Sneak Peek: DC Pride 2024

“You’re going to find them. Those magical places you long for.”

DC’s comics are as vast, varied, and fantastic as the incredible and weird locations found across DC’s cosmos, and DC’s Eisner and Ringo award-winning Pride comic book anthology returns on May 28 as a universe-spanning travelogue like you’ve never seen! With over 100 pages of original stories and content, DC Pride 2024 will immerse readers into the magical places surrounding DC’s Super Heroes.

Previewed below, DC Pride 2024 includes an excerpt from DC’s upcoming The Strange Case of Harleen and Harley graphic novel (by Melissa Marr, Jenn St-Onge, Jeremy Lawson and Lucas Gattoni); pinups by artists Robin “Zombie” Higginbottom, Chloe Brailsford, Ego Rodriguez, Helen Mask, Valentine Smith and Bailie Rosenlund; an unmissable autobiographical story written by industry legend Phil Jimenez about the fantastical worlds that shaped him, brought to life by Giulio Macaione and Frank Cvetkovic; pages highlighting the LGBTQIA+ resources partners that DC and Warner Bros. Discovery work with, and more.

"Hello, Spaceboy" by Al Ewing (writer), Stephen Byrne (artist), and Aditya Bidikar (letterer)

"The Rivers and the Lakes That You're Used To" by Ngozi Ukazu (writer & artist) and Lucas Gattoni (letterer)

"Marasmius" by Gretchen Felker-Martin (writer), Claire Roe (artist), Triona Farrell (colorist) and Aditya Bidikar (letterer)

"Steeling Time" by Jamila Rowser (writer), Oneilljones (artist) and Jodie Troutman (letterer)

"Bros Down in A-Town" by Jarrett Williams (writer), D.J. Kirkland (artist) and Lucas Gattoni (letterer)

"Lessons in Astral Projection" by Nicole Maines (writer), Jordan Gibson (artist) and Ariana Maher (letterer)

"Phantom Rodeo" by Calvin Kasulke (writer), Len Gogou (artist), Marissa Louise (colorist) and Morgan Martinez (letterer)

"The Strange Case of Harleen and Harley" by Melissa Marr (writer), Jenn St-Onge (artist), Jeremy Lawson (colorist) and Lucas Gattoni (letterer)

"Spaces" by Phil Jimenez (writer), Giulio Macaione (artist) and Frank Cvetkovic (letterer)

DC Pride 2024 #1, DC’s annual anthology containing all-new stories spotlighting LGBTQIA+ fan favorites, will publish on May 28. The 104-page Prestige format comic will feature a main cover by Kevin Wada, an open-to-order wraparound variant cover by David Talaski, foil and card stock variants by Babs Tarr, and Wada’s main cover offered as a 1:25 card stock variant. And don’t miss the rest of DC’s amazing DC Pride 2024 covers, on sale in June!

DC Pride 2024 cover by Kevin Wada

DC Pride 2024 variant cover by Babs Tarr

For more information about DC Pride 2024 and more, visit the DC website at www.dc.com and follow DC on social media at @DCOfficial. Fans can also celebrate DC Pride and read comics featuring LGBTQIA+ characters online by visiting the DC Universe Pride hub page on DC Universe Infinite, DC’s premium digital comic book service. New titles are added every month, and a selection of free-to-read titles will be featured for registered users during Pride!

Stay tuned for more Pride announcements from DC and Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products between now and June, including more details on DC Pride: A Celebration of Rachel Pollack and DC Pride: Uncovered! DC’s 2024 Pride collection of books and comics will be available at your local comic book shop, bookstore, library, and beyond.

The post DC Pride 2024 Sneak Peek appeared first on DC Comics News.

One can’t blame those writers for following the entertainment trends of the era, it only makes sense.  Except when it doesn’t; when the approach doesn’t fit the core essentials of the character.  Those writers were crafting tales that fit popular trends because it’s what they thought would sell, they were not, however, focusing on the elements that had made Batman popular to begin with.  And, this is where we are today.

It’s not hard to see how many of today’s comic book writers are  writing for the time and not for the character.  It’s not easy to always balance that.  You can’t write Batman like he’s still in 1940, unless it’s a period piece of course.  The trick is to keep the character grounded at his core while exploring relevant issues that make the story feel contemporary while losing nothing of what makes Batman who he is.  Unfortunately, it seems many writers in comics today are making these same mistakes.  DC Comics as a whole seems to not understand the difference at times.  There are some recent examples we can look at to see what’s going on as we explore what makes a character that character especially ones with a long publishing history.

Alan Scott, The Green Lantern  

There are different kinds of changes that can be wrought on a character, marriage, children, death of a loved one, loss of powers, etc…..  Sometimes, characters can be reinvented, though it seems that it’s rarely for the better as a reworking that eliminates the core elements of the character most likely will alienate fans of the character.  There’s a lot of this going on at DC Comics in a number of titles, and the most recent example is Alan Scott, The Green Lantern.  This is easily the most incendiary topic in this editorial.  It would’ve been such even had writer Tim Sheridan not gone on X (formerly known as Twitter) to essentially call anyone who did not support the book as a homophobe or bigot.  He has actually completely overlooked the larger issue, which is the topic here- Is Tim Sheridan actually interested in the character of Alan Scott and his 80 year history?

Alan Scott first appeared in All-American Comics #16, cover dated, July 1940.  That first story presents the origin of The Green Lantern.  While there was very little deep or nuanced storytelling during the Golden Age for the character, writers did eventually pair up Alan with an adversary, the Harlequin, a criminal who would not only match wits with the Green Lantern, but who was also interested in his romantic affections.  This should be familiar to readers as Batman and Catwoman have had a similar relationship since their first meeting back in Batman #1 (Spring 1940).  While Bruce and Selina never dated or got married in the Golden Age, the two flirted with Selina even trying to put aside her criminal ways at times .  Batman let her go on more than one occasion because he was so enamored with her, including that first appearance.  It wouldn’t be until the Bronze Age that Bruce and Selina got together, got married and had a daughter in continuity.  It was the continuity of Earth-Two, but it’s a very similar situation to Alan Scott and Molly (The Harlequin) Mayne.

Like the Bat and the Cat, Alan and Molly finally got married in the Bronze Age.  Both pairs of characters had a similar dynamic as hero/villain/love interest.  Bruce and Selina’s marriage resulted in daughter, Helena Wayne, the Huntress, but ended in tragedy as Selina died trying to protect her family after a false claim by a former confederate.  Devastated, Bruce was never the same and died in action a few years later.  Alan and Molly got married only after Alan learned that his first marriage had resulted in the birth of twins that his wife had hidden from him.  When Alan and Molly got married in their twilight years (Infinity, Inc Annual #1) they had a ready-made family.  Not to say it was always easy (Alan had to rescue her soul from Hell at one point), but the couple remained happily married until Flashpoint and the launch of The New 52 in 2011 when all previous DC continuity was restarted.

By the time The New 52 launched, fans of Alan Scott had more than a costume and power set to like about the character.  Heck, even more than just the fact he was a traditional hero!  During the Bronze Age, writers, chiefly Roy Thomas filled in the gaps between the Golden Age and “the present” to develop a more complex Alan Scott with compelling story elements in his long life.  Not only had Alan been duped into marrying Rose Canton (the Golden Age Thorn) but he’d fathered two children with her in their short marriage whose existence she’d hidden.  It was a surprise to Alan when he found out and it provided a whole new avenue of stories and character nuance to explore.  Alan’s relationship with his children Jennie-Lynn (Jade) Hayden and Todd (Obsidian) Rice were central to Alan’s character from the mid ’80’s until Flashpoint in 2011.  When Todd was revealed to be gay, it provided a whole other level to the friction between father and son that had been present since their first meeting.  Even if it wasn’t intended by creators Roy Thomas and Jerry Ordway, it was a natural interpretation of his character that writer Marc Andreyko seized upon when he outed Todd in Manhunter Volume 3 #18.  This insightful reading of the character by Andreyko was not only a contemporary element for inclusion, but yet another addition to Alan Scott’s story that grew the character deeper and more complex.  Scott is a man of the 1940’s and homosexuality was viewed very differently than it is today, or in the ’80’s when Rice was first created.

