From the Eisner Award winning team behind LITTLE BIRD and PRECIOUS METAL comes the new dark fantasy phenomenon of 2026, THE KARMAN BLADE.
A DYING WORLD UNDER A TYRANT GOD! A BLADE TO FREE THEM ALL!
A young man on the outskirts of a dying world is chosen by a blade forged of stars to slay the despotic deity, Kalu, and free the water he hoards in his Kingdom. Yet before the boy can begin his journey, he must first face the demons in his own life, and answer the Karman Blade’s call — “Are thou he, who taketh me in hand? Are thou he… who shall slay a God?”
The Doom Patrol is broke. Adopting a heroes-for-hire business model to stave off financial and emotional ruin, the team finds itself responding to a simple case—a missing cat. But when this case proves to be far from simple, the world’s strangest heroes find themselves pulled into a truly out-of-this-world situation! And elsewhere, beyond the view of Robotman, Elasti-Girl, and Negative Man—and perhaps even beyond the veil of our reality—a ghost of the team’s past is preparing to cross into their world. The visionary team of Eisner Award-winning writer Darcy Van Poelgeest (Little Bird) and legendary artist Niko Henrichon (Spectators, Pride of Baghdad) ushers the Doom Patrol into a new age for DC Next Level.
Story: Darcy Van Poelgeest Art: Niko Henrichon Letterer: Lucas Gattoni
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To quote Yelena Belova in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, The Doom Patrol #1 finds the World’s Strangest Heroes in a decidedly “small potatoes” situation of rescuing a cat. However, Darcy Van Poelgeest and Niko Henrichon make everything wackier and wilder with Niles Caulder up to his usual machinations at the beginning and end of the comic. This first issue puts the focus squarely on the classic Doom Patrol trio of Robotman, Larry Trainor, and Rita Farr trying to find purpose as superheroes again. The plot isn’t groundbreaking, but Van Poelgeest creates a great deal of empathy for these characters, especially Trainor, who has a majestic moment of self-actualization and embracing the Negative Spirit. Henrichon’s visuals are stunning and continue the recent tradition of DC hiring star artists like Nick Derington and Chris Burnham to draw Doom Patrol.
The Doom Patrol #1 has a slice of life, yet slightly askew approach to its story and art. Recognizable things like kitty cats, houses, and vans become a bit surreal under Niko Henrichon’s thick brush strokes. He handles the book’s colors too, and I love his take on the Negative Spirit, especially during the issue-concluding action sequence. The Doom Patrol #1 does have memorable action, and without a word, Henrichon shows how Rita still struggles with stretching and elasticity abilities. There’s a panel where her arm is various length, and, of course, there are cats flying everywhere. The line works and colors combined give The Doom Patrol a worn-in feel, which is fitting for a book starring the team’s oldest members and also fits the mood of superheroes trying to climb back from the bottom rung. (And they still can’t pull off a “save the cat” mission.)
Darcy Van Poelgeest uses a cyclical story structure for The Doom Patrol #1. It’s not a full time loop, but there are recurring images of cats, a mysterious woman, and glimpses at the team’s origins. There’s a feeling of something blocking Robotman, Rita, and Larry and keeping them from embracing their true potential and finding freedom a la the ending of Grant Morrison’s Doom Patrol run. Van Poelgeest and Henrichon spend valuable time looking back at the past trauma of this golden trio, which makes the book both new reader friendly and easily establishes an emotional core for the book. Driving a tacky van down the street while being roasted by Gen Z’ers transform into Robotman’s accident with thick lines and jarring colors acting as a visual representation of his pain. Seriously, Niko Henrichon’s take on these flashbacks plus his absolutely shifty Niles Caulder makes me want to see him draw a Doom Patrol Year One book.
Doom Patrol is a comic book known for its feelings not fisticuffs and also being bat shit crazy, and both Darcy Van Poelgeest and Henrichon deliver with their feline take on the typical alien invasion plot line. There’s definitely a long term mystery arc being teased out with Niles Caulder, but The Doom Patrol #1 merely feeds readers a few juicy morsels before focusing on a done-in-one adventure that re-establishes the team as a lovable bunch of screw-ups that get caught up in situations that would only happen to the JLA if the Joker laced the Watchtower’s water supply with LSD. It feels like a book gearing up for a 30-50 issue run, which is actually feasible in the current DC editorial climate.
Story: Darcy Van PoelgeestArt: Niko HenrichonLetters: Lucas Gattoni Story: 7.8 Art: 9.3 Overall: 8.6 Recommendation:Buy
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
The Doom Patrol is broke. Adopting a heroes-for-hire business model to stave off financial and emotional ruin, the team finds itself responding to a simple case — a missing cat. But when this case proves to be far from simple, the world’s strangest heroes find themselves pulled into a truly out-of-this-world situation! And elsewhere, beyond the view of Robotman, Elasti -Girl, and Negative Man — and perhaps even beyond the veil of our reality — a ghost of the team’s past is preparing to cross into their world.
