DC Shares Annual Plans for Pride-Themed Comics and Books
DC recently shared information about their annual pride comic book anthology and more. Quite a few announcements were made, so I’ll do my best to summarize it here, but you can check out DC’s post for the full details. First, DC Pride 2023 #1 will release on May 30. This will be a 104-page comic featuring all-new stories to spotlight fan favorite LGBTQIA+ characters. The introduction will be penned by Phil Jimenez and the book will feature a main cover by Mateus Manhanini and variant covers by Gabriel Picolo, Jen Bartel, and Oscar Vega. Here’s a list of some of the characters and creative teams that will be included:
Tim Drake and Connor Hawke by Nadia Shammas and Bruka Jones
Circuit Breaker and the Flash of Earth-11 by A.L. Kaplan
Midnighter, Apollo and Alan Scott Green Lantern by Josh Trujillo and Don Aguillo
Ghost-Maker and Catman vs. Cannon and Saber by Rex Ogle and Stephen Sadowski
Jon Kent and John Constantine by Christopher Cantwell and Skylar Patridge
Natasha Irons and Nubia by Mildred Louis
Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and Crush by Leah Williams and Paulina Ganucheau
Multiversity by Grant Morrison and Hayden Sherman
DC Pride 2023 will also include a 5-page preview for a Dreamer story from Nicole Maines and Rye Hickman. There will even be pinup pages with artwork from Maria Llovet, Ro Stein and Ted Brandt, Travis Moore, Noah Dao, Claire Roe, Babs Tarr, and more.
Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy go to extreme measures to get a little alone time…but there’s nowhere on the planet Crush can’t crash. Jon Kent gets a comprehensive course in dark magic when John Constantine sics a golem on him. Tim Drake and Connor Hawke learn that there is nothing more awkward than reuniting with an old friend after you’ve both come out and one of you was indoctrinated by the League of Shadows for a while. Circuit Breaker struggles to stifle his powers after the Flash of Earth-11 leaps out of the time stream and knocks them both into another dimension. Just how far would Flashlight go to honor his lost love? Discover all these stories and many more in DC Pride 2023!
In addition, Warner Bros. Discovery and DK are teaming up to release The DC Book of Pride. This is an encyclopedia featuring over 50 LGBTQIA+ characters like Harley Quinn, Tim Drake, Aquaman, Dreamer, Batwoman, and more written by Jadzia Axelrod. The book has an exclusive cover and interior art from Paulina Ganucheau and will be available on May 16.
An official collaboration between DK and Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products, The DC Book of Pride is an inspiring illustrated hardcover that profiles more than 50 LGBTQIA+ characters in detail, including Harley Quinn, Jon Kent, Nubia, Tim Drake, Batwoman, Aquaman, Dreamer, new character Circuit Breaker, and many more. Authored by Galaxy: The Prettiest Star writer Jadzia Axelrod, it illustrates the rich histories, fascinating origins, amazing superpowers, and key storylines of DC’s leading queer Super Heroes and Super-Villains. With stunning interior artwork and an exclusive cover by renowned illustrator Paulina Ganucheau, this DK book is a wonderful guide for DC fans that arrives just in time for Pride Month on May 16.
Third, DC is releasing DC Pride: Through the Years #1. This is a special-edition comic book that collects three out-of-print comics into a single issue. You’ll be able to enjoy 80 pages of comics which include The Flash #53 by William Messner-Loebs and Greg LaRocque; Detective Comics #854 by Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams; and Supergirl #19 by Steve Orlando, Vita Ayala, and Jamal Campbell. This collection will be available starting June 13.
DC Pride: Through the Years (80 pages), with a cover by Derek Charm, will publish on June 13 and contains reprints of The Flash #53 by William Messner-Loebs and Greg LaRocque, in which villain turned hero Pied Piper comes out to his friend the Flash and helps thwart a dastardly villain; Detective Comics #854 by Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams, featuring the thrilling beginning of Batwoman’s first solo series, which launched her into stardom; and Supergirl #19 by Steve Orlando, Vita Ayala, and Jamal Campbell, which tells the story of Lee Serrano, a nonbinary teenager who befriends the Girl of Steel. It also includes an all-new story by Tim Sheridan and Cian Tormey featuring Alan Scott as Green Lantern, teasing exciting new stories that will light the way for Alan’s next great adventure.
These aren’t the only ways DC plans to celebrate Pride though. DC plans to highlight Pride-themed variant covers for series that feature queer characters such as Steelworks #1, Spirit World #2, Green Arrow #3, and more.
This year, look for DC Pride covers on Steelworks #1 (Joshua “Sway” Swaby), Spirit World #2 (Jessica Fong), Green Arrow #3 (Luciano Vecchio), Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #4 (Stephen Byrne), Superman #5 (W. Scott Forbes), Batman Incorporated #9 (Rosi Kämpe), Tim Drake: Robin #10 (Travis Moore), Poison Ivy #13 and Harley Quinn #31 (connecting covers by Claire Roe), Nightwing #105 (Yoshi Yoshitani), Wonder Woman #800 (Ted Brandt and Ro Stein), and Detective Comics #1073 (Amy Reeder).