Even outside those aspects of Alan Scott specifically related to his sexual orientation, he was shown in the Bronze Age and beyond to have a very close friend in Jay Garrick, the original Flash.  Their bonding extended to their respective wives as well.  This was 80 years of storylines and character development when all was seemingly thrown away when James Tynion IV retconned Alan’s sexuality in the Green Lantern 80th Anniversary issue.  

With the launch of The New 52, DC Comics presented a new take on the concept of parallel Earths and the multiverse which had played a significant role since its introduction in The Flash #123.  In Earth 2 #1 (2012) we meet Alan Scott, a young man unencumbered with any history as he is a brand new version of the character who has yet to become Green Lantern.  This Alan Scott is gay.  Writer James Robinson wanted to have a gay character since Obsidian had been wiped from existence with Flashpoint.  Making Alan Scott this new gay character makes sense in a metatextual way. 

The New 52 Earth 2 characters were last seen with any sort of significance in Earth 2: Society #22 in 2017.  In a matter of five years, the New 52 Alan Scott was obsolete as DC had already launched the Rebirth initiative with the promise that the original Justice Society of America would return “soon.”

After a time travelling appearance in Justice League #32 (2019), the Justice Society of America including Alan Scott and Power Girl (more on that later) returned not only to continuity, but the present in Doomsday Clock #12.  It would’ve seemed that the original Golden Age Green Lantern was back with his history and character intact.  It was then a surprise that raised many questions about Alan and his history and family when the aforementioned Green Lantern 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super-Spectacular retconned Alan’s sexuality.  

With the publication of Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #1,  this mini-series serves to re-contextualize Alan’s history.  With that being the purpose, how much are DC Comics interested in the substance of the character of Alan Scott?  When you eliminate a character’s history and motivation, relationships etc, what’s the interest in the character then?  All that’s left is the superficial aspects, a name, a costume, a power set?  Is Alan Scott: The Green Lantern writer, Tim Sheridan actually interested in the attributes that made  Alan Scott a founding member of the JSA?  The stories that have shaped him?  The substance of his character as a founding member of the JSA and one of the first heroes of the DC Universe?  The established history with his teammates, and family?  Or, is Sheridan interested in the idea of Alan Scott?  Is he just a JSA character that can provide representation?  Is he invested in the established history and depiction of Alan Scott or simply writing the story of a gay man in the 1940’s?

If the substance of Alan Scott’s history and character attributes are changed is it really still the same character, or is it the substance of a new character wearing the superficial particulars we associate with Alan Scott?    We can’t see how much history has changed, because very little has been done with that so far.  We’ve seen Jade and Obsidian in Infinite Frontier, but there’s no guarantee they are still in play.  The same goes for Molly Mayne-Scott.  Is that marriage still something that’s part of these characters’ history?  In this recontextualization will we learn that Alan lied and misrepresented himself to both his wives?  Is this an heroic action? We’ve seen a retcon in Justice Society of America and The New Golden Age that indicates Molly had a son who has grown up into a character known as The Harlequin’s Son.  This is new, so what else has changed?  A quick examination of Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #1 depicts what we do know has changed.

In this first issue, Alan is blackmailed by FBI head J. Edgar Hoover in joining the JSA.  This is a massive change from the established origin of the JSA.  The JSA formed when British Agent Intrepid asked The Flash, Green Lantern (and Batman in pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths continuity) to help with a mission in Europe which was first told in DC Special #29 (September 1977).  It led to all the founding members coming together with a final save of Washington, DC from a special Nazi bomber and stopping the assassination of U.S. President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  Is this still the JSA’s origin?  If so, was Alan Scott involved?  

While some of the ideas that Sheridan introduces are compelling and fitting for the story of a gay man from the 1940’s, it doesn’t fit Alan Scott ‘s 80-plus year history.  Changing something about a character that fundamentally changes the character’s history and make up does not honor the substance of the character or engage the fanbase that’s built up around the character over the years.  For Alan Scott, that’s 80 years.  There have been so many stories with so much consistency in Alan’s portrayal, changing things doesn’t  genuinely fit.  He’s now a reluctant hero not that interested in using his power to fight evil and and is being controlled through blackmail.  It’s a change that seems to be there for other reasons and is not pertinent to the core of the character.  What if Superman was Superman only because he was being blackmailed over the fact he was an alien.  What if that was the mitigating factor in his decision to be on the JL and/ or to be a hero at all?

It’s this that raises my question about Sheridan’s interest and even DC Comics’ interest in the character.  It doesn’t make sense to move a character away from the aspects that brought the character appeal over the years.  Ignoring these established things in favor for traits that are topical would logically turn fans away as seen with Batman in the ’50’s and ’60’s.  It’s something we’ve seen recently with another well established character that has since changed back.

“Ric” Grayson

The reasons behind the “Ric” Grayson era of Nightwing may be different from the motivation for changing Alan Scott’s sexuality, but the results are the same.  When Nightwing was struck with amnesia he developed a new personality that severed all his relationships with the Bat-family- Bruce, Alfred, Barbara Gordon, his brother Robins, etc.  Not only were these relationships severed, but “Ric” forgot his history and his personality shifted somewhat.  Without Dick Grayson as part of the Bat-family, memory of his history or friendships and his past as a blank slate…he was no longer the character people liked.  He was no longer the character that appealed to readers.  “Ric” was a different character, with a different outlook on things and different relationships.  While this direction may have garnered new fans, and kept some, readers were ecstatic to have Dick return. 

Essentially, everything people liked about Dick Grayson was gone with “Ric.”  Dick is a character that has a long history and to eliminate that takes away what people like about the character.  It’s no different than what’s being done with Alan Scott.  The change to “Ric” was an in-story change, but the results were the same.  This situation is different when compared to Alan Scott because it doesn’t appear that DC or the writers didn’t care about him.  Instead, it felt like they wanted to either kill time or have a reason to change his name from “Dick.”  It’s important to remember, however, that like Batman before him in the 60’s, readers lost interest in Nightwing because he was divorced from the elements that had made him popular.  There are some other DC Comics characters that are suffering the same treatment as Alan Scott.

Power Girl … Paige Stetler ?

Alan Scott isn’t the only JSAer suffering an identity crisis that suggests the writer isn’t really invested in what made the character popular.  Power Girl has recently been relaunched in a new eponymously titled ongoing series from DC Comics.  Power Girl has been around for nearly 50 years, like Alan Scott, the New 52 resulted in a new version of the character.  Unlike Alan Scott, the New 52 version had minor changes to the character.  Especially notable is that Power Girl maintained her personality, attitude and a very similar history with one of the most significant aspects being retained, her friendship with Helena Wayne, the Huntress.  This is of course the New 52 version of the Huntress who managed to be very similar to her original incarnation with all the essential elements intact.  While there is now a third version of Helena Wayne appearing currently in Justice Society of America, it’s her bestie Power Girl who’s suffering at the hands of writer, Leah Williams.

The chief element of Power Girl’s characterization that fans point to for liking the character is her personality.  From the outset, she was portrayed as a brash, confident, outspoken young woman.  She’s always wanted to be her own and make her own way and not rely on her cousin, Superman.  More than anything this has defined her character.  Her history after the Crisis on Infinite Earths suffered, but her original origin was returned to her in 2005.  Through it all she maintained her personality that had won her fans.  It is very perplexing then that despite professing that the Power Girl in current continuity is this original version when the most glaring inconsistency is her personality in this new series by Leah Williams.  It’s diametrically opposed to what readers have come to love about the character.  It’s like seeing Batman as a snarky, wise-cracking, bombastic street acrobat.  It just isn’t who the character is.  Furthermore, the writing itself contradicts the stories that are referenced in the comics themselves as well as the official DC Comics blog that servers as a primer for readers on the character and this series.

The blog states that this version of Power Girl is the original pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths, Earth-Two version.  It references her first appearance in All-Star Comics #58, her changing back story and return to form in JSA: Classified.  What’s confounding is that while these new stories by Leah Williams reference her past, including the Karen Starr identity and supposedly her job as a Tech company entrepreneur, Williams doesn’t appear to understand the substance of them.  

