For the first time in nearly two decades, an official Justice League tabletop RPG set in the DC universe is swooping to the rescue – and it's being worked on by non other than comic book legend Mark Waid.

Announced ahead of its crowdfunding campaign launch in July 2026, the Justice League Unlimited Roleplaying Game allows players to either "create a unique hero or assume the identity of established characters." While you'll find a few superhero systems amongst the best tabletop RPGs (including Marvel Multiverse Roleplaying Game and an upcoming Invincible RPG), none of those feature Mark Waid, the writer behind iconic comic books like Kingdom Come, a seminal Daredevil run, Superman: Birthright, and Justice League itself.

The Justice League TTRPG isn't just about beating up bad guys and stopping bank robbers, though. According to the press release, its "narrative delves into the profound responsibility of bearing this mantle. In the beginning, players will answer five fundamental questions, the League's 'Tacit Clauses,' which define each character's moral code." As you'd expect from a comic book-inspired game, those origin stories are key parts of your adventure; you choose your heritage from options like Amazonian or Kryptonian and decide the archetype you'd like to embody. That ranges from the hopeful, Superman-esque Champion of Tomorrow or the fear-inducing, Batman-inspired Dark Knight.

In terms of gameplay, the Justice League Unlimited Roleplaying Game puts an emphasis on fast-paced combat, time-sensitive sections where you're fighting to save civilians, "Interlude Moments" that encourage exploring your character's personality or relationships, and the ominous-sounding Crisis Die. This "unleashes catastrophic events that alter history’s course, such as an unforeseen alien invasion, the loss of powers, or the arrival of a time traveler."

The CEO of publisher D20 Culture, Peterson Rodrigues, says that "working with comic legend Mark Waid to create something new in this universe has been such an honor. With the Justice League Unlimited Roleplaying Game we are really pushing our work to new heights to create an original and bold system for players to immerse themselves in the tales of the Justice League, we cannot wait to bring this to audiences across the world."

Meanwhile, Wait adds that tabletop RPGs "have such an amazing opportunity to bring new stories to fans and allow them to experience these beloved worlds and characters in a whole new way. Approaching Justice League Unlimited Roleplaying Game my priority has been to set up a new story that fits authentically into this canon and builds upon it to provide a narrative playground for players to make their own."

We don't have a release date for the Justice League Unlimited RPG yet, but you can find out more via the game's Gamefound page.

Want something new to play? Try the best board games, or the best card games.

Marvel and DC are in the midst of a series of crossovers bringing together the best loved characters of both universes, with Spider-Man/Superman #1, the next one-shot in the series, arriving later this month. If you're ready for it now, you're in luck, as we've got your first look at one of the stories in the anthology one-shot.

The story, titled 'Metropolis Marvels,' is written by Dan Slott, who has written more Spider-man comics than anybody else, along with Marcos Martin, one of the best modern Spidey artists who has worked with Slott multiple times. 'Metropolis Marvels' brings together Spider-Man Noir and the original Golden Age Superman as Noir comes face-to-face with Lex Luthor.

Here's the page:

Marvel's Spider-Man/Superman #1 follows DC's Superman/Spider-Man #1, on shelves now. Spider-Man/Superman #1 contains nine stories, each of which features not just the two main characters but others such as Steel, Supergirl, Gwen Stacy, Thor, Wonder Woman, and more.

"Everyone here at Marvel is excited to be re-teaming with our friends at DC for another colossal crossover, this time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our two icons, Spider-Man and Superman, first teaming up!" Marvel editor-in-chief CB Cebulski said when Spider-Man/Superman #1 was announced. "I can't wait for fans of every generation to read these spectacular stories that our titanic talent are telling, featuring all-new, easily accessible stories about the ever-growing Spider-Man and Superman families meeting for the first time."

Spider-Man/Superman #1 goes on sale April 22. Meanwhile, Prime Video's Spider-Noir live-action show premieres on May 27. And after that, DC's Supergirl movie hits theaters on June 26. For more, check out the best Marvel Comics events ever and the best DC events ever.

After more than 20 years, DC and Marvel's biggest and best crossover JLA/Avengers (or Avengers/JLA depending on the issue) is returning to print as a monthly comic with a new facsimile edition re-release that recreates the original 2003-2004 series in its entirety.

This is only the second reprint of the crossover, following an extremely limited re-release in a single volume after the 2022 death of George Pérez, the legendary artist of JLA/Avengers, who created the comic alongside writer Kurt Busiek in a landmark run on the monthly Avengers series.

The original release of JLA/Avengers was decades in the making, with Marvel and DC initially planning the comic for the early '80s before it was canceled, with George Pérez, already a superstar artist for both publishers even creating promotional art with the two teams squaring off. While JLA/Avengers does indeed feature the two top-tier superhero teams duking it out, it naturally leads to the JLA and Avengers joining forces.

Here's a gallery of the original covers of the four issue JLA/Avengers limited series:

"It's the grandest Marvel and DC comics crossover of them all and an icon-packed event decades in the making!" reads the official description of JLA/Avengers. After years of anticipation, JLA/AVENGERS reunited acclaimed writer Kurt Busiek (Marvels) with his AVENGERS collaborator George Pérez - an artistic legend for both companies - to assemble every single member of Earth's Mightiest and the World's Greatest in one blockbuster book! Universes collide as the Justice League fights the towering Terminus and the Avengers face the awesome menace of Starro! Each team must undertake an epic quest on the other's world, with the fate of both realities in the balance!"

DC will republish JLA/Avengers #1 on May 27, followed by Marvel's Avengers: JLA #2 on June 24. The reprint then jumps back over to DC for JLA/Avengers #3 on July 22, finally wrapping up with Avengers: JLA #4 on August 26. They'll all get new variant covers which have yet to be revealed.

Dig into the best Marvel stories of all time as well as the best DC stories of all time,

DC Comics boss Jim Lee has commented on the "advantage" manga and anime has over American comics – and how he enjoys the challenge that their competition presents.

"The stories told in Japanese manga and anime are incredibly powerful," Lee told Japanese publication Nikkei XTrend (via Anime Corner). "I often find myself wondering, 'What is missing in Western comics, and why aren’t they able to achieve the same flavor?' Also, I think manga has an 'advantage' over American comics, which are mostly about superheroes, and that’s where the majority of sales and readers are concentrated."

Lee has been the president, publisher, and chief creative officer at DC Comics since 2023. He started out as an artist for Marvel Comics, and his style was used for the designs in X-Men: The Animated Series.

"In Japan, it’s closer to 'literature,' and anyone can read it, and it’s not just hero stories. There’s a much wider range of genres, like stories about cooking and soccer. You can draw stories from that," he continued. "So I’m very happy that the manga has been so successful, because it gives me a 'goal' to aim for. The manga market is bigger than our industry, so the question becomes, 'What can we learn from this?'"

Manga and anime are only on the rise across the globe, including in the West. Just last week, streaming giant Netflix partnered with MAPPA, the animation studio behind Jujutsu Kaisen, to "work together on new projects with a global perspective, from story development to merchandise."

For more, check out our picks of the best anime to add to your watchlist, or take a look at our guide to all the new anime in 2026.

There are very good superhero stories that came out in 2025. DC's Absolute offerings continue to blow the doors off the industry, the Ultimate universe is gunning towards an ultimate conclusion, and Grant Morrison wrote a Batman/Deadpool crossover.

But there's only one book that's delivering the superhero space at its best — making an old idea new — while also pushing to the creative edges of the comics form: Absolute Martian Manhunter from Deniz Camp and Javier Rodríguez.

A twisted universe

AMM meets the same brief of every other book in DC Comics' Absolute line, which goes like this: Darkseid, the cosmic god of fascism and apathy, created a new parallel DC Universe in his own image. Have you ever felt that the world was just deep down broken? In the Absolute Universe, that's empirically true. The same familiar superheroes are here, battling evil with fewer resources, more challenges, and prevailing in spite of it all. Batman's not rich, Superman never got adopted, Wonder Woman grew up in hell, not paradise, and the Martian Manhunter is "the Martian," a bodiless psychic force sharing the mind of FBI agent John Jones.

Traditionally, private detective John Jones is the civilian identity of J'onn J'onzz, the last of the Green Martians, better known as the shapeshifting Justice League stalwart, the Martian Manhunter. At least, when he bothers to have a secret identity at all — over time and different retellings, John Jones has been a guise that J'onn fabricated, or a recently passed human detective whose identity he adopted.

Camp and Rodríguez's revamp turns the singular character into a transcendental buddy cop duo, battling a wave of anti-social violence in John's hometown of Middleton. The Martian Manhunter's traditionally sprawling set of superpowers (speed, flight, strength, shapeshifting, invisibility, heat vision, and more) are culled into a single focus: John's ability to deescalate violence in the material world and the Martian's ability to address its roots on the psychic. With that narrative concept, Camp and Rodríguez have built a visual playground for Rodríguez's best skill: Color.

Vibrant headspace

While Javier Rodríguez has been making comics since the 1990s and has more than a few original graphic novels under his belt in his native Spain, in the American comics market, he primarily works as a colorist. When he does step up to do interior art, it's often for just a few issues, or, lately, for projects in which printed color is an inextricable facet of the story. Of that latter category, Absolute Martian Manhunter is maybe the best example yet.

For their telepathic detective who battles the emotional roots of social isolation, Camp and Rodríguez chose to visualize emotion as color — bright yellow, orange, red, and magenta, multiple greens and blues. Color billows out of characters' mouths, filling the air like the secondhand smoke of a noir hero, with John Jones and the Martian as the only beings who can breathe it in.

Absolute Martian Manhunter is a book where every character's emotions are on display, but nobody can actually communicate. The root of every problem is the inability (or refusal) to connect; John with his wife, John's non-verbal son with the world, bystanders with their loved ones, perpetrators of violence with their communities. On constant display is the inefficiency of language to bridge the gap between minds, and the difficulties people have in finding their voices in the first place. The Martian speaks in "concept constellations," clusters of equally descriptive words presented simultaneously, because no single human word suffices.

It's the kind of inventiveness of text and visual, and harmony of art and story, that comics usually only approach when they're the work of a single creator. AMM has three, between Camp, Rodríguez, and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. The team displays an expert understanding of what's possible with comics imagery, and also with the comic as a physical object, punctuating the biggest mic-drops of the series with a trick of printing and reader participation.

When Absolute Martian Manhunter really wants you to sit up and pay attention to duality in unity, it prints one image on a page, another mirror-flipped image on the opposite side, and invites you to hold the comic itself up to the light, to see the two pages as a single visual.

Exactly the kind of creativity and inventiveness that is easily squeezed flat under the monthly comics churn, corporate pressures, and tendency to choose the reliable over the experimental. And all that visual wow is in the service of a story with a true point of view on modern American isolation packaged in the best scifi allegory. In a crowded year of superheroic bangers, Absolute Martian Manhunter stands above — there is simply no other superhero book like it on the stands.

While Absolute Martian Manhunter tops the list, there's something for everyone in the best comics of 2025.

Superman/Spider-Man is on the horizon this spring, and we now know the story details and creative teams of DC's side of the big crossover event with Marvel.

The main story by writer Mark Waid and artist Jorge Jiménez will feature the two lead characters teaming up against a pair of their arch-enemies as Doctor Octopus and Brainiac, while a slew of back-up stories will bring together different iterations of Spider-Man, Superman, and their allies.

"When journalists Clark Kent and Peter Parker find themselves chasing the same story, the conspiracy they uncover could change the world – especially if Brainiac and Doctor Octopus have anything to say about it. (And we bet they do!)" reads DC's official description of Superman/Spider-Man #1. "Good thing our intrepid newshounds are secretly Superman and the amazing Spider-Man. To bring this clash of reporters‑turned‑heroes to life, Mark Waid and Jorge Jiménez join forces to headline DC's Superman/Spider-Man #1 with an unforgettable lead story."

Here's DC's rundown of the rest of the stories and creative teams in their side of the crossover, which will also include a number of reprint stories:

• Tom King and Jim Lee tell a tale of Lois Lane and Mary Jane Watson, Matt Fraction and Steve Lieber revisit Superman’s pal Jimmy Olsen…and Carnage
• Sean Murphy takes us to the future with Superboy (Legion) and Spider-Man 2099, Gail Simone teams up with Belén Ortega for a look at what happens when Power Girl meets Punisher
• Christopher Priest and Daniel Sampere show us a time when Superboy Prime (who reads all the comics!) decided to visit Spider-Man right after he got the black suit
• Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott take us on an exciting race between the Daily Planet and the Daily Bugle
• Plus, we finally get to answer the age-old question of who would win in a fair fight: Pa Kent or Uncle Ben! (Just kidding, those guys are too nice to fight each other, but Jeff Lemire and Rafa Sandoval will take us deep into the past to see the two men bond in the face of adversity).

And here's a gallery of covers for the event by Jorge Jiménez; Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair; Daniel Sampere and Tomeu Morey; Dave Johnson; David Nakayama, Gabriele Dell'Otto, Mikel Janín; Raphael Albuquerque; Stanley "Artgerm" Lau, David Talaski, Clayton Crain, and Raphael Albuquerque:

The one-shot will also feature more yet-to-be-revealed covers by Arthur Adams, Chrissie Zullo, Josh Middleton, Scott Koblish, Olivier Coipel, Adam Hughes, Mitch Gerads, Jeff Spokes, Evan "Doc" Shaner, Steve Lieber, J. Scott Campbell, Rafael Sandoval, and more.

Superman/Spider-Man #1 goes on sale March 25. For more, check out the best Marvel stories ever, and the best DC stories of all time.

Ever since DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn announced a new, more superheroic take on Batman in The Brave and the Bold, fans have been begging for a bat-suit that is closer to the Caped Crusader's classic comic look, with a blue and grey color scheme, a yellow oval around the bat-symbol, and white eye lenses. But Gunn has now reiterated that Batman's costume details are "less important" to him than the movie's story and how it portrays the character.

"The most requested thing would be the blue and grey. Then the yellow around the bat. And THEN the white eyes," Gunn tells a fan on social media who asks specifically about white lenses. "But all of those things I find less important than the character himself, the writing, and the person who plays him."

Gunn's response reflects his earlier comments on the topic, which has become a common refrain among fans who want something a little different from the all-black, tactical style bat-suits that have mostly defined Batman's look in the movies.

"There's a religious aspect to some of this stuff that's very uncomfortable," Gunn stated previously. "Should Batman have white eyes? That's a big subject of conversation. It's like, 'Guys, that's really what matters?' But those are the things they care about. Should his utility belt be yellow? Should he have the yellow crest around the bat? All of that sort of stuff. None of those things are what's most important to me. What matters is the character, the story."

The Brave and the Bold, which has been said to feature not just Batman, but Robin, and potentially other members of the bat-family, will be directed by filmmaker Andy Muschetti, who has one previous DC strikeout under his belt with 2023's much-maligned The Flash.

To be fair though, the return of Michael Keaton's Batman was one of the aspects of The Flash that actually kinda worked. And Muschetti's track record with the IT films and the Welcome to Derry spin-off/prequel could indicate that he'd be a better fit for the Dark Knight, given his affinity for moodier subject matter.

Of course, we also don't know who will play the DCU's Batman just yet - only that it won't be Robert Pattinson's take on the Caped Crusader, whose own, separate continuity carries forward in 2027 with The Batman Part 2. You can keep up to date with everything the DC Universe has in store with our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and shows.

A nearly pristine copy of the original 1939 Superman #1 has sold through Heritage Auctions for $9.12 million USD, officially making it the most valuable and expensive comic of all time. Along with the extreme rarity of any comics from 1939, the copy of Superman #1's almost impossibly perfect condition, rated at 9.0 out of 10 by comic grading authority the CGC (Certified Guaranty Company) drove its price to record levels.

The issue itself was found in a box of newspapers while cleaning out an attic in northern California, with its essentially miraculous condition preserved by its placement among other papers and a perfect set of environmental circumstances.

There's little denying that Superman is the most famous and influential characters of all time, kicking off the American superhero genre all the way back in 1938's landmark Action Comics #1. Just a little while later, the Man of Steel's adventures expanded beyond the pages of Action Comics with Superman #1.

"What a momentous day," Heritage Auctions vice president Lon Allen says in a statement. "I'm thrilled for our consignor. Superman No. 1 is a milestone in pop culture history, and this copy is not only in unprecedented condition, but it has a movie-worthy story behind it. I was glad to see the price reflect that and am honored Heritage was entrusted with this iconic book."

The previous most valuable comic was actually an 8.5 graded copy of Superman's first appearance, Action Comics #1, which sold for $6 million through Heritage Auctions in 2024 - marking a 50% jump in the record-setting price.

If you're looking to dive into the Man of Steel's adventures, you might want to check out our picks for the best Superman comics of all time.

Absolute Batman artist Nick Dragotta wants to see the comic book series adapted for the small screen – and he'd love Studio Trigger to do it.

"I'm not in the know, but I know DC makes and licenses quality stuff so I'm excited to see what comes," Dragotta said during an AMA on the League of Comic Geeks forum when asked if he'd had any discussions about adaptations with James Gunn. "Personally, I'd love to see a Studio Trigger anime of Ab Bat."

Studio Trigger is the Japanese animation studio behind Delicious in Dungeon, two episodes of anthology show Star Wars: Visions, and Netflix hit Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.

As for Absolute Batman, which is written by Scott Snyder, the comic features Bruce Wayne as a blue-collar civil engineer in his early 20s instead of a billionaire. By night, he's still the vigilante Batman, but Alfred Pennyworth is an MI6 agent stalking him rather than his faithful butler. The first issue was published in October 2024 as the first title in DC's Absolute Universe imprint. It was the bestselling comic of 2024 and reached number five on the New York Times' bestseller list.

Next up for the DCU Chapter One is Lanterns, which arrives on HBO in early 2026. Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre star as the Green Lantern Corps' Hal Jordan and John Stewart as they investigate a murder on Earth.

For more from DC Studios, check out our guide to the other upcoming DC movies and shows on the way, including Supergirl, Man of Tomorrow, and more.

