DC will be ending several of its less successful comics starting in June and will replace them with 24 new titles aimed at diversifying its catalog.
Last year, DC announced plans for a new event DC+ revealed exactly what the aftermath of Convergence will be. After the event wraps up, new series will be launched, some existing ones will die and the New 52 imprint will, officially, be no more.
The publisher announced the big change earlier today on its official website. According to the post, while the existing continuity will continue, the publisher will launch 24 new books beginning on June 3rd while also cancelling a score of its under-performing comics. Alongside these new comics, DC will continue publishing 25 of its existing series, all of which will maintain their current numbering and storylines. It’s the company’s hope that these new comics will help expand the diversity of its lineup to help attract new readers interested in something outside of its current catalog. “This heralds in a new era for the DC Universe which will allow us to publish something for everyone, be more expansive and modern in our approach and tell stories that better reflect the society around us,” said Dan Didio, co-publisher for DC Entertainment. “Whether you’ve been a DC fan your whole life, or whether you are new to comics – there will be a book for you beginning in June.”
The company would go on to indicate that it intends to go “back-to-basics” with popular characters such as Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Its new books, in turn, will be geared toward “reinventing key characters” such as Bizarro, Black Canary, Starfire, Cyborg and more. The full list of new comics will include the following:
- Batman Beyond by Dan Jurgens and Bernard
- ChangCyborg by David L. Walker and Ivan Reis and Joe Prado
- Dark Universe by James Tynion IV and Ming Doyle
- Doomed by Scott Lobdell and Javier Fernandez
- Harley Quinn/Power Girl by Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner and Stephane Roux
- Red Hood/Arsenal by Scott Lobdell and Denis Medri
- Starfire by Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner and Emanuela Lupacchino
- We Are Robin by Lee Bermejo and Rob Haynes and Khary Randolph
- Justice League of America by Brian Hitch
- Bizzaro by Heath Corson and Gustavo Duarte
- Prez by Mark Russell and Ben Caldwell
- Omega Men by Tom King and Barnaby Bagenda
- Mystic U (tentative title) by Alisa Kwitney and Mauricet
- Section Eight by Garth Ennis and John McCrea
- Dr. Fate by Paul Levitz and Sonny Liew
- Robin, Son of Batman by Pat Gleason
- Black Canary by Brenden Fletcher and Annie Wu
- Martian Manhunter by Rob Williams and Ben Oliver, Paulo Siqueira
- Earth 2: Society by Daniel H. Wilson and Jorge Jimenez
- Midnighter by Steve Orlando and ACO
- Bat-Mite by Dan Jurgens and Corin Howell
- Constantine: The Hellblazer by Ming Doyle and Riley Rossmo
- Justice League 3001 by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis and Howard Porter
- Green Lantern: Lost Army by Cullen Bunn andJesus Saiz, Javi Pina
The returning comics, meanwhile, will be:
- Action Comics by Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder
- Aquaman by Cullen Bunn and Trevor McCarthy
- Batgirl by Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher and Babs Tarr
- Batman by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo
- Detective Comics by Francis Manapul, Brian Buccelato and Francis Manapul
- Batman/Superman by Greg Pak and Ardian Syaf
- Catwoman by Genevieve Valentine and David Messina
- Deathstroke by Tony Daniel and Tony Daniel
- Flash byRob Venditti,Van Jensen and Brett Booth
- Gotham Academy byBecky Cloonan, Brenden Fletcher and Karl Kerschl
- Gotham By Midnight by Ray Fawkes and Juan Ferreyra
- Grayson by Tim King, Tim Seeley and Mikel Janin
- Green Arrow by Ben Percy and Richard Zircher
- Green Lantern by Robert Venditti and Billy Tan
- Harley Quinn by Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti and Chad Hardin
- Justice League by Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok
- Justice League United by TBD and Travel Foreman, Paul Pelletier
- Lobo by Cullen Bunn and Cliff Richards
- Secret Six by Gail Simone and Dale Eaglesham
- Sinestro by Cullen Bunn and Brad Walker
- New Suicide Squad by Sean Ryan and Carlos D’Anda
- Superman by Gene Luen Yang and John Romita, Jr.
- Superman/Wonder Woman by Peter Tomasi and Doug Mahnke
- Teen Titans by Will Pfeifer and Kenneth Rodafort
- Wonder Woman by Meridith Finch and David Finch
All in all, I personally think this could be a good move for DC. While I have none of the animosity that some do toward the New 52, I’d also say that DC hasn’t done the best job of providing me with compelling reasons to care about many of its books. With the exception of core titles like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, there’s little that interests me. Maybe a new crop of comics will be the right ticket to pull readers like myself deeper into the depths of DC. What do you think? Does the list of new books contain anything that catches your eye?
Source: DC Comics