In the back up stories from Action Comics #1051-1053, PG is being attacked by Johnny Sorrow.  He claims that he and Power Girl are the last two survivors from their universe.  If PG is from the original Earth-Two, this doesn’t make any sense.  It’s well established that Psycho-Pirate is the only other survivor from Earth-Two as well as the only one who remembered the Multiverse for decades after the Crisis on Infinite Earths wiped out the multiverse.  Furthermore, Johnny Sorrow was never an Earth-Two character.  He appeared in Earth 2: Society, but the blog makes it clear that the Earth 2/ New 52 Power Girl is a different character, and these new stories aren’t about her.  In fact, Johnny Sorrow made his first ever appearance anywhere in New Earth continuity (post-Crisis, post-Zero Hour) in Secret Origins of Super-Villains 80 Page Giant #1, (December 1999).  He would have no memory of any life on Earth-Two, since he never appeared in that continuity.

The blog explains that Power Girl was raised in a simulation on her symbioship, however the title scrawl from Power Girl #1 says she was sent to Earth to watch over baby Kal-L.  Both Kryptonians were sent as infants so PG could certainly not look after baby Kal-L as she was a baby herself.  Her ship took longer to arrive, and thus she was raised by it arriving on Earth as a young woman when it took longer than anticipated.

The blog states that she doesn’t wear the “S” symbol because she didn’t work long with Superman on Earth-Two.  This is patently false for a number of reasons.  Her reason for not wearing the “S” can be found in All-Star Comics #64, her 7th appearance ever as seen in the image below.

And interestingly, the blog clearly indicates that the All-Star Comics stories are part of her past, a past that did include time together plus she made the decision about the “S” BEFORE she revealed herself to the world.  Also, the title scrawl mentioned above claims she DID work along side Superman.  

One of the most curious and off-putting aspects of Power Girl’s portrayal in this series is her 180 degree personality shift.  The blog claims the biggest thing for PG is her identity:

“A Power Girl so far removed from her point of origin, so many worlds and continuities away, that anyone would have a hard time telling who she’s really supposed to be—much less herself. This is a Power Girl who needs to undergo some serious soul searching to find out what she’s really about, which is where we find her today.”

It’s not clear how PG got to this point.  We have the Karen Starr identity referenced so we know that part of her history is intact.  The blog says she has returned with the rest of the JSA during Doomsday Clock.  The quote from the blog above tries to make readers believe that she’s having some sort of identity crisis, but as it states elsewhere in blog, that was resolved in Infinite Crisis and the JSA: Classified storylines.  Leah Williams suggests these identity issues in her stories, but never explains how PG went from a confident, independent woman insecure, unsure of herself and dependent on Superman for an identity (she wears the “S” now).  When did that happen?  It’s diametrically opposed to how she’s always been portrayed.   It doesn’t make sense and it appears that Williams (and blog writer Alex Jaffe) isn’t aware of the substance of the character.  To Williams she’s just an alternate Supergirl, instead of a distinct character that has always behaved differently from the main universe Supergirl.  In fact, it appears that is the length and breadth of Williams’ understanding of Power Girl.

There’s another bizarre quality to Williams’ portrayal of Power Girl.  She writes Power Girl like she’s new to Earth, like her rocket landed, she met Kal-L and a few days later found herself lost and showed up on the main DC Earth.  She seems wholly unconnected with her past with the JSA which is currently on display in Justice Society of America which is currently publishing.  That book acknowledges Power Girl’s past and provides a depiction that is in line with her established personality.

The question remains: Is Leah Williams actually interested in Power Girl as a character?  Does she understand anything about her history or personality?  These are the elements that won Power Girl fans over the years.  Williams seems to be ignoring them outright, or she’s just ignorant of them to begin with and has made no attempt to make them make sense.  Either way, it points to a lack of interest in the character other than the most basic superficial description, simply an alternate Supergirl, like Sheridan’s Alan Scott, a version of the character that doesn’t utilize the history of the character and shows no interest in the substance of the character.

And, There’s More…

This situation isn’t confined to Power Girl and Alan Scott.  The new Wonder Woman series from Tom King’s pen indicates much the same.  King is known for his controversial takes on characters, more often that not bending characters to fit the stories he wants to tell.  The new Wonder Woman is no different, and in this case the intent from the outset seems less rooted in an interest in Wonder Woman, but a desire to tell a story that requires great leaps in status quo and characterization to make work.  When did all those Amazons emigrate to the U.S.?  Are there even enough Amazons on Themiscrya to be statistically significant even if they ALL moved to the U.S.?  Why would Diana sit by and wait if the killer was identified as an Amazon immediately?  Why wouldn’t she investigate immediately?  The real reason is that that is not the story King wants to tell.  He doesn’t even seem to want to tell the story from Diana’s POV as The Sovereign is narrating the tale.  Very little so far indicates that King is interested in Wonder Woman outside the broadest definition of her.

It’s not new though, Human Target depicted all the Justice League International characters wildly out of character except for Guy Gardner.  He was already broken so King didn’t have to break him.  Strange Adventures turned the hero, Adam Strange into the villain.  King does it in nearly all of his stuff, the most notable outlier being Superman, “Up in the Sky” which perfectly depicts the Man of Steel.  If a writer has to change the fundamentals of a character is his/her interest really in the character or the idea of the character?

Even the new Birds of Prey comic doesn’t seem to really be interested in the core concept of the Birds of Prey.  Kelly Thompson is approaching the book like the concept is just a team of women.  She isn’t including founder Barbara Gordon, or centering the series on the relationship between Barbara, Dinah (Black Canary) and Helena (Huntress) Bertinelli.  In fact, Dinah is the only one of these characters in the comic.  Combined with the fact that the series reads like Thompson was looking for an excuse to write Harley Quinn, a character who has zero business being involved with the Birds of Prey, it again appears that the writer isn’t actually interested in what the made the Birds of Prey concept popular to begin with.  Instead, it’s being rebranded as something else, which would indicate that this rebranding is what Thompson is actually interested in and not the substance of the concept as it was developed over the years.  For Thompson, Birds of Prey is just a team of women characters, and again that’s the absolute basic definition of the concept with no substance.

The Balance Between Character and Story … Both Matter

I won’t say that some of the the stories mentioned above don’t have compelling aspects.  However, the big question is whether or not they work for the characters with which they are associated.  At one point comic book writers understood they were writing characters.  Characters that had histories, personalities, ways of operating….  Readers were following these characters because of how they had been built up and developed over he years.  Readers followed the continuing stories because they were invested in the substance of the characters.  Like people in the real world, we are attracted to substance, not color, gender or any other superficial element.  It’s the person inside that matters, and if that changes, that’s when relationships break down.

Even Alan Moore when writing Watchmen created his own characters instead of using the recently acquired Charlton characters that he had originally intended to use.  That story would have destroyed them for further inclusion in the DC Universe.  And, that’s what a lot of these writers are doing.  Adam Strange can’t be used in the DC Universe if Strange Adventures is “in continuity.”  The same goes for the characters in Human Target.  Everything readers liked about Power Girl has been removed from her characterization.  Fans just want to forget this run already, especially since they are getting the Power Girl they love over in Justice Society of America.  Alan Scott is completely out of step with his history and characterization and Sheridan’s aspersions about the JSA make this series inaccessible to existing fans of the team and Alan Scott.  

Creating new characters is the best option if one is not actually interested in existing characters but just the ideas of the characters and not the substance of the characters that have been developed through the years.  There’s got to be a balance.  Create a new character if necessary to tell a story, but don’t destroy or bend existing characters unrecognizably in order to tell a story.  We can only hope that some of these takes get cancelled and return the characters who were beloved to begin with.  We can also hope that writers will have the opportunity and means to tell their stories in a manner that will allow them to be judged on their own merit.  With long standing characters it’s difficult to separate the quality of the story, the writing, the themes if they do not fit the character.  It’s a balance, and the pendulum is swinging away from the importance of the substance of characters to simply the broadest definitions of them leaving the stories that MADE these characters left out in the cold.

