The DC Universe panel at New York Comic-Con 2017 gave fans a peek at upcoming issues and arcs from some of the biggest titles in DC Comics.
The early Sunday panel had some of the best writers and artists in the DC universe, including writers Steve Orlando (Supergirl/Justice League of America) and Tim Seeley (Nightwing/Green Lanterns), and artists Dan Sampere (Injustice 2), Emanuela Lupacchino (Supergirl/Wonder Woman), Jorge Jimenez (Super Sons), Juan Ferrerya (Green Arrow), Mirka Andolfo (Bombshells/Harley Quinn).
The official description of the DC Universe panel reads:
“The DC Universe is what everyone who’s anyone is talking about. The universe has been restored with hope and optimism, engaging storylines and dynamic characters. Come discover more about your favorite DC super heroes, plus hear from the talented teams bringing these stories to life!”
Here’s everything that was said.
Green Arrow
Issue #32 (out now) is the metal tie-in issue where the Titans and Green Arrow run into the Batman who Laughs.
Ferrerya really enjoyed drawing the Batmobile showed a page of the issue with The Batman who Laughs giving different tarot cards to villains, to make them “metal” versions of themselves. It took two weeks to finish the issue, said Ferrerya. The team had to rush it out, but it was fun.
Harley Quinn
Harley is Andolfo’s favorite character to draw. She likes her craziness, and the dark and funny side to her character.
Super Sons
“I love to draw Super Sons because they are the future,” Jimenez said. “The sons of the best heroes in the world. I’m very very happy to draw these guys.” As for what he’s working on outside of Super Sons, Jimenez says it’s top secret.
Supergirl
Supergirl’s “compassion is her real strength,” according to writer Steve Orlando. In her last arc, the whole world found out that even after what the Cyborg Superman did, she wanted to rehabilitate him. The distrust from National City will be a real factor in the arc to come.
Though confidence in Supergirl is fading, Orlando notes her compassion doesn’t choose who to care about, but to care about everyone. The people watching her may not know where she fits in the world, but she doesn’t feel that way.
She visits Shanghai to meet the Chinese Superman in one issue. In Keenan, she has someone closer to her own age and powers.
The appeal of Supergirl, perhaps even more than Superman, is that her story is more applicable to many readers, Orlando said. These are immigrant stories. She was at Krypton so she has memories of that place. We’ve all been in that moment where you move, get a new job or make new friends.
Orlando said Issue 19 is also super important to the creative team. The issue reveals where her true strength lies; it’s more than just her powers.
Unexpected
Part of New Age of DC Heroes, according to Orlando, Unexpected is “The Expendables meets The Dark Tower.” These are four heroes coming together to get over massive mistakes and maybe find forgiveness and peace of mind for the things they’ve done.
More details on the book was revealed during the New Age of DC Heroes panel.
Justice League of America
In the current arc, the microverse is breaking down and the JLA is trying to find Ray Palmer. This is the arc currently running. Prometheus is coming back in the next arc and he’s going to really test Vixen. We’ll also see the re-debut of Aztec in issue 21.
Deadly Fable is a future arc with surprise guest stars and a villain to re-introduce, drawn by Neil Edwards. Issues #25-26 will feature a character that hasn’t shown up since Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Injustice 2
“I was a fan of Injustice 1 and working on the second run is wonderful,” Sempere said.
The designs of the characters depend a lot on the video game, but others need to be designed using the Injustice rules and guidelines. Sempere says the team can have fun with the project because it’s not tied to the DCU.
Wonder Woman
“I’ve always dreamt about working on Wonder Woman. One of my favorite characters. Who isn’t a fan?” Lupacchino said, noting that writer James Robinson “trapped” her when Wonder Woman didn’t show up in the first two issues.
“Even if there isn’t Wonder Woman in the first two issues, the story is so interesting because it talks about New Gods and Modern Gods,” Lupacchino said. “So we see some of the Greek Gods in a modern setting.”
Green Lanterns
It’s writer Tim Seeley’s first time out of Gotham, so he went straight to outer space.
“It’s awesome. There’s no rules: if a planet doesn’t exist, you just create it,” he said.
The book centers on two characters who are friends, despite everything going against them. On Earth they have to deal with labels (being a Hispanic with mental health issues and the other being Muslim), but in space they’re rockstars.
The next arc will focus on the two trying to evacuate a world whose inhabitants want to die with their planet. The second is Seeley’s attempt at a “Coen brothers movie in the DC universe” with Bolphunga.
Nightwing
Seeley worked on Grayson, and needed a reason to bring Dick Grayson back to Bludhaven and the tights.
Raptor becomes a mentor figure to Dick and they go against the Court of Owls, but it turns out that Raptor is a bad dude. Dick is a young guy; this is him trying to figure out his life at a time when he needs to make decisions for himself. Raptor returns and Dick teams up with Blockbuster to take him down.
What upcoming DC Comic are you looking forward to? Let us know in the comments section below.
