Supply chain issues continue to plague DC's comic book publishing line, leading the publisher to announce delays to two of its higher-profile titles, Justice League and Wonder Woman.
The most recent issue of Justice League, #71 hit stands on January 25 - itself delayed a month due to these same supply chain issues, which led to #72 being delayed as well.
But these new, unspecified supply chain wrinkles have led DC to once again reschedule Justice League #72, now to February 15. That was the originally-planned release date of the next issue, Justice League #73, leading to a cascading delay with that issue now being moved to March 1. The next issue, Justice League #74 - the finale of Brian Michael Bendis' run on the title - remains scheduled for the moment for March 15.
DC's Wonder Woman ongoing title's schedule changes are relatively minor in comparison, with Wonder Woman #784 pushed back one week to February 15. The next issue, Wonder Woman #785 (which is part of the 'Trial of the Amazons' crossover) remains on the schedule for March 15.
The entire publishing industry - comic book included - has been suffering from supply chain issues as the COVID-19 pandemic has longer-term effects on paper mills, transportation companies, and the people who keep them running. In August 2021, DC made the first of many major schedule re-alignments as a result.
"DC faces an unprecedented strain on the global supply chain, affecting all of us in the comic industry and beyond," read a statement from DC at the time. "Up to this point, we've been able to keep delays and shortages to a minimum, but with recent notifications about covid-related port closures, international and domestic freight delays, workforce shortages, and a severely allocated paper supply, we are unable to continue to manage this situation without disruption."
DC and other publishers have delayed the digital release dates of affected issues to remain day-and-date with the print editions during this period.
DC has big plans for this summer, beginning with April's Justice League #75's 'Death of the Justice League' story. That issue is anticipated to be a major building block into a big summer DC crossover event. If these supply chain issues do persist, it could affect these summer plans - or force DC to prioritize it over other titles in its publishing schedule.
Here's a list of the most impactful DC events in the comics themselves.
