DC Comics Unveils New Batman #1 and Costume

2025 is shaping up to be a monumental year for DC's flagship Batman comic. Chip Zdarsky's acclaimed run concluded with Batman #157, setting the stage for Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee's eagerly awaited Hush 2 storyline, set to launch in March. Following Hush 2, DC plans an exciting relaunch of Batman, featuring a new #1 issue, a new writer, and a striking new costume.

At the ComicsPro retailer event, DC unveiled that the new volume of Batman will be penned by the talented Matt Fraction, known for his work on Uncanny X-Men and The Invincible Iron Man. Jorge Jimenez, the current Batman artist, will continue to bring the Dark Knight to life, collaborating with Fraction on a fresh costume and Batmobile design. Batman's iconic black and gray suit will be replaced with a vintage-inspired blue and gray ensemble, reflecting a nod to the character's rich history. You can see the new Batsuit in the image below:

"I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Batman. It was the first comic I ever read," said Fraction. "Jorge and I have a very superhero-forward kind of take on Batman. We’ve got a new Batmobile, a new costume, new characters, and 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 release in September 2025.

Alongside the Batman news, DC provided insights into the future of the Superman line during the ComicsPro event, highlighting the ongoing "Summer of Superman" initiative. Supergirl is set to receive a new series and a new costume designed by Stanley "Artgerm" Lau. The series, written and drawn by Sophie Campbell, known for her work on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, will see Kara Zor-El return to 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," said Campbell. "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 scheduled for release on May 14.

Additionally, Action Comics will see a new creative team, with Mark Waid, known from Justice League Unlimited, teaming up with Resonant artist Skylar Patridge. The series will delve into Clark Kent's teenage years in Smallville, exploring his journey of discovering and mastering his powers as Superboy.

"I start the book with Clark as a 15-year-old boy, learning to be a superhero for the first time,” said Waid. “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 run will begin with Action Comics #1087 in June.

As part of the DC All In initiative, Krypto will star in his own five-issue miniseries, Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton, written by Ryan North (Fantastic Four) and illustrated by Mike Norton (Revival). The series promises to delve deeper into Krypto's origin story than ever before.

"Krypto's origin has always been done at kind of a high level," said North. "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.

During the ComicsPro event, Marvel also announced the relaunch of Captain America this summer, with Chip Zdarsky writing and Valerio Schiti on art duties. Additionally, we got an early look at Godzilla's new interconnected comic book universe.