The post Are Today’s Comic Book Writers Actually Interested in the Characters They Are Writing? appeared first on DC Comics News.

If you missed out on the initial run and would like to get a copy, be sure to contact your local comic shop today!!

‘DC Pride 2023’ Goes Back to Press!

Oscar Vega’s Stylish Artwork to Cover New ‘DC Pride 2023’ Printing Available 7/11

The post DC Pride 2023 Is Getting A Second Printing!! appeared first on DC Comics News.

For all the details on the upcoming DC Pride 2023 anthology, and a sneak peek at what you may expect, check out the official press release below.

PRIDE PREVIEW: ‘DC PRIDE 2023’

“I hope this anthology feels like an invitation to all — to experience life the way queer folk do. We want everyone to celebrate joy, to elevate beauty, to embrace frivolity. We want everyone to love who they want to love, to believe in justice for all, and fight like hell for it. We want everyone to be a hero, and to celebrate the good and the wonder of people different than themselves. We want everyone to look at the world a little sideways, a little bent, a little askew, which can be transcendent if you let it.” —Phil Jimenez, DC Pride 2023

DC Pride is back with DC Pride 2023, an all-new 104-page anthology starring DC’s fan-favorite stable of LGBTQIA+ characters—this time, with a focus on never-before-seen team-ups! DC’s 2023 Pride collection of books and comics will be available at your local comic book shop, bookstore, library, and beyond, delivering bold stories, brave characters, and more pride than ever. DC Pride 2023 will publish on May 30.

Below is the full list of contents in DC Pride 2023, which also includes an introduction by Phil Jimenez, sampled above; a preview of the upcoming Bad Dream graphic novel starring Dreamer (written by Nicole Maines and drawn by Rye Hickman!); pinups by artists Angel Solorzano, Noah Dao, Babs Tarr, Maria Llovet, Brandt & Stein, Claire Roe with Triona Farrell, Travis Moore with Tamra Bonvillain; a tribute to trailblazing comics writer Rachel Pollack from Neil Gaiman, Tom Peyer, Jadzia Axelrod, and more.

This year’s oversize one-shot special is headlined by Grant Morrison returning to Multiversity, with a cosmic love story illustrated by Hayden Sherman! In a story from Leah Williams and Paulina Ganucheau, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy go to extreme measures to get a little alone time… but there’s nowhere on the planet Crush can’t crash! Nadia Shammas and Bruka Jones helm a tale of Tim Drake and Connor Hawke learning that there’s nothing more awkward than reuniting with an old friend—after you’ve both come out and one of you was indoctrinated by the League of Shadows for a while. A.L. Kaplan writes and illustrates Circuit Breaker’s struggles to stifle his powers after the Flash of Earth-11 leaps out of the time stream and knocks them both into another dimension! Jon Kent gets a comprehensive course in dark magic when John Constantine unleashes a fetch on him, courtesy of writer Christopher Cantwell and artist Skylar Patridge! All this and much more, including Spirit World star Xanthe Zhou meeting Batwoman in a story by Jeremy Holt and Andrew Drilon!

With over 100 pages of original stories and content, DC Pride 2023 celebrates the bravest and the boldest of DC’s Super Heroes. Here’s a sneak peek into what a few of the teams will be delivering:

“Anniversary” by Josh Trujillo, Don Aguillo and Lucas Gattoni

“The Dance” by Rex Ogle, Stephen Sadowski, Enrica Eren Angiolini and Ariana Maher

“Teamwork Makes the Dream Work” by Mildred Louis and Ariana Maher

“Subspace Transmission” by A.L. Kaplan and Aditya Bidikar

“My Best Bet” by Christopher Cantwell, Skylar Patridge, Dearbhla Kelly and Morgan Martinez

“Love’s Lightning Heart” by Grant Morrison, Hayden Sherman, Marissa Louise and Aditya Bidikar

“Lost & Found” by Jeremy Holt, Andrew Drilon and Lucas Gattoni

“Hey, Stranger” by Nadia Shammas, Bruka Jones, Tamra Bonvillain and Frank Cvetkovic

“And Baby Makes Three” by Leah Williams, Paulina Ganucheau and Frank Cvetkovic

“Bad Dream: A Dreamer Story” by Nicole Maines, Rye Hickman, Bex Glendining and Rusty Gladd

Plus, here’s an early look at the DC Pride 2023 1:50 variant cover by superstar artist Jen Bartel—a reimagined version of her open-to-order foil variant cover, featuring Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy!

Don’t miss the rest of DC’s amazing DC Pride 2023 covers, including a wraparound open-to-order variant by fan-favorite Teen Titans: Robin artist Gabriel Piccolo (making a rare appearance outside of DC’s young adult graphic novel line), which will also be offered as a 1:25 spot gloss variant cover!

For more information about DC Pride 2023, the DC Multiverse and more, visit the DC website at www.dc.com and follow DC on social media at @DCOfficial. Fans can also celebrate DC Pride and read comics featuring LGBTQIA+ characters online by visiting the DC Universe Pride hub page on DC Universe Infinite, DC’s premium digital comic book service. New titles are added every month, and a selection of free-to-read titles will be featured for registered users during Pride!

Stay tuned for more Pride announcements from DC and Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products between now and June, including more details on DC Pride Through the Years!

DC Pride 2023 #1 Cardstock Variant Cover by Oscar Vega

DC Pride 2023 #1 Spot Foil Variant by Jen Bartel

DC Pride 2023 #1 Wrap-Around Variant Cover by Gabriel Picolo

DC Pride 2023 #1 Main Cover by Mateus Manhanini

The post DC PRIDE 2023 Sneak Peek Is Here appeared first on DC Comics News.

You can check out the full press release, along with all the amazing covers, below.

DC’S ANNUAL PRIDE COMIC BOOK ANTHOLOGY HIGHLIGHTS THE PUBLISHER’S ONGOING LEGACY OF LGBTQIA+ CHARACTERS

100+ pages of original content, an introduction by Phil Jimenez, and more!
 
EXPLORE A NEW DC CHARACTER ENCYCLOPEDIA, THE DC BOOK OF PRIDE BY JADZIA AXELROD
Discover the rich history of DC’s LGBTQIA+ Super Heroes in this inspiring hardcover from publisher DK featuring detailed character profiles and comic book artwork!
 
DC TO PUBLISH DC PRIDE: THROUGH THE YEARS WITH A NEW ALAN SCOTT GREEN LANTERN STORY
Includes three history-making out-of-print comics, now collected in a special-edition release!

Clockwise from top left: DC’s Harley Quinn, Circuit Breaker, Apollo, Nubia, Dreamer, and Connor Hawke are featured on Oscar Vega’s DC Pride 2023 #1 cardstock variant cover

DC’S ANNUAL PRIDE COMIC BOOK ANTHOLOGY HIGHLIGHTS THE PUBLISHER’S AWARD-WINNING LGBTQIA+ LEGACY

DC Pride is back again with a brave, bold, and all-new collection of stories starring DC’s stable of fan-favorite LGBTQIA+ characters—many of whom will find themselves in thrilling team-ups the likes of which you’ve never seen before!

DC’s 2023 Pride collection of books and comics will be available at your local comic book shop, bookstore, library, and beyond, delivering bold stories, brave characters, and more pride than ever. DC Pride 2023 #1, DC’s annual anthology containing all-new stories spotlighting LGBTQIA+ fan favorites, will be published on May 30. The 104-page Prestige format comic will feature an introduction by Phil Jimenez, a main cover by Mateus Manhanini, and open-to-order variant covers by Gabriel Picolo (wraparound), Jen Bartel (spot foil), and Oscar Vega (cardstock).