Though it's not officially 100% confirmed, it looks like Brainiac will be the villain of James Gunn's new Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow, leading Supes to team up with his arch enemy Lex Luthor. Brainiac makes perfect sense for a villain to take on that role, as he's not only one of Superman's longest running foes, he's also got comic connections to Luthor, Supergirl, and Lobo.

Dating back to 1958, Brainiac has undergone many changes over the years, with comics including numerous incarnations of the villain, and other media, such as Superman: The Animated Series and My Adventures with Superman adding deeper and more destructive connections with Krypton. So here's everything you need to know about the many versions of Brainiac, and how he could fit into the DCU.

Silver Age

The original Brainiac debuted all the way back in 1958's Action Comics #242 by Otto Binder and Al Plastino, two of the most influential early Superman creators. In his earliest incarnation, he is an alien conqueror who travels the universe shrinking cities and bottling them up for his bizarre collection.

Though Brainiac evolved significantly over the years, this initial version of the character established that he captured the Kryptonian city of Kandor, holding it hostage in his spaceship. Later, Superman: The Animated Series added the addition that Brainiac destroyed KryptonIn the modern age, Superman would eventually rescue Kandor and restore it to full size, temporarily creating a new orbiting city known as New Krypton.

Computer Tyrant

Brainiac's first major evolution came when he was changed from simply being an alien conqueror into being a diabolical artificial intelligence with a destructive streak, redefining him as a so-called Computer Tyrant named Vril-Dox from the planet Colu. The AI Brainiac later transferred his mind into a nearly unkillable series of android bodies adorned with a metallic skull.

This version of Brainiac became one of his most iconic portrayals, setting him up as one of Superman's most deadly and determined villains, also elevating him into a DC Universe level threat. It's also one of Brainiac's most visually striking incarnations, also introducing his menacing Skull Ship as his base of operations.

Milton Fine

In the '90s, Brainiac took a form closer to his original portrayal as a green-skinned humanoid. In this case, he was actually a human from Earth named Milton Fine, whose body was taken over by Brainiac's AI programming, turning him into a strange, cybernetic schemer with vast psychic powers.

The Milton Fine version of Brainiac anchored a mid-'90s DC event titled 'Panic in the Sky,' in which he uses his psychic abilities to take over the mind of that era's Supergirl to conquer the violent traveling space station known as Warworld and turn it against Earth. Given Supergirl is part of the current DCU, that tidbit could be extra relevant in Man of Tomorrow.

Time Traveler

Following the Milton Fine era, Brainiac was embodied as a series of different upgraded versions, including Brainiac 2.5, Brainiac 6, Brainiac 8, Brainiac 12, and Brainiac 13, some of whom traveled back in time from the far future to use their much more advanced AI intellect and technology to attempt to conquer Earth.

This ties into the character Brainiac 5, a member of the 30th century team the Legion of Super-Heroes, a Coluan hero who is depicted as the benevolent descendant of the present day's villainous Computer Tyrant. Interestingly, it's actually the introduction of Brainiac 5 in 1961 that spurred the first major revision of the present day Brainiac's backstory.

Collector of Worlds

In the mid-'00s, Brainiac was redefined yet again, this time in an attempt to reconcile all the different versions of the villain into one concise timeline. To accomplish this, Brainiac was reintroduced as a kind of prime Brainiac - the villain's true physical form, with all the other previous versions retconned into being clones of the prime Brainiac.

The newly reinvented Brainiac was a seeker of knowledge, seeking out planets with new information to absorb, stealing one of their cities, and destroying the planet. This Brainiac managed to shrink and steal Metropolis, with Superman eventually rescuing both his home city while also restoring the Kryptonian city of Kandor.

No Justice/Legion of Doom

Brainiac's next big move came in 2018's No Justice event, in which Brainiac arrived on Earth not as a conqueror, but with a warning that a massive cosmic threat was on its way to destroy the planet. Both heroes and villains rally to his cause, allowing Brainiac to empower them with his tech.

However, Amanda Waller becomes suspicious of Brainiac's motives, enlisting the Earth's most powerful psychics to probe the villain's mind. The psychic invasion causes Brainiac's head to explode, later leading to the revelation that he would have betrayed the Earth. He's later revived by Lex Luthor, who teams up with Brainiac to form a new version of the Legion of Doom, though Brainiac later betrays him.

House of Brainiac

Most recently, Brainiac returned to Metropolis in 2024's 'House of Brainiac' event with a whole family of android conquerors at his side, including his vicious new companion the Brainiac Queen. 'House of Brainiac' also involved some major retcons to Lobo's origins, showing that Brainiac was responsible for capturing and shrinking Lobo's home city.

Superman and Lobo eventually team up to defeat Brainiac and his cohort, with Brainiac eventually succumbing to a degeneration of his AI mind, dying as Superman promises to save his family. All Brainiac's stolen cities are restored, forming a new planet known as Colu II. With Lobo coming to the DCU in Supergirl, he could be involved in Man of Tomorrow.

While we wait for Man of Tomorrow to hit theaters on July 9, 2026, you can stay up to date on all the upcoming DC movies and shows that are in the works.

Almost 90 years after Superman was first called the Man of Tomorrow, James Gunn is reviving the name for his big sequel

It's official: James Gunn's big Superman sequel is just under two years away, and it's been given the title Man of Tomorrow. What's more, it will center on a team-up between Supes and Lex Luthor against a new enemy who is powerful enough to bring them together.

Though it's a somewhat lesser known nickname, Superman has been called the Man of Tomorrow as long as he's been called the Man of Steel - or maybe even longer.

What does the title 'Man of Tomorrow' signify about James Gunn's Superman sequel, and what has it represented in comics? We'll break it all down right now.

The Man of Tomorrow in comics

Superman was first called the 'Man of Tomorrow' in 1939's New York World's Fair Comics #1, published specially for the World's Fair, which is, of course, a gathering of people from across the globe showing off new discoveries and celebrating the idea of invention and progress.

That's the same year he was first officially called the Man of Steel, in Action Comics #13, though an earlier 1938 comic had a reference to a "mystery man of steel" in 1938's Action Comics #9.

Still, the Man of Tomorrow nickname may actually date back even further than the Man of Steel title, as Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster used the term in earlier comic stories that presented a much different version of a character named 'Superman,' a kind of psychic overlord.

Up until the '90s, the Man of Tomorrow title was most notably used in the 1986 story 'Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?', a comic by legendary Watchmen writer Alan Moore and all-time-great Superman artist Curt Swan.

In that story, Moore and Swan tell the story of Superman's final days on Earth, checking in with many of his arch-enemies and supporting cast along the way. The story serves as Superman's final story before DC continuity was rebooted in at the end of the 1985/86 Crisis on Infinite Earths event.

Superman: Man of Tomorrow was also used as the title of a short-lived '90s comic series that ran for 15 issues, tying into some of Superman's biggest stories. At the time, Superman had four regular monthly titles, with one released each week. Man of Tomorrow was published in months that had five weeks of release dates.

What does the Man of Tomorrow title say about Superman 2?

Man of Tomorrow is an interesting title for Superman 2, as the film will focus on Lex Luthor and Superman having to work together against a more powerful foe (widely expected to be the alien conqueror known as Brainiac). That makes the title feel especially appropriate, given that it could easily refer to either Lex or Superman, while a nickname like 'Man of Steel' is less applicable to Luthor.

The lack of the name Superman in the title also seems to indicate that the Man of Tomorrow name is intended to apply somewhat ambiguously to both characters, which is reinforced by the concept art for the film which shows Superman and Lex fighting before somewhat begrudgingly joining forces.

There's also the potential that 'Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?' will add some influence to the movie, as the comic involves Superman confronting numerous members of his rogues gallery and his supporting cast.

Less likely is that the name Man of Tomorrow might indicate any kind of alt-reality or continuity reboot, factors in that comic book story. Gunn is already in the midst of building the architecture of the new DC Universe and smoothing out the seams with what's come before, so it seems like a stretch that there would be another reboot on the way.

We'll likely find out more in the lead up to Man of Tomorrow's July 9, 2027 release date. In the meantime, stay on top of all the upcoming DC movies and shows that are in the works.

DC has now revealed the further details of the stories that will appear in its side of the publishers upcoming crossover with Marvel Comics, Batman/Deadpool #1. Marvel has already revealed the exciting list of stories, including a Wolverine/Batman tale by the legendary Frank Miller.
But DC is also rising to the occasion by bringing all-time-great writer Grant Morrison back to Batman, a character they revolutionized with a formative run in the early '00s, who will join up with one of DC's current top artists, Dan Mora, for the issue's main story. And that's just scratching the surface of the stacked line-up of characters and creators filling out the rest of the stories.

Alongside Morrison and Mora's main story, writers Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, and Joshua Williamson and artist Hayden Sherman will present a team-up between magical maestros John Constantine and Doctor Strange. Then writer Tom Taylor will team up with the artist of his Nightwing run, Bruno Redondo, for a crossover between Dick Grayson and Laura Kinney Wolverine.

Meanwhile, in a story by writer Mariko Tamaki and artist Amanda Conner, Harley Quinn and Hulk will have a "showdown" that apparently involves a hot dog eating contest. And finally, Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan's co-creator writer G. Willow Wilson and Static co-creator artist Denys Cowan bring together the two young adult heroes for a shared adventure.

Here's a gallery of all 22 covers for Batman/Deadpool #1, followed by a list of the artist of each cover:

• Dan Mora – Batman/Deadpool wraparound
• Lee Bermejo – The Joker/Doctor Doom
• Mark Brooks – Zatanna/Scarlet Witch
• Jim Cheung and Jay David Ramos – Wonder Woman/Captain America
• Amanda Conner and Alex Sinclair – Harley Quinn/Hulk
• Nick Dragotta and Frank Martin – Batman/The Punisher
• Jenny Frison – Wonder Woman/Storm
• Andy Kubert and Alejandro Sánchez – Robin (Damian Wayne)/Gambit
• Jae Lee and June Chung – Big Barda/Savage Land Rogue
• Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair – Batman/Wolverine
• Alexander Lozano – Wonder Woman/Ms. Marvel
• Sean Murphy and Simon Gough – Lobo/Deadpool
• Frank Quitely – Batman/Deadpool
• Bruno Redondo – Nightwing (Dick Grayson)/Wolverine (Laura Kinney)
• Hayden Sherman – John Constantine/Doctor Strange
• Bill Sienkiewicz – Batman/Deadpool — a The Incredible Hulk #340 homage
• Ryan Sook – Batman/Deadpool — a Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 homage
• Sozomaika – Catwoman/Emma Frost

Marvel's Deadpool/Batman #1 goes on sale September 17, followed by DC's Batman/Deadpool #1 on November 19. While we wait, check out our picks for the best DC stories of all time and the best Marvel Comics stories of all time.

Marvel and DC's big crossover kicks off in September's Deadpool/Batman #1, representing the Marvel side of the first meeting between the two companies in nearly 30 years, and now the publisher has revealed interior pages from the crossover.

Along with several pages from the main Deadpool/Batman story by Zeb Wells and Greg Capullo, the preview also includes pages from Kevin Smith and Adam Kubert's Green Arrow/Daredevil story, as well as Kelly Thompson and Gurihiru's Jeff the Land Shark/Krypto the Super Dog story.

Check it out:

Not included in the preview are the rest of the one-shot's stories, including a Captain America/Wonder Woman crossover by Chip Zdarsky and Terry Dodson, Rocket Raccoon and Green Lantern by Al Ewing and Dike Ruan, and of course, a Wolverine/Batman crossover by Frank Miller.

"The DEADPOOL/BATMAN one-shot marks the first crossover between the world's greatest comic book companies in decades, soon to be followed in November by Batman/Deadpool #1, a one-shot published by DC," reads Marvel's official description of the one-shot. "Both comics will deliver explosive sagas starring Marvel's Merc with a Mouth and DC's Caped Crusader, along with backup stories that showcase additional team-ups and showdowns between legendary characters from both universes."

Marvel and DC have a long history of crossovers going back decades, but corporate distance and legal red tape have kept them apart since the early '00s, when they released perhaps the pinnacle of their shared stories in the now legendary JLA/Avengers, which itself took decades to make happen.

Deadpool/Batman #1 goes on sale September 17. While we wait, check out the most unlikely comic book crossovers ever.

As part of Marvel and DC's new crossover – their first in over 20 years – legendary creator Frank Miller will return to both Wolverine and Batman by writing and drawing a back-up story that presents perhaps the ultimate comic book brawl: Old Man Logan vs. Miller's grizzled Dark Knight.

When it comes to legendary DC and Marvel Comics creators, few names stand out as brightly as Frank Miller, who brought superhero comics to a new, more mature audience in the '80s thanks in part to his work on the first Wolverine solo series alongside writer Chris Claremont, and his own Batman epic The Dark Knight Returns.

With Marvel and DC now coming together once again for a more creator-focused crossover than their specifically character driven '90s Marvel Vs. DC series, it seems fitting that Miller step back into interior comics with two of the characters that most solidified him as a household name for comic fans, and one of the most influential comic creators ever to grace the medium.

Along with the story itself, Miller has drafted a variant cover for Deadpool/Batman #1, the Marvel side of the crossover (as opposed to DC's Batman/Deadpool #1), which shows off his 2025 renditions of his Dark Knight Batman, and Marvel's now classic post-apocalyptic Wolverine, Old Man Logan.

Miller's 2025 style is indeed more eccentric than his classic '80s work. But Miller is a lot like Nicholas Cage in that way. He hit the absolute top of his craft relatively early in his career, proving his mastery of the medium, and he's been allowing himself to experiment more and more ever since.

Honestly, Miller has nothing to prove at this point, so this story feels like a nice victory lap for a comic creator whose work has touched countless fans and inspired legions of creators who followed him, and a fitting return to two of his most well-loved works.

Deadpool/Batman #1 goes on sale September 17. In the meantime, check out the best Batman stories of all time including The Dark Knight Returns, and the best Wolverine stories of all time, Old Man Logan included.

The Thing's beard in The Fantastic Four: First Steps has been a quirky topic of conversation since it was shown in trailers for the upcoming blockbuster film. And while there is comic book precedent for Thing growing a big rocky beard, what we haven't seen is how he shaves in the new movie - until now.

A new teaser for the film, seen below, shows him sanding down his beard with an angle-grinder, complete with sparks flying everywhere. It's honestly a hilarious image, and a fun little touch that reminds viewers of the human being underneath Ben Grimm's rocky exterior.

The Thing has been shown to grow a beard in comics, though only in a far-flung alt-future where he's the last surviving member of the Fantastic Four hundreds of years from now. And that comic definitely didn't explain how he shaves.

What's extra funny to me is that the Thing's method of shaving reminds me of the absolutely absurd way that Superman, star of this summer's other big superhero movie, canonically shaves in comic books, a question that isn't addressed in the movie (much to my chagrin).

In comics, going all the way back to the Silver Age, Superman has been shown shaving, cutting his hair, and even trimming his nails with his own heat vision thanks to its otherwise indestructible nature, either by bouncing the beams off a mirror, or in some cases, off a small piece of his Kryptonian ship.

It's a trope that was even adapted into Superman: The Animated Series, where Clark Kent blasts away his morning stubble by beaming his heat vision of his bathroom mirror, and other Superman media as well.

The topic of superheroes shaving in unorthodox ways is something that's always funny to me, because it's a humanizing element that makes characters who are in some ways deeply unrelatable to us as normal people much more familiar.

In current Fantastic Four comics, it's Johnny Storm who has picked up the trend, following a long period of his brother-in-law Reed Richards sporting a beard. But Johnny's facial hair is a bit more eccentric than just a beard, as he's been sporting a fairly ridiculous mustache. Meanwhile, Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards has a beard - and a dashing one at that.

This summer's two big blockbuster superhero movies have made a point of bringing the human back to superhumans, with Superman using Clark Kent's love of his adopted planet and its people as a core motivating factor for the Man of Steel, while The Fantastic Four: First Steps is built around the concept of the FF as a family first and superheroes second.

That's a trope that originates with the Fantastic Four comic, which changed superheroes forever when it debuted back in 1961, as one of the very first titles in the genre to give its heroes feet of clay and their share of interpersonal foibles.

Here's hoping the charm that's been shown in trailers for The Fantastic Four: First Steps carries through the film, and even into the wider MCU. The film premieres July 25 to kick off Marvel Phase 6. In the meantime, be sure to check out our full breakdown of all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows coming soon. And check out our guide on how to watch all the Marvel movies in order.

James Gunn's Superman exists in a world full of superheroes, which includes the Justice Gang that hangs out in its under-construction headquarters, the Hall of Justice – one of the classic home bases of the comic book Justice League. But the Justice Gang heroes aren't the only ones in the hall, as there's a whole mural on the wall depicting superheroes going back 300 years (or potentially more), as established in the intro of the film – and it includes the world's first ever superhero team, the Justice Society of America.

The JSA is the real world's first superhero team. First appearing all the way back in 1940's All-Star Comics #3, the JSA was the first group of heroes assembled from across other comic books. A version of the team based on the JSA's modern incarnation appeared in the ill-fated Black Adam movie, and the characters of Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl and Michael Holt/Mister Terrific of the Justice Gang also came to prominence in the late '90s version of the JSA.

In terms of who's on the mural, which can be glimpsed in some of the film's trailers – the JSA members seen include the Spectre, Wildcat, Sandman (the '40s mystery man, not the mythical demigod), and of course, Jay Garrick, the original Flash.

This seems to indicate that the JSA also existed in the history of the new DCU, in an era visited by Creature Commandos in its flashbacks to GI Robot's WWII past.

Other characters seen on the mural include the medieval hero Silent Knight, the 16th century vigilante the Black Pirate, the sci-fi armored hero Atomic Knight, Indigenous hero Black Bison, and Vibe of the Justice League, known for his role in CW's Flash show. Perhaps most interestingly, the mural also includes the otherworldly fantasy hero Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld, who was hinted at in Creature Commandos.

Gunn confirmed the intent of the mural in an interview with Buzzfeed.

"It's a giant Easter egg. The scene where the Justice Gang is in the Hall of Justice," Gunn says, explaining that the real location where they filmed the scene has a real life historical mural. "We replaced that with a mural of the metahumans that have existed in the DCU over the years."

We'll have to wait and see just how these heroes of the past will fit in as the DCU continues to grow, but for now, the mural is another hint at the history of the new DC Universe and how it might continue to show the heroes that have come before.

