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DeConnick, Miller, Snyder, Capullo, Jimenez, Romita, Azzarello, Bermejo and Rucka Join DC Black Label Line

Published Thu, 08 Mar 2018 08:35:20 -0600

Last updated Thu, 08 Mar 2018 09:25:40 -0600

DC has unveiled the lineup of superstar creators in its DC Black Label line, an R-Rated Elseworlds imprint that Bleeding Cool told you about in February. As expected, Kelly Sue DeConnick will be turning in her first major DC Comics project, teaming with Phil Jimenez on Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons. Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo will be creating another Batman comic called Batman: Last Knight on Earth. Frank Miller will write the previously announced Superman: Year One with artist John Romita Jr. Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo are doing Batman: Damned, a team-up between Batman and John Constantine where the Joker has been killed. Greg Rucka will return to Wonder Woman for Wonder Woman: Diana's Daughter, with an artist yet-to-be announced (is Frank Cho busy?). The line will also include John Ridley's Other History of the DC Universe, which was previously announced. The out-of-continuity series will be released in formats and release schedules that suit each project.

In a report from THR, DC Co-Publisher Jim Lee and Black Label Executive Editor Mark Doyle revealed more about the imprint.

"Many of our perennially best-selling, critically acclaimed books were produced when we unleashed our top talent on standalone, often out-of-continuity projects featuring our most iconic characters, a prime example being Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns," said Lee. "Creating DC Black Label doubles down on our commitment to working with all-star talent and trusting them to tell epic, moving stories that only they can tell with the highest levels of creative freedom."

"We are carefully crafting each series to fit the vision of the creative team," said Doyle. "All of these creators are masters of their craft. I'm psyched to be working on a Wonder Woman story with Kelly Sue and Phil, helping to bring John's vision of The Other History of the DC Universe to life and reuniting with some of the greatest Batman talents in the industry."

Here are the series descriptions:

SUPERMAN: YEAR ONE from Frank Miller (THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT: MASTER RACE) and John Romita Jr. (ALL-STAR BATMAN, SUPERMAN)
A groundbreaking, definitive treatment of Superman's classic origin story in honor of his 80th anniversary. This story details new revelations that reframe the Man of Steel's most famous milestones—from Kal-El's frantic exile from Krypton, to Clark Kent's childhood in Kansas, to his inevitable rise to become the most powerful and inspiring superhero of all time.

BATMAN: LAST KNIGHT ON EARTH from Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, the creative team behind DARK KNIGHTS: METAL
Batman wakes up in a desert. He doesn't know what year it is or how The Joker's head is alive in a jar beside him, but it's the beginning of a quest unlike anything the Dark Knight has undertaken before. In this strange future, villains are triumphant and society has liberated itself from the burden of ethical codes. Fighting to survive while in search of answers, Bruce Wayne uncovers the truth about his role in this new world—and begins the last Batman story ever told.

BATMAN: DAMNED from Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo, the creative team behind JOKER
On a deserted Gotham City bridge, a body is found. Whispers spread the news: Joker is dead. But is this a dream come true or a nightmare being born? Now Batman and DC's outlaw magician John Constantine must hunt the truth through a Gotham City hellscape. The city's supernatural recesses are laced with hints about a killer's identity, but the Dark Knight's descent into horror will test his sanity and the limits of rationality, as he must face a horror that doesn't wear a mask.

WONDER WOMAN HISTORIA: THE AMAZONS from Kelly Sue DeConnick (Bitch Planet) and Phil Jimenez (INFINITE CRISIS)
A Homeric epic of the lost history of the Amazons and Queen Hippolyta's rise to power. Featuring monsters and myths, this three-book saga spans history from the creation of the Amazons to the moment Steve Trevor washes up on the shores of Paradise Island, changing our world forever.

WONDER WOMAN: DIANA'S DAUGHTER (working title) from Greg Rucka (WONDER WOMAN, BATWOMAN)
It's been 20 years since the world stopped looking to the skies for hope, help, and inspiration. Now the world keeps its eyes down, and the powers that have risen have every intention of keeping things that way. Amongst a scattered, broken resistance, a young woman seeks to reclaim what has been forgotten, and on the way will learn the truth about herself, her heritage, and her destiny.

THE OTHER HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE from John Ridley (12 Years a Slave, THE AMERICAN WAY)
A compelling literary series analyzing iconic DC moments and charting sociopolitical gains through the perspectives of DC Super Heroes who come from traditionally disenfranchised groups, including John Stewart, Extraño, Vixen, Supergirl, Katana and Rene Montoya, among others. At its core, the story focuses on the lives of those behind the costumes, and their endeavors to overcome real-world issues. It isn't about saving the world, it's about having the strength to simply be who you are.