DC Pride 2023 #1 Main Cover by Mateus Manhanini

DC Pride 2023 #1 Spot Foil Variant Cover by Jen Bartel

The DC Pride 2023 creative teams and the characters they are developing stories for include:

• Tim Drake and Connor Hawke by Nadia Shammas and Bruka Jones
• Circuit Breaker and the Flash of Earth-11 by A.L. Kaplan
• Midnighter, Apollo and Alan Scott Green Lantern by Josh Trujillo and Don Aguillo
• Ghost-Maker and Catman vs. Cannon and Saber by Rex Ogle and Stephen Sadowski
• Jon Kent and John Constantine by Christopher Cantwell and Skylar Patridge
• Natasha Irons and Nubia by Mildred Louis
• Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and Crush by Leah Williams and Paulina Ganucheau
• Multiversity by Grant Morrison and Hayden Sherman

and more!

DC Pride 2023 #1 wraparound variant cover by Gabriel Picolo

Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy go to extreme measures to get a little alone time…but there’s nowhere on the planet Crush can’t crash. Jon Kent gets a comprehensive course in dark magic when John Constantine sics a golem on him. Tim Drake and Connor Hawke learn that there is nothing more awkward than reuniting with an old friend after you’ve both come out and one of you was indoctrinated by the League of Shadows for a while. Circuit Breaker struggles to stifle his powers after the Flash of Earth-11 leaps out of the time stream and knocks them both into another dimension. Just how far would Flashlight go to honor his lost love? Discover all these stories and many more in DC Pride 2023!

DC’s Pride anthology comic will also include a five-page preview of an upcoming Dreamer story by Nicole Maines and Rye Hickman. Pinup pages in DC Pride 2023 will feature artwork by Maria Llovet, Ro Stein and Ted Brandt, Travis Moore, Noah Dao, Claire Roe, Babs Tarr, and more. With over 100 pages of original stories and content, DC Pride 2023 celebrates the boldest and bravest of DC’s Super Heroes!

EXPLORE A NEW DC CHARACTER ENCYCLOPEDIA, THE DC BOOK OF PRIDE BY JADZIA AXELROD

The DC Book of Pride cover by Paulina Ganucheau

An official collaboration between DK and Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products, The DC Book of Pride is an inspiring illustrated hardcover that profiles more than 50 LGBTQIA+ characters in detail, including Harley Quinn, Jon Kent, Nubia, Tim Drake, Batwoman, Aquaman, Dreamer, new character Circuit Breaker, and many more. Authored by Galaxy: The Prettiest Star writer Jadzia Axelrod, it illustrates the rich histories, fascinating origins, amazing superpowers, and key storylines of DC’s leading queer Super Heroes and Super-Villains. With stunning interior artwork and an exclusive cover by renowned illustrator Paulina Ganucheau, this DK book is a wonderful guide for DC fans that arrives just in time for Pride Month on May 16.

DC TO PUBLISH A CELEBRATORY NEW SPECIAL-EDITION PRIDE COMIC BOOK

DC will also be publishing a special-edition comic book, DC Pride: Through the Years #1, collecting three out-of-print comics in an oversize new release. Take a journey through over 30 years of fan-favorite LGBTQIA+ characters in the DC Universe with this collection that not only remembers and celebrates landmark issues of days past but also teases exciting new stories yet to come!

DC Pride: Through the Years #1 cover by Derek Charm

DC Pride: Through the Years (80 pages), with a cover by Derek Charm, will publish on June 13 and contains reprints of The Flash #53 by William Messner-Loebs and Greg LaRocque, in which villain turned hero Pied Piper comes out to his friend the Flash and helps thwart a dastardly villain; Detective Comics #854 by Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams, featuring the thrilling beginning of Batwoman’s first solo series, which launched her into stardom; and Supergirl #19 by Steve Orlando, Vita Ayala, and Jamal Campbell, which tells the story of Lee Serrano, a nonbinary teenager who befriends the Girl of Steel. It also includes an all-new story by Tim Sheridan and Cian Tormey featuring Alan Scott as Green Lantern, teasing exciting new stories that will light the way for Alan’s next great adventure.

DC’S ONGOING COMIC BOOK SERIES CONTINUE DC PRIDE ALL YEAR

Throughout its line of monthly comic books, DC will highlight Pride-themed variant covers on series that feature queer characters in regular and lead roles. This year, look for DC Pride covers on Steelworks #1 (Joshua “Sway” Swaby), Spirit World #2 (Jessica Fong), Green Arrow #3 (Luciano Vecchio), Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #4 (Stephen Byrne), Superman #5 (W. Scott Forbes), Batman Incorporated #9 (Rosi Kämpe), Tim Drake: Robin #10 (Travis Moore), Poison Ivy #13 and Harley Quinn #31 (connecting covers by Claire Roe), Nightwing #105 (Yoshi Yoshitani), Wonder Woman #800 (Ted Brandt and Ro Stein), and Detective Comics #1073 (Amy Reeder).

Spirit World #2 (Jessica Fong)

Green Arrow #3 (Luciano Vecchio)

Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #4 (Stephen Byrne)

Superman #5 (W. Scott Forbes)

Batman Incorporated #9 (Rosi K.)

Tim Drake: Robin #10 (Travis Moore)

Harley Quinn #31 and Poison Ivy #13 (Claire Roe)

Nightwing #105 (Yoshi Yoshitani)

Wonder Woman #800 (Ted Brandt and Ro Stein)

Detective Comics #1073 (Amy Reeder)

STOCK YOUR BOOKSHELVES WITH NEW DC BOOKS

DC’s Pride plans aren’t limited to June! In addition to DC Pride 2023, new DC books to add to your TBR piles, pull lists, Pride book clubs, or in-store Pride displays and to share with friends year-round include:

• DC Pride: The New Generation hardcover (5/23)
• Doom Patrol by Rachel Pollack Omnibus hardcover (3/14)—second printing
• Harley Quinn Vol. 3: Verdict hardcover (3/21)
• Multiversity: Teen Justice trade paperback (3/21)
• Poison Ivy Vol. 1: The Virtuous Cycle hardcover (5/16)
• The Authority Book One trade paperback (4/25)—2023 edition
• Superman: Son of Kal-El Vol. 3: Battle for Gamorra hardcover (5/9)
• Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons hardcover (6/6)

and more!

DC’s award-winning and bestselling backlist titles featuring LGBTQIA+ characters are available everywhere books are sold, including:

• Aquaman: The Becoming
• Batman: Harley and Ivy: The Deluxe Edition
• Batwoman: Elegy
• Batwoman: Haunted Tides
• Crush & Lobo
• DC Comics: Bombshells: The Deluxe Edition Book One
• Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles
• Galaxy: The Prettiest Star
• Gotham Central Omnibus
• Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass
• I Am Not Starfire
• Midnighter: The Complete Collection
• Midnighter: The Complete Wildstorm Series
• Poison Ivy: Thorns
• Suicide Squad: Bad Blood
• Superman: Son of Kal-El Vol. 1: The Truth
• Superman: Son of Kal-El Vol. 2: The Rising
• The Low, Low Woods
• You Brought Me the Ocean

and more!

Fans can also celebrate DC Pride and read comics featuring LGBTQIA+ characters online by visiting the DC Universe Pride hub page on DC Universe Infinite, DC’s premium digital comic book service. New titles are added every month, and a selection of free-to-read titles will be featured for registered users during Pride!

DC and Warner Bros. Discovery are proud to be working in partnership with LGBTQIA+ organizations such as Trans Lifeline, PFLAG National, The Trevor Project, Family Equality, Human Rights Campaign, and Athlete Ally, and more, to celebrate Pride in 2023. Warner Bros. Discovery and its brands have long-standing relationships with these nonprofit partners through the ongoing support of their work and year-round collaboration on social impact initiatives.

Through paneling, events, advertising, outreach, and more, these partnerships help to create a more inclusive and compassionate culture for all superhero fans and provide resources for readers looking to learn more about these nonprofit organizations.

Stay tuned for more Pride announcements from DC and Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products between now and June! #DCPride

The post DC PRIDE 2023 Covers Revealed, Along With Other Pride Books appeared first on DC Comics News.

