DC Comics have announced two new series, both written by Mark Waid, and starting in July. The first, “Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor,” is a three-part Black Label series created with artist Bryan Hitch, inker Kevin Nowlan, and colorist David Baron, that’ll see the Man of Steel try to save his archnemesis from a disease that is killing him. The synopsis states, “While the world wants to say good riddance to Luthor, Superman will go to the ends of the universe, through different dimensions, and across time to save his foe. But just why does he want to save the person who’s spent his life trying to destroy him? And will he even be able to find the solution?”
Waid states, “Superman’s fighting the tide of public opinion, embarking on a mission that billions of people outright oppose. But he has his reasons — partly because of who he is, but partly because of a debt he feels he owes — and readers of ‘Superman: Birthright’ might already guess what that perceived debt is. Together, Superman and Lex are racing the clock in search of a cure as they travel the breadth of the super-universe, from Atlantis to Kandor to the Phantom Zone, all spectacularly reimagined by Bryan Hitch.”
The other series is “World’s Finest: Teen Titans,” featuring art by Emanuela Lupacchino. Spinning out of Waid and Dan Mora’s “Batman/Superman: World’s Finest,” the book is a modern take on the Titans’ early years, when the team included the likes of Dick Grayson/Robin, Donna Troy/Wonder Girl, Wally West/Kid Flash, Garth/Aqualad, Roy Harper/Speedy, and Karen Beecher/Bumblebee. “When they’re not fighting alongside their Justice League mentors, they’re managing their image and cultivating the rabid fan base that helps them save the world… as, all the while, a danger from the shadows intends to tear these friends apart before they ever reach the big time.”
According to Waid, “I’ve had so much fun writing the Teen Titans in ‘Batman/Superman: World’s Finest’ that DC asked for more, and I couldn’t be happier. Taking our cue from the main ‘World’s Finest’ book, the series is set in the not-too-distant past, when Robin led the team — including Bumblebee and Mal Duncan [who doesn’t appear in the released artwork] — as they answered calls for help from kids worldwide and dealt with their celebrity status. The real fun for the wonderful Ema Lupacchino and me is revealing many surprising secrets about who each of the Titans really is. Even longtime readers will be stunned by these untold revelations.”
“World’s Finest: Teen Titans” will begin first, with issue #1 releasing on July 11, while the bimonthly “Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor” will debut on July 25. Head to DC.com to check out artwork and variant covers from the books in the meantime. Waid and Mora’s “Batman/Superman: World’s Finest” and “Shazam!” (which starts next month) will also continue beforehand.
