Tag Archives: next level

Lobo #1 feels like a comic from a different time

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Lobo #1

VRRRRROOOOOOMMMMMMMM! The Main Man’s back, baby! And his ride is a motorcycle that moves at the speed of sound, but only if that sound is a rippin’ guitar solo, and you better hop on before he leaves you in the dust with all the bastiches he’s fragged for money or convenience! The Eisner-nominated creative team that brought you a fantastic parable of adolescence in the Midwest, the story of an artist who embraces darkness a little too closely, and the tale of a gunslinger with too much grit to stay buried brings you a classic yarn spun in the star-kissed threads of the cosmic DC Universe. It’s a guts-soaked path from DC K.O. to the end of the universe, where Lobo is going to scratch his name and number in the Source Wall with a cool knife. Don’t miss the mayhem, special guests, or tasty, tasty continuity! Don’t you do it! Lobo #1 is entertaining but feels like a comic from a different time.

Written by Skottie Young, Lobo #1 is an intriguing comic in that it doesn’t feel like something that fits in the 2020s but more the 2000s. Lobo has been a character I’ve enjoyed for a long time. I regularly read the numerous releases in the 90s and its exagerated insanity. Lobo #1 delivers that, it nails that time and craziness. The story though feels like something that’s a bit of a throwback in some ways with a focus on reality tv and slimy television studios.

The comic definitely has an awareness about itself, running through the history of the main man including that that time he looked like he joined a boy band (best not to discuss that). But, the its premise, which will absolutely work, doesn’t feel like it’s a riff and mockery of today’s influencers and click bait but instead stuck in the mockery of reality tv, which feels a bit dated. Still with Young writing, it’s sure to be entertaining.

The art by Jorge Corona perfectly captures the look of classic Lobo stories with color by Jean-Francois Beaulieu and lettering by Nate Piekos. The comic takes everything to the extreme and it’s fun to see the comic and Lobo’s influence on so many comics today. Visually, the comic feels so much like what I remember from the 90s with a Heavy Metal vibe and kinetic and chaotic mix of visuals. There was never anything subtle about Lobo visually and the comic keeps of the tradition of what has come before.

Lobo #1 feels like coming home for long time fans and readers. The comic captures the comic’s past look but delivers a story that feels like it belongs in the past too. It may show off some potential with a bit more updated jabs, but to kick things off, the first issue feels like it was dusted off from another time for both good and bad.

Story: Skottie Young Art: Jorge Corona
Color: Jean-Francois Beaulieu Letterer: Nate Piekos
Story: 7.0 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Deathstroke: The Terminator #1 feels like an overcomplicated 90s action film

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Deathstroke: The Terminator #1

Soldier-turned-superhuman assassin for hire Slade Wilson has made hundreds of enemies in his day, and now one of them is taking his world apart piece by piece. The hit is out on Deathstroke as he evolves into his purest form…a terminator out for revenge and ready to kill anyone who stands in his way. Deathstroke: The Terminator #1 kicks off a tale of revenge in a debut that feels like 90s action films.

Do you remember 90s action films with needlessly complicated plots that lead to revenge? Not today’s simple, they killed my dog, but the type that involved tricking the target into doing something then delivering a twist as the mission ends? That’s what Deathstroke: The Terminator #1 feels like as Slade is sent on a mission from a client which of course has a twist at the end. Written by Tony Fleecs, the debut issue isn’t bad, it feels like summer popcorn action where you can turn off your brain and just enjoy the destruction. It’s The Expendables as a recent example though the revenge plot feels much more Tango & Cash. That includes action sequences that are so silly in logic, they’re fun, and a mission that’s both insane and simple in its focus, stop a whistleblower.

The insanity’s art is brought together by Carmine Di Giandomenico on pencils, Ivan Plascencia on color, and lettering by Wes Abbot. The team has created visuals that celebrate that action and craziness which includes riding a van through the air as it’s used as a battering ram/explosive distraction. It’s an entrance to catch attention and doesn’t know the word subtle. That feels like a solid description of the entire comic, subtlety isn’t even a thing. This is a bombastic comic in story and visuals that’s just all out action fun.