Superman is in theaters now. For more, check out our guides to all the upcoming DC movies and TV shows and how to watch the DC movies in order.

I've been a superhero fan basically since I could hold a comic book in my hands. My dad read them to me when I was little. I learned to read from superhero comics. I've been collecting them on my own for close to 40 years at this point. You could say I'm a dyed-in-the-wool superhero fan. And so, I've seen just about every superhero movie in theaters since 1989's Batman (even Shaq's notoriously awful '90s Steel movie). But I've never seen anything on the big screen like James Gunn's Superman.

I could gush about the pitch-perfect performances from the entire cast, the love story at the movie's core, the way the cinematography breathes life into the action sequences - but what really makes James Gunn's Superman reboot so unique, and what makes me so hopeful for the direction of the DC Universe, is that it's the superhero movie that feels the most like reading a comic book of any I've ever seen.

Instead of taking a comic book and trying to adapt it into the pacing and story format of a standard blockbuster film, Gunn is reinventing the superhero genre by approaching Superman through the opposite lens of trying to make a feature film more closely resemble the pacing and storytelling style of comic books themselves.

Who knew that the freshest take on the genre in years would come from just plain turning back to the comic books that inspire superhero movies to begin with in a way that goes deeper than simply mining them for vibes?

Building a universe

Basically since it was announced, James Gunn's Superman has been saddled with the lofty burden of having to launch a brand new, totally fresh, compelling superhero universe from the ashes of one of the most contentious string of comic book movies ever made, in the previous DCEU.

Love or hate the movies of the DCEU themselves, it's hard to argue that they didn't quite manage to chart the same path to a successfully interwoven superhero universe as the MCU, not for lack of trying.

What Gunn does with Superman is sidestep the building-a-team vibe of the original Avengers era Phase One MCU, and focuses instead on having Superman inhabit a world that is already full of superheroes, villains, and sci-fi adventures - a world of Gods and Monsters, to borrow the DC Universe's moniker for its 'Chapter One' era of films and series.

The Justice Gang, Metamorpho, and others are already in Superman's world, a DC Universe where people are no stranger to seeing superheroes on the street, and where costumed crimefighting is an increasingly common pursuit.

We're not waiting to see a superhero show up in Gunn's Superman movie. We're not holding our breath to see Superman cross paths with even one other hero. We're already in a living, breathing DC Universe.

Embracing comic book storytelling

For me, as a lifelong reader of superhero comics, that feels just like home. When I was first starting to more actively collect comics in the late '80s and early '90s, there were very few options to read the comics that came before the latest issues on the stands at the grocery stores and magazine racks where many of us most often purchased them.

There were few collected editions of standard monthly comics, unlike now, where you can walk into a comic shop or a bookstore and find shelves of the latest collected volumes. Even in comic specialty shops, at their height in the mid-'90s, your best option to read older comics was to dig through bins of individual issues hoping to find the ones you were after.

What this means in practice is that, when I first got into the X-Men, I just started picking up the ones that were on the racks at the time (the legendary Uncanny X-Men run by writer Chris Claremont and artist Jim Lee, luckily enough). I learned about the characters and the world by joining them in progress, uncovering their secrets as I read.

Nowadays, that's seen as a less preferable way to start reading a comic like, say, Superman, than starting at one of the many on-ramps that have been created through collected editions and online reading services.

That's not to sound like an old person shouting at a cloud, because believe me, I would not prefer to go back to a time when comics both old and new weren't as widely available as they are now.

But it's an ethos of the long tradition of comic reading, and how comic readers have traditionally met and fallen in love with characters, that has seeped its way into James Gunn's Superman in a way that feels like the most effective way possible to have launched an entire universe of heroes and villains without starting at the basic square one.

A living, breathing Metropolis

While plopping us down right in a living, breathing superhero universe, James Gunn's Superman also employs many of the same tricks that have traditionally helped comic readers acclimate to jumping into a long running title.

Instead of long exposition hallways, or endless conversations around a hologram table that put everyone's personalities on pause while some big macguffin is explained (both things that were the sloggiest spots in Gunn's otherwise generally breezy Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy), Gunn takes a more comic book-y approach by peppering bits of explanation into the existing scenes through dialogue.

Even to this day, when you pick up any old issue of most superhero comics, you'll be treated to little bits of introduction through dialogue and captions that help quickly establish the characters and their world, complete with references to other things happening in that universe.

Comics have thankfully evolved beyond the Silver Age tropes of characters announcing their powers every time they're used, but Gunn deftly uses a more contemporary take on these old faithful comic storytelling tools to help establish the new DC Universe.

Likewise, Gunn doesn't hesitate to offer a handful of adventures to bring us deeper into the new DC Universe. Every chunk of Superman feels like a new issue of comics, complete with guest stars, and transitions between narratives that stand alone while still linking each chapter.

Superman hangs out with the Justice Gang. He encounters Metamorpho. He deals with multiple crises and enemies, all while still anchoring the broader story around the relationship of Superman and Lois Lane, and Lex Luthor's villainous schemes. That's a lot like in comics, where stories are told across multi-issue arcs in which each entry has its own problem to solve, all adding up to a cohesive narrative.

When characters like the Justice Gang aren't onscreen, we're unobtrusively reminded that they're still out there, dealing with problems without Superman - something that feels all too uncommon in most mainstream superhero movies where it tends to feel like the heroes are just kind of hanging around doing nothing until the latest supervillain forces them to get back to work.

Superheroes as a fully realized genre

This all adds up to a superhero movie that truly does feel like something new in a genre that's become mired in the same old formula again and again. And it's done not by trying to adapt the concept of Superman into a separate film genre or blockbuster framework, but by attempting to create a new way to truly embody superhero comics on the big screen - a more fully realized genre unto itself.

Gunn himself recently told GQ that he doesn't believe in superhero fatigue, he believes in "mediocre movie fatigue," citing the superhero genre's current over-reliance on the novelty of introducing yet another new hero, or bringing characters together only after years of build up between each crossover event.

For example, while Gunn's Superman does have a post-credits stinger scene (which I won't spoil, even though it's not crucial to the plot), there's no moment at the end where, say, Amanda Waller shows up to bring someone into the Suicide Squad - no Nick Fury moment, if you will.

Instead, these connections simply already exist right in front of us. They're not held back in favor of turning every project into nothing more than an appetizer for the next (a sad trend of some of the least interesting MCU streaming series), nor are they used as cheap hooks to make the viewer clap just cause they recognized another character named after a totally unrelated comic book hero (something even I've been guilty of).

Can Superman save superhero movies?

Not only does this work as a pitch perfect way to establish a steadily growing DC Universe, it has the instant effect of making the MCU's take on a world of superheroes feel downright grounded and dull.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps does have me hoping that the impending new direction of the MCU follows a similar approach to allowing its creators to build a fully living, breathing, unique world without simply falling back on the promise of yet another new character or plotline next time as the only trick available.

For now, James Gunn's Superman has not necessarily reinvented the wheel with superhero movies, but he's stopped fighting against the idea that superhero movies should resemble comic books, and instead embraced the trappings, visuals, and pacing that has defined the medium for decades.

He's also set the new bar for superhero films - so Marvel, the ball's in your court.

Superman is in theaters now. For more, check out our guides to all the upcoming DC movies and TV shows and how to watch the DC movies in order.

There is no better time than now to dive into the best Superman comics of all time. For decades, Clark Kent has given us heroic tales and some of the best outings in the superhero genre, period. In fact, Superman isn't only the best-selling comics character of all time, but he's also arguably one of the most influential characters in all of pop culture. With James Gunn's new movie, Superman, now out in cinemas (read our Superman review for more details on that), a new generation of readers has been introduced to DC's golden boy.

Like with most upcoming superhero movies, comics get a surge in both seasoned and new readers. Many Superman fans want to refresh themselves with the classics before their cinema trips, while others may want to learn more about Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's creation. However, let's be honest, Superman has been around for decades, so picking out his best stories to give your time and attention to can be tricky if you don't know where to start. That's where we come in, though!

To help you scratch any heroic story itches after watching the new DC movie, we've gathered the very best from our favourite Kryptonian. Below you'll find the 10 best Superman comics of all time, along with information on where you can read them for yourself. We also have a guide on the best way to start reading the Superman comics if you're completely new to the genre. But for now, let's stick to the absolute greats. So grab your capes and get reading, folks!

10. Superman Smashes The Klan

Published in: Superman Smashes the Klan #1–3, by Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru

Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru venture into the past for 2019's three-part tale, Superman Smashes The Klan. Basing this on a bygone radio serial entitled 'Clan of the Fiery Cross,' Gene Luen Yang invokes a time before Superman had the full power of flight to tell a tale of integration and discrimination in '30s America. When Robert and Tommy Lee's family moves to the white-majority Metropolis suburbs, they attract harassment from the abhorrent Ku Klux Klan. Enter Superman!

Luen Yang roots his story in the real-life struggles of the Asian Community during the tumult of the early 20th Century, relating Superman's clean-cut persona to his own experiences as the son of immigrants. This is paired with Gurihiru's uncluttered linework and manga style, which creates a bold mainstream appeal. All in all, Superman Smashes the Klan is one of the best examples of a modern introductory point to the Man of Steel. Not shying away from the mundane evils of everyday racism while remaining accessible for all ages, this is an important story that remains sadly very relevant.

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9. Action Comics #23

Published in: Action Comics #23, by Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, and Paul Cassidy

Wartime journalist Clark Kent uncovers a mastermind orchestrating a prolonged war between the fictional countries of Golonia and Toran in a bid to destroy them both – and it's none other than Lex Luthor. Not yet given a first name and with an uncharacteristic mop of red hair, Luthor's debut proves that actions are more important than aesthetics. Action Comics #23 (collected in Superman: The Golden Age Vol. 2) is a pretty successful first outing for Superman's greatest villain. Appearing in very much a gestational form of the character but retaining the essence of what he would later become, Luthor has near-omnipotent surveillance powers and effortlessly puppets two armies against each other.

Released in 1940, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were clearly feeling the impact of World War II here., This is a tonally dark issue that sees Clark and Lois immersed in violence. Against the murky setting of a war on foreign soil, and with a body count on Supes' conscience, this untitled story isn't the traditional Man of Steel adventure. Still, it's an excellent example of how, even when a character's first appearance is almost unrecognizable from his modern form, the core of the character remains.

Buy Action Comics #23 on Amazon

8. Superman: Secret Identity

Published in: Superman: Secret Identity #1–4, by Kurt Busiek and Stuart Immonen

A high-concept alternate take on the Man of Steel that blurs our reality with the DC Universe we all know so well, Kurt Busiek and Stuart Immonen's Superman: Secret Identity explores the rise and fall of a Superman who grew up reading about the Man of Steel. Busiek's Clark Kent is an ordinary boy who wakes up one day with the powers of the Kryptonian. Moving from his childhood home of Kansas to Manhattan, Kent defends himself from schoolyard bullies before secretly assisting citizens in need.

But life in the public eye attracts tragedy – this Superman's public debut ends in death, and his good deeds eventually draw the eye of the US Government. As he ages, Clark's powers begin to fade, but his good work is continued by his daughters. As would be expected from the title, Busiek explores the personal implications of suddenly gaining superpowers, their effect on personal relationships, and how the world would really react to such a man. Tonally, Secret Identity sits between grim realism and bright fantasy, producing a Superman for a world that isn't perfect but also isn't without hope.

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7. Superman: Red Son

Published in: Superman: Red Son #1–3, by Mark Millar, Dave Johnson, and Kilian Plunkett

Mark Millar's prestige three-issue series asks one simple question: What would happen if Superman had been raised by the Soviet Union? 2003's Elseworlds classic Superman: Red Son seamlessly blends Cold War fears with a well-realized take on an evil Superman, ably assisted by the shared artistic style of Dave Johnson and Kilian Plunkett.

Using the same art style that typified the Soviet Union's propaganda efforts, Millar dares to show a country cowering under a malevolent Superman, as well as a Lex Luthor who manages to usher in a utopian world. We see distorted versions of DC's finest heroes, and a tale of paranoia and political backstabbing that thoroughly drowns Superman's inherent goodness in favor of his raw strength. A cautionary tale about how ideology can make or break even the strongest souls.

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6. For The Man Who Has Everything

Published in: Superman Annual #11, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

Watchmen creators Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons showcase the best of The Man of Steel in Superman Annual #11's legendary lead story. When Batman, Robin, and Wonder Woman visit the Fortress of Solitude for Superman's Birthday, they find him frozen in place with alien foliage wrapped around his chest. In his mind, Kal-El experiences a world in which Krypton did not explode. Although Krypton struggles with political and social problems that mirror our own, it is a world that Superman wishes for, but it is also a world he knows he ultimately cannot have.

There's nothing real about a utopia, and Moore realizes that even as he describes the wildest of alien worlds. Dave Gibbons illustrates Superman's powers with flair. From his cacophonous shout that fills the background and sends Robin flying to the climactic knock-out brawl between Superman and Mongul, Gibbons lends a real sense of gravitas to Moore's script with hulking and flamboyant characters. Yet another Moore and Gibbons classic, no Superman collection is complete without The Man Who Has Everything.

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5. The Origin of Superman

Published in: Superman Vol 1 #53, by Bill Finger, Wayne Boring, and Stan Kaye

In 1948, Bill Finger and Wayne Boring marked Superman's tenth anniversary with a truly apocalyptic tale. Lifting the veil on the mystery of Superman's abilities for an audience too young for Action Comics #1's famous single-page origin, Superman #53's The Origin of Superman is immersed in post-war anxiety about the atomic bomb.

Focused on Jor-El's struggle to find a future for his family, the tale of a scientist desperately trying to sound the alarm to an apathetic elite is depressingly still relevant. Boring's stoic Kryptonians soon give way to the fragile and aged Kents for a series of warm hi-jinks as young Clark grows into the Superman we all know and love. Although Superman #53 (republished in the Superman: A Celebration of 75 Years book) was far from the first time this story was told, its focus on the anguish of his birth parents contrasted with an adorable super-baby makes it by far the most effective.

Buy Superman: A Celebration of 75 Years on Amazon

4. Kingdom Come

Published in: Kingdom Come #1–4, by Mark Waid and Alex Ross

This classic DC crossover isn't solely a Superman comic – Batman and Wonder Woman both play significant roles too – but there's little doubt that Kal-El is the lynchpin character here. Set in an alternative future where the Man of Steel has retired following the death of Lois Lane, the world is now on a knife's edge due to the apocalyptic actions of new, more authoritarian characters like the murderous Magog. Convinced to get back in the game, Supes teams up with Batman, Wonder Woman, and Captain Marvel (the DC version!) to try and save the world one more time.

Written by Mark Waid and fully painted by Alex Ross, Kingdom Come is an incredible work of comics storytelling. Intended in part to contrast the old school heroics of the DC characters against the more cynical and extreme antiheroes favored by comics in the '90s, this is a story about why we still need champions as decent and good-hearted as Superman. Mark Waid has since returned to the world of Kingdom Come in his ongoing Batman/Superman: World's Finest comic.

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3. Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?

Published in: Superman #423 and Action Comics #583, by Alan Moore, Curt Swan, and George Pérez

Superman's story will never – and should never – have a definitive end. But what if it did? There's no one better-placed to tell that story than the killer team of Alan Moore (the year before he changed the comics medium forever with Watchmen) and artists Curt Swan and George Pérez. Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? says goodbye to the Silver Age era of Supes' adventures with an "imaginary story" that opens 10 years after he was last spotted on Earth, before flashing back in time to see how and why he left us behind.

It's not the happiest of tales – Lana Lang, Jimmy Olsen, Lex Luthor, and more all die here – but Moore's script is poignant, rather than dark. At the same time, he pays loving tribute to the Superman mythology of his own childhood, weaving in elements that hadn't been seen in comics in years for one last victory lap. The story reaches a bittersweet, but hopeful, conclusion before handing over to John Byrne's relaunch that took the Man of Steel into the late '80s.

Buy Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? On Amazon

2. Superman For All Seasons

Published in: Superman For All Seasons #1–4, by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale

Tim Sale's squinted eyes and tree trunk necks. Bjarne Hansen's mellow and elementally inspired color-work. Although Jeph Loeb's tender script for Superman For All Seasons is an important factor in this very special limited series, the immediate impact is a visual one. Sale's style of cartooning pushes appearances to extremes: Clark is a human brick, his parents are shriveled prunes.

Inspired by the character's earliest appearances, Luthor is a red-haired and jowly schemer. Perspective is regularly skewed in favor of sheer presence on the panel, every fundamental rule playfully bent by Sale to present Loeb's narrative. Jeph Loeb's sentimental script takes the point of view of those closest to Superman to create an archetypical Superman story that examines his impact on those around him. The troubles of raising a Super-Son. The thrill of chasing the man in blue and red. The impotence felt in the face of true good. The responsibility you're frightened to live up to. In four issues, Sale, Loeb, and Hansen rattle through Clark Kent's maturation in a sparingly beautiful manner. Whatever the weather, For All Seasons is a truly great Superman epic.

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1. All-Star Superman

Published in: All-Star Superman #1–12 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely

Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely are far from the first creators to attempt a timeless and definitive take on the Man of Steel, but they have undoubtedly created the best with their 12-issue series All-Star Superman. In a story where he is finally outsmarted by Luthor, All-Star Superman shows us a Man of Steel who must confront his impending death before eventually traveling beyond it.

Morrison indulges in a cavalcade of high concepts, flirting with time travel, gene manipulation, and living gods, as they steadily reach the end for Clark Kent. Morrison's devilishly playful tone makes All-Star Superman's bitter premise a joyful excuse for a victory lap of imaginative super-heroics. On the cover of All-Star Superman #1, Superman sits atop a cloud. He's totally relaxed, smiling modestly as the sun breaks over the horizon. Superman might have powers beyond human comprehension, and Morrison's world is certainly outlandish, but the essence of Superman lies with Kal-El's clear head and grounded demeanor.

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For more on Clark Kent's outings, check out guides on how to watch all the DC movies in order, and the best DC movies ever made. Or check out our list of all the Superman movies ranked from worst to best!

