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DC reveals additional creative team changes after ‘Future State’

DC held several panels at Brazil’s CCXP to announce new titles, creative team changes and more.

For two months, DC will focus on the future of the DC Universe as they present DC Future State in January and February. Limited series starring future version sof Superman, Batman, Wonder and more will temporarily replace their regular titles.

Come March, though, many of the creators bringing Future State to life will stay on to work on the ongoing titles as well. DC revealed many of these creative changes during CCXP, a big comics convention held in Brazil. This year, the event was held virtually, of course, and DC used it as an opportunity to highlight several of these changes.

Here’s a rundown of what we know so far on what to expect from DC’s regular line-up when it returns in March after their two-month hiatus:

(Note: I’ve updated this based on the press release from DC that came out Dec. 7, with new details and artwork)

Swamp Thing blossoms again in March

Ram V and Mike Perkins, who will work on the character during Future State, will re-team for the new series.

Just in time for Spring, Writer Ram V and artist Mike Perkins will harvest a new Swamp Thing title in March. They will be joined by colorist Mike Spicer and letterer Aditya Bidikar.

The seeds for the new title will be planted during DC’s Future State event, as V and Perkins will work on a story featuring the character’s future self during January-February.

New Suicide Squad title by Thompson + Pansica launches in March

Peacemaker, Bolt and more will form a new Squad next year.

At its DC Future State panel at CCXP yesterday, DC Comics announced that writer Robbie Thompson and artist Eduardo Pansica will team up on a new Suicide Squad title that will launch in March. Pansica will be joined by inker Júlio Ferreira, and colorist Marcelo Maiolo.

Thompson is the writer of the DC Future State Suicide Squad miniseries, which will run in January-February as part of the big DC event. While the Future State title focuses on a future version of the team, the new title will be set in the current DC Universe.

Comics Lowdown | Manga gets Naomi Osaka right

Plus: How comics ease quarantine, who buys variant covers and more.

Tennis champ Naomi Osaka is the star of a new story in the Japanese shoujo manga magazine Nakayoshi (which first published Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura, among others), and the creators are taking pains to get her skin tone right. Osaka’s mother is Japanese and her father is Haitian-American, describes herself as “tan,” but an instant-noodle brand that depicted her with light skin caused an uproar last year. This time, the Nakayoshi designers consulted Osaka’s sister Mari Osaka, who is a tennis player and illustrator, for help in getting the skin tones right. The story features Naomi using her tennis skills to battle extraterrestrials in outer space, supported by Mari and her parents. Osaka has drawn some criticism in Japan, where she was born, for her outspokenness on racial matters, but the magazine focuses on her skill and dedication rather than her political statements.

Third ‘Batman: Earth One’ graphic novel coming in June

Geoff Johns and Gary Frank return to tell a third tale of a younger Batman.

Geoff Johns and Gary Frank will once again team up to tell another story about the Earth One Batman. The third graphic novel in DC’s series will arrive next June.

Johns and Frank will be joined by Jon Sibal and Brad Anderson, who they worked with on previous volumes in the series. Johns, Frank and Anderson also worked together on Three Jokers, which recently wrapped up, and will team up on the new Image title Geiger.

DC to publish ‘Super Sons’ digital title

Peter J. Tomasi returns for a third run starring Jonathan Kent and Damian Wayne.

Peter J. Tomasi, who wrote DC’s previous two series starring Jonathan Kent and Damian Wayne, will once again bring Superboy and Robin together for Challenge of the Super Sons.

The DC Digital First series will debut Dec. 14. Joining Tomasi for the 14-part series are artists Max Raynor, Jorge Corona and Evan Stanley, with Raynor set to draw the first chapter.

“Stories about Jon and Damian at this time in their lives allows me to tap back into those early years of my own life of being a crazy kid, while also allowing me to mine the fertile ground of my own son’s current adventures, which in turn helps keep me tapped into the general zeitgeist of today’s youth and what they’re going through and thinking about,” Tomasi said. “Jon and Damian are so different—the angel and the devil on your shoulder so to speak—with each one having such a distinctive backstory and perspective that the drama between them is organic and damn easy to bring to life on the page. Best of all, it’s a helluva lotta fun!”

DC’s Future State Wonder Woman will become the present state Wonder Girl

Yara Flor, the South American Wonder Woman who will debut in January, will appear in a miniseries by Joelle Jones.

We’re still a couple months away from the debut of DC Future State, the post-Death Metal event that will offer readers a glimpse at the future of the DCU. But one character set to debut in the two-month event will live on — Yara Flor, the future Wonder Woman who hails from South America.

