The New 52 imprint is going away. This morning, news broke from DC Entertainment that this June will see the release of two dozen new ongoing series and miniseries following the end of April and May’s Convergence event.
The full press release can be found here, but there are a few quotes from co-publisher Dan DiDio that are worth pointing out.
This heralds in a new era for the DC Universe which will allow us to publish something for everyone, be more expansive and modern in our approach and tell stories that better reflect the society around us. Whether you’ve been a DC fan your whole life, or whether you are new to comics – there will be a book for you beginning in June.
It looks as if they’re wanting to not only tell “relevant” stories, but also attempt to draw in new readers. Admirable, and hopefully it will work out better than the New-52 relaunch and its uncertain continuity rules. Going along with that, DiDio also had this to say:
In this new era of storytelling, story will trump continuity as we continue to empower creators to tell the best stories in the industry.
That makes it sound like they’ll no longer be sticking to a strict, universe-wide continuity and instead focus on individual stories, which could make access for newer readers that much easier. The word “reboot” is also absent, so this may be cleaning house a bit but it doesn’t appear to be a total reset as some were theorizing.
Along with the 24 brand new series, 25 books will continue being published as well. Not counting digital-first releases and weeklies, that brings the total of published books to 49, eschewing the almost obsessive compulsion the company has had to publish 52 monthly books for the past three years. The release did note that there will be additional titles published later this year, and sadly there will more than likely be at least a few cancellations within a few months of the roll-out, but it’s a break of habit that may work in the company’s favor.
A full list of the new and continuing series can be found here, but here are the Bat-specific titles, new and old:
New Titles
- Batman Beyond- Written by Dan Jurgens; Illustrated by Bernard Chang
- Bat-Mite (miniseries)- Written by Dan Jurgens; Illustrated by Corin Howell
- Harley Quinn/Power Girl (miniseries)- Written by Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner, and Justin Gray; Illustrated by Stephane Roux
- Justice League of America- Written and Illustrated by Bryan Hitch
- Justice League 3001- Written by Keith Giffen; Illustrated by Howard Porter
- Robin, Son of Batman- Written and Illustrated by Patrick Gleason
- Section Eight (miniseries focusing on Hitman characters)- Written by Garth Ennis; Illustrated by John McCrea
- We Are Robin- Written by Lee Bermejo; Illustrated by Khary Randolph
Continuing Titles
- Batgirl- Written by Cameron Stewart and Brenden Fletcher; Illustrated by Babs Tarr
- Batman- Written by Scott Snyder; Illustrated by Greg Capullo
- Detective Comics- Written by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccelato; Illustrated by Francis Manapul
- Batman/Superman- Written by Greg Pak; Illustrated by Ardian Syaf
- Catwoman- Written by Genevieve Valentine; Illustrated by David Messina
- Gotham Academy- Written by Becky Cloonan and Brenden Fletcher; Illustrated by Karl Kerschl
- Gotham by Midnight- Written by Ray Fawkes; Illustrated by Juan Ferreyra
- Grayson- Written by Tom King and Tim Seeley; Illustrated by Mikal Janin
- Harley Quinn- Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner; Illustrated by Chad Hardin
- Justice League- Written by Geoff Johns; Illustrated by Jason Fabok
- Justice League United- Creative team TBA
- Secret Six- Written by Gail Simone; Illustrated by Dale Eaglesham
- New Suicide Squad- Written by Sean Ryan; Illustrated by Carlos D’Anda
- Teen Titans- Written by Will Pfeifer; Illustrated by Kenneth Rocafort
Also of note is that Cyborg, Starfire, and Midnighter are each getting their own individual series, and other high-concept titles like Prez are receiving limited runs as well.
As always, stay tuned here at Batman News for more info as we get it.
SOURCE: DC Comics