Jimmy Olsen may be Superman's pal, but the Man of Steel's best friend is Krypto, a dog from Krypton who shares most of Superman's powers. The idea of Superman's super-dog may seem a bit silly, but Krypto is one of the most beloved aspects of Superman's mythos, with noted animal lover James Gunn even bringing the world's most powerful pup into his upcoming Superman reboot film.

Krypto and the Super-Pets

Krypto has been part of the DC Universe since 1955's Adventure Comics #210 by writer Otto Binder and artists Curt Swan and Sy Barry, which introduced the dog as a one-off character, though his popularity quickly led Krypto to become part of the ongoing cast of the comic.

Krypto's backstory is explained as being an animal test subject launched into space as part of Superman's father Jor-El's attempts to save the people of Krypton from the planet's destruction.

Making his way to Earth, Krypto meets up with Superboy, forging an instant bond lasting into Superman's adulthood.

Funnily enough, Krypto is just one of several so-called Super-Pets, who, like Krypto, are possessed of powers similar to Superman. Alongside Krypto, there's also Streaky the Supercat, Comet the Super-Horse, and Beppo the Super-Monkey, though Krypto is the most commonly seen member of the menagerie.

Krypto in the new Superman movie

It's no secret that James Gunn is an animal lover - he even based Krypto in his Superman movie on his own dog Ozu (who apparently happens to have a very excited reaction to seeing himself on screen).

Gunn has also put animal heroes front-and-center in many of his superhero projects, from Rocket and Cosmo (who is an astronaut dog like Krypto) in Guardians of the Galaxy, to Weasel in The Suicide Squad and Creature Commandos. Krypto is no exception, taking center stage in some of the most memorable scenes from the trailers for Superman.

There's even a clip out there of Superman confronting Lex Luthor over Lex's apparent kidnapping of Krypto, which spurs the first official meeting between the two arch-enemies in the film, indicating that Krypto's story will involve more than just being Superman's pet.

In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and shows for everything else the DCU has on the way.

By now most people have heard of the other heroes appearing in writer/director James Gunn's Superman reboot movie beyond the Man of Steel, including Metamorpho and the Justice Gang. But the villainous Engineer may be more of a mystery to many fans, as her comic book history doesn't even begin with the DC Universe, but with WildStorm, a separate superhero reality that was once also a separate publisher from DC.

In fact, the Engineer seen in Superman, Angelica Spica (played by María Gabriela de Faría in the film) is actually the second person to take up that name in comics. And while her role in the film seems to be confined to being one of Lex Luthor's henchmen, the fact that an Authority movie was announced as part of James Gunn's first wave of DC projects means she could play a much bigger role in the new cinematic DC Universe down the road.

The Engineer in comics

Like all the characters of the team the Authority, the Engineer began as part of the WildStorm Universe, which was itself initially published through Image Comics. Created in 1992 by Image co-founder Jim Lee (now DC president, publisher, and chief creative officer), WildStorm was sold to DC in 1998, making all its characters and titles part of DC's purview, though they wouldn't be part of the DC Universe proper for more than a decade.

The characters of the WildStorm reality became a part of the core DC Universe in 2011's 'New 52' line-wide reboot, which brought characters and story elements from outside the primary DC reality into mainstream continuity, including the Authority. Though the WildStorm team was initially created as sort of a darker, more violent reflection of the classic heroes of the Justice League, the 'New 52' brought them into the same world as their brighter, more outwardly superheroic counterparts.

With that history lesson aside, here's the important stuff you need to know about the Engineer. First off, as stated above, she's actually the second hero of that name in WildStorm/DC continuity, having inherited it from the original Engineer, a member of StormWatch, the team that preceded the Authority.

A fan of superheroes from a young age, Angela Spica becomes a super-scientist, leading her to connect with the original Engineer, who sends her all his notes and experimental tech as a contingency when he's killed in battle, leading her to make her own breakthroughs and to take up his heroic mantle.

The Engineer in Superman

As seen in the trailers for Superman, the Engineer's powers lie in one of the most polarizing aspects of superhero movies - nanotech. Though it's often used as a way for heroes to avoid having to change their clothes or take their masks on and off, the Engineer uses her own nanotech to create all kinds of weaponry, including the ability to make fully functional copies of herself.

Whether all of those abilities will come into play in the film remains to be seen, though trailers have shown the Engineer using her nanotech powers to create blades and other kinds of deadly weapons while invading Superman's Fortress of Solitude and dispatching his robot helpers.

We still don't know much about how the Authority will factor into the new DC Universe, as very little about their movie has been revealed since James Gunn initially announced it.

That said, Gunn has stated that Superman's story will pick up in a movie that's not exactly a direct sequel, and in comics, Superman himself once led a version of the Authority into a mission in space, so there could be big things in the works.

We'll find out more about how the Engineer fits into the new DC Studios universe when Superman hits theaters on July 11. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and shows for everything else the DCU has on the way.

There's a team of DC superheroes in writer/director James Gunn's Superman movie - but they're not the Justice League. Instead, they're the Justice Gang, a group of heroes for hire organized and bankrolled by Sean Gunn's Maxwell Lord.

Consisting of Green Lantern Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), and Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), the Justice Gang does bear a strong resemblance to certain eras of the Justice League in comics. But there's no comic book team called the Justice Gang. Instead, the team in the film seems to take its inspiration from two different comic book sources - and one of them is actually a team of villains.

The Injustice Gang

In comics, there may not be a 'Justice Gang', but there is an Injustice Gang, a team of supervillains that has taken multiple forms over the years. The original version, known as the Injustice Gang of the World, first appeared way back in 1974's Justice League of America #111 by writer Len Wein and artist Dick Dillin.

Led by the enigmatic Libra, the first Injustice Gang included villains such as the Atom's foe Chronos; member of the Flash Rogues Mirror Master; Batman villains Poison Ivy and the Scarecrow; Hawkman enemy Shadow Thief; and Green Lantern villain the Tattooed Man. They remained ongoing antagonists of the Justice League for several years.

It's the second Injustice Gang that may have some relevance to the new Superman film though, as that version of the villain team, created by writer Grant Morrison and artist Oscar Jimenez 1997's Justice League #9, was created and led by Lex Luthor.

That's also the version of the Injustice Gang that would likely be more recognizable to fans, as it includes most of the main Justice League members' arch enemies. Alongside Lex Luthor, there's the Joker, Mirror Master again, Wonder Woman's sorcerous foe Circe, Aquaman's evil brother Ocean Master, and the sadistic Doctor Light.

Like the original team, the second Injustice Gang stuck around for several years before eventually being replaced by a massive new team known as the Injustice League, also led by Luthor, with dozens of villains involved. Luthor's most recent villain group was known as the Legion of Doom, taking its name from the villain team from the classic Super Friends cartoon of the '70s.

The Super Buddies

In terms of the team that most resembles Superman's Justice Gang in concept, it's gotta be the somewhat tongue-in-cheek-named Super Buddies. Just like the Justice Gang, the Super Buddies (whose informal name comes from an inability to call the team the B-list team the 'Justice League') are organized and bankrolled by Maxwell Lord.

The so-called Super Buddies actually once were the Justice League way back in the '80s, in the era in which the team, then also under the purview of Max Lord, grew into the Justice League International. Decades later, members of the JLI reunited as a team of essentially heroes for hire - hence the actual Justice League not wanting to share the name.

The reunion of the Super Buddies was short-lived in comics, as it came just before the revelation that Maxwell Lord was in fact a mind-controlling villain whose conspiracy for world domination resulted in the death of Blue Beetle, a mainstay of the JLI and the Super Buddies, at Lord's hand, and Lord's death, in turn, at the hands of Wonder Woman to stop him from mind-controlling Superman.

Though the legacy of the Super Buddies ended in tragedy, the roster of the JLI, especially Booster Gold, Guy Gardner, Captain Atom, Rocket Red, Fire, and Ice have reunited several other times in subsequent years, with their version of the Justice League remaining one of the most beloved and influential eras of the team's history.

The Justice Gang

Superman's Justice Gang is a small team, at least at first. Bankrolled by Maxwell Lord, the roster includes Hawkgirl, Green Lantern Guy Gardner, and Mister Terrific - though we know they're recruiting thanks to the trailer for Peacemaker season 2, in which the eponymous anti-hero has an apparently unsuccessful interview to join the team.

We also know they'll have a conflicted relationship with Superman, as trailers for the film have shown them both at odds with each other, and working together, seemingly thanks to the influence of Lex Luthor.

What's unclear is exactly where the Justice Gang's future lies. It's easy to assume they might become the Justice League at some point, growing beyond Lord's influence. But James Gunn has surprised us before with his interpretations of the classic relationships between comic book characters, so it's not impossible they won't be the League at all.

It may or may not be likely, but there's the potential that the Justice Gang could wind up operating alongside a more formal Justice League, kind of how the Super Buddies did in the early '00s, maybe even creating some friction between the two teams a la the MCU's Avengers and New Avengers.

We'll learn more when Superman hits theaters on July 11. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and shows for everything else the DCU has on the way.

Legendary comic creator and editor Jim Shooter has died at the age of 73 after a long battle with esophageal cancer. Writer Mark Waid broke the news on social media.

Shooter began working in comics at the age of 13 in 1965, having created and submitted a story featuring teen heroes the Legion of Super-Heroes on notebook paper after discovering comics during a hospital stay. DC editor at the time Mort Weisinger was impressed with the story, hiring Shooter without realizing he was just a teen himself, sparking Shooter's long career in the industry.

Shooter became a breadwinner for his family at age 14, moving with his parents from Pittsburgh to New York City to work in the DC offices when he wasn't at school, skipping college to take a short-lived job as an editor at Marvel Comics. After a stint in advertising, Shooter returned to writing at DC, taking on Superman for a time before making his way back to Marvel in 1975 for a more successful career as a writer and editor.

Shooter's rise through Marvel's ranks was lightning fast, leading to him becoming the editor-in-chief of the venerable publisher after just three years, in 1978. Shooter began pushing Marvel toward a stronger crossover audience with multimedia tie-ins for the publisher's comic line, including the groundbreaking Secret Wars crossover, which launched as both a comic book and a tie-in toy line simultaneously in 1984.

Shooter himself wrote Secret Wars, pioneering the concept of a company-wide comic book crossover that pulled in all of Marvel's biggest heroes and villains to do battle on a far-flung planet – a story that will now influence the upcoming films Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.

While editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, Shooter developed a double-edged reputation as a stickler for the quality and timeliness of every comic in the line, which led many creators in his employ to occasionally resent his hands-on editorial methods even as their comics became more and more popular with fans.

After leaving Marvel in 1987, Shooter helped co-found Valiant Comics, developing a whole superhero universe including heroes such as X-O Manowar, Bloodshot, and more, who have managed to remain perennial presences in the comic industry through multiple relaunches and changing of hands for Valiant as a publisher.

Throughout the '90s and '00s, Shooter remained a key part of the comic industry, eventually returning to the Legion of Super-Heroes, who started his career, for a truncated run in the mid-'00s. He also took a second swing at running Valiant, and developed several other short-lived publishers in the '90s.

Jim Shooter loomed large over the comic industry (and not just because of his towering, nearly seven-foot-tall frame). While his methods as an editor have remained controversial in the minds of many creators who worked underneath him, the remnants of the world he helped build in the Marvel Comics of the '80s still resonate today, especially in the MCU, which has been digging deep into the Shooter era – especially the impending film adaptation of Avengers: Secret Wars.

He's one of the most important people in Justice League history. He's one of the most sadistic villains in the DC Universe. His name is Maxwell Lord, and you've probably only heard his name a few times. But he'll play a major role in the new cinematic DC Universe starting in James Gunn's Superman reboot movie, where he's played by none other than Sean Gunn, the writer/director's own brother.

If you've heard of Maxwell Lord before, there's a good chance you recognize him from Wonder Woman 1984, where he was played to maximum '80s guy kitschiness by Pedro Pascal (who is now starring as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic in this summer's other big superhero blockbuster, Marvel's The Fantastic Four: First Steps).

But in comics, he's a very different character, with a history that swings wildly between good and evil. And considering how closely James Gunn's non-Justice League in Superman resembles the League of Maxwell Lord's era with the team, we're expecting a version of Lord who looks very little like ones we've seen in the movies before.

Bankrolling the Justice League

Maxwell Lord IV first appeared all the way back in 1987's Justice League #1 by writer JM DeMatteis, co-writer and layout artist Keith Giffen, and artist Kevin Maguire, in which Lord begins funding the Justice League while organizing them into an all-new, worldwide entity rather than focusing simply on America.

This version of the League became the Justice League International, or JLI, with a separate branch operating in Europe at the same time. And though Lord had the semi-comical veneer of a stereotypical '80s businessman, his designs for the League were complex and longterm - and secretly driven by an alien computer with designs on world domination.

This led to a moment in which Lord, driven to madness by the computer, staged a false-flag terrorist attack for the Justice League to quash, though the false attack goes awry leading to actual deaths.

After this, Lord's methods calmed down somewhat, but he remained the Justice League's financial backer, somewhat ruthlessly pursuing financial gain through the team's exploits. While the League does have some positive influence on him, Lord remains, at his heart, a wheeler-dealer. And what's more, it turns out, he's hiding a huge secret, even bigger than having been mind-controlled by an alien computer.

Because as it turns out, Lord had mind control powers of his own, which he hid from the Justice League. It all comes to a head when Lord is once again taken over by the villain Dreamslayer, who enhances Lord's hidden powers, controlling the minds of thousands of people at once before Dreamslayer is finally defeated through the sacrifice of the Silver Sorceress, a member of the League at the time.

With Dreamslayer's defeat, it was believed that Lord's powers had become completely dormant, essentially burning themselves out. But the truth was far, far worse.

A monster in plain sight

After leaving the League behind, Maxwell Lord laid low for some time, staying out of the public eye - though he did attempt to reorganize his Justice League as a team-for-hire, affectionately nicknamed the "Super Buddies," though the reunion was relatively short-lived.

All the while, even through the Super Buddies era, Lord was surreptitiously creating a worldwide government surveillance network known as Checkmate, and hoarding secret information about the world's heroes, as seen in the 2005 story The OMAC Project.

Though Lord heavily covers his tracks to hide his schemes for world domination, even outwitting Batman, it's actually one of his own Justice League recruits who uncovers his plans - Ted Kord, the Blue Beetle, who discovers Lord's plot to collect information on the world's heroes, without yet knowing the person behind it.

Sneaking into the base where the secret project is headquartered, Ted encounters Maxwell Lord, realizing that he's been playing a long con nearly the entire time they've known each other. And though Ted threatens to expose Lord's schemes, Max brutally shoots the Blue Beetle in the head, killing him in cold blood.

This in turn leads Ted's best friend Booster Gold to take up the investigation, while Ted's death paves the way for the introduction of his successor as the Blue Beetle, Jaime Reyes, to take up the mantle.

But Maxwell Lord's schemes go far deeper, ultimately resulting in Lord revealing his still-intact mind control powers in order to take control of Superman, possessing the Man of Steel to wreak global havoc as the Justice League desperately tries to keep up.

In the end, only Wonder Woman is able to stop Lord, by snapping his neck and killing him, one of the most dramatic moments in Wonder Woman's comic book history.

Maxwell Lord in the new DC Universe

We have yet to see much of Maxwell Lord in the new cinematic DC Universe, with most of our exposure to Sean Gunn's character coming from a comedic appearance in the first trailer for Peacemaker season 2.

What we know for sure is that he's one of the organizers of the Justice Gang, a team of heroes for hire which includes Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific, and Metamorpho.

The concept of the Justice Gang is pretty close to the 'Super Buddies' era of Maxwell Lord's Justice League, which is essentially the same type of enterprise, a team of superheroes who work for money.

It seems that, in Superman, some of that money may come from Superman's arch-enemy Lex Luthor, who apparently enlists Metamorpho to use his elemental abilities to create Kryptonite to weaken Superman. That said, we also know that Superman and the Justice Gang are usually allies, so he's definitely got a complicated relationship with the team.

This leaves the big elephant in the room: will Sean Gunn's Maxwell Lord wind up being a bloodthirsty villain hiding in plain sight? It would be an interesting twist that could be the catalyst that eventually turns the Justice Gang into a Justice League (assuming that's the team's ultimate evolution). And it would be especially interesting to see the always-affable Sean Gunn take on the role of a sadistic mastermind.

We likely won't get that level of twist for Max Lord in Superman, as we already know he'll appear in Peacemaker. But we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for any hint that there's a mind-controlling supervillain lurking below the surface in Sean Gunn's performance.

Superman hits theaters this July 11. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and shows for everything else the DCU has on the way.

Filmmaker Kevin Smith has a long history as a comic writer, with particularly beloved runs on DC's Green Arrow and Marvel's Daredevil under his belt. And now, he's returning to unite both characters as part of the first official Marvel/DC crossover in decades.

The new Marvel/DC crossover takes place in a pair of one-shots starring Batman and Deadpool, one to be published by Marvel and the other by DC. Each one-shot will also feature a series of back-up stories that bring together heroes from the two universes, and we now know what stories will appear in Marvel's side of the event.

Along with Smith returning to write Green Arrow and Daredevil with artist Adam Kubert, Deadpool/Batman #1 will also feature an adorable adventure that brings together Superman's dog Krypto and Marvel Rivals mascot Jeff the Land Shark by Jeff's co-creator writer Kelly Thompson and artist Gurihiru, and a Captain America/Wonder Woman team-up by incoming Captain America writer Chip Zdarsky and classic Wonder Woman artist Terry Dodson. Marvel also promises some "secret stories" that have yet to be announced.

Here's a gallery of covers for Marvel/DC: Deadpool/Batman #1, including the main cover and a wraparound variant by main story artist Greg Capullo, a Green Arrow/Daredevil variant by Marco Checchetto, and a Jeff/Krypto variant by Gurihiru:

"This has been surreal to say the least!" says Zdarsky in a statement accompanying the announcement. "Captain America and Wonder Woman are the best their worlds have to offer, both warriors for peace. Getting to explore a dynamic and history between them has been genuinely exciting."

