DC Comics to Relaunch Batman With New #1 Issue and New Costume

DC Comics Unveils Major 2025 Plans for Batman, Superman, and Krypto

2025 promises a significant year for DC's Batman franchise. Following Chip Zdarsky's conclusion on Batman #157, Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee's Hush 2 storyline will launch in March. This sets the stage for a complete Batman relaunch with a new #1 issue, creative team, and a striking new costume.

As announced at the ComicsPro event, Matt Fraction (known for Uncanny X-Men and The Invincible Iron Man) will take the reins as writer, collaborating with returning artist Jorge Jimenez. Jimenez and Fraction have designed a fresh Batsuit, trading the familiar black and gray for a classic blue and gray aesthetic, and a new Batmobile. Fraction expressed his deep connection to the character, stating, "I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Batman. It was the first comic I ever read." He further revealed their vision: "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.” Batman #1 is slated for a September 2025 release.

DC also highlighted its "Summer of Superman" initiative, revealing updates to the Superman line. Supergirl will receive a new series and costume (designed by Stanley "Artgerm" Lau), written and illustrated by Sophie Campbell (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). This series will return Kara to Midvale. Campbell commented, “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.” Supergirl #1 debuts May 14th.

Action Comics will feature a new creative team: Mark Waid (Justice League Unlimited) and Skylar Patridge (Resonant). This iteration will focus on Clark Kent's teenage years in Smallville, exploring his early experiences with his powers. Waid explained, "I start the book with Clark as a 15-year-old boy, learning to be a superhero for the first time.” Action Comics #1087 launches in June.

Finally, Krypto will star in his own five-issue miniseries, Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton, as part of the DC All In initiative. Written by Ryan North (Fantastic Four) and illustrated by Mike Norton (Revival), this series will delve deeper into Krypto's origin story than ever before. North stated, “Krypto's origin has always been done at kind of a high level." The series will be released starting June 18th.

ComicsPro also revealed Marvel's summer relaunch of Captain America, with Zdarsky writing and Valerio Schiti illustrating.