Did you miss San Diego Comic-Con this year? Well, don’t worry. We were there for every exciting moment of it, and now that it’s finished, we’re catching you up on all the big DC announcements you missed. It may not be the same as attending Comic-Con yourself, but trust us, this is the next best thing. (And you won’t have to wait in a single line.) This was a big year for DC—here are some of the highlights!
The Bullet is Back
DC is getting a new logo, and it’s one that might be familiar to longtime fans. During Friday’s “Jim Lee & Friends” panel, publisher Jim Lee revealed that DC’s classic “bullet” logo is returning in a big way. Some of you might remember the bullet, which served as DC’s official logo from 1976 through 2005. It was affixed to the original printing of some of DC’s most pivotal comics, including Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns.
Along with returning to all of DC’s comics starting in October, the bullet, which was designed by Milton Glaser, will also be the official logo for DC Studios. And that’s just the beginning. Over the months ahead, you’ll see the logo show up on everything DC touches, including all of your favorite toys, games and collectibles. (You may have already noticed that it’s here on DC.com and all of our official social media channels.)
Finally, you did see that the panel was called “Jim Lee & Friends,” right? Well, one of those friends was none other than James Gunn, who shared the logo via video and explained why he and his co-chair Peter Safran went with it. That wasn’t all he revealed in the surprise virtual appearance, which brings us to our next category…
Animation
DC animation was all over San Diego Comic-Con in some pretty major ways.
As a part of the “Jim Lee & Friends” panel, James Gunn also introduced the first trailer for the upcoming Creature Commandos animated series. Considering it was written entirely by Gunn, it shouldn’t be surprising to hear that it embraces all the delightful weirdness we’ve come to expect from his work while still embracing some of the more obscure corners of the DC Universe. And don’t forget, this is more than a first look at a new animated Max series—it’s also the first piece of media that takes place in Gunn and Peter Safran’s new cinematic DC Universe.
During Friday’s Harley Quinn and Kite Man: Hell Yeah! panel, we got some exciting news about one of our favorite animated power couples. Harley Quinn’s fifth season will release this November and finds Harley and Ivy moving to Metropolis. Bane will be along for the ride (would we have it any other way?), working at the Daily Planet. I’m sure he’ll fit in well there. The new season will also include characters such as Lena Luthor and Brainiac.
I was already excited about My Adventures with Supermanseason three, then Saturday’s My Adventures with Superman panel went and multiplied that excitement a thousandfold. During the panel, we learned that the Conner Kent version of Superboy will be joining the cast. We even got our first look at the character’s design and you can just feel the attitude radiating off him.
Meanwhile, Saturday’s Batman: Caped Crusader panel gave fans a first look at the Dark Knight’s next animated series, which premieres this very weekend on Prime Video! Plus, it was announced that Minnie Driver would be voicing Oswalda Cobblepot, a female version of the Penguin.
And speaking of our friend Ozzie…
Television
The Penguin took over Hall H on Saturday as HBO previewed Matt Reeves’ upcoming crime drama. Reeves and the cast spoke about how The Penguin would bridge the gap between 2022’s The Batman and its upcoming sequel. If you love darker DC stories or Batman comics with a focus on Gotham’s mob families, this show is going to be right up your alley. Attendees were also treated to a dramatic new trailer.
The Man of Steel also had a turn in Hall H, as Warner Bros. Television previewed the final season of Superman & Lois.Some of you might remember that last season ended with Superman battling Doomsday and it looks like we’ll be picking up where we left off. We all know what Doomsday did to Superman in the comics, so Clark is in for one heck of a fight. Executive producers Brent Fletcher and Todd Helbing also teased that we might get some surprise cameos from other Arrowverse characters.
Comics
You can’t have Comic-Con without the comics and DC gave comic readers plenty of things to get excited about. First off, the Justice League is coming back! The team disbanded in the aftermath of 2022’s Dark Crisis, but a new team will be assembling for DC’s All In initiative.
During Thursday’s Absolute Power panel, a new title called Justice League Unlimited was announced. The comic will be written by none other Mark Waid and penciled by his Absolute Power collaborator Dan Mora. According to Waid, the new Watchtower will be home to “every superhero on Earth.” In other words, it sounds like this version of the Justice League will be similar to the Justice League Unlimited animated series.
DC also revealed some exciting new titles during Saturday’s “What’s Happening in the DC Multiverse” panel. Are you ready to return to the Fourth World? Ram V and Evan Cagle will be teaming up for The New Gods, the latest chapter in DC’s Fourth World saga. The new series will launch this December.
The Justice Society will also be getting a new series written by returning star Jeff Lemire and penciled by Diego Olortegui. Lemire teased that the storyline will be big and spread throughout the DCU. Lemire also had a second announcement relating to DC’s new Absolute line—he’ll be writing Absolute Flash, which will be penciled by Nick Robles. This series, which like all the Absolute comics is set in another timeline, will star a 15-year-old Wally West.
Finally, we need to return back to our President, Publisher and Chief Creative Officer Jim Lee and another of his friends—writer, actor and Count Crowley creator David Dastmalchian. During his panel, Lee revealed that Dastmalchian will be writing a new horror-fueled take on the Creature Commandos called DC Horror Presents: Creature Commandos. Drawn by artist Jesús Hervás, the six-issue limited series will hit stores this October. With roles in DC projects ranging from Gunn’s The Suicide Squad to the animated Batman: The Long Halloween to Fox’s Gotham, Dastmalchian is no stranger to the DC Universe, so we’re excited to see him take the creative reins of a DC book for the first time.
This is just a small sample of what DC is planning in the months ahead and is just a portion of what was discussed at San Diego Comic-Con. Between the comics, animation, live action TV series and DC Studios’ upcoming cinematic universe, there are plenty of reasons for DC fans to be excited. San Diego Comic-Con may be over, but DC will continue to bring the spirit and excitement from the event to you all year round. The universe is expanding, and we’re glad that you’re along for the ride.
Joshua Lapin-Bertone writes about TV, movies and comics for DC.com, is a regular contributor to the Couch Club and writes our monthly Batman column, “Gotham Gazette.” Follow him on Twitter at @TBUJosh.
NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Joshua Lapin-Bertone and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.