"Two ICONS meeting for the first time!” adds Thompson. "It's such an honor for Jeff to get to be Marvel's ambassador in this crossover story with Krypto. Anyone who loves comics knows how rare it is for DC and Marvel to crossover, so Jeff getting to be part of this historic moment with Krypto, and Gurihiru and I getting to bring that tale to readers... well, sometimes this job is very cool."

Marvel/DC: Deadpool/Batman #1 goes on sale September 17.

Check out the most unlikely comic book crossovers ever.

One of DC's most interesting and enigmatic heroes is coming to the small screen as Warner Bros has officially greenlit a new Mister Miracle adult animated series with comic writer Tom King on board as showrunner, as reported by Deadline.

King wrote a multiple award-winning Mister Miracle comic series with artist Mitch Gerads in 2017, turning the semi-obscure hero into a compelling leading man in one of the most emotional superhero comics of the modern era.

Now, King, who was at one time on board to write a New Gods film for director Ava Duvernay which would have featured Mister Miracle among other characters, is turning his attention to an animated adaptation of his comic.

For those not in the know, Mister Miracle AKA Scott Free is the DC Universe's greatest escape artist. He's the son of Highfather, leader of the heroic New Gods, but was raised under a torturous upbringing by the villainous Darkseid. He's married to Big Barda, one of the strongest women in the universe.

Here's the full logline for the show:

"No prison can hold him. No trap can contain him. He is Scott Free, the worldwide celebrity sensation known as Mister Miracle, and he is the greatest escape artist who ever lived. But can he pull off the ultimate trick – and escape death itself?

"Something has gone horribly wrong with the perfect life that Scott and his warrior wife Big Barda have built for themselves on Earth. With war raging between their home worlds of Apocalypse and New Genesis, Scott’s cruel adoptive father Darkseid seems to have finally captured the Anti-Life Equation – the ultimate weapon that will give Darkseid total dominance over the universe.

"As the mountains of bodies on both sides grow ever higher, only Mister Miracle can stop the slaughter and restore peace. But the terrible power of the Anti-Life Equation may already be at work in his own mind, warping his reality, exposing his long-buried pain, and shattering the fragile happiness he’s found with the woman he loves. And so begins the odyssey of Scott Free, Mister Miracle: a harrowing, hilarious, heart wrenching journey across the pitfalls of the ordinary and extraordinary as the son of God raised by the devil tries to save his family, his world, and maybe even himself."

In King's comic, Mister Miracle deals with extreme depression and self-harm as his reality begins to crumble around him while trying to raise his infant son. It's an emotionally harrowing tale that digs deep into the humanity of characters who have been billed as "gods."

No network or streaming service has been announced for Mister Miracle yet. The new DC Universe expands with James Gunn's Superman on July 11. For more, check out our list of all the upcoming DC movies and shows.

How strong is Superman? What are the actual limits of his powers?

Among superhero fans, these are more debates than questions with solid answers. And with trailers for director James Gunn's Superman showing a version of the character who is susceptible to a certain level of pain and injury, the debate is raging again.

Gunn's Superman is shown dealing with serious bodily injuries – not the more metaphysical kind inflicted by the power of Kryptonite – and even undergoing painful medical treatments by his attendant robots.

For some, that's a bridge too far in terms of Superman's vulnerability. Coupled with very few feats of super strength shown in the trailers, it's got a certain group of vocal Superman fans up in arms with their perceived understanding of how powerful James Gunn's Man of Steel will actually be in the movie.

But for me, a lifelong fan of Superman and a reader of comics from across his nearly 90 year lifespan, the show of vulnerability feels more like an attempt to grapple with Superman's shifting power levels on screen, and a way to lull fans into under-preparedness for what I am hoping will be some truly cosmic spectacle.

For one thing, I'm personally not expecting DC Studios to show us the coolest stuff in the trailers. We've barely seen Superman in action, aside from a scant few clips fighting Ultraman and the Hammer of Boravia.

We don't actually even know how the injuries seen in the trailer were caused. For all we know right now, he actually is weakened by Kryptonite when he's hurt in the film, a condition under which Superman can canonically be gravely injured.

All of that speculation aside, Superman's power levels have varied wildly throughout his history, and even from creator to creator. There is a relatively consistent baseline to Superman's strength in the modern era, but each portrayal of the Man of Steel across media has its own interpretation of what he can do.

The history of Superman's powers

Following Superman's original debut in 1938's Action Comics #1, his powers were described as being "faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound", and able to withstand any attack short of an exploding shell.

For a few years, those were essentially the limits of Superman's powers. He didn't fly until 1940's Adventures of Superman radio show, which introduced numerous aspects of the character's mythos, including Kryptonite.

From there, Superman's powers ballooned through the rest of the Golden Age of the '40s and early '50s, through the Silver Age of the '60s and early '70s. His classic powers were all established, including X-Ray and microscopic vision, super freeze-breath, heat vision, full on flight, speed beyond the capability of even the fastest craft, and of course, cosmic level super strength powerful enough to move planets, and nigh-invulnerability which can traditionally only be countered by kryptonite, magic, or sometimes, someone even stronger than him, like the villain Doomsday who actually managed to kill Superman in the early '90s.

He also accrued dozens of strange minor powers that were used only a few times before fading into obscurity, including things like his amnesiac super-kiss and being able to reverse time by flying backwards around the Earth which were later adapted into 1978's beloved Superman movie and its sequels.

It wasn't until 1985's Crisis on Infinite Earths, which rebooted most of DC's comic continuity, that Superman's modern power levels were essentially established - massive super strength, nigh-invulnerability, super-senses, x-ray and heat vision, freeze breath, super speed, and flight.

Heroes of myth

Though there's a generally agreed upon range of Superman's abilities, the true answer to how powerful he is will prove remarkably frustrating to a certain strain of tire-kicking fans, especially since DC declared that all of Superman's comic book history, across all the reboots, relaunches, and changes in his powers, are canonical whether that fully makes sense or not.

Because the truth is, Superman's power levels, like those of all fictional characters, are entirely malleable at all times based on the situation he's in, the story being told, and the people telling it.

Superhero comics have often been compared to modern myths, and more than just about any other superhero continuity, the DC Universe lives up to that idea, both in the godlike feats undertaken by its undeniably powerful heroes, and in the fluid, ever-shifting nature of their personalities and abilities.

Superman, like the quintessential Greek hero Heracles (or Hercules, if you're into that sort of thing) is less a quantifiable Ivan Drago strongman, whose highest output punches are duly recorded to history, than he is a being of storied myth whose capabilities are determined by what makes for the best spinning of the yarn, and whose feats and adventures have evolved across countless tellings of their tales.

I don't bring up Heracles in particular for nothing. Superman writer/director James Gunn has cited Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's fabled All-Star Superman as a major inspiration on his film - a comic which itself takes not insignificant inspiration from the classic concept of the 12 labors of Heracles, with Superman promising to complete a series of wondrous tasks before he dies due to toxic over-exposure to Earth's yellow sun, the source of fuel for his Kryptonian powers.

It's another turn of the cycle of myth, as the core idea of a man whose strength beyond strength is directly equitable to the parable on which it rests echoes directly into Gunn's telling of Superman's story.

Superman's official power levels

While I'm personally very much in the "wait-and-see, it's all just a story" camp in terms of how Superman's vaunted strength will be portrayed in Gunn's film, I also understand the impulse to dig into the debate around exactly what Supes can do.

I grew up going to comic stores, lurking in the racks of new and old issues, in heated conversation with my fellow fans about whether Superman or the Hulk is stronger, which heroes might be able to lift Thor's hammer, and so on.

That's part of the magic of superhero fandom, the characters and their stories engender these conversations and creative ideas among fans. We're invited directly into the world of the Marvel and DC Universes in a way other fiction rarely offers.`

But there's a special aspect to that magic that can be lost in the conversation around how strong Superman actually is, which is that every fan gets to see it for themself and imagine their own delineation of a character's limits. There are guides along the way, important and memorable scenes from our favorite stories that stick in our mind as examples of just what our most beloved heroes can do.

It's that individualized perception that has kept superhero comics fresh across changing creative perspectives, which will hopefully allow James Gunn to craft a compelling portrayal of the world's greatest superhero, and which enables the debate in the first place.

And anyway, we haven't even seen the movie yet.

James Gunn's Superman hits theaters on July 11. For more, check out our list of all the upcoming DC movies and shows.

Legendary comic writer Peter David has died at the age of 68, as posted by his wife Kathleen O'Shea David. David's death comes after a long battle with chronic kidney disease along with a series of strokes.

"Since it is out there. Peter David passed away last night. We are devastated. More when I can write about it," reads the simple social media post announcing his May 24 death.

Peter David's comic career began in 1985 with a series of Spider-Man stories, including the now classic tale 'The Death of Jean DeWolff.' This was quickly followed by a run on Hulk that wound up lasting for 12 years, including the creation of Bruce Banner's extra-intelligent 'Professor Hulk' persona, and the flash-forward story Avengers: Future Imperfect, which introduced the Maestro, an evil dictator version of Hulk who became the arch-enemy of his former teammates.

David's other major Marvel work included co-creating Spider-Man 2099, turning Genis-Vell into a new Captain Marvel, and of course, a years-long run on X-Factor that took the team through multiple incarnations, from a government-sponsored mutant team, to a private investigation agency, and even into the world of corporate superheroes.

David also wrote for DC throughout the '90s, with especially notable runs on Aquaman and Supergirl. For the former, David is responsible for relaunching Aquaman in the '90s, revamping him from a colorful adventurer to a sea-faring badass with a savage, bearded look and a hook hand. And for Supergirl, David wrote an 81-issue run that rebooted the character not as a Kryptonian survivor, but as a genetically-engineered alien weapon who took on a form that honored Superman.

Throughout his career, David won numerous awards, including multiple Eisner Awards. He was also well-known as a prose writer, particularly for his work on numerous Star Trek novels, including some of the best selling Trek novels of all time.

It's been over 20 years since Marvel and DC published an official crossover comic, but the wait is now over as the two venerable publishers will join forces this fall for a pair of one-shots that bring together Batman and Deadpool, two of the most popular superheroes of all time, for their first ever meeting.

And if that's not enough, Marvel and DC are enlisting a who's who of all-star writers and artists for the one-shots, including legendary Batman creators Grant Morrison and Greg Capullo, both known for their extensive and transformative work on the Caped Crusader.

For the first one-shot, Marvel's Deadpool/Batman #1, writer Zeb Wells is joined by Capullo on art, while DC's companion piece, Batman/Deadpool #1 will be written by Morrison with art by current DC superstar artist Dan Mora.

"After writing Amazing Spider-Man for 60 issues, I told Marvel I needed a break. Marvel told me I could do that or I could write a comic starring Deadpool and Batman with the best Batman artist of our generation. I no longer needed a break," Wells states. "In Batman we've found someone who has even less time for Deadpool's antics than Wolverine, but a city-wide threat from the Joker makes strange bedfellows (literally, if Deadpool had his way). It's been a blast letting Deadpool loose in Gotham City and watching what happens."

"Am I dreaming? This crossover is likely to be the high point of my career...and, I've had a great career," Capullo adds. "Some of my earliest work (many years ago) was on X-Force, so Deadpool and I go way back. More recently, I spent 10-plus years drawing Batman at DC. The idea that I get to do a crossover event with Deadpool and Batman...If I am dreaming, please don't wake me!"

"I don't do many comics these days but there was no way I could turn down the chance to work with Dan Mora again, one of my all-time favourite artistic collaborators - and definitely no way I could turn down Batman and Deadpool!" says Grant Morrison. "Expect 4th wall busting mayhem, owls, blood, blades, and at least one giant typewriter!"

"This is more than I ever imagined I could do in my career, and it is a huge honor to be part of this crossover: it doesn't happen too often, and I am a HUGE Deadpool fan!" states Dan Mora. "When I first worked with Grant, I didn't know what to expect but it was an incredible team-up. I always hoped to work with Grant again, and working on Batman/Deadpool is like a dream come true. Grant and I working together on this once-in-a-lifetime project is going to be such a fun experience."

As stated, Batman and Deadpool will go up against none other than the Joker, who may just meet his match in Deadpool's wacky ways. There's also a whole slate of back-up stories in each one-shot written by some of the top creators in the biz, though their names have yet to be revealed.

The story kicks off in September 17's Deadpool/Batman #1, followed by Batman/Deadpool #1 in November.

Check out the most unlikely comic book crossovers of all time.

Since the latest action-packed trailer for James Gunn's Superman reboot movie landed, fans have been wondering about the identity of one of the film's villains, the heavily armored bruiser known as the Hammer of Boravia.

The thing is, the villain known as the Hammer of Boravia is actually a newly created character for Superman - a character who doesn't come from comics at all. There is a fictional nation known as Boravia in comics, but it doesn't have its own hero.

Speculation around the character has skyrocketed since his name was revealed, with many people guessing that the so-called "Hammer of Boravia" is a misdirect to avoid showing Lex Luthor's classic purple and green battle armor, his armor recolored for the trailer to keep the secret.

That's not impossible, but the fact is, the armor doesn't look much like any version of Luthor's armor, regardless of color scheme. And we've also seen armored Luthor troops in purple and green armor of their own, which also doesn't resemble this.

Maybe Gunn pulled the same trick Marvel Studios once played on viewers by subbing in Hulk in the trailer for Avengers: Infinity Wars in scenes that actually featured the Hulkbuster armor in the final movie. But would DC fork over the money and manpower it takes to fake a whole CG character? Probably not, especially considering Marvel's bait-and-switch was the subject of a lawsuit.

It may be more likely that there is in fact a comic inspiration behind the Hammer of Boravia - just not one that's readily visible without a bit of digging.

That character is Rocket Red, or in fact the Rocket Red Brigade, a team of armored supersoldiers who served as the heroes of the USSR in the '80s DC Universe, one of whom even went on to join the Justice League International - a team that also included Superman's Green Lantern, Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), and which was organized by Maxwell Lord, who is played by Sean Gunn in Superman and in Peacemaker season 2.

If you look closely at the Hammer of Boravia's armor, it features a sash-like stripe across the torso flanked by a star - the same emblem of the Rocket Red Brigade, but with gold swapped in for red, since the USSR hasn't been a thing since the early '90s.

Is the Hammer of Boravia definitely a Rocket Red palette-swap? We'll never know unless James Gunn someday spills the beans on the character's official inspiration. But the connection isn't so far-fetched, given the aesthetic similarities and the fact that Gunn is already drawing heavily on the cast of Justice League International.

Superman flies into cinemas on July 11, 2025. For more, check out the new DC movies coming down the line, plus our guide on how to watch the DC movies in order.

It's well known to fans that Superman's greatest weakness is Kryptonite, the elemental remnants of his destroyed homeworld Krypton. But there's a whole spectrum of different colors of Kryptonite each with their own effects on Superman's physiology, and now W. Maxwell Prince, Martín Morazzo, and Chris O'Halloran, the creators of the hit horror comic Ice Cream Man, are creating a Superman story that will expose the Man of Steel to all manner of Kryptonite.

Appropriately titled Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum, the DC Black Label limited series will run for five issues, each of which will show the effects of a different type of Kryptonite as Superman makes his way through what DC describes as an "existential superhero fantasy/horror" story that will actually introduce several new varieties of the deadly element.

Here's a gallery of interior pages from the new series, along with a series of variant covers by variant covers by Tula Lotay, Juan Ferreyra, a foil variant cover by Wes Craig, and a variant cover by Alex Eckman-Lawn:

"Four new Kryptonites have been discovered in deep space, and Superman needs to know just what, exactly, they do to him - lest the colorful rocks of his home planet fall into evil hands!" reads DC's official description. "With Batman at his side, this DC Black Label Superman five-issue event explores the consequences of each never-before-seen variety of Kryptonite—all in the formal, and boundary-pushing fashion, that Prince, Morazzo, and O'Halloran are celebrated for."

"We've developed a reputation for pretty left-of-center experimentation, with respect to comics storytelling," says writer Maxwell Prince in a statement. "and this is basically what we're doing over the 5 issues of Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum: using our unique voice in comics to tell a Supes yarn that's both strange and timeless - out there and also totally grounded. You might know what Green, Red and Black Kryptonite does to Superman, but what about Purple? Or Cobalt? Or Speckled?"

Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #1 goes on sale August 13.

Check out the best Superman stories of all time.

Eisner Award-winning creators Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott are returning to DC to pull off the heist of a lifetime – stealing from the Justice League.

Rucka will write and Scott will draw a new limited series titled Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League, in which the two feline villains recruit a team of villains that the publisher is billing as "the perfect heist crew" to steal from DC's premiere superhero team.

Rucka and Scott are joined by color artist Annette Kwok and letterer Troy Peteri for the heist which will send the villains into Justice League territory to steal "one of the most dangerous devices in the DCU."

It hasn't been revealed what that device is just yet, but there are some seriously deadly weapons in the DC Universe that could cause havoc in the wrong hands. Before it's all revealed, we've got an early look at interior pages from Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League #1, along with the main cover by Scott Kwok.

Check it out:

"Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League showcases titular characters Cheetah and Cheshire meticulously planning and executing a bold heist – robbing the most secure facility in the DC Universe – and getting away with it!" reads DC's official description of Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League #1.

"But to accomplish the impossible, Cheetah and Cheshire need to recruit a top-tier crew capable of beating not just the odds, but the Justice League themselves… all without stabbing one another in the back as they try to acquire one of the most dangerous devices in the DCU!" it continues. "All that stands between the participants in this six-issue caper and pulling off the most daring extraction in DC history are a few tiny complications… like the most sophisticated orbital platform ever constructed, its AI-driven security system, and one other thing… the smartest and most powerful heroes in the DCU."

Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League #1 goes on sale August 5.

Check out the best DC stories of all time.

Superman's dog Krypto has gotten a lot of attention as part of the marketing for James Gunn's Superman movie reboot, as the character in the film is modeled directly on Gunn's own dog, Ozu. But it turns out that Ozu himself has a specific reaction to seeing himself on screen, with his excitable nature coming out whenever he sees Krypto.

"This is my dog Ozu barking at the screen," Gunn explains in a video posted to social media, showing Ozu having a bit of a fit while watching the now familiar trailer scene where Krypto tries to play with an injured Superman, only to finally save him by taking him back to the Fortress of Solitude.

