2025 is set to be a landmark year for DC's flagship Batman comic series. Chip Zdarsky's tenure concluded with Batman #157, setting the stage for the much-anticipated Hush 2 storyline by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee, scheduled for March. Following Hush 2, DC will relaunch Batman with a fresh #1 issue, featuring a new writer and an iconic new costume.
At the ComicsPro retailer event, it was announced that the new volume of Batman will be penned by Matt Fraction, known for his work on Uncanny X-Men and The Invincible Iron Man. Jorge Jimenez, the current Batman artist, will continue his collaboration, introducing a new costume and Batmobile to mark the beginning of this exciting series. Batman will don a vintage-inspired blue and gray suit, a nod to the character's rich history. Below is a sneak peek at the new Batsuit:
Fraction expressed his enthusiasm, stating, "I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Batman. It was the first comic I ever read. Jorge and I have a very superhero-forward kind of take on Batman. We’ve got a new Batmobile, we’ve got a new costume, we’ve got new characters, and we’ve got a lot of old ones too—good and bad; all the stuff that makes Batman the coolest character in comics. We want to celebrate it all."
The new Batman #1 is slated for release in September 2025.
In addition to the Batman news, DC unveiled further developments for the Superman line during the "Summer of Superman" event at ComicsPro. Supergirl is set to receive her own series and a new costume designed by Stanley "Artgerm" Lau. Sophie Campbell, renowned for her work on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, will write and illustrate the series, which will see Kara Zor-El returning to Midvale.
Campbell shared her inspiration, saying, "I came up in the comics industry doing mostly graphic novels that I wrote and drew myself, so doing the same with Supergirl feels like I’m returning to my storytelling roots. My main touchstones to Kara Zor-El were the stories and the wild costumes from the 70’s, the 1984 Supergirl movie, and The CW show, which I was a huge fan of. In creating this version of Supergirl, I’ll be drawing on some of those influences as the series unfolds."
Supergirl #1 will hit the shelves on May 14.
Action Comics is also undergoing a transformation with a new creative team of Mark Waid and Skylar Patridge. The series will shift its focus to Clark Kent's teenage years in Smallville, delving into his journey of mastering his emerging powers as Superboy.
Waid elaborated, "I start the book with Clark as a 15-year-old boy, learning to be a superhero for the first time. What is that like, learning to use your powers at that age? What kind of challenges are you facing? Skylar and I are also bringing Smallville a little more up to date—it still has that rustic feel to it, but farms don’t look like that anymore."
Waid and Patridge's run begins with Action Comics #1087, set for release in June.
Lastly, DC has announced a special five-issue miniseries for Krypto, titled Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton, as part of the DC All In initiative. The series, written by Ryan North and illustrated by Mike Norton, will explore Krypto's origin story in unprecedented detail.
North commented, "Krypto's origin has always been done at kind of a high level. The little guy starts out on Krypton, ends up on Earth, and helps Superman fight crime. The chance to really define Krypto—to show what a little lost dog would go through if he landed all alone on a strange alien world named Earth—was really enticing. And I also fell in love with the idea of treating Krypto as the actual dog he is: he doesn't talk, and we don't cheat by reading his thoughts in balloons either. Mike Norton’s art captures exactly what needs to be ‘said’ in every scene."
Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #1 is scheduled for release on June 18.
