, Morgan Hampton and Nikolas Draper-Ivey are joined by artists Carlo Pagulayan, Valentine De Landro and Edwin Galmon to revisit a murder that ignites a full-scale war, forcing Static, Rocket and their allies to make impossible choices to protect the people they love.
Featuring a main cover by Diego Olortegui and variant covers by Denys Cowan and Dan Jurgens, Yasmine Putri and Carlo Pagulayan, this 40-page special comes out Feb. 25.
BATMAN: GARGOYLE OF GOTHAM #4
Batman: Gargoyle of Gotham #4 will arrive more than a year after the release of issue #3, which came out in 2024. I honestly can’t really remember what this series is about, so I’ll just share the solicitation text:
As bells ring out across Gotham City, blood runs in its streets. Doctorgeist’s plan has come to fruition, and his legion of loyal followers unleash the evil inside their rotting hearts upon friends, neighbors, and strangers alike. But there’s an evil lurking deep in Batman’s heart as well, one that Doctorgeist himself discovered long ago—and the only way to save Gotham might be to set it free once and for all…
Variant covers for the fourth issue are by Lee Bermejo, Jock, Jamie Hewlett, Valentina Napolitano and Thobias Daneluz:
It’s by Rafael Grampa, and it comes out Feb. 18. There is also a “noir” edition that’ll come out that same day:
Supergirl’s Family Vacation
Looking now at the solicited graphic novels, let’s end with two coming next May, starting with the summer-themed Supergirl’s Family Vacation.
This all-ages graphic novel follows Kara Zor-El as she heads to Argo, the floating city where the last survivors of Krypton live, planning a summer getaway that also gives her a chance to show Clark a thing or two about her heritage. When Lois invites Kara’s best friend Natasha along, the trip is set to be fun and relaxing—until an old friend of Clark’s interrupts their plans, diverting the family to a mysterious planet with a dark secret that only Superman can resolve.
It’s written by Brandon T. Snider with art and cover by Sarah Leuver. It is scheduled for release on May 5.
Galaxy: As the World Falls Down
Galaxy: As the World Falls Down continues the story of Taylor Barzelay, the purple alien space princess introduced in Jadzia Axelrod’s Galaxy: The Prettiest Star. Now living on Earth with her girlfriend Kat and a talking corgi/bodyguard, Taylor struggles to fully embrace her identity as the superhero Galaxy. As she juggles school, training and protecting her friend Nia Nal, an alien threat known as the Vane arrives, forcing Taylor to confront her fears and step up as the hero she’s meant to be.
The graphic novel is written by Axelrod with art and cover by Rye Hickman. It is also scheduled for May 5.