Deathstroke: The Terminator #1 isn’t a bad comic. If you enjoy those types of action films where you roll with it and judge it on the sequences as opposed to the details, you’ll be fine. There’s a simplicity in the craziness and action where it just goes all out. It knows what it is and has no shame in delivering exactly that.

Story: Tony Fleecs Art: Carmine Di Giandomenico
Color: Ivan Plascencia Letterer: Wes Abbott
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.95 Overall: 7.8 Recommendation: Read

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Batwoman #1 takes things to “Next Level” as it focuses on the past

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Batwoman #1

Batwoman. Daughter. Sister. Soldier. Hero. But since she was 10 years old, Kate Kane has lived in the shadow of a prophecy and the machinations of a religion devoted to the end of all things. How do you fight the devil when the devil is real? And how do you win? Batwoman #1 kicks off the next era for Kate Kane and Batwoman as it focuses on the past.

“Next Level” is here for DC Comics with new series debuting to guide the comic universe into its next phase. It’s an interesting mix of releases and Batwoman #1 provides an intriguing start that’s a new chapter that’s neck deep in its past relying heavily on the trauma of Kate’s past, focused on her sister and the cult she was a part of. If you really want to catch up with what’s going on you’ll want to pick up Batwoman: Elegy which recently got a DC Compact Comics edition (some nice planning by DC there). That series, also written by Greg Rucka, dove deep in Kate’s history focusing on her sister who “died” when they were children and returned as a villain and part of a doomsday cult. Batwoman #1 picks up from that, with Kate in therapy trying to process her life and that same cult in the background looking to fulfill its prophecy which involves Darkseid and the anti-life.

Batwoman #1 is an interesting story that explores trauma and PTSD though showing off a victim who seems to be pushing back on the fact she is traumatized. While previous volumes focused a lot on Kate’s personal relationships, this first issue doesn’t explore it, instead really narrowing it down to her and her sister. It’s tie-in with the greater Darkseid stuff in the DC Universe is interesting, bringing the character a bit more into the greater meta story and the fact Darkseid will be back for the next “Crisis” event. For those who followed the finale of DC K.O., you can see some of the threads teased her, putting Kate Kane and Batwoman as part of the center of whatever comes next.

Batwoman has had some amazing artists attached in the past and DaNi puts their mark on the series and character with a style that feels like it fits right in to what has come before. There’s a certain sadness that fits the story that Rucka has constructed with a bit of a throwback feel, fitting the pulp-like cult story the first issue teases. Matt Hollingsworth color helps set the mood with a muted choice that adds to the sadness Kate has experienced. Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou handles the lettering and the team together paints a visual style that’s familiar but definitely their own.

Batwoman #1 is an interesting start that focuses on the past but also sets up the future, tying in the character and her mystery into the bigger picture of the DC Universe. It does feel like those who have read previous volumes might enjoy it a bit more but it does a good job of catching readers up with what they need to know. Overall, an intriguing start and direction for the character.

Story: Greg Rucka Art: DaNi
Color: Matt Hollingsworth Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

DC releases a trailer for DC Next Level

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DC Next Level is the next step for “All In” and the comic publisher has dropped a trailer teasing what’s to come!

DC: Next Leve is a series of bold, creator-forward #1s, starring fan-favorite characters, and helmed by some of the best talent in comics. These new Next Level titles will launch alongside bold new storylines in DC’s ongoing and limited series as DC All In begins its second act.

ComicsPro 2026: DC Next Level Reveals Teen Titans and More for Summer 2026

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ComicsPro 2026 is going on and DC is rolling out what we can expect in the year to come. During the conference, retailers were shown a new trailer for DC Next Level, highlighting the initiative’s rollout through the first half of the year. Lobo #1, Batwoman #1, and Deathstroke: The Terminator #1 will all launch on March 18, followed by The Fury of Firestorm #1 on April 8 and Zatanna #1 on April 29.

DC then spotlighted two newly announced Next Level titles arriving this summer: Barbara Gordon: Breakout by Mariko Tamaki and Amancay Nahuelpan in May, and The Deadman by W. Maxwell Prince and Martín Morazzo in June.

Barbara Gordon: Breakout

The Deadman

Retailers were also provided a look at DC’s upcoming slate of Next Level titles ahead of solicitation, including Legion of Super-Heroes, Doom Patrol, Jonah Hex, The Demon, and Batman: Shadow of the Bat. Creative teams and launch dates will be announced soon.