Pride variant covers by Mateus Manhanini (Blood Syndicate: Season One #2) and Lynne Yoshii (Robin #15)

Throughout DC’s line of monthly comics, DC’s 2022 Pride-themed variant covers will feature many of DC’s leading LGBTQIA+ characters, including Jon Kent, Nubia, Jackson Hyde, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Tim Drake and more. Today, DC reveals Blood Syndicate: Season One #2‘s Pride Variant by Mateus Manhanini and Robin #15‘s Pride Variant by Lynne Yoshii! More information about Blood Syndicate: Season One can be found here. The new Milestone series launches May 10.

Galaxy: The Prettiest Star cover by Jess Taylor

In the book market and available everywhere books are sold, Galaxy: The Prettiest Star from writer Jadzia Axelrod and artist Jess Taylor will publish on May 17 to introduce entirely new characters to DC’s pantheon of heroes. DC can’t wait for you to meet Taylor, the Galaxy Crowned, and so is delivering Galaxy: The Prettiest Star FCBD Special Edition 2022 #1, a free preview on Free Comic Book Day of the young adult graphic novel about gender identity, romance, and shining as bright as the stars, to your local comics shop on May 7. It takes strength to live as your true self, and one alien princess disguised as a human boy is about to test her power!

DC Pride 2022 #1 covers by Phil Jimenez & Arif Prianto (main) and Jen Bartel (variant)

DC Pride 2022, containing all-new stories spotlighting LGBTQIA+ fan-favorites, is DC’s annual Pride-themed anthology comic. The 104-page Prestige format comic, publishing on May 31, will have an introduction by activist, actress, and real-life superhero Nicole Maines (including a teaser for her upcoming DC project!) and will feature a main cover by Phil Jimenez and Arif Prianto, an open-to-order wraparound variant cover by Joshua “Sway” Swaby, and a 1:25 variant cover by Jen Bartel. The DC Pride 2022 creative teams, and the characters they’re developing stories for, include:

• Alysia Yeoh and Batgirl by Jadzia Axelrod and Lynne Yoshii
• Aquaman/Jackson Hyde by Alyssa Wong and W. Scott Forbes
• Green Lantern/Jo Mullein by Tini Howard and Evan Cagle
• Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy by Dani Fernandez and Zoe Thorogood
• The Ray by Greg Lockard and Giulio Macaione
• Superman/Jon Kent by Devin Grayson and Nick Robles
• Tim Drake by Travis G. Moore
• and more to come!

DC’s Pride anthology comic will also include contributions from J. Bone, Ro Stein and Ted Brandt, Samantha Dodge, Brittney Williams, and others; and new pinups by P. Craig Russell, J.J. Kirby, and more. With over 100 pages of original stories and content, DC Pride 2022 celebrates the strength and courage it takes to be a DC Super Hero.

But DC’s Pride plans aren’t limited to June! In addition to DC Pride 2022, the following comics will launch during Pride Month and continue through the year:

Poison Ivy, by G. Willow Wilson and Marcio Takara, with covers by Jessica Fong (main), Warren Louw (open-to-order variant and 1:100 foil variant), Nick Robles (1:25 variant), Frank Cho (1:50 variant), and Dan Mora (team variant), launches on June 7. In her new series, Ivy leaves Gotham City and sets out to complete her greatest work—a gift to the world that will heal the damage humanity has dealt to it! DC is proud to present the unbelievable next chapter in Poison Ivy’s ever-growing library in a six-issue story arc by the incredible creative team of G. Willow Wilson and Marcio Takara.

Poison Ivy #1 covers by Jessica Fong (main) and Kris Anka (Pride variant)

Nubia: Queen of the Amazons, a new series by Stephanie Williams, Alitha Martinez, and Mark Morales, with covers by Khary Randolph (main), Jae Lee (open-to-order variant), and Alitha Martinez (1:25 variant), debuts on June 7. Taking place right after the Nubia: Coronation Special, a second miniseries for the fan-favorite Amazon begins! You won’t want to miss the exciting new adventures of the one true queen, brought to you by the creative team behind Nubia & the Amazons—writer Stephanie Williams and artist Alitha Martinez! Williams, Martinez, and Morales’s new series is planned for four issues.

Nubia: Queen of the Amazons #1 covers by Khary Randolph (main) and Kevin Wada (Pride variant)

DC Pride: Tim Drake Special, by Meghan Fitzmartin, Belén Ortega, and Alberto Jimenez Alburquerque, with covers by Ortega (main) and Travis Moore (open-to-order variant), collects the breakout story from Batman: Urban Legends in one volume for the very first time! This 64-page one-shot comic arriving on June 14 also features a brand-new story that sees Tim teaming up with his former Young Justice teammates and the Batgirls! Tim Drake’s 2022 path starts here!

 DC Pride: Tim Drake Special #1 covers by Belén Ortega (main) and Travis G. Moore (variant)

Multiversity: Teen Justice by Ivan Cohen, Danny Lore, Marco Failla, and Enrica Eren Angiolini, with covers by Robbi Rodriguez (main), Stephanie Hans (open-to-order variant), Bengal (1:25 variant), and Failla (1:50 variant), features Kid Quick—the Future State Flash—and the other young heroes of Earth-11. Launching on June 7, the secrets of Earth-11’s newest heroes and villains unfold in DC’s most exciting new team title! And what role will the mysterious Raven—the brooding hero who has refused to join the team in the past—play in the brand-new series? Cohen, Lore, Failla, and Angiolini’s new series is planned for six issues.

 Multiversity: Teen Justice #1 covers by Robbi Rodriguez (main) and Stephen Byrne (Pride variant)

Throughout DC’s line of monthly comics, DC’s 2022 Pride-themed variant covers will feature artwork by Amy Reeder (Batman #124), David Talaski (Superman: Son of Kal-El #12), Derek Charm (Action Comics #1044), Joe Phillips (Aquamen #5), Kevin Wada (Nubia: Queen of the Amazons #1), Kris Anka (Poison Ivy #1), Nick Robles (Nightwing #93), Nicole Goux (Wonder Woman #788), Olivier Coipel (Harley Quinn #16), Stephen Byrne (Multiversity: Teen Justice #1), and more.

Pride variant covers by Derek Charm (Action Comics #1044) and Nicole Goux (Wonder Woman #788)

Pride variant covers by Amy Reeder (Batman #124) and Joe Phillips (Aquamen #5)

Pride variant covers by David Talaski (Superman: Son of Kal-El #12) and Olivier Coipel (Harley Quinn #16)

New DC books arriving in the coming months to add to your TBR piles, pull lists, DC Pride book clubs, in-store Pride displays, and to share with friends on TikTok will include:

• DC Pride 2021 (4/26)
• Galaxy: The Prettiest Star (5/17)
• Crush & Lobo (5/17)
• Midnighter: The Complete Collection (5/24)
• Aquaman: The Becoming (5/24)
• Batman: Urban Legends Vol. 2 (5/24)
• Superman: Son of Kal-El Vol. 1: The Truth (5/31)
• DC Poster Portfolio: DC Pride (5/31)
• Doom Patrol by Rachel Pollack Omnibus (7/5)
• Harley Quinn: The Animated Series – The Eat. Bang! Kill Tour Vol. 1 (8/30)

DC’s award-winning backlist of bestselling titles featuring LGBTQIA+ characters can be purchased everywhere books are sold:

• Batwoman: Elegy
• Batwoman: Haunted Tides
• DC Comics: Bombshells
• Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles
• Gotham Central Omnibus
• Harley and Ivy: The Deluxe Edition
• Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass
• I Am Not Starfire
• Poison Ivy: Thorns
• Suicide Squad: Bad Blood
• The Low, Low Woods
• You Brought Me the Ocean
• and more!

Fans can celebrate DC Pride and read comics featuring DC’s LGBTQIA+ characters year-round by visiting the DC UNIVERSE PRIDE hub page on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE, DC’s premium digital comic book service. New titles are added every month, and a selection of free-to-read titles will be featured for registered users during Pride! The first two issues of Superman: Son of Kal-El are available now for subscribers, with the groundbreaking big issue featuring Jon Kent and Jay Nakamura—Superman: Son of Kal-El #5—arriving on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE in June!

