This morning, DC Comics revealed their initial plans with their new exclusive writer Brian Michael Bendis. As had been rumored for some time, Bendis is going to start his DC tenure in Metropolis, writing both “Action Comics” and “Superman” come July. In addition, he will be curating a new imprint and bringing his Jinxworld titles to the publisher as well.
After April’s “Action Comics” #1000, the title will go on hiatus for 2 months while DC retools its entire Superman line. Starting on May 30th, Bendis will write a six-issue miniseries, “Man of Steel,” which will arrive weekly and feature art by a murderer’s row of DC talent, including Kevin Maguire, Evan “Doc” Shaner, and Jason Fabok. Bendis says that the mini will introduce a new villain that “connects deeply to Superman’s origin story and to his birthright.”
There will be a prelude – with art by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez – published in a book called “DC Nation” #0 on May 2nd. No details about what “DC Nation” is, but it seems like it may be a sampler of DC’s summer books/events, which also include the “Justice League: No Justice” event. Forbes, in a sprawling interview/feature on Bendis, mentioned the book would also have the story of the Joker finding out about Batman and Catwoman’s engagement.
After the miniseries wraps, Bendis will relaunch “Superman” with a new #1, along with artist Ivan Reis. Two weeks later, “Action Comics” will resume with #1001, featuring art by Patrick Gleason. It is unclear when the current, Peter Tomasi/Gleason “Superman” series will cease publication. Says Forbes, “While the main Superman title will be an adventure-driven book, Action Comics will delve into Clark Kent’s daily life.” Bendis promises more Daily Planet-focused stories, as well as how Superman impacts the rest of the DCU in “Action.”
In addition to the Superman plans, Bendis is also moving his entire Jinxworld series of books – “Powers,” “Scarlet,” etc – to DC, both to reprint/collect older issues, as well as produce new stories. Those new stories will include continuing certain older series, as well as creating new titles under that banner.
Bendis had this to say about DC’s partnership with the Jinxworld titles. “DC is going to be hosting Jinxworld as a whole, so everything I’ve ever done in the creator-owned world will be coming to DC. And on top of that, we’ll be debuting brand new material, brand new series that I think will be exciting for the marketplace and for fans, stuff I haven’t tried before and stuff people have been begging us for. We’ll be debuting that all this year.”
Finally, Bendis will be curating a new imprint, described as not dissimilar to Gerard Way’s ‘Young Animal,’ where he will be both writing and curating stories focusing on some of his favorite DC characters. “It’s going to be a select series of special comics,” says Bendis, “and we’ll debut what those are later in the year. I’ll be writing some of those and curating the others, but they’ll all be under this imprint and add a very special flavor to the DC Universe. I’m happy to say it will star some of my all-time favorite DC characters in unique situations, and that I could not be more excited for.”
For more on all of this, again, check out the massive article at Forbes. You can read the official press release below, as well as check out the four connecting covers to “Man of Steel” #1-4, both together and apart.
DC ENTERTAINMENT AND ACCLAIMED WRITER BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS REVEAL UPCOMING PUBLISHING PLANS
Taking Over the Reins on Superman with New MAN OF STEEL Weekly Miniseries in May, New SUPERMAN #1 and ACTION COMICS #1001 Ongoing Series in July
Re-Release of Jinxworld Titles, with Continuing Series and New Titles to Come
Curating “Custom” Imprint Combining a Mix of Characters from the DC Universe with All-New Characters
(BURBANK, CA) – (February 1, 2018) – Last November, best-selling writer Brian Michael Bendis set tongues to wagging in the comic book world when he announced that he would be joining DC Entertainment as part of a “multifaceted” deal. Today both DC and Bendis have revealed the first details on what he has in store for fans.
Continued belowSUPERMAN
Bendis’ first DC story will be with fan-favorite artist Jim Lee in ACTION COMICS #1000 (on sale April 18), but this is only the beginning when it comes to his relationship with Krypton’s Last Son. On May 30, Bendis debuts MAN OF STEEL, a six-issue weekly miniseries. Featuring six interconnected covers by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado, this series will shake up the classic story of Krypton’s final days and Kal-El’s path to becoming an iconic hero, introducing a new villain that knows a terrifying secret behind the destruction of Superman’s homeworld. Bendis’ story will feature an incredible lineup of artistic firepower, including Ivan Reis, Evan “Doc” Shaner, Ryan Sook, Kevin Maguire, Adam Hughes and Jason Fabok. A prelude to MAN OF STEEL by Bendis and artist Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez will be available on May 2, in the DC NATION #0 preview sampler.
This July, more fireworks are in store for fans with not one, but two Superman-themed titles, both written by Bendis. July 11 debuts SUPERMAN #1, with art by Ivan Reis. The conclusion of MAN OF STEEL will leave both fans and Superman reeling, and the debut story arc will dive deeper into its consequences, building on popularity already generated by co-writer Peter J. Tomasi and co-writer/artist Pat Gleason. On July 25, ACTION COMICS resumes with issue #1001; with art by Gleason, Bendis will deliver stories that are more character-focused, introduce new characters (both heroes and villains) and spotlight more of Clark Kent and his role at the Daily Planet. ACTION will also take a closer look at how the actions of Superman impact the DC Universe.
THE RETURN OF JINXWORLD
Bendis’ world of gritty noir crime titles, including JINX, TORSO, POWERS, A.K.A. GOLDFISH and SCARLET among others, has found a new home at DC. The library of JINXWORLD titles like BRILLIANT, FIRE, FORTUNE & GLORY and TOTAL SELLOUT will be available digitally by this Spring. Fans can expect to see new stories from continuing series like POWERS, SCARLET and THE UNITED STATES OF MURDER INC., as well as new characters added to the Jinxworld universe throughout 2018 and beyond.
A CURATED “CUSTOM” IMPRINT
Also scheduled for 2018 is a Bendis-curated custom imprint of titles. This new custom imprint will feature some of Bendis’ all-time favorite characters in very unique and unusual situations, combined with new characters created specifically for this new imprint.
Check out the website at www.dccomics.com or the DC YouTube channel for the latest news regarding Brian Michael Bendis and the World’s Greatest Super Heroes.
About DC Entertainment:
DC Entertainment, home to the iconic brands DC (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, the Flash, etc.), Vertigo (Sandman, Fables, etc.) and MAD, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating across Warner Bros. and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its stories and characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment and interactive games. Publishing thousands of comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Entertainment is one of the largest English-language publishers of comics in the world.