DC’s ComicsPro presentation further revealed the next major Next Level series: Teen Titans, launching this summer from Kyle Higgins and Daniele Di Nicuolo, the acclaimed team behind Power Rangers: Shattered Grid. In Teen Titans, Red Hood uncovers a network of missing powered teens and reluctantly joins forces with a new generation of plugged-in, hyper-capable young heroes to find them and expose the lie dividing their world.

DC announces Zatanna by Jamal Campbell and The Fury of Firestorm by Jeff Lemire and Rafael De Latorre

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DC: Next Level launches this March with Batwoman by Greg Rucka and DaNi, Deathstroke: The Terminator by Tony Fleecs and Carmine di Giandomenico, and Lobo by Skottie Young and Jorge Corona. Following that in April, DC has announced two new comic book series that push magic, mystery, and raw power into uncharted territory; Zatanna by Jamal Campbell and The Fury of Firestorm by Jeff Lemire and Rafael De Latorre.

The community of Bedford, Colorado, is a sleepy small town. The people say hello to their neighbors, attend town hall meetings, and root for the local high school football team on Friday nights. But this idyllic small town is thrown upside down when the Nuclear Man arrives and starts…experimenting. Firestorm has turned buildings to sand and people to glass with no remorse and no warning. But what exactly provoked Ronnie Raymond to commit this heinous act, and can anyone contain the fury that is Firestorm?

Brought to you by the acclaimed team of Jeff Lemire and Rafael De Latorre, this explosive new series ignites the next major chapter of DC’s Next Level line.

The Fury of Firestorm #1 includes open-to-order card stock variants by Chris Burnham and Riley Rossmo, priced at $4.99 US ($3.99 US main; $6.99 US foil). Lemire provides a 1:25 incentive variant, while Burnham’s cover will also be available as an open-to-order foil edition. A DC: Next Level variant by Jorge Corona and a blank sketch cover round out the assortment.

Zatanna Zatara embarks on her greatest tour yet! As the newest and first Prime Magus in millennia, it is now Zatanna’s sworn responsibility to oversee and guide the world of magic. All eyes are on her.

How will she accomplish this grand task? How will she shoulder this heaviest of responsibilities? How will she confront the horrors waiting in forgotten histories? With a wink, a flourish, and a whole lot of magic!

All-star writer/artist Jamal Campbell returns to the character for an encore performance after his 2025 limited comic book series with DC’s mistress of magic, launching Zatanna into a new ongoing series!

Zatanna #1 features open‑to‑order card stock variants by Adam Hughes and Kyuyong Eom, priced at $4.99 US ($3.99 US main; $6.99 US foil). Julian Totino Tedesco contributes a 1:25 incentive variant, while Hughes’s cover will also be offered as an open‑to‑order foil edition. A Next Level variant by Jorge Corona and a blank sketch cover complete the lineup.

DC All In goes Next Level with its Second Arc Starting March 2026!

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After DC’s brawling DC K.O. comic book event series concludes on March 4, 2026, Scott Snyder and Joshua Williamson are helping to take “DC All In” to the “Next Level,” beginning a second act of the publishing initiative that began with the DC All in Special and the launch of DC’s Absolute universe.

DC: Next Leve is a series of bold, creator-forward #1s, starring fan-favorite characters, and helmed by some of the best talent in comics. These new Next Level titles will launch alongside bold new storylines in DC’s ongoing and limited series as DC All In begins its second act.

NEXT LEVEL IS LOBO’S ONLY LEVEL WITH SKOTTIE YOUNG AND JORGE CORONA RIDING SHOTGUN!

The Eisner-nominated creative team that brought you a fantastic parable of adolescence in the Midwest, the story of an artist who embraces darkness a little too closely, and the tale of a gunslinger with too much grit to stay buried, brings you a classic yarn spun in the star-kissed threads of the cosmic DC Universe.

Vrrrrroooooommmmmmmm! The Main Man’s back, baby! And his ride is a motorcycle that moves at the speed of sound, but only if that sound is a rippin’ guitar solo, and you better hop on before he leaves you in the dust with all the bastiches he’s fragged for money or convenience!