The visionary team of Eisner Award-winning writer Darcy Van Poelgeest (Little Bird) and legendary artist Niko Henrichon (Spectators, Pride of Baghdad) ushers the Doom Patrol into a new age for DC Next Level.
The bestselling, Eisner Award winning creative duo behind Little Bird and Precious Metal—Darcy Van Poelgeest and Ian Bertram—reunite for an all-new, dark fantasy epic in,The Karman Blade. This four-issue miniseries is set to launch in September from Image Comics, and promises an entirely new reading experience.
In The Karman Blade, a young man on the outskirts of a dying, desert world is chosen by a blade forged of stars to slay the despotic deity, Kalu, and free the water he hoards in his Kingdom. Yet before the boy can begin his journey, he must first face his demons, and answer the Karman Blade’s call: Are thou he, who taketh me in hand? Are thou he, who shall slay a God?
The Karman Blade #1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, September 9.
Cover A by Bertram and Matt Hollingsworth – UPC: 70985304859600111
DC has announced the next major expansion of its Next Level publishing initiative with three new ongoing comic book series launching on Wednesday, September 2, 2026: Legion of Super-Heroes, Teen Titans, and The Doom Patrol. These team books mark the latest evolution of DC’s Next Level line, following the success of recent launches including Batwoman, Lobo, Deathstroke: The Terminator, Firestorm, Zatanna, Barbara Gordon: Breakout, and The Deadman.
Together, as DC: All In continues its second act, these new series showcase the breadth, ambition, and creative energy driving DC’s 2026 publishing slate. DC’s Next Level titles stand alongside DC’s ongoing and limited series across both the main universe and Absolute universe, expanding the scope and future of DC’s storytelling.
Legion of Super-Heroes
A New Tomorrow Begins for the Legion of Super-Heroes
Joshua Williamson and Hayden Sherman reimagine the future of the DC Universe
One thousand years after the Last Son of Krypton’s rocket crashed on the Kent Farm comes a new future inspired by the Man of Tomorrow!
But this new future is in danger! Superheroes are outlawed! Deadly enforcers known as the Persuaders keep the populace of the United Planets in check! Worlds are at war! And this dark tomorrow’s last glimmer of hope, R.J. Brande, has been brutally murdered.
Can the mysterious Brainiac 1 of 5 solve Brande’s murder? To restore hope to the universe, he must assemble a legion of gifted young rebels from across the cosmos! But they are scattered across the universe!
Witness the dawn of a new future in DC Comics architect Joshua Williamson and Eisner-winning superstar artist Hayden Sherman’s Legion of Super-Heroes… you will never look at tomorrow the same way again!
Legion of Super‑Heroes #1, a 40‑page debut issue written by Eisner-nominated Joshua Williamson with art and cover by Hayden Sherman and featuring variant covers by Jim Lee (card stock and foil), Mark Spears, Yasmine Putri, Hayden Sherman, Dan Mora (Michael J. Fox cameo), and V Ken Marion (1:25), will publish on September 2. Legion of Super‑Heroes #1 will retail for $3.99 US for the main cover, $4.99 US for card stock variants, and $6.99 US for the foil variant.
TEEN TITANS
The Teen Titans Go Next Level in a Bold New Era
Kyle Higgins and Daniele Di Nicuolo launch a new generation of Teen Titans
When one of their own vanishes after attending a rally for Ascend—a fast-growing youth movement training kids to survive in a world shaped by superhuman conflict—Fairplay, Cheshire Cat, Proxy, and Wildcard will do whatever it takes to find their friend, including teaming up with Red Hood!
Jason thinks they’re soft and reckless. They don’t understand how he can still kill people. Now they have to work together—whether they like it or not!
Created by Kyle Higgins and Daniele Di Nicuolo, the acclaimed team behind Power Rangers: Shattered Grid and Image Comics’ Massive-Verse, this series channels the same mix of heart, scope, and style that has defined their work together—blending cinematic storytelling and Di Nicuolo’s dynamic, expressive art to bring the next generation of heroes to life.
Teen Titans #1, a 32‑page debut issue written by Kyle Higgins with art and cover by Daniele Di Nicuolo and featuring variant covers by Dan Mora (card stock and foil), Jim Cheung, Sanford Greene (1:25), and Hayden Sherman (Next Level), along with a card stock blank sketch cover, will publish on September 2. Teen Titans #1 will retail for $3.99 US for the main cover, $4.99 US for card stock variants, and $6.99 US for the foil variant.