DC and WarnerMedia are proud to be working in partnership with LGBTQIA+ organizations such as PFLAG National, The Trevor Project, Family Equality, Human Rights Campaign, Athlete Ally, Mermaids (UK), Inside Out (Canada), and more, to celebrate Pride in 2022. WarnerMedia and its brands have longstanding relationships with these nonprofit partners through the ongoing support of their work and year-round collaboration on social impact initiatives.

Through paneling, events, advertising, outreach and more, these partnerships help to create a more inclusive and compassionate culture for all Super Hero fans and provide resources for readers looking to learn more about these nonprofit organizations.

Stay tuned for more Pride announcements from DC and WarnerMedia between now and June! #DCPride

The post DC’s Pride-Themed Variant Covers Revealed appeared first on DC Comics News.

In the book market and available everywhere books are sold, Galaxy: The Prettiest Star from writer Jadzia Axelrod and artist Jess Taylor will publish on May 17 to introduce entirely new characters to DC’s pantheon of heroes. DC can’t wait for you to meet Taylor, the Galaxy Crowned, and so is delivering Galaxy: The Prettiest Star FCBD Special Edition 2022 #1, a free preview on Free Comic Book Day of the young adult graphic novel about gender identity, romance, and shining as bright as the stars, to your local comics shop on May 7. It takes strength to live as your true self, and one alien princess disguised as a human boy is about to test her power!

DC Pride 2022, containing all-new stories spotlighting LGBTQIA+ fan-favorites, is DC’s annual Pride-themed anthology comic. The 104-page Prestige format comic, publishing on May 31, will have an introduction by activist, actress, and real-life superhero Nicole Maines (including a teaser for her upcoming DC project!) and will feature a main cover by Phil Jimenez and Arif Prianto, an open-to-order wraparound variant cover by Joshua “Sway” Swaby, and a 1:25 variant cover by Jen Bartel. The DC Pride 2022 creative teams, and the characters they’re developing stories for, include:

• Alysia Yeoh and Batgirl by Jadzia Axelrod and Lynne Yoshii
• Aquaman/Jackson Hyde by Alyssa Wong and W. Scott Forbes
• Green Lantern/Jo Mullein by Tini Howard and Evan Cagle
• Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy by Dani Fernandez and Zoe Thorogood
• The Ray by Greg Lockard and Giulio Macaione
• Superman/Jon Kent by Devin Grayson and Nick Robles
• Tim Drake by Travis G. Moore
• and more to come!

DC’s Pride anthology comic will also include contributions from J. Bone, Ro Stein and Ted Brandt, Samantha Dodge, Brittney Williams, and others; and new pinups by P. Craig Russell, J.J. Kirby, and more. With over 100 pages of original stories and content, DC Pride 2022 celebrates the strength and courage it takes to be a DC Super Hero.

But DC’s Pride plans aren’t limited to June! In addition to DC Pride 2022, the following comics will launch during Pride Month and continue through the year:

Poison Ivy, by G. Willow Wilson and Marcio Takara, with covers by Jessica Fong (main), Warren Louw (open-to-order variant and 1:100 foil variant), Nick Robles (1:25 variant), Frank Cho (1:50 variant), and Dan Mora (team variant), launches on June 7. In her new series, Ivy leaves Gotham City and sets out to complete her greatest work—a gift to the world that will heal the damage humanity has dealt to it! DC is proud to present the unbelievable next chapter in Poison Ivy’s ever-growing library in a six-issue story arc by the incredible creative team of G. Willow Wilson and Marcio Takara.

Nubia: Queen of the Amazons, a new series by Stephanie Williams, Alitha Martinez, and Mark Morales, with covers by Khary Randolph (main), Jae Lee (open-to-order variant), and Alitha Martinez (1:25 variant), debuts on June 7. Taking place right after the Nubia: Coronation Special, a second miniseries for the fan-favorite Amazon begins! You won’t want to miss the exciting new adventures of the one true queen, brought to you by the creative team behind Nubia & the Amazons—writer Stephanie Williams and artist Alitha Martinez! Williams, Martinez, and Morales’s new series is planned for four issues.

DC Pride: Tim Drake Special, by Meghan Fitzmartin, Belén Ortega, and Alberto Jimenez Alburquerque, with covers by Ortega (main) and Travis Moore (open-to-order variant), collects the breakout story from Batman: Urban Legends in one volume for the very first time! This 64-page one-shot comic arriving on June 14 also features a brand-new story that sees Tim teaming up with his former Young Justice teammates and the Batgirls! Tim Drake’s 2022 path starts here!

Multiversity: Teen Justice by Ivan Cohen, Danny Lore, Marco Failla, and Enrica Eren Angiolini, with covers by Robbi Rodriguez (main), Stephanie Hans (open-to-order variant), Bengal (1:25 variant), and Failla (1:50 variant), features Kid Quick—the Future State Flash—and the other young heroes of Earth-11. Launching on June 7, the secrets of Earth-11’s newest heroes and villains unfold in DC’s most exciting new team title! And what role will the mysterious Raven—the brooding hero who has refused to join the team in the past—play in the brand-new series? Cohen, Lore, Failla, and Angiolini’s new series is planned for six issues.

Throughout DC’s line of monthly comics, DC’s 2022 Pride-themed variant covers will feature artwork by Amy Reeder (Batman #124), David Talaski (Superman: Son of Kal-El #12), Derek Charm (Action Comics #1044), Joe Phillips (Aquamen #5), Kevin Wada (Nubia: Queen of the Amazons #1), Kris Anka (Poison Ivy #1), Nick Robles (Nightwing #93), Nicole Goux (Wonder Woman #788), Olivier Coipel (Harley Quinn #16), Stephen Byrne (Multiversity: Teen Justice #1), and more.

New DC books arriving in the coming months to add to your TBR piles, pull lists, DC Pride book clubs, in-store Pride displays, and to share with friends on TikTok will include:

• DC Pride 2021 (4/26)
• Galaxy: The Prettiest Star (5/17)
• Crush & Lobo (5/17)
• Midnighter: The Complete Collection (5/24)
• Aquaman: The Becoming (5/24)
• Batman: Urban Legends Vol. 2 (5/24)
• Superman: Son of Kal-El Vol. 1: The Truth (5/31)
• DC Poster Portfolio: DC Pride (5/31)
• Doom Patrol by Rachel Pollack Omnibus (7/5)
• Harley Quinn: The Animated Series – The Eat. Bang! Kill Tour Vol. 1 (8/30)

DC’s award-winning backlist of bestselling titles featuring LGBTQIA+ characters can be purchased everywhere books are sold:

• Batwoman: Elegy
• Batwoman: Haunted Tides
• DC Comics: Bombshells
• Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles
• Gotham Central Omnibus
• Harley and Ivy: The Deluxe Edition
• Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass
• I Am Not Starfire
• Poison Ivy: Thorns
• Suicide Squad: Bad Blood
• The Low, Low Woods
• You Brought Me the Ocean
• and more!

Fans can celebrate DC Pride and read comics featuring DC’s LGBTQIA+ characters year-round by visiting the DC UNIVERSE PRIDE hub page on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE, DC’s premium digital comic book service. New titles are added every month, and a selection of free-to-read titles will be featured for registered users during Pride! The first two issues of Superman: Son of Kal-El are available now for subscribers, with the groundbreaking big issue featuring Jon Kent and Jay Nakamura—Superman: Son of Kal-El #5—arriving on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE in June!

DC and WarnerMedia are proud to be working in partnership with LGBTQIA+ organizations such as PFLAG National, The Trevor Project, Family Equality, Human Rights Campaign, Athlete Ally, Mermaids (UK), Inside Out (Canada), and more, to celebrate Pride in 2022. WarnerMedia and its brands have longstanding relationships with these nonprofit partners through the ongoing support of their work and year-round collaboration on social impact initiatives.

Through paneling, events, advertising, outreach, and more, these partnerships help to create a more inclusive and compassionate culture for all Super Hero fans and provide resources for readers looking to learn more about these nonprofit organizations.

