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

2025 is poised to be an exciting year for DC's flagship Batman comic series. Chip Zdarsky concluded his acclaimed run with Batman #157, setting the stage for the highly anticipated Hush 2 storyline by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee, slated for March. Following the completion of Hush 2, DC plans to relaunch Batman with a fresh start, introducing a new #1 issue, a new writer, and an updated costume.

As announced at the ComicsPro retailer event, the new volume of Batman will be penned by Matt Fraction, known for his work on Uncanny X-Men and The Invincible Iron Man. Jorge Jimenez, the current Batman artist, will continue his collaboration on the series, bringing to life a new costume and Batmobile. The iconic black and gray suit will be replaced with a more vintage-inspired blue and gray ensemble. Here's a sneak peek at the new Batsuit:

Fraction shared his excitement, saying, "I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Batman. It was the first comic I ever read. 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 scheduled for release in September 2025.

In addition to the Batman news, DC provided further details on the future of the Superman line during ComicsPro, continuing their "Summer of Superman" event. Supergirl is set to receive her own new series and costume, designed by Stanley "Artgerm" Lau. Sophie Campbell, known for her work on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, will both write and illustrate the series, which will see Kara returning to Midvale.

Campbell expressed her enthusiasm, stating, "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. 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 will hit the shelves on May 14.

Action Comics is also set for a creative refresh, with Mark Waid, writer of Justice League Unlimited, teaming up with Skylar Patridge, artist of Resonant. The series will delve into Clark Kent's teenage years in Smallville, focusing on his journey as he learns to harness his powers as Superboy.

Waid commented, "I start the book with Clark as a 15-year-old boy, learning to be a superhero for the first time. 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.

Lastly, DC is celebrating Krypto with a five-issue miniseries titled Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton, part of the DC All In initiative. The series, written by Ryan North of Fantastic Four fame and illustrated by Mike Norton of Revival, will explore Krypto's origin story in unprecedented detail.

North explained, "Krypto's origin has always been done at kind of a high level. 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 is set to be released on June 18.

During ComicsPro, it was also revealed that Marvel is relaunching Captain America this summer, with Chip Zdarsky writing and Valerio Schiti drawing the book. For more comic news, don't miss our early look at Godzilla's new interconnected comic book universe.