It’s a guts-soaked path from DC K.O. to the end of the universe, where Lobo is going to scratch his name and number in the Source Wall with a cool knife. Don’t miss the mayhem, special guests, or tasty, tasty continuity! Don’t you do it!

Lobo, a new DC Next Level comic book series written by Skottie Young with art and main cover by Jorge Corona, debuts on March 4, 2026. The first issue features open-to-order card stock variants by Lee Bermejo, KyuYong Eom, and Corona, priced at $3.99 US ($4.99 US for card stock; $6.99 US for foil). Juan Ferrerya contributes a 1:25 incentive variant, while Bermejo’s cover will also be available as an open-to-order foil edition, alongside a blank sketch cover.

EISNER-WINNER GREG RUCKA AND VISIONARY ARTIST DANI JOIN FORCES TO CANCEL THE APOCALYPSE!

Acclaimed writer and co-creator of the modern Batwoman, Greg Rucka, returns to the story of Kate Kane alongside celebrated artist DaNi for a DC Next Level series that will redefine Batwoman and her mission for a new generation.

Batwoman.

Daughter. Sister. Soldier. Hero.

But since she was 10 years old, Kate Kane has lived in the shadow of a prophecy and the machinations of a religion devoted to the end of all things. How do you fight the devil when the devil is real? And how do you win?

Batwoman, a new DC Next Level comic book series written by Greg Rucka with art and cover by DaNi, debuts on March 11, 2026. The debut issue includes open-to-order cardstock variant covers by artists including Stanley “Artgerm” Lau, Stjepan Šejić, Jorge Corona, and more, priced at $3.99 US ($4.99 US for cardstock; $6.99 US for foil). Joshua “Sway” Swaby contributes a 1:25 incentive variant, while Artgerm’s variant will be offered as an additional open-to-order foil cover, alongside a blank sketch cover.

THE WORLD’S DEADLIEST ASSASSIN LEVELS UP WITH TONY FLEECS AND CARMINE DI GIANDOMENICO!

Prepare for brutal violence with over-the-top action and intrigue from the twisted mind of writer Tony Fleecs with pulse-pounding art by Carmine Di Giandomenico. DC’s contract killing bogeyman is back and bloodier than ever!

Soldier-turned-superhuman assassin for hire, Slade Wilson, has made hundreds of enemies in his day, and now one of them is taking his world apart piece by piece. The hit is out on Deathstroke, as he evolves into his purest form…a terminator out for revenge and ready to kill anyone who stands in his way.

Deathstroke: The Terminator, a new DC Next Level comic book series written by Tony Fleecs with art and cover by Carmine Di Giandomenico, debuts on March 18, 2026. The first issue features open-to-order card stock variants by Dan Panosian, KyuYong Eom, and Jorge Corona, priced at $3.99 US ($4.99 US for card stock; $6.99 US for foil). Tony Fleecs provides a 1:25 incentive variant, while Panosian’s cover will also be available as an open-to-order foil edition, alongside a blank sketch cover.

DC NEXT LEVEL INTRODUCES FRESH FACES AND FAN FAVORITES

DC Next Level, part of the second act of DC All In, is a new publishing initiative spotlighting characters like Batwoman, Deathstroke, The Demon, Firestorm, Lobo, Barbara Gordon, Zatanna, the Teen Titans, and more. The creative roster includes Jeff Lemire, Greg Rucka, Javier Rodríguez, Jamal Campbell, Skottie Young, Mariko Tamaki, James Harren, Kyle Higgins, Joshua Williamson, Daniele Di Nicuolo, Michael Walsh, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Rafael De Latorre, Jorge Corona, Tony Fleecs, Amancay Nahuelpan, Deniz Camp, DaNi, and others. The initiative promises fresh perspectives and dynamic storytelling across the DC Universe.

While the new series will be independent reads and not heavily tied to other books, they will exist alongside DC’s ongoing comic book series like Superman, Batman, Justice League Unlimited, and more. The focus is creating new-reader friendly debuts that roll out over time creating easy jumping-on point.

In the announcement, Snyder and Williamson teased this is just the second phase of what is planned with a legion of stories still to be told.