"Krypto was actually 3D modeled after Ozu's body," Gunn continues. "We 3D captured Ozu and turned him into Krypto. We turned him white. And anyway, every time he sees himself come on screen, he tries to murder himself."

Gunn previously revealed that Ozu was the inspiration for Krypto, explaining how he adopted Ozu (who is presumably named after Japanese director Yasujirō Ozu), with the pup's difficult circumstances inspiring Gunn's inclusion of Krypto in the movie.

"Krypto was inspired by our dog Ozu, who we adopted shortly after I started writing Superman," Gunn stated back in October. "Ozu, who came from a hoarding situation in a backyard with 60 other dogs & never knew human beings, was problematic to say the least."

"He immediately came in & destroyed our home, our shoes, our furniture - he even ate my laptop," Gunn explained. "It took a long time before he would even let us touch him. I remember thinking, 'Gosh, how difficult would life be if Ozu had superpowers?' - and thus Krypto came into the script & changed the shape of the story as Ozu was changing my life."

Superman hits theaters on July 11, 2025. You can also keep updated with every other upcoming DC movie and TV show heading our way at that link.

Florence Pugh stands on the roof of the second highest building in the world. She takes a moment to prepare and to get in character as Yelena Belova, the Black Widow of the new Thunderbolts* film, and, tied to a massively impressive safe-fall rig, she careens over the edge – a stunt the likes of which has become rarer and rarer in superhero movies, especially when performed by the actual star. In another shot, an entire floor of a building explodes behind her as the crew cheers at the safe success of the blast, a practical effect that other superhero films might have accomplished through digital effects.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps director Matt Shakman shows off the epic sets of the FF's Baxter Building headquarters, explaining how his approach to making the movie relies on the presence of actual, physical elements on set, down to building a full suit for the film's gigantic villain Galactus rather than relying solely on digital effects. He likens his process to that of legendary auteur director Stanley Kubrick "within reason."

Filmmaker James Gunn posts a series of behind-the-scenes photos from his upcoming Superman reboot movie, showing off the film's many locations, its physical sets for iconic locations such as the Daily Planet offices, its swath of impressive superhero costumes, and even the methods used to make Superman fly without replacing actor David Corenswet with a digitally rendered double. Many of the images reveal other aspects of the production hiding in the background as physical Easter eggs for eagle-eyed fans.

It's all part of a wave of marketing for this summer's trio of big, superhero blockbuster films which Marvel and DC have been subtly selling to the public as both a reset and a return to form for the genre, which has become bogged down by the perception of so-called "superhero fatigue."

And the point they're all making is this: the big superhero movie studios still know how to make fully-realized blockbuster films that are action-packed and visually impressive while also pulling on our heartstrings with authentic characters and stories.

Embracing the spectacle

Will Thunderbolts*, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and Superman make good on that promise? We'll have to wait and see (though Thunderbolts* is setting the stage well with overwhelmingly positive reactions). But the premise certainly rings true.

In an environment where the narrative of superhero fatigue is winning thanks to the proliferation of stitched-together, greenscreen-driven movies that do more to add threads to an ever-expanding canvas of plotlines than to tell their own impactful stories, a return to fully-formed blockbuster filmmaking that embraces true spectacle as a vector for meaningful narratives is like a cool balm.

There's a strong reason why stunt and effects driven action franchises such as John Wick, James Bond, The Fast and the Furious, and Mission: Impossible have managed to weather the criticisms that have come to define their counterparts in the current superhero movie landscape while spawning their own spin-offs, prequels, and so on: they all manage to find ways to actually truly impress us with their feats of filmmaking and with the authenticity of their storytelling.

Even a franchise like The Fast and the Furious, which essentially stars superheroes whose powers are being really good at cars, manages to remain in the public's good graces by staying true to its filmmaking potential as it takes its movies to lofty and ridiculous new heights, like launching its heroes, once simple street racers, into outer space.

There's another component to Marvel and DC's new practical-filmmaking-forward approach to marketing their new films, which is the seesaw balancing act of utilizing all the tools of a massive movie studio while also bringing in filmmakers with a vision that translates to the level of stories being told.

Some of Marvel's less popular recent films such as Eternals and Thor: Love and Thunder struggled with allowing their directors to put their own sensibilities and voices into their movies while also fulfilling the expectations of superhero movie fans. Showing us that there are people working behind-the-scenes who understand that balance, and who prize the same things as beleaguered fans, makes a ton of sense.

A return to blockbuster cinema

When considered alongside the common refrain of "greenscreen slop" that has accompanied films like DC's The Flash and Marvel's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and the increasingly byzantine internal references that such films have counted on to keep fans invested, it's easy to see why Marvel and DC are eager to remind moviegoers that they still understand what good, tentpole blockbuster movies actually are, and how to make them.

These are the qualities that people loved about the original Avengers saga. There was a strong humanity to the characters and a voice to their films that, even when they weren't entirely successful, made them feel new and fresh.

And coupled with the groundbreaking feeling of seeing the Marvel Universe formed before our eyes in a way we'd never experienced on film, it all felt like a cultural event, a reason to see and talk about movies – not just a checklist of new characters and new concepts that may or may not register with a wider audience, let alone continue on into later appearances.

Again, the question remains as to whether Thunderbolts*, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and Superman will succeed, let alone whether Marvel and DC will be able to follow up on their potential wins by learning the right lessons. But for the first time in a long time, I'm actually excited about the 'movie' side of superhero movies, and their potential to carry forward the tradition of blockbuster filmmaking into a new era.

Thunderbolts is now in theaters (read our review right here). Superman releases on July 11, followed by The Fantastic Four: First Steps on July 25. In the meantime, stay up to date on all the new superhero movies and shows planned for release in 2025 and beyond.

Following months of development, DC Studios is apparently calling off its planned Sgt. Rock film, at least for now. According to THR, the film, which has struggled to find a lead to play the eponymous soldier, has been backburnered, with reports suggesting it will either be postponed to a potential shooting 2026 schedule, or potentially canceled outright.

Sgt. Rock would have been helmed by Challengers director Luca Guadanino, with Daniel Craig, who worked with Guadanino on his film Queer, originally on board to star as the army hero who has a history alongside the superheroes of the DC Universe. However, Craig dropped out, leading to a flurry of potential castings, with Colin Farrell the last actor to be attached to the role.

The film was written by Justin Kuritzkes, who wrote Guadanino's films Challengers and Queer, whose script was reportedly considered so strong that it helped fast track the script into the DC Studios slate.

It's unclear exactly why the film has been backburnered, with reports indicating that DC Studios balked at the film's relatively small $70 million budget, perhaps because Guadanino's action chops were in question.

The script reportedly centered on a World War II era plot in which Sgt. Rock teams with a French resistance fighter (likely Mademoiselle Marie, an ally of Rock's from comics) team up to track down the Spear of Destiny, an artifact supposedly used to stab Jesus Christ when he was being crucified.

In DC history, Nazi leadership was obsessed with finding the Spear of Destiny during WWII as a way to counteract the many American superheroes who joined forces as the DC Universe's first superhero team, the Justice Society of America.

The new DC Universe kicked off with Max's Creature Comforts animated streaming series, and continues with Superman, its first film, in July. In the meantime, check out our guide to the other upcoming DC movies on the way in 2025 and beyond.

DC's Absolute Universe has reinvented many of DC's most popular heroes, including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Flash, with new concepts that turn the stories we know on their heads. But the most transformative Absolute title on the stands yet is Absolute Martian Manhunter by writer Deniz Camp, artist Javier Rodriguez, and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.

Taking a wild, psychedelic approach to the eponymous character, Absolute Martian Manhunter completely reinvents the entire concept of one of DC's oldest heroes in a way that feels like the best argument yet for DC's Absolute line. And with Absolute Martian Manhunter #2 out now, I'm incredibly excited about the artistic potential that the comic represents for DC.

Many of DC's Absolute relaunches have had radical new takes on their heroes, but they ultimately take familiar forms - the last son of a dead world, the only warrior standing between humans and the monsters of myth, a traumatized man training his body and mind to rid his city of corruption, and so on.

But Absolute Martian Manhunter takes the reinvention of its hero even further, turning the extra terrestrial hero into a being even more alien than the classic version who debuted all the way back in 1955.

In the Absolute Universe, the Martian Manhunter isn't technically a "Martian" at all - it's a non-physical being from a planet so far from Earth that it may as well be another dimension who communicates through clouds of rainbow-colored psychedelic smoke.

This being is psychically bonded with officer John Jones when Jones goes through a life-and-death experience that leaves them inextricably connected. The action escalates as the so-called "martian" tries to use its powers of precognition to goad Jones into averting a tragedy, while Jones tries to simply make sense of the impossible visions unfolding before his eyes.

It's all gorgeously rendered by Javier Rodriguez, who takes the art from pencils to colors, a rare undertaking for a comic artist. Rodriguez starts from a tried-and-true comic style that channels the familiar tone of the Silver Age while also blasting it into psychic space with waves of color and blasts of violence that jar both the characters and reader loose from any sense of comfort.

In both art and story, Absolute Martian Manhunter feels like a serious attempt to both embrace the '50s sci-fi vibes of Joseph Samachson and Joe Certa's original creation while also using more modern theories of extraterrestrial existence to take the character in a totally new direction.

Like Jack Kirby, the all-time great writer/artist who created and co-created most of the Marvel Universe along with a good chunk of DC as well, Camp channels popular modes of esoteric thought into Absolute Martian Manhunter.

In Kirby's case, this took the form of the secret, alien history of the Marvel Universe using ideas drawn from America occultist Edgar Cayce and his contemporaries who wrote on lost mystical societies such as Atlantis and Lemuria, both long since incorporated into Marvel lore.

For Camp, this seems to mean embracing ideas pioneered by the likes of John Keel, best known for his modern occult journalistic tome The Mothman Prophecies, with aliens that are less physical beings in flying craft as in the popular imagery of the '50s, and more psychic beings from beyond the veil of physical reality taking shape in the popular consciousness.

Whether it's Camp's direct intent to channel these ideas, along with even more esoteric concepts like the idea of spiritual beings who impart morality to special receivers from another dimension, they come through on the page, culminating in the most daring and welcome reinvention of the Absolute DC Universe yet.

Absolute Martian Manhunter #3 goes on sale May 28.

Check out the best DC stories of all time.

Legendary comic book wizard Grant Morrison has been teasing a new superhero project from the Big Two (that's Marvel and DC) for a while now. Though details are scant, Morrison has finally revealed that it's a DC project - and what's more, the comic will mark the writer's return to Batman, a character they took to psychedelic new heights back in their original '00s era run.

"I don't need to do these things anymore, I only do it if it's something interesting," Morrison tells the Comic Book Couples Counseling podcast (via AiPT). "It's not Superman, but it's a Batman thing."

Morrison's Batman revolutionized the modern portrayal of the character, bringing in his son Damian, reintroducing long-lost sci-fi style elements of Batman's Silver Age era, and even apparently killing Batman in the story Batman RIP (he was technically displaced in time).

While Bruce Wayne was out of the picture, Morrison elevated Dick Grayson from Nightwing into the role of Batman. They likewise brought Bruce's son Damian Wayne on as Grayson's own Robin, introducing an exciting new dynamic where Grayson, himself the original Robin, was a more upbeat Batman with Damian Wayne's brooding Boy Wonder in tow.

Despite featuring one of the most mainstream superheroes there is, Morrison's Batman was one of their most esoteric works, digging into concepts of brainwashing, ritual magic, time travel, and long-lost evil specters of Bruce Wayne's past.

In the decade-plus since they've written Batman, Morrison hasn't gotten less mystical or mindful, so it's particularly exciting to consider what their approach to the Caped Crusader will be in the modern era.

Matt Fraction will soon take over the main Batman title, meaning two of the most acclaimed modern comic writers might be writing Batman at the same time.

Superman director James Gunn has marked the occasion of the 85th anniversary of the debut of Superman's pal Jimmy Olsen with a photo of actor Skyler Gisondo in the role on the set of the upcoming film, revealing a better look at the inside of the Daily Planet, along with what appears to be a very silly little Easter egg.

Here's the photo. Take notice of the picture on the desk of Beck Bennett's sports reporter Steve Lombard, which appears to be an autographed picture of a house cat:

There is in fact a famous housecat in the Superman mythos, Supergirl's cat Streaky, who is a stripey orange cat with all the powers of a Kryptonian, much like Superman's dog Krypto. Is it possible that Streaky exists in the new DC Universe as well? It's not impossible, especially as we already know that Supergirl is definitely around.

Here's a closer look at the photo:

Jimmy Olsen, the Daily Planet's cub reporter, first appeared on an episode of the famed Superman radio serial that also introduced several other important characters and concepts to Superman's world that were later brought into comics, including Daily Planet editor-in-chief Perry White (to be played by Wendell Pierce in the upcoming film) and even Kryptonite.

In terms of other Kryptonian animals, at one point, there were actually a few, including Comet the Super-Horse and Beppo the Super-Monkey, who joined up with Krypto and Streaky to form the original Legion of Super-Pets, a concept that was later adapted into the 2022 animated film The League of Super-Pets.

James Gunn doesn't seem to be shying away from the more sci-fi oriented aspects of Superman's story with the upcoming film, even apparently including Lex Luthor's classic power armor, so it's definitely not impossible that there are other super-pets in the movie besides Krypto. And notoriously arrogant himbo Steve Lombard having an autographed picture of Streaky would be a pretty funny touch.

Superman hits theaters on July 11, 2025. In the meantime, keep updated with every other upcoming DC movie and TV show heading our way.

The past and present of the DC Universe are colliding in the upcoming story We Are Yesterday, in which Justice League Unlimited and Batman/Superman: World's Finest will crossover as heroes of multiple eras take on Grodd, the psychic gorilla warlord, and his new/old incarnation of the Legion of Doom.

Mark Waid is writing both titles, and along with artists Travis Moore, Clayton Henry, Dan McDaid, and Dan Mora, he's crafting a four part event that brings the underrated Grodd to the forefront, pulling together threads that have been dangling throughout his Justice League Unlimited run as well as World's Finest.

Newsarama spoke with Waid about the first two chapters of We Are Yesterday, with part one appearing in Batman/Superman: World's Finest #38, and part two arriving with Justice League Unlimited #6, digging into Grodd as a Justice League level threat, how We Are Yesterday ties into Waid's current work on tying all of DC history into a single cohesive timeline, and how We Are Yesterday will lead into what's next for the Justice League.

Newsarama: Mark, We Are Yesterday is the first big Justice League crossover of the current era of the DC Universe. Contrasting that with the final event of the previous status quo, Absolute Power, this story feels like a much more straightforward hero vs. villain story with the League taking on Grodd. How did you come to this concept as the way to go for this story?

Mark Waid: It actually began with the fact that World's Finest #38 and #39 and Justice League Unlimited #6 and #7 needed different artists to give the regular artists time to catch up. So I said, well, let's make it special. Let's do something where those four issues don't feel like fill-ins in their big events.

It sprang from that, and then I realized, OK, I need a menace big enough. Who can we get? Well, the Legion of Doom makes sense… Except they're not around in the current day. So how do we fix that? Everything became a domino toppling over another domino. And when it's all said and done, we've got a story.

You've done stories that connect the past and future of the DC Universe before - I'm thinking of the Devil Nezha arc that led into Lazarus Planet, for example. In the case of We Are Yesterday, the connection is even more direct between past and present. What led you to want to bring these two timelines together in such a tangible way?

Well, like you said, I like doing that with World's Finest to remind people that it is not an Elseworlds. It is not, you know, it is not out of continuity. Even though it takes place a few years ago, we remind you every once in a while that it has a place in the DC Universe. So that was my starting point.

But then I started thinking about Grodd and his motivations and his goals. You know, Grodd wants something big. I mean, he's got to take on the entire Justice League Unlimited. So to do that, he really wants to put the band back together, right? But he can't really. Luthor's reformed. Sinestro is off planet. You know, Joker is god only knows where - there's no way to put them together the way they are today.

But he, with the help of Airwave, he realizes he can put them back together, back in the day, go to them and say, "I got news for you. I'm from the future, and not much happens in the next five years. You know, you don't make a whole lot of headway. As a matter of fact, you lose a lot of ground. So why don't you come with me to the present day, and we will shake things up."

I'm glad you brought up Grodd, because I feel like he's such an underrated villain, with so much potential to be this kind of mastermind at the heart of a threat to the entire DC Universe. I just want to talk a little bit about Grodd and how you came to him as the main threat here. Obviously you have a long history with his arch-enemy the Flash.

Well, I mean, it made sense to me, in that I like Grodd's motivation. Grodd's motivation is, humans keep screwing up the world. So why do we have them? Let's make it not just Gorilla City, but Gorilla Planet.

I'm also reflective of the fact that he was Flash's first really big villain. People don't remember that he appeared in three consecutive issues of Flash. When he first appeared, Mirror Master was showing up like every five issues, and you know, Captain Boomerang is showing up every 10 issues, but Grodd right off the bat was meant to be his arch-enemy, and that's kind of fallen by the wayside over the years.

So let's get that back on the table, because he is a lot more powerful than most people give him credit for, especially now that his powers have augmented to the point where he is now the most powerful telepath and mentally powered character in the DC universe.

We were talking just briefly before we started the interview about the whole team of creators that you've got working on this story. How has it been working in that kind of collaborative environment again? It's something you're very used to in the DC universe.

It's great. It requires an inordinate amount of coordination this time, because everything's being done at once. All the chapters are sort of being done by three different artists. You got Clayton Henry, and you got Travis Moore, and you got Dan McDade, so yeah. And they're all working at the same time, so we're constantly scrambling to make sure of, you know, which version of Scarecrow this is, or how to draw the time pool or whatever.

So a lot of references are flying back and forth, but everybody was very cooperative, and shared each other's pages with each other as they went, to make sure that everybody knew where they stood and everything could be consistent.

Actually, we do have four artists because Dan Mora has joined the last chapter. Everyone's bringing their A-game, everyone's stepping up. Everyone is not complaining that there are 35 characters on every page. God bless them. It's just so much fun to work with people who are super talented and super committed.

