Posted in: Comics, Conventions, DC Comics, Events, Image, Lucca Comics & Games, Marvel Comics, Pop Culture | Tagged: Marvel Pocket, panini, vertigo

LUCCA: Panini Launches Anthology Comic DC Vertigo Presenta In 2026

Panini launches anthology DC Vertigo Presenta at Lucca, as well as a Marvel Pocket line as it prepares to potentially sell itself to Topps

Published Fri, 31 Oct 2025 07:56:06 -0500

by Rich Johnston

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Article Summary

Panini unveils DC Vertigo Presenta anthology comic line at Lucca Comics & Games 2025 for 2026 release
Marvel Pocket: An affordable paperback series launches in Italy, starting January 2026 with top Marvel events
Company explores possible sale to Topps after losing key sports card licenses and CEO Aldo Hugo Sallustro’s death
New Scrooge McDuck and Papernick comics announced, plus expansions in manga and Italian artist reprints

Panini Comics has had quite the week. The European publishing house known for a) football stickers b) owning Marvel UK and c) being the biggest licensor for Marvel, DC and Image Comics, has launched its comic book licensing lineup at Luuca Comics & Games.

But first, we get the word that Panini is exploring the possibility of being sold, potentially to Topps, as well as private equity firms, which could be interested. It comes after the death of CEO Aldo Hugo Sallustro in April, who had led Panini for more than 30 years, but also after Panini found itself in lawsuits with Topps owner Fanatics over its move into US sports trading cards, the licenses of which have just started to more, first from the NBA this month and the NFL next year. Such a sale to Topps would nullify such suits, which are expected to last into 2027.

Well, at Lucca Comics & Games 2025, they had comic books to announce instead. And that includes the new Batman #1 by Matt Fraction and Jorge Jiménez, coming out in May 2026 with Italian variants, DC KO in May and June 2026, and they will collect the new Vertigo titles as DC Vertigo Presenta. Their Planet Manga label will launch the following:

Galaxias by Ao Hatesaka, from spring 2026
Sleepy-C's Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint (webtoon), in a slightly smaller Japanese format, for €9.90
Asura's Verdict by Utsugi Unohana
Jujutsu Kaisen 29 and 30 in Instant Variant edition, pre-orderable from the official Panini Comics website from October 29th to November 10th
Hanayori Dango by Yōko Kamio, in Kanzenban edition, monthly, from spring 2026
Oh! Great's Kaijin Fugeki, monthly, from spring 2026

Panini will launch an original Scrooge McDuck comic with Scrooge in Atlantis, starting in January in Topolino magazine. The 30th anniversary of the Italian superhero Donald Duck Papernick, or PK Superduck, gets a new comic by Francesco Artibani and Lorenzo Pastrovicchio, in addition to the PK-1 and PK-2 backstory comics.

Panini will launch the Marvel Pocket series, an affordable paperback line, starting in January 2026, with two volumes released per month. Starting with Civil War, Secret Invasion, Marvel Zombies, House of M, Weapon X, with a year's worth confirmed. Available at newsstands, bookstores, and comic stores, the aim is to appeal to both casual readers and collectors, offering a compact and curated reading experience. Each volume will include an introduction and additional materials to contextualise the story within the Marvel Universe and lower the price of entry.

Outside of this, Panini underlined their publication, The Will Of Doom, and The Punisher, which emphasises Italian artists working for Marvel Comics being reprinted and translated in Italy. The traditional Panini Comics line will also include Warhammer: The Horus Heresy and Warhammer: The Old World, The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, Stephanie Williams and Sas Milledge, The Skull From Sweden, Assorted Crisis Events by Deniz Camp and Eric Zawadski, and further projects by Leo Ortolani including Rat Eyes, with a Lucca Daredevil variant and a new bookshelf series dedicated to Ortolani's works for 2026, in curated and definitive editions.

And Marvel Anthology is a new 200 trading card collectable set with never-before-seen illustrations by over 50 artists, including John Romita Jr., Peach Momoko, David Lafuente, Corrado Mastantuono, Elena Casagrande, and Alessandro Cappuccio. Here's the first year lineup for Marvel Pocket.