2025 is set to be a monumental year for DC's flagship Batman comic. Chip Zdarsky has recently concluded his run with Batman #157, making room for Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee to bring fans the much-anticipated Hush 2 storyline in March. Following the completion of Hush 2, DC will relaunch Batman with a fresh #1 issue, featuring a new writer and an exciting new costume design.
Announced at the ComicsPro retailer event, the new volume of Batman will be penned by acclaimed writer Matt Fraction, known for his work on Uncanny X-Men and The Invincible Iron Man. The series will continue to feature the talents of current Batman artist Jorge Jimenez, who, along with Fraction, has designed a new costume and Batmobile to usher in this new era. Batman will don a more vintage-inspired blue and gray suit, moving away from the familiar black and gray. Here’s a sneak peek at the new Batsuit:
Art by Jorge Jimenez. (Image Credit: DC)
"I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Batman. It was the first comic I ever read," Fraction shared. "Jorge and I have a very superhero-forward kind of take on Batman. We’ve got a new Batmobile, we’ve got a new costume, we’ve got new characters, and we’ve got a lot of old ones too—good and bad; all the stuff that makes Batman the coolest character in comics. We want to celebrate it all."
The relaunch of Batman #1 is scheduled for September 2025.
In addition to the Batman news, DC provided more details on the future of the Superman line at ComicsPro, as part of the ongoing "Summer of Superman" event. Supergirl is set to receive her own new series and a stunning new costume designed by Stanley "Artgerm" Lau. The series, written and illustrated by Sophie Campbell, known for her work on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, will see Kara return to the city of Midvale.
"I came up in the comics industry doing mostly graphic novels that I wrote and drew myself, so doing the same with Supergirl feels like I’m returning to my storytelling roots," Campbell explained. "My main touchstones to Kara Zor-El were the stories and the wild costumes from the 70’s, the 1984 Supergirl movie, and The CW show, which I was a huge fan of. In creating this version of Supergirl, I’ll be drawing on some of those influences as the series unfolds."
Supergirl #1 is slated for release on May 14.
Art by Stanley Lau (Image Credit: DC)
Moreover, Action Comics will see a new creative team with Justice League Unlimited writer Mark Waid teaming up with Resonant artist Skylar Patridge. Their run will shift the focus to Clark Kent's teenage years in Smallville, delving into how he grappled with his emerging powers as Superboy.
"I start the book with Clark as a 15-year-old boy, learning to be a superhero for the first time,” Waid stated. “What is that like, learning to use your powers at that age? What kind of challenges are you facing? Skylar and I are also bringing Smallville a little more up to date—it still has that rustic feel to it, but farms don’t look like that anymore."
Waid and Patridge's new take on Action Comics begins with issue #1087 in June.
Lastly, DC has confirmed that Krypto, Superman's loyal companion, will star in his own five-issue miniseries, Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton, as part of the DC All In initiative. The series, written by Ryan North and illustrated by Mike Norton, will explore Krypto's origin story in unprecedented detail.
"Krypto's origin has always been done at kind of a high level," North remarked. "The little guy starts out on Krypton, ends up on Earth, and helps Superman fight crime. The chance to really define Krypto—to show what a little lost dog would go through if he landed all alone on a strange alien world named Earth—was really enticing. And I also fell in love with the idea of treating Krypto as the actual dog he is: he doesn't talk, and we don't cheat by reading his thoughts in balloons either. Mike Norton’s art captures exactly what needs to be ‘said’ in every scene."
Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #1 will hit the shelves on June 18.