In the last 10 or 15 years or so, it kind of feels like DC has been reckoning a little bit with its own past, trying to fit together all these 80 years of stories into a sort of canon. How much are stories like We Are Yesterday an attempt to totally reconnect the past and present of the DC Universe. And what do you kind of see as the status quo in 2025?

Boy, there's a lot to unpack there. I think that you're right. Trust me, as the guy who is writing New History of the DC Universe, it is a major undertaking to make the DC Universe as it stands now consistent, and that is something we're working hard on. Luckily, the guy who is writing New History of the DC Universe is also writing We Are Yesterday, so that helps keep all the continuity straight.

I will say this though. In the DC Universe, because of the Omega Energy that keeps popping up, not only on the Justice League Watchtower, but all over the DC Universe, time is breaking. And we've got bigger developments along those lines coming up in the next few months. Time has a problem. Since we've sealed off the Multiverse, something else is happening and time is fracturing and paradoxes are happening that nobody can figure out.

Like, why do the villains not remember what happened five years ago? Why don't the present day villains remember Grodd recruiting them in the past? None of it is an alternate timeline, things are just screwy, and that's going to be something that builds as we get to the climax of the story.

You mentioned the Omega energy, and building to the next part of the story. Obviously, that's something that kind of started with the birth of the Absolute Universe. How connected are you to what's going on over there?

Obviously, they're different realities, but you've got to be paying attention to that on some level. And yeah, we talk all the time about the connection there, with the Darkseid Energy and with Booster Gold being lost, other developments coming up.

So while I'm not working on any of the Absolute books, because there are only so many hours in a day, I am certainly plugged in. We're making this a coordinated effort.

Back to We Are Yesterday, this story is happening in part because the Justice League were betrayed by someone they trusted. Airwave.

Sadly true.

Yes, sadly true and sad for Airwave. I like that character. I hope it's not the last we'll ever see of him here.

That's really a shame, isn't it?

Grodd was pretty ruthless.

Yes.

What I want to ask though is, how will what's happening in this story and what happened with Airwave affect the Justice League Unlimited mission going forward, with this massive roster and the way they've been approaching heroes and building out the ranks?

They are going to have to re-examine their protocols, and they are going to have to be a little more judicious about vetting the candidates. At first it was, let's throw the doors open to everybody, which was a good instinct. But Superman trusts everybody. You know you have to earn Superman's mistrust, whereas Batman is the exact opposite. You have to earn Batman's trust. And Wonder Woman is somewhere in the middle. So this is going to spill out into a confrontation between all three of them, which, by the way, gives me the idea for issue 10, which is great. I should write this down real quick.

On that note, how will We Are Yesterday kind of set up what's coming next in the DC Universe? We've heard about a crossover with the JSA, the next stages of what's going on with the Omega Energy. How is We Are Yesterday a key to that?

How do I answer this? I mean, it's absolutely key to this. The events of We Are Yesterday are a complete story. I don't want to give anybody the impression that we're only giving you part of a story that leads into the next part that, leads into the next part, like you're never getting a sense of closure. It is a complete story, but there are consequences to it that will very much, starting with Justice League Unlimited #9, lead out into the next big happening in the DC Universe. So there is a definite connection there.

Check out the best Justice League comics of all time.

DC's smash-hit, alt-reality title Absolute Batman has reinvented characters such as Riddler, Penguin, Two-Face, and Killer Croc as Bruce Wayne's tenuous allies and friends, but Absolute Batman #7 is leaning into the villainous nature of another classic character with an extra creepy new twist.

At the same time, the issue puts a new spin on a classic aspect of the Batman mythos, while also hinting at the Absolute Universe version of one of the most devastating Batman stories ever.

Spoilers ahead for Absolute Batman #7

Absolute Batman #7 by writer Scott Snyder, artist Marcos Martín, colorist Muntsa Vicente, and letterer Clayton Cowles picks up in the aftermath of the so-called "Black Mask incident" that capped off the title's first big arc. Bruce Wayne is struggling, with no city planning work to do, as all construction projects have been halted.

Nonetheless, he's still concerned with what's going on at the mysterious Ark-M facility, leading him to enlist an old friend to do some digging on the truth – none other than Matches Malone, which fans of the main DC Universe will likely recognize as the alias used by Bruce Wayne to go undercover in the Gotham underworld.

In the Absolute Universe, Matches is a childhood friend of Bruce, as well as Ozzie, Waylon, Harvey, and Eddie, the aforementioned Bat-villains who have been recast as folks in Bruce's neighborhood. Here, they're all a bit miffed with Bruce because of his double life as Batman, and they're curious what the connection is between Bruce and Matches' disappearance.

But as Bruce soon reveals, it's more than a disappearance – Matches is dead, and Bruce is the last one who saw him alive.

As it turns out, Bruce sent him on a mission to get intel about Ark-M, a mission Matches took so seriously he actually went undercover inside the facility, a risk that horrifies Bruce. However, before Matches can tell Bruce more than a few details – notably that people are already being held prisoner in Ark-M – he suddenly dies in an eruption of deadly, bloody boils.

For longtime Batman readers, this sight is all too familiar. As Bruce explains, someone used a biological weapon to kill Matches – one that appears to have essentially identical effects to those of "the Clench," a strain of Ebola that ravaged Gotham City in the late '90s story 'Contagion.'

Still, there are clues for Bruce to pursue taken from Matches' phone, which includes a list of scientists with ties to Ark-M – namely doctors Isley (as in Pamela Isley, Poison Ivy), Strange (as in Hugo Strange), Langstrom (as in Kirk Langstrom, the Man-Bat), and Victor Fries, best known in mainstream continuity as the terribly creepy Mister Freeze.

With Fries located in Gotham, Bruce sets out to infiltrate his lab for clues. What he finds inside Fries' stronghold elevates the already weird villain to a completely new level of bizarre horror. Confronting Fries, Bruce discovers that he is actually Victor Fries, Jr., and he's got his parents Victor and Nora cryogenically frozen in tubes in his own office.

In mainstream continuity, Victor Fries' current origin as Mister Freeze revolves around his strange obsession with a young woman named Nora Fields who was cryogenically frozen decades in the past. Here, he's not only got his own parents frozen in his office, he's got powers far different from those of the classic Mister Freeze, who usually has the ability to survive extremely cold temperatures and who uses a freeze-ray as a weapon.

His new powers, which are partially derived from his own time spent in cryo-stasis as a boy – where it's implied he was exposed to the same bacteria that may now be used as the weapon that killed Matches – are far stranger and scarier, with Fries morphing into a bizarre, alien-looking mutant right before Bruce's eyes, leaving the issue on a cliffhanger as he's about to strike.

That's a significant step up in the creepy factor for a villain who was already extremely weird in his modern mainstream incarnation, especially the part where he fully morphs into a bizarre looking monster instead of just shooting Batman with a freeze-ray.

Absolute Batman #8 goes on sale May 14.

Check out the best Batman comics of all time.

Superman is officially on the rise. With a massive film headed into theaters in July and publisher DC declaring 2025 the 'Summer of Superman,' there's a general air of excitement about the Man of Steel building. I've felt it - my Superman bookshelf has grown significantly in the last few months, and some new Superman action figures have begun to grace my collection - and I've seen it across the wider fan community, even seeping into the mainstream.

But what is it that has propelled the historical most popular western superhero in the world back into the public consciousness in such a big way, even beyond the movie hype? There's something special about Superman that sets him apart from other superheroes that makes him the perfect hero for the current moment in time.

Writer Mark Waid knows Superman just about as well as anyone alive, having written the Man of Steel numerous times over the decades, including writing his own take on Superman's origins and early days in Superman: Birthright, as well as the current Batman/Superman: World's Finest title, and the ongoing Justice League Unlimited series. And to him, it's no mystery why Superman is the biggest hero of 2025.

"I think with all the turmoil going on, I think that there is a sense of dread that is an undercurrent to every moment of our lives, even whether we realize it or not," Waid tells Newsarama. "And Superman is always the symbol of hope. Superman is always the symbol of what we can accomplish if we pull together, what we can do if we have empathy. What we can do if we make kindness a virtue rather than a weakness. And I think that speaks to a lot of people right now. It certainly speaks to me."

Indeed, the idea of Superman as a symbol of the strength that comes from empathy and kindness also speaks to me as a reader and a fan. It's often been said that the core fantasy of Superman is the idea that someone with such great strength uses it for selfless good, and that's something that rings true now more than ever.

It's not a new invention either. Superman began his adventures largely by taking on corrupt executives, union busters, brutal slumlords, and other enemies of the common folk. It's that core populism that quickly led to becoming a symbol of universal goodness, only a threat to those who would do harm to others. And over the years, his famous S-shield has even been redefined as a specific symbol of hope on his homeworld of Krypton.

"There's an optimism to Superman that translates on the comic page to being able to do the impossible," Waid told Newsarama previously. "The first time we ever saw Superman, he was lifting a car over his head, which in 1938 was quite the sight. That kind of science fiction material wasn't really a thing in pop culture at the time."

"He was created by two teenage boys out of Cleveland to do impossible things, and that is one of my guiding stars," Waid continued at the time. "When I write Superman, in every story, I really want to see him do something that seems impossible and still manage to pull it off. That, to me, is what his purpose is. And that is one of the things that makes him unique."

We could all certainly use a bit of the impossible right now, and a bit of Superman too.

Superman will hit theaters on July 11. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and shows for everything else the DCU has in store.

New footage for Superman touched down at CinemaCon, and it looks like the upcoming DC movie will be bringing the laughs.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, the previously unseen footage showed "Superman getting assistance from a particularly rambunctious Krypto, who eventually drags him into the Fortress of Solitude. A number of lines were greeted with laughter from the crowd."

When director James Gunn took to the stage, he said, "I cannot wait to share the film with all you guys and the rest of the world.” He added, “We’re still in the throes of post-production."

This follows on the heels of the movie's massive first trailer, which introduced us to David Corenswet's Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan's Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor – and most importantly, Krypto the Superdog.

This is the first movie in Gunn's DCU Chapter One: Gods and Monsters, following on from the TV show Creature Commandos.

Speaking about the first trailer, Gunn teased the tone of the movie. "I think I wanted the trailer to really get the essence of the film," he said. "You know, the film is optimistic, yet not without its darker moments. It's a big science fiction movie, but at the same time, incredibly grounded in the way we treat the characters and everything else. So I wanted it to be something that was the essence of Superman, that was the Superman that I grew up with, that I love, but also something new at the same time."

Superman will hit theaters on July 11. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and shows for everything else the DCU has in store.

As we head towards summer, DC is turning up the heat! June is a seriously packed month of new comics, with the latest chapter of Batman's long-awaited Hush 2 and the second issue of Superman Unlimited landing alongside a slew of exciting new launches.

There's a sequel to the smash hit Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong stomping its way onto shelves, a new solo comic for Superman's dog Krypto, a series focused on doomed second Robin Jason Todd, and loads more besides.

With that in mind we've picked out the 10 best titles headed your way in June, along with all the covers and variants available at the time of writing for your perusal.

NEW HISTORY OF THE DCU #1

On sale: June 25

The history of the universe is retold in this new four-issue celebration of all things DC from the killer creative team of Mark Waid, Jerry Ordway and Todd Nauck. You can find out more about the project here, but Waid has described it as "A chance to realign all of DC's sprawling continuity into one master timeline, and to be joined by some of comics' greatest artists to make it shine." The 48-page first issue "takes us from the very birth of the DC Universe to the rise of the Justice Society," as chronicled by none-other than Barry Allen, the Flash.

JUSTICE LEAGUE VS. GODZILLA VS. KONG 2 #1

On sale: June 4.

Justice League, the Suicide Squad, Godzilla, and Kong in one comic? Sold. This sequel to last year's monster smash ups the ante as Amanda Waller embarks on another evil scheme, this time to develop hybrid Titans. The Justice League set out to stop her, but that will mean facing off against the King of the Monsters, Kong, and more. Brian Buccellato and Christian Duce are the creative team, with variant covers coming from Dan Mora, Alan Quah, Gabriel Hardman, John Giang, Kevin Maguire, and Carlos D'Anda.

DC PRIDE 2025

On sale: June 4

DC's award-winning Pride anthology returns for 2025, this time with a overarching story providing the framework for a series of linked tales from a huge list of creators that includes Tim Sheridan, Vita Ayala, Josh Trujillo, Sam Maggs, Maya Houston, Jude Ellison S. Doyle, Emilio Pilliu, Skylar Patridge, A.L. Kaplan, Max Sarin, Vincent Cecil, and more! The 88-page special issue is focused on DC's LGBTQ+ heroes and villains, including the likes of the Question, Midnighter and Apollo, Harley Quinn, Jo Mullein, Blue Snowman, and many more. You can find out more about this exciting issue right here.

SUPERMAN UNLIMITED #2

On sale: June 18

The year's biggest new Superman launch continues from the creative team of writer Dan Slott and artist Rafael Albuquerque. A Kryptonite asteroid has changed the game in the Man of Steel's world, with a new nation-state known as Emerald City rising, and the villainous Kryptonite King and his Krypto-Knights stockpiling the deadly material and making it far harder for Kal-El to do his thing on the streets of Metropolis. We're really looking forward to seeing how this shakeup in the status quo changes things for Supes and company.

TRINITY: DAUGHTER OF WONDER WOMAN #1

On sale: June 11

Spinning out of Tom King's consistently excellent run on Wonder Woman comes this new six-issue limited series focused on Diana's daughter, Lizzie Prince AKA Trinity.

"It all begins when the daughter of Wonder Woman embarks on her most dangerous adventure yet to enter the timeline to find her father," reads DC's solicitations copy. "As the young hero knows, messing with time has its consequences, but that doesn’t mean she learned her lesson the first time. Things are about to get ruff and the Super Sons have gone to the dogs. Prepare for a Crisis of Infinite Corgis!" King scripts the series, with art from Belén Ortega.

BATMAN #161

On sale: June 25

The long-awaited Hush 2 reaches its fourth instalment. DC is being somewhat tight-lipped with plot details for these issues, simply saying of this one, "Batman's battle with Hush takes a dark turn when Damian (Robin) and Bane team up!" Sounds good – and you can bet coming from the creative team of writer Jeph Loeb and artists Jim Lee and Scott Williams this will be a must pull. There's a slew of covers available, with Lee and Williams providing the main cover and variants, along with other variants from Leinil Yu, Gabriele Dell'Otto, Frank Cho, George Perez, Clay Mann, and Steve Skroce.

KRYPTO: THE LAST DOG OF KRYPTON #1

On sale: June 4

We love Krypto, Superman's canine pal, and we also love Ryan North, whose run on Fantastic Four made the number one spot on our Best Comics of 2024 list a few months back, so this is a match made in comics heaven. The new five-issue limited series is written by North and illustrated by Mike Norton and promises a "heartfelt and moving view of humanity, good and bad, through the empathic eyes of the ultimate outsider: a poor, lost dog, who just happens to have superpowers." Sounds like it might be a bit of a tear-jerker, then.

ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN #8

On sale: June 4

Jason Aaron and Rafa Sandoval's Absolute Universe reinvention of the Man of Steel begins its next big arc – and it sounds like Kal-El is headed home. "Superman finds himself caught between the opposing forces of the nefarious Lazarus Corp and the mysterious Omega Men," reads the synopsis. "But Kal-El just wants to be left alone in the only place on this planet where he’s ever felt safe. A place called Smallville." Sandoval provides the main cover, which isn't available at the time of publication, but we do have this great variant from Clayton Crain.

ROBIN & BATMAN: JASON TODD #1

On sale: June 11

As announced earlier today, DC is flashing back to retell the origin story of the second Boy Wonder, Jason Todd. Sweet Tooth co-creator Jeff Lemire and artist Dustin Nguyen team up for a new three-issue limited series sequel to 2022's Robin & Batman, this time examining the early relationship between Bruce Wayne and Todd, which also promises to introduce "a mysterious new villain," who is targeting Jason. Batman must try and "train the anger and torment out of his new young ward" but is he doomed to failure?

ABSOLUTE WONDER WOMAN #9

On sale: June 25

DC is teasing a game-changing ninth issue of Absolute Wonder Woman, from the regular team of writer Kelly Thompson and artist Hayden Sherman. "The temptation of everything Diana has ever wanted lies just inside, but also, untold horrors and no known escape," teases the synopsis. "Diana has entered the maze, and nothing will ever be the same again." Sherman provides a typically excellent main cover for the issue, with variants from Inhyuk Lee, Reiko Murakami, and Iván Talavera also available.

Discover the Dark Knight's greatest adventures with our picks of the 10 best Batman comics.

Sweet Tooth creator Jeff Lemire and artist Dustin Nguyen are reuniting to create a follow up to their 2022 limited series, Robin & Batman. Where the original run of that series retold the early days of the Caped Crusader's partnership with Dick Grayson, this new three-issue limited series focuses instead on Jason Todd, the troubled second Robin who fought by Bruce Wayne's side during the '80s before being murdered by the Joker.

"Batman has a new Robin, Jason Todd" reads DC's synopsis for the new series. "Jason is a rash, impulsive and reckless kid with a troubled past, who Batman was certain could be molded into Gotham's next protector. But can the Dark Knight save Jason Todd from the darkness within himself? And when a mysterious new villain, shrouded in white cloth and mystery, sets his sights on Jason, Batman realizes that even he has what it takes to train the anger and torment out of his new young ward."

Below you can see the first issue's main cover by series artist Dustin Nguyen, followed by variants from Nguyen, Lemire, Rafael Albuquerque, and John McCrea.

Jason Todd was created by Gerry Conway and Don Newton, and introduced in 1983's Batman #357, though it took several issues before he adopted the mantle of Robin (with Dick going off to become Nightwing in the New Teen Titans).

Following 1985's epochal Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC relaunched many of its titles and the Todd Robin was given a revamped origin story that proved unpopular with fans.

In 1988 Batman editor Dennis O'Neil came up with the idea of a phone in poll that would affect the future of DC comics. O'Neil suggested using the poll to determine whether Jason Todd live or die – with readers opting to off the second Robin at the hands of the Joker in the now classic 'A Death in the Family' storyline. DC recently published the "lost" alternative version that showed Todd surviving.