DC announced this week that they are developing a show for The CW featuring the character, but are also giving her a miniseries that will be written and drawn by Joëlle Jones.

DC to launch digital anthology series ‘Truth & Justice’

The series will kick off with a Vixen story by Geoffrey Thorne, Chris Cross and Jordi Tarragona.

DC has announced a new digital anthology series that will debut early next year called Truth & Justice, which will explore “the length and breadth of DC’s rich character history.” It’ll also serve as a new talent showcase of sorts for “new, emerging storytellers.”

Geoffrey Thorne, Chris Cross and Jordi Tarragona will team up for the first story, which will feature Vixen.

DC promotes Marie Javins to editor-in-chief; lay off more staff

Javins will serve as the permanent editor-in-chief after serving as co-interim EiC with Michele Wells, who is reportedly being let go from the company.

DC Comics started the week with the announcement that Marie Javins has been named the sole editor-in-chief, a role she had been sharing with Michele Wells since Bob Harris was let go in August. The news, which was generally well-received by the comics industry, was soon followed by reports that DC is again notifying staff of more layoffs.

And among those laid off appears to be Wells, according to The Beat and Bleeding Cool. Before serving jointly with Javins as co-interim EiC, Wells headed up the DC Children’s/Young Adult line.

Other names mentioned as being affected include Alex Carr, group editor for the Justice League titles; Sales Manager Stuart Schreck; Marketing Services Director Adam Phillips; and Events Director Fletcher Chu-Fong.

Comics Lowdown | UCS will no longer distribute DC Comics starting in January

Plus: News on Terrific Production, Archie Comics, Rebellion, L.A. Comic-Con and more.

Distributors: UCS Comics Distributors, one of the two comics distributors that began working with DC Comics during the COVID-19 industry shutdown earlier this year, has told retailers they will no longer distribute DC’s books as of January 2021. Their accounts will be serviced by Lunar Distribution, the other distributor for DC that came into being during the pandemic. UCS was formed by retailer Midtown Comics, while Lunar was formed by Discount Comic Book Service.

So is UCS going away? Not according to the email they sent to retailers, which you can read over at The Beat. It says “UCS is not closing. We will be offering other exciting items that stores can use!” So it’ll be interesting to see what they offer in the future. John Jackson Miller has additional commentary.

‘Future State’ takes over DC’s line-up in January

DC will kick off 2021 by exploring the future of their universe for two months, with regular titles resuming in March.

Following the events of Dark Nights: Death Metal, which wraps up Jan. 5, DC will hit pause on their regular monthly titles for two months. In January and February, they’ll release a bunch of titles under the “DC Future State” banner, giving readers a glimpse at the future of the DC Universe.

“In DC Future State, the Multiverse has been saved from the brink of destruction, but the triumph of DC’s heroes has shaken loose the very fabric of time and space,” reads their press release. “The final chapter of Dark Nights: Death Metal brings new life to DC’s Multiverse, kicking off this glimpse into the unwritten worlds of DC’s future.”

They plan to resume with their regular titles in March.

The Justice League at 60, Part 10: Rebirth on repeat

Tom Bondurant wraps up (for now) his series looking back at 60 years of the Justice League with a look at the most recent era.

Check out part one, part two, part three, part four, part five, part six, part seven, part eight and part nine of this series!

The New 52 lasted four years and nine months, from August 31, 2011 to May 25, 2016. On each of those Wednesdays, DC Comics released one universe-changing big-event issue and one issue of Justice League. In 2011 it was Flashpoint #5 and Justice League #1; and in 2016 it was Justice League #50 and the DC Universe Rebirth special. All were written by Geoff Johns, still one of DC’s main guiding forces even as his attention shifted away from comics. The DCU Rebirth issue kicked off a months-long apology-in-print marked by “Rebirth” banners on all of the superhero books’ covers. This publishing strategy aimed to reintroduce elements of the DC Universe which the New 52 had stripped away, including the pre-New 52 Superman – who, as a distinct character, had been living in a sort of multiversal fishbowl – and the classic version of Wally “Flash” West. Among other things, this meant that Superman was now the newest member of the Justice League, since he replaced his late New 52 predecessor.

Although those cover banners were gone by February 2018, in terms of continuity we may still be in the “Rebirth” era today. Among other things, DCU Rebirth set up Doomsday Clock, the 12-issue miniseries from Johns and Gary Frank. Going on sale November 22, 2017 (cover date January 2018), it would explain how Watchmen‘s Doctor Manhattan had changed the DC timeline into the New 52, and how he would change it back.

Well, back-ish.

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