Last year DC celebrated June’s Pride Month with an all-star anthology one-shot, a series of variant covers, and a number of new series launches featuring LGBTQ+ characters and creators. This year DC is once again pulling out all the stops for Pride, as the publisher announced today that 2022 will see a new, 100+-page DC Pride anthology special, variant covers, and a quartet of new books starring Poison Ivy, Kid Quick & Teen Justice, Nubia, and Tim Drake.
Ahead of June, DC is releasing Jadzia Axelrod and Jess Taylor‘s Galaxy: The Prettiest Star, a young adult graphic novel that introduces a new transgender hero. The book will also receive a preview as one of DC’s Free Comic Book Day offerings.
Technically arriving on May 31st, the 104-page DC Pride 2022 anthology one-shot will kick off DC’s Pride celebration with covers by Phil Jimenez (main), Joshua “Sway” Swaby (open-to-order variant), and Jen Bartel (1:25 variant). Actress and writer Nicole Maines will provide an introduction for the special, which DC says will also tease a new project she’s working on for the publisher. Here’s the list of characters and creators featured through the rest of the special:
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- Alysia Yeoh and Batgirl by Jadzia Axelrod and Lynne Yoshii
- Aquaman/Jackson Hyde by Alyssa Wong and W. Scott Forbes
- Green Lantern/Jo Mullein by Tini Howard and Evan Cagle
- Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy by Dani Fernandez and Zoe Thorogood
- The Ray by Greg Lockard and Giulio Macaione
- Superman/Jon Kent by Devin Grayson and Nick Robles
- Tim Drake by Travis Moore
- and more to come!
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DC’s Pride anthology comic will also include contributions from J. Bone, Ro Stein and Ted Brandt, Samantha Dodge, Brittney Williams, and others; and new pinups by P. Craig Russell, J.J. Kirby, and more.
Along with the anthology special, DC will also debut three new miniseries and a special one-shot.
First up, a six-issue Poison Ivy series will debut on June 7th from writer G. Willow Wilson and artist Marcio Takara. Here’s how DC describes the series:
In her new series, Ivy leaves Gotham City and sets out to complete her greatest work—a gift to the world that will heal the damage humanity has dealt to it!
Ivy was last seen in the pages of Harley Quinn — presumably her new miniseries will pick up where her arc in that series and as part of Fear State left off. The first issue of the series will feature a main cover by Jessica Fong, with variants by Warren Louw (open-to-order and 1:100 foil), Nick Robles (1:25), Frank Cho (1:50), and Dan Mora (team variant).
June 7th will also see the release of Nubia: Queen of the Amazons, a new four-issue series from writer Stephanie Williams and artists Alitha Martinez and Mark Morales. Artists Khary Randolph (main), Jae Lee (open-to-order), and Martinez (1:25) will provide covers for the first issue of the series, which picks up immediately following May’s Nubia Coronation Special.
Also out on June 7th is Multiversity: Teen Justice #1, the kickoff of a six-issue series from writers Ivan Cohen & Danny Lore and artists Marco Failla & Enrica Eren Angiolini. The series will feature Earth-11’s Teen Justice, made up of gender-swapped versions of the Teen Titans, along with Kid Quick, the team’s non-binary speedster and the Flash of the Future State Justice League. Here’s how DC describes the series:
The secrets of Earth-11’s newest heroes and villains unfold in DC’s most exciting new team title! And what role will the mysterious Raven—the brooding hero who has refused to join the team in the past—play in the brand-new series?
Covers for the first issue of the series will come from Robbi Rodriguez (main), Stephanie Hans (open-to-order), Bengal (1:25), and Failla (1:50).
Finally, on June 14th, DC will release DC Pride: Tim Drake Special, a 64-page one-shot that will collect all four installments of Meghan Fitzmartin, Belén Ortega, and Alberto Jimenez Alburquerque‘s Batman: Urban Legends story for the third Robin. The issue will also feature a new story by the creators, guest-starring Young Justice and the Batgirls. Ortega will provide the main cover for the issue, which will also feature an open-to-order variant by Travis Moore.
And finally, a number of DC titles throughout June will feature Pride-themed variant covers illustrated by an all-star lineup of artists, listed below, with more to come:
- Amy Reeder (Batman #124)
- David Talaski (Superman: Son of Kal-El #12)
- Derek Charm (Action Comics #1044)
- Joe Phillips (Aquamen #5)
- Kevin Wada (Nubia: Queen of the Amazons #1)
- Kris Anka (Poison Ivy #1)
- Nick Robles (Nightwing #93)
- Nicole Goux (Wonder Woman #788)
- Olivier Coipel (Harley Quinn #16)
- Stephen Byrne (Multiversity: Teen Justice #1)
After DC scaled back their celebration of AAPI Heritage Month, I was worried they might do the same for Pride, so it’s wonderful to see that they’re bringing the heat once again in 2022. And given how Marvel’s parent company Disney has handled recent LGBTQ+ issues in Florida, it’s a good opportunity for AT&T and DC to step up and remind people that they’re doing things right.
Look for all of the 2022 Pride offerings from DC Comics to arrive in stores in May, June, and beyond.
