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DC Reveals New Banner, Dark Matter

Find out more about the series and what you can expect here.

DC Comics revealed six new titles at a press conference at C2E2 today. These titles will fall under the banner "Dark Matter" and will begin to debut this summer.

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It kicks off with Dark Knights: Metal in August. Former Batman creative team Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo reunite for this book, which will set the tone and world for the other series. The new banner will focus on what the publisher called Masterclass artists working with newer writers. It will "bring the sense of craft into storytelling," explained DC co-publisher Jim Lee during a press conference on Thursday morning.

The publisher wants to expand its universe and reach a new audience. co-publisher of DC Dan Didio explained that "It's a starting point for characters. It's a starting point for stories. We gotta keep building. We gotta keep introducing people to the DCU." The Dark Matter banner will exist alongside the regular DC Universe, and the issues will cost $3. Variant covers for the books will not be released.

Below is the list of upcoming books under the Dark Matter label.

September:

  • Sideways by Dan DiDio, Justin Jordan, and Kenneth Rocafort. A teenager comes into contact with dark matter and gains the ability to teleport through the dark dimension.

October:

  • Immortal Men by James Tynion IV and Jim Lee. Five siblings who were born at the beginning of time recruit the elite to stop Armageddon. This will be a horror series.
  • Damage by Robert Venditti and Tony S. Daniel. Ethan Avery is cursed with the ability to unleash a monster for one hour at a time.

December:

  • The Silencer by Dan Abnett with art by John Romita Jr. This book follows an assassin who moves to the suburbs for a normal life. Romita Jr. described the book as John Wick without the tragedy.
  • New Challengers by Scott Snyder and Andy Kubert. An adventure book in the vein of the classic DC series Challengers of the Unknown.

Below, you'll find character designs for the upcoming books.

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Didio claimed that the real winners for this new banner are the fans. They want to have that same burst of creative energy that the publisher had when Jack Kirby introduced elements like Fourth World and Kamandi to DC back in the early '70s. Romita Jr. said that they have to keep trying new ideas, explaining that they can't remain stagnant. There needs to be some fearlessness when creating new ideas.