Darcy Van Poelgeest and Niko Henrichon take the Doom Patrol to the Next Level
The Doom Patrol is broke. Adopting a heroes-for-hire business model to stave off financial and emotional ruin, the team finds itself responding to what seems like a simple case—a missing cat. But when this case proves to be far from simple, the world’s strangest heroes find themselves pulled into a truly out-of-this-world situation! And elsewhere, beyond the view of Robotman, Elasti-Girl, and Negative Man—and perhaps even beyond the veil of our reality—a ghost of the team’s past is preparing to cross into their world.
The visionary team of Eisner Award-winning writer Darcy Van Poelgeest (Little Bird) and legendary artist Niko Henrichon (Spectators, Pride of Baghdad) ushers the Doom Patrol into a new age for DC Next Level.
The Doom Patrol #1, a 32‑page debut issue written by Darcy Van Poelgeest with art and cover by Niko Henrichon and featuring variant covers by Clayton Crain (card stock and foil), Ian Bertram, Ashley Wood (1:25), and Hayden Sherman (Next Level), will publish on September 2. The Doom Patrol #1 will retail for $3.99 US for the main cover, $4.99 US for card stock variants, and $6.99 US for the foil variant.
From Eisner Award-winning writer Darcy Van Poelgeest and rising star watercolor artist Erin Connally comesThe Cutting Garden. This gorgeously rendered, standalone graphic novel hardcover explores companionship, legacy, and sacrifice and will hit shelves this September from Image Comics.
On a quiet street in New Orleans, a mysterious girl seeks out a florist to deliver an earth-shattering truth in a final act of kindness and redemption. The Cutting Garden is an intimate and elegant gothic tale that shares bloodlines with contemporary literary horror books like that of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and postmodern indie films like The Tree of Life.
The Cutting Garden original graphic novel hardcover (ISBN: 9781534330801) will be available at local comic book shops on Wednesday, September 2 and independent bookstores, Bookshop, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Indigo, and Waterstones on Tuesday, September 29.
From writer Darcy Van Poelgeest and watercolor artist Erin Connally comes The Cutting Garden. This gorgeously rendered, standalone graphic novel hardcover explores companionship, legacy, and sacrifice and will hit shelves this September from Image Comics.
On a quiet street in New Orleans, a mysterious girl seeks out a florist to deliver an earth-shattering truth in a final act of kindness and redemption. The Cutting Garden is an intimate and elegant gothic tale that shares bloodlines with contemporary literary horror books like that of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and postmodern indie films like The Tree of Life.
The Cutting Garden original graphic novel hardcover (ISBN: 9781534330801) will be available at local comic book shops on Wednesday, September 2 and independent bookstores, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Indigo, and Waterstones on Tuesday, September 29.
(W) Darcy Van Poelgeest (A) Caio Filipe (CA) Alex Eckman-Lawn In Shops: Sep 18, 2024 SRP: $19.99
Is entropy the end, or is there another way? The mysterious Keeper Program in a cyberpunk, decaying Vancouver of the near-future has developed highly-advanced technology that calls this into question, playing god with the meaning of human life itself.
But when an attack on the clandestine program occurs, former police detective Bennie Strikman comes out of retirement to take on one final, chilling case, and hopefully take those involved with the program out of harm’s way. But the secrets of the Keeper Program grow deep, with the heart of everything directly connected to the chilling trail that Bennie follows. He won’t be the same after what he uncovers…
Eisner-winning and Harvey-nominated writer and director Darcy Van Poelgeest (Little Bird) is joined by rising star artist Caio Filipe (Stranger Things: Tales From Hawkins) for this timely and thought-provoking look into the human condition, set in a dystopia that’s as grounded as it is metaphysical. Collects Lotus Land #1-6.
BOOM! Studios has revealed a first look at Lotus Land #6. Eisner-winning and Harvey-nominated writer and director Darcy Van Poelgeest is joined by artist Caio Filipe, colorist Patricio Delpeche with assistance by Beto Ledes and Jon Amarillo, and letterer Nate Piekos of Blambot for a timely look at the human condition, set in a dystopic, cyberpunk future that’s as grounded as it is metaphysical. Welcome to Lotus Land , available April 17, 2024.
When the devastating secrets of the Keeper Program and the drowning girl are finally revealed, Bennie will have to make an impossible decision with millions of lives at stake, but what will it cost him? Being at odds with Melina Ze during this crucial moment, what will become of the program, and Bennie himself?
Lotus Land #6features a main cover by Alex Eckman-Lawn with variants by Alex Eckman-Lawn, E.M. Gist, and illustrator Miss Reliah.