Stay tuned for more Pride announcements from DC and WarnerMedia between now and June! #DCPride

The post DC Gears Up For Pride Month 2022 With New Anthology, Graphic Novel, & More! appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writers: James Tynion IV, Steve Orlando, Vita Ayala, Mariko Tamaki, Andrew Wheeler, Sam Johns, Danny Lore, Sina Grace, Nicole Maines

Artists: Trung Le Nguyen, Stephen Byrne, Skylar Partridge, Amy Reeder, Luciano Vecchio, Klaus Janson, Lisa Sterle, Ro Stein, Ted Brandt, Rachael Stott, Travis Moore, Alejandro Sanchez, David Talaski, Brittney Williams, Kevin Wada, Kris Anka, Nick Robles, Sophie Campbell,  Daniel Quasar, Jim Lee, Scott Williams

Colorists: Jose Villarrubia, Marissa Lousie, Rex Lokus, Enrica Eren Angiolini, Dave McCaig, Tamra Bonvillain

Letterers: Becca Carey, Steve Wands, Ariana Maher, Aditya Bidikar, Josh Reed, Tom Napolitano

                                                        Reviewer: Tony Farina

Summary

DC celebrates Pride Month with nine all-new stories starring fan-favorite LGBTQIA+ characters Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Midnighter, Extraño, Batwoman, Aqualad, Alan Scott, Obsidian, Future State Flash, Renee Montoya, Pied Piper, and many more! This anthology will also feature:
-The thrilling introduction of new hero DREAMER in the DCU
(as seen on The CW’s Supergirl)!
-A pinup gallery with art by Travis Moore, Kris Anka, Kevin Wada, Sophie Campbell, Nick Robles, and more!
-Six exciting new profiles of DCTV’s LGBTQIA+ characters and the actors who play them!

Positives

DC Pride #1 is perfect. No, not every single panel of every single story is perfect. I am not going to pretend that is the case. However, I am going to say that the fact that this book exists is perfect. The love, care and thought that went into each word, each panel, each splash of color and each letter is evident. That is what makes it perfect.

I could go through each story and tell you why it is amazing, but I am not going to do that. You know why? Because I want you to do it. I want you find the thing you love in this book. I will say however, that the story with Alan and Todd is particularly moving. It feels like that story has been in the works for years and years. You may need a hanky before you start reading it.

Negatives

DC Pride #1 is only weak in the way that any comic like this could be. There is just not enough time for all the stories to develop into something bigger. Of course, that isn’t the point, so I can’t knock it.

Verdict

DC Pride #1 is glorious. I love it. You should love it too. The choice of the word glorious there is a nod to the intro written by Marc Andrekyo. I am sure most people planned on skipping it. Don’t. Seriously. He says everything I want to say here, in that essay. Buy this book. Give it to people you love. Give it to people who have open minds and to people with closed minds. Buy. Read. Repeat.

The post Featured Review: DC Pride 2021 appeared first on DC Comics News.

Not only that, this June we will see the new miniseries Crush & Lobo, as well as the new graphic novel Poison Ivy: Thorns.

Check out the official press release with images below:

DC Proudly Announces ‘DC Pride’ Anthology Comic to arrive June 8 and ‘Crush & Lobo’ Comic Book Miniseries Launching on June 1

 Nine Pride themed variant covers will feature artwork by Kris Anka, Jen Bartel, Stephen Byrne, Paulina Ganucheau, Travis G. Moore, David Talaski, Kevin Wada and Yoshi Yoshitani

Young Adult books ‘Poison Ivy: Thorns’ and ‘I Am Not Starfire’ make their 2021 debut, and GLAAD-nominated ‘Suicide Squad: Bad Blood’ brings LGBTQIA+ characters to the forefront of DC’s publishing line

BURBANK, CA, March 11, 2021 — DC today announced DC Pride, an 80-page anthology comic featuring LGBTQIA+ characters from across the DC Universe, and Crush & Lobo, a new eight-issue miniseries written by Mariko Tamaki (This One Summer, Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass) with art by Amancay Nahuelpan (Nightwing, Wonder Woman). Crush & Lobo will launch on June 1 and DC Pride will publish on June 8. DC will also publish a series of nine Pride themed variant covers in June, showcasing DC’s top characters as realized by the comic book industry’s leading artists.

DC Pride #1 will feature LGBTQIA+ characters from all corners of DC’s ever-expanding Universe, including cameos by fan favorites Batwoman, Renee Montoya, Alan Scott, Midnighter, Apollo, Extraño, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Constantine, and more. The DC Pride creative teams, and the characters they’re developing stories for, are:

• Batwoman (Kate Kane) by James Tynion IV & Trung Le Nguyen
• Poison Ivy & Harley Quinn by Mariko Tamaki & Amy Reeder
• Midnighter by Steve Orlando & Stephen Byrne
• Flash of Earth-11 (Jess Chambers) by Danny Lore & Lisa Sterle
• Green Lantern (Alan Scott) & Obsidian by Sam Johns & Klaus Janson
• Aqualad (Jackson Hyde) by Andrew Wheeler & Luciano Vecchio
• Dreamer by Nicole Maines & Rachel Stott
• Renee Montoya by Vita Ayala and Skylar Patridge
• Pied Piper by Sina Grace, Ro Stein & Ted Brandt

Additionally, DC Pride #1 will include full-page profiles of DCTV’s LGBTQIA+ characters and the actors who play them, and fans of The CW’s Supergirl will be thrilled to see the first comic book appearance of Dreamer, a trans woman superhero, in a story written by actor Nicole Maines, who plays Nia Nal/Dreamer on Supergirl.

Rounding out the DC Pride anthology is a forward by Marc Andreyko (Love is Love), single-page pin-ups by artists Kris Anka, Sophie Campbell, Mildred Louis, Travis Moore, Nick Robles and Kevin Wada, with more surprises to come! The DC Pride #1 cover is by Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Tamra Bonvillain.

DC will also release a series of Pride themed variant covers showcasing DC’s leading characters through the month of June, giving fans the opportunity to purchase comics featuring covers with Batman, Harley, Ivy, Superman, Wonder Woman, and more, all by cutting-edge comic book artists!

• Batman #109 Pride variant cover by Jen Bartel
• Crush & Lobo #1 Pride variant cover by Yoshi Yoshitani
• DC Pride #1 Pride variant cover by Jen Bartel
• Harley Quinn #4 Pride variant cover by Kris Anka
• Nightwing #81 Pride variant cover by Travis G. Moore
• Superman #32 Pride variant cover by David Talaski
• Teen Titans Academy #4 Pride variant cover by Stephen Byrne
• Wonder Girl #2 Pride variant cover by Kevin Wada
• Wonder Woman #774 Pride variant cover by Paulina Ganucheau

But DC’s Pride plans aren’t limited to June! Crush & Lobo by Tamaki and Nahuelpan, spinning out of the pages of Teen Titans Academy, will debut with a cover by Kris Anka, a Pride variant cover by Yoshi Yoshitani, a 1:25 ratio variant by Christian Ward, plus an exclusive Dan Hipp team variant for participating retailers. In this new eight-issue miniseries publishing between June 2021 and January 2022, Crush, daughter of the Czarnian bounty hunter Lobo, is in full-on self-destruct mode! After rage-quitting the Teen Titans and blowing up her relationship with her girlfriend Katie, Crush decides it’s time to finally confront her father in space jail and get her baggage sorted before she wrecks everything. Like father, like daughter?

DC will also publish GLAAD Media Award-nominated Suicide Squad: Bad Blood by Tom Taylor (Injustice: Gods Among Us) and Bruno Redondo (Nightwing) on April 27, DC’s gothic LGBTQIA+ romance Poison Ivy: Thorns by Kody Keplinger (The DUFF) and Sara Kipin on June 1, and Mariko Tamaki and Yoshi Yoshitani’s highly anticipated YA graphic novel, I Am Not Starfire, will publish on July 27 as part of the publisher’s overall Pride plans in 2021. Lois Lane by Greg Rucka and Mike Perkins, Far Sector by N.K. Jemisin and Jamal Campbell and You Brought Me The Ocean by Alex Sánchez and Julie Maroh have also been nominated for GLAAD Media Awards in 2021!

Stay tuned for more Pride announcements from DC between now and June! #DCPride

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