Jason stayed dead for a remarkably long time in comics, before officially returning in 2005, now going by the name Red Hood. He's been an on-and-off ally of Batman ever since, notably turning against Bruce in Chip Zdarsky's recent run on the main Bat-book, though they have since reconciled.

Robin & Batman: Jason Todd #1 is published by DC on June 11.

Find out about DC's recent Absolute Batman launch here.

The DC Universe has its roots all the way back in 1938, when Superman first debuted in Action Comics #1. Now, nearly 90 years later, writer Mark Waid is teaming up with several of DC's biggest artists to tell the New History of the DC Universe, a comprehensive timeline of the major events and biggest heroes of the oldest superhero continuity.

Waid describes New History of the DC Universe as his "dream project," with artists Jerry Ordway and Todd Nauck joining him on the first issue of the four-issue limited series. Other artists yet to be announced will draw each issue.

"It's a chance to realign all of DC's sprawling continuity into one master timeline, and to be joined by some of comics' greatest artists to make it shine. With new information for even longtime fans, plus Easter eggs galore, this series will be an essential read for DC fans."

There have been previous versions of a unified history of the DC Universe, but given the amount of continuity shifts, reboots, relaunches, and retcons that DC has undergone over the years, a new version is much needed.

In this case, the story will be told through the eyes of none other than Barry Allen, the classic Flash, whose introduction launched both the Silver Age of comics and the modern DC Universe. Barry will take a trip through time across four issues, with the first issue covering the era from the dawn of time to the formation of the Justice Society, the first superhero team.

Here's a gallery of covers for the issue including the main cover by Chris Samnee and variant covers by Dan Mora, Ryan Sook, Mike Cho, and Stanley 'ArtGerm' Lau, as well as a special wraparound cover by Sook, and the first of a series of wraparound covers by Scott Koblish which depict basically every DC character ever in order of era depicted in a given issue. Check it out:

"I'm having an absolute blast with this project," says artist Todd Nauck. "Mark has come up with something cool for me to draw on every page, and it’s been an honor to share art chores with a comics legend like Jerry Ordway. The DC editorial team has coordinated a wealth of deep-dive references for me to draw from, and I'm learning new aspects of DC history I hadn't known before - and I've been reading DC comics for decades!"

"As one of the artists who was part of Crisis on Infinite Earths in the '80s, I am thrilled to be involved in telling the story of this newest DC Universe with Mark and Todd," adds artist Jerry Ordway.

New History of the DC Universe #1 goes on sale June 25.

Unlikely worlds will collide in the upcoming DC X Sonic the Hedgehog comic book crossover, which mashes up Sonic and his pals with the heroes of the Justice League as they take on none other than Darkseid with the fate of both their realities in the balance. Now, DC and Sega have released a first look at interior pages from DC X Sonic the Hedgehog #1, showing a race between the Justice League and team Sonic.

And yes, of course that means we'll finally get an answer to whether Sonic can outrun the Flash (though I suspect it'll be an outcome that flatters them both somehow). But that's not all, as writer Ian Flynn and artist Adam Bryce Thomas will go on to pit the Justice League, Sonic, and the hedgehog's friends against Darkseid as he apparently gains the power of the notorious Chaos Emeralds.

Perhaps it's that chaos that will lead to the mash-up between the heroes becoming literal, as Sonic is mashed-up with Flash, Shadow becomes Batman, Tails becomes Cyborg, Silver becomes Green Lantern, Amy becomes Wonder Woman, and Knuckles becomes Superman.

Here's a look at the interior pages from DC X Sonic the Hedgehog #1, along with the main cover Pablo M. Collar and a variant cover by Ethan Young, as well as the main covers for #2, #3, and #4:

"DC x Sonic the Hedgehog…features an unprecedented crossover event where the Justice League and Team Sonic must unite to save their worlds from a major threat," reads the official description of the story. "The action speeds up when the monstrous Darkseid crosses dimensions to invade the world of Sonic the Hedgehog, seeking the ultimate power. Sonic and his friends have faced everything from mad scientists to ancient spirits, but the forces of Apokolips may be too much for them! Thankfully, the full heroic might of the Justice League arrives to back them up!"

DC x Sonic the Hedgehog #1 goes on sale March 19.

Take a look back at the most unlikely comic book crossovers of all time.

DC's Absolute Universe skews darker than the mainstream DCU. We're seeing that across all of the comics that have been published in the range so far, with Bruce Wayne growing up without his fortune and his father, Wonder Woman being raised in Hell, and Superman on the run and while fighting the dystopian forces of the Lazarus Corporation. It's the latter we're here to talk about today, with March 12's Absolute Superman #5, by Jason Aaron and Rafa Sandoval, revisiting an iconic part of the Man of Steel myth and giving it an extra heartbreaking twist for good measure. Buckle up, as we're looking back at the explosive final days of planet Krypton...

Spoilers for Absolute Superman #5

One of the biggest changes to the Superman's origin story is that in the Absolute Universe version of things, Kal-El was a child when Krypton fell, rather than a newborn baby. That gives him direct lived-experience of the end of his world, which we see play out in flashback sequences this issue. He witnesses the riots that break out when the general population are told the apocalyptic news that the Science League has been hiding all this time, and the brutal response from the ruling elite. Meanwhile his parents are spending every free moment trying to adapt their escape craft to fit more people on.

It's here that the issue raises your hopes for a happier ending... For a good chunk of the issue it seems like Absolute Superman #5 is setting up a new status quo where many more Kryptonians escaped the devastation. We see many similar escape craft being prepped, while whole families board Lara and Jor-El's escape ship. As the planet explodes, young Kal-El even feels an unexpected sense of hope. His planet has gone, but the survivors are going to have the chance to rebuild and start again somewhere else. Somewhere better.

And then we learn the horrible truth: None of the ships from the cities made it off the planet, only Kal-El's. And then, just as we're getting used to that, a gigantic chunk of debris from the exploding planet destroys their ship too.

Luckily Sol, the ship's living computer, has bonded with everyone on board. It acts first as a protective space suit to save the Kryptonians from the vacuum of space, before transforming into a spaceship of its own, powerful enough to carry the young Kal to safety. All the other Kryptonians, however – including his family – are caught up in the explosion that destroys the planet.

There are some interesting ambiguities here, it should be noted. We're told that none of the ships from the cities escaped, but it's presumably likely that other ships from outside the urban centers may have done. And although we only see Kal-El escape, it's entirely possible others did too.

It's the hope that kills you. That's kind of how I felt after reading this issue, which takes an already sad backstory and dials up the agony. This version of Superman had to witness every awful moment of the death of his planet and then see his parents and people wiped out in front of his very eyes. There's no wonder the adult Absolute Superman feels so much more volatile and dangerous than the regular Man of Steel.

The issue ends with Superman in the present day, burning with rage after witnessing a massacre at the hands of the Peacemakers. He's reaching his breaking point, terrified of betraying his own fierce morality. Then, in the final pages, he makes a decision that could prove pivotal in saving his super-soul. He decides to go home and sets off on a long walk to Smallville.

Absolute Superman #5 is out now from DC.

Jason Aaron talks to us about Absolute Superman.

DC has announced its plans for the publisher's annual Pride celebrations for 2025, including the fifth edition of the Eisner and Ringo award-winning DC Pride title, which, this year, is taking a slightly different approach to previous volumes.

DC Pride 2025 is a one-shot featuring work from a host of acclaimed creators, including Tim Sheridan, Vita Ayala, Josh Trujillo, Skylar Patridge, A.L. Kaplan, Max Sarin, and more. Where previous editions of the DC Pride series have opted for a traditional anthology format, this year's release will instead tell a "singular story arc of interweaving narratives," according to DC.

In the issue, heroes gather when a Gotham City tavern that has become the center of queer life in the city unexpectedly closes. "It's a huge loss to the community, and generations of patrons return to pay respects to a space they've endowed with entire lifetimes of memories, wishes, and dreams – including Alan Scott, the Green Lantern," reveals DC's press release. "Alan returns, for one last time, to the place he fell for his first love, Johnny Ladd, to touch the wall on which they carved the symbol of their love, to remember the days before everything went to hell for them...and to say goodbye."

You can check out Kris Anka's main cover for DC Pride 2025 in the gallery below, plus a couple of variants by Julia Reck and Jack Hughes.

"DC Pride 2025 is a celebration of life, love and the power of community – even and especially in uncertain times," says Tim Sheridan, writer of the much-loved Alan Scott: The Green Lantern. "The roster of talent shaping this story is as epic as the story itself – so all I can say is buckle up for big action, bigger fun, and the biggest stakes yet. This book, as it has been in years past, is a way to reach out to our community and remind them we're all in this together."

Maw creator Jude Ellison S. Doyle, who is collaborating with artist Alex Moore,  revealed that Blue Snowman, a character originally devised by Wonder Woman creator William Moulton Marston and artist Harry G. Peter, will play a part in the new book. "It is such a huge honor to be part of the story DC has been telling. And to help Josh Trujillo bring new character Ethan Rivera – along with my own personal soulmate and/or best friend, trans icon Blue Snowman – into this universe. It's also my first chance to work with A.L. Kaplan since Maw, and he's a future legend who continues to awe me with his work. It was just really great, and healing, to hang out with a bunch of queer people and make some comics, and I could not have hoped to meet a more talented group of people."

"What made this project extra special to me," says New Mutants writer Vita Ayala, "was the way that the collaboration of creating the anthology almost mirrors the framework and ultimate solution of the metaphor at the heart of it. We got together in a (virtual) room, each with ideas for our own piece of the narrative, and at the end of the time we had interwoven our stories in ways that make it hard to tell where one person's contribution ends and another begins. We approached the work as collaborators, and ended up creating a community space that (we hope) welcomes everyone in from the cold, no matter what door (or which individual short story) people came through."

Also coming from DC this year is the latest edition of DC Pride: To the Farthest Reaches – a hardcover book in which "DC's beloved queer characters take readers on a raucous tour through the Fourth World, Naltor, A-Town, the Phantom Zone, Portworld, the Oblivion Bar, and more in a volume that celebrates how the LGBTQIA+ community is everywhere and belongs anywhere – even the very farthest reaches of the universe."

The book collects last year's DC Pride 2024, plus additional stories spotlighting queer characters from creators including Phil Jimenez, Al Ewing, Ngozi Ukazu, Nicole Maines, Stephen Byrne, Claire Roe, Giulio Macaione, and more.

DC Pride Box Set, meanwhile, collects the first three hardcover volumes of the DC Pride series, bringing together more than 70 stories in one place. The set features a starry line-up of creators that includes Grant Morrison, James Tynion IV, Mariko Tamaki, Nicole Maines, Trung Le Nguyen, Klaus Janson, Vita Ayala, Zoe Thorogood, and more. Also included is a tribute to the great comics creator Rachel Pollack, as well as Batman: The Animated Series actor Kevin Conroy's autobiographical comic, 'Finding Batman.'

Finally, Pride month will also be celebrated across several of DC's monthly comics throughout June with themed variant covers for Detective Comics #1098 (Stephen Byrne), Harley Quinn #52, Poison Ivy #34 (Betsy Cola), Justice League Unlimited #8 (Hayden Sherman), JSA #6 (Don Aguillo), Superman #27 (Rachael Stott), and Wonder Woman #22 (Kevin Wada).

DC Pride Box Set is published by DC on May 27. DC Pride 2025 follows on June 4, with DC Pride: To the Farthest Reaches landing on June 17.

Read up on some of the most iconic LGBTQIA+ superheroes in comics.

As one of the best-selling comic of 2024, it's fair to say that Absolute Batman has already been a huge success for DC (almost as big as its central character, in fact) but series writer Scott Snyder is clearly planning far ahead. Talking in an in-depth interview with the The Comic Watchers Show on YouTube last week, Snyder revealed several intriguing titbits about what's to come in the series over the next few months, including that while he has already plotted the first 24 issues of the series too.

The series' first big arc, 'The Zoo' wraps up this month with Absolute Batman #6. Following that will be a two-issue story about Mr. Freeze that Snyder says "ties into what you read in the first arc and sets up the second one." Marcos Martín is the artist on those issues, and Snyder calls his work "unbelievable" while promising a new design for Freeze and "a lot of fun revelations about who he is."

After that will be an arc-focused on the Bat-breaker himself. "Starting with #9, it's a Bane arc, which I'm very excited about, and it really deals with Ark M and what it is," revealed Snyder. "Bruce is desperately trying to figure out what they're building there and what it is underneath this prison, and it's like a real horror show. So you get a bunch of villain revelations there." That arc will run through issues #9-14.

Following that will be a three-part arc that Snyder says will focus on "the return of a character who you've seen a little bit in the past." And then it's time for the big one – probably. "Right now that's where we're planning our Joker story is, after that, but I haven't decided yet." Snyder goes on to clarify that he knows exactly what the Joker story is going to be, but that other ideas and stories (including "a little Scarecrow thing") may sneak in before getting to this long-awaited look at Batman's greatest enemy – in the Absolute Universe seemingly reinvented a super-wealthy industrialist.

Speaking of whether Bruce Wayne will remain a loner in the Absolute Universe, Snyder also teased that Barbara Gordon and the OG Robin, Dick Grayson, will be seen in the book sooner rather than later. "You'll see Dick Grayson at some point this year, he's coming," Snyder revealed. "It was an interesting set of choices because it was like, 'Is he a kid, or is he a grown-up?' Because if Barbara is a grown-up and he's a kid, is that too weird? Does that feel off? So what if he's a grown-up? Who would he be? And then that opened this whole door. You'll see some friendly Bat characters and some fiendish Bat characters, all coming soon."

Perhaps most exciting of all, Snyder confirmed that the Absolute Universe comics – or at least the big three of Absolute Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman – will be crossing over later this year. "We had a big summit, Zoom-wise, all the Absolute writers," Snyder explained. "There will be crossover storylines in '25 between the Absolute books – the first three especially, 'cos they've been around longer."

The whole interview is long and fascinating, with Snyder also going into some of the metaphysics of the Absolute universe, what it took to bring him back to writing Batman, and teasing what the upcoming Absolute Martian Manhunter and Absolute Green Lantern comics will have to offer, so do go check it out.

Absolute Batman #6 is published by DC on March 19.

Check out interviews with the creative teams of Absolute Wonder Woman and Absolute Superman.

DC announced the long-awaited return of cult '90s hero Mitch Shelley – AKA Resurrection Man – back in January. Now the publisher has shared some sneak peek covers and interior art from the first issue of the DC Black Label series, which is subtitled Quantum Karma.

Resurrection Man follows the adventures of immortal superhero Mitch Shelley, a hero who simply cannot die no matter how often you shoot him, stab him, or blow him to pieces. What's more, whenever Mitch dies, he resurrects with new powers. It sounds like he'll need them – in Quantum Karma, he's tasked with his greatest challenge yet: saving the entire universe!

The new series is written by Ram V, who is also currently helming The New Gods for DC, and illustrated by Anand RK. You can check out some covers from the first issue below, including Jeff Dekal's main cover, plus variants from Anand RK, Dan Panosian, and Butch Guice.

DC's synopsis for the new series suggests that the past is about to catch up with Mitch in a big way. Karma's funny like that.

"He's back! Mitch Shelley, the Resurrection Man, has led thousands of lives – and with each unexpected death and resurrection comes a new superpower. But after living a life to its natural conclusion, Mitch Shelley is awoken by a new purpose and power…saving the universe."

It continues, "Follow the Resurrection Man through time as he fights against a monster of his own creation. Gashadokuro – a sadistic WWII internment-camp commander who has inherited a twisted version of Shelley's powers. The lines of cosmic order will begin to blur as no good deed goes unpunished. And whatever the cause, whatever the consequence, this much is true… he's dying to save you!"

Resurrection Man was created by writers Andy Lanning and Dan Abnett and artist Jackson Guice back in 1997, and has popped up from time to time over the intervening decades in various corners of the DC multiverse, such as DC One Million and Martian Manhunter. His last full series was a part of DC's controversial New 52 project. Quantum Karma will be the first time a Resurrection Man comic has been written by someone other than his creators.

Resurrection Man: Quantum Karma #1 is published by DC Black Label on April 2.

Ram V talked to us recently about writing DC's The New Gods.

We're just weeks out from the next batch of DC Absolute Universe comics landing in stores. Joining the best-selling likes of Absolute Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman will be three new titles: Absolute Flash and Absolute Martian Manhunter, which both arrive later this month, and Absolute Green Lantern, which follows at the start of April.

The latter is coming from the impressive creative team of writer Al Ewing and artist Jahnoy Lindsay. Now DC has released some early art and covers from the first issue, giving us a stronger hint at the tone of the new series, which is putting the relatively new character of Sojourner "Jo" Mullein front and center, alongside Hal Jordan.

Here's a gallery of covers from the first issue, including Lindsay's main cover and a black and white variant, plus variants from Juliet Nneka, Martin Simmonds, Ryan Benjamin, Rafael Albuquerque, and a foil Green Lantern logo variant.

Jo Mullein made her debut in the 2020 limited series Far Sector, by writer N.K. Jemisin and artist Jamal Campbell. The book was published by DC's now defunct Young Animal imprint, and proved to be a huge success with fans and critics, winning 2022's prestigious Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story or Comic. Since then Jo has become a regular part of the more mainstream Green Lantern titles in what is now known as the DC All In universe.

The unlettered preview pages below don't give a lot away about the new Absolute comic's story, but they do indicate that while still being cosmic in scope, the new book will take place, in part, on Earth.

So what is the first arc – titled 'The Black Hand' – about? We have solicitations blurbs for the first two issues, but they don't give much away. This is intentional, with Al Ewing having previously indicated that the series is best approached without knowing too much in advance.

"Without the Corps... without the ring... without the willpower, what's left is the Absolute Green Lantern!" reads the synopsis for #1, which suggests a more stripped back approach for the series.

The blurb for #2, however, indicates the fateful arrival of a familiar Green Lantern character: "Abin Sur has arrived, and he is here to judge all of the people of Evergreen, including Jo Mullein and Hal Jordan. But is this alien being friend or foe, and just what will his judgement bring?"

We'll find out how it all fits together when Absolute Green Lantern #1 is published by DC on April 2.

These are the best Green Lantern stories of all time.