This June, celebrate love with Dark Horse Comics and Tiny Onion’s newest one-shot, Monsters in Love: A Pride Anthology!
This anthology includes ten new standalone stories blending horror and romance in the style of classic EC Comics anthologies by fan-favorite LGBTQIA+ creators, including James Tynion IV, Tate Brombal, Jadzia Axelrod, Vita Ayala, Zoe Tunnell, Josh Trujillo, Lee Knox Ostetag, Kenny Wroten, Jacoby Salcedo, Lilah Sturges, Vash Taylor, and more.
This super-sized special also includes a framing story by the three-time GLAAD Media Award-nominated creative team of The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos. Finally, the one-shot will feature three covers by V. Gagnon, Bradley Clayton, and Rian Sygh and a back-cover by Isaac Goodhart and Miquel Muerto.
Monsters in Love: A Pride Anthology one-shot arrives in comic shops on June 3, 2026 and is now available for pre-order from your local comic shop for $9.99.
DC with some trepidation has announced MAD About DC, a 64-page one-shot arriving April 1, 2026. Yes, April 1. And no, this isn’t a prank—unless you count letting Chip Zdarsky run this thing as its Guest Editor a prank on the DC Universe itself. You’d have to ask Chip.
MAD About DC brings together an all-star lineup of writers and artists to lovingly roast, parody, and generally make a mess of the characters fans hold dear.
Inside MAD About DC, readers will find:
Sergio Aragonés with “A MAD Look at Comic Book Stores”
Jim Zub and Ramon Perez teaming for “Guy vs. Spy”
A brand-new DC Fold-In by Charles Soule and Ryan Browne
A parade of MAD-style parodies skewering the DC comic books you love, and a few you’ve always hated anyway, from Kyle Starks, Dave Johnson, Tini Howard, Mattie Lubchansky, Mark Waid, Ty Templeton, Rainbow Rowell, Vita Ayala, M.L. Sanapo, Mark Russell, Steve Lieber, Jeff Parker, Lukas Ketner, Gerry Duggan, Scott Aukerman, Mitch Gerads, Joanne Starer, Joe Quinones, Scott Snyder, Josh Williamson, Deniz Camp, Gail Simone, Colleen Doran, Joe Kelly, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Valentine De Landro, Ryan North, Erica Henderson, Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo, Mariko Tamaki, Riley Rossmo, Al Ewing, PJ Holden, Shannon Wheeler, Leah Williams, Isaac Goodhart, Cody Ziglar, Daniele Di Nicuolo, Daniel Kibblesmith, Brandt&Stein, Casey Gilly, J. Bone, Skottie Young, Andrew Wheeler, Stephen Byrne, Colleen Coover, Benjamin Errett, Matt Fraction, Kagan McLeod, Lee Gatlin, Joseph Starkey, Graham Roumieu…and more?!
Whether you’re a lifelong MAD Magazine fan, a DC diehard, or simply someone who enjoys watching respected creators make questionable choices, MAD About DC promises to fulfill your every comic book dream…or at least three or four of them.
MAD About DC goes on sale April 1, 2026, wherever comics are sold. No whoopee cushions included. The issue features a main cover by Dan “MAD About Gluten Labeling Because It Should Actually Be Clearer or Else What’s the Point” Panosian ($7.99 US), cardstock variants by Simon Bisley and Chip Zdarsky ($8.99 US), and a foil variant by Panosian ($10.99 US).
DC Pride 2025 #1 is a little different from the previous installments of DC Pride in that it’s not a collection of short stories featuring LGBTQ+ DC Comics characters, but is a single narrative centered around a gay bar that Alan Scott frequented in the 1930s and told predominantly from the POV of a new character named Ethan, who is a trans military veteran that ends up caught up a kind of multiversal/elemental saga. I applaud the scope of this comic book, which has big jam session energy as different characters end up in different pocket realities based on wishes they made at the gay bar or graffiti they scrawled. We get Apollo and Midnighter living in 1950s domestic bliss courtesy of Sam Maggs and Derek Charm, a single, psychiatric girl boss Harley Quinn from Maya Houston, Max Sarin, and Marissa Louise ; and a gorgeous sapphic romance between Jo Mullein and Nubia from Houston, Vita Ayala, and Vincent Cecil to name a few. The reading effect is like jumping from comic to comic and look at paths not trodden with some iconic queer characters and a few new or not so iconic ones.
As Tim Sheridan, Giulio Macaione, and Emilio Pilliu Alan Scott-centric frame story shows, fighting supervillains and having superpowers is a metaphor for being queer in DC Pride 2025. It might be tempting to give up and lie low, especially with the United States’ hard turn to fascism, and homophobia and transphobia promoted by folks in power, but Alan Scott, Ethan, and their companions’ actions in the comic act as a clarion call to resistance. The stuff with the Crimson Flame and Scott having his own Red Lantern is a little Geoff Johnsian for my taste, but it’s so cool to watch Alan Scott have a Sailor Moon type transformation sequence and return into action to help save the next generation of queer heroes symbolized by Ethan. I love Macaione’s use of greens to show a possible, idyllic future for Scott and a non-Red Lantern/Russian spy Johnny Ladd, but it’s a happiness based on a lie like the other possible futures in the book.
However, DC Pride 2025 isn’t all serious action and has a lot of humor and playfulness. Jude Ellison S. Doyle and Alex Moore recontextualize Golden Age Z-list Wonder Woman villain Blue Snowman coming to terms with their gender fluidity alongside nonbinary superhero Envoy in one vignette. I love how they poke fun at the restrictions of the gender binary using the classic tropes of a superhero brawl, and how even well meaning cisgender people can be just plain annoying at times. It’s so cool seeing this kind of story and voice in a mainstream, corporate comic showing that nonbinary characters don’t just have to be righteous heroes, but can be kind of messy too. DC Pride 2025 really hits the spectrum of queer identities, including asexuality with Connor Hawke getting a short story where he resists his father’s reputation as a womanizer and just wants to live his own life. I have to give a special shout out to Philip Sevy’s art in this short sequence, which seems like it’s right out of the late 1990s period where he was member of the JLA. Both the visual and character variety of DC Pride 2025 makes it an engaging read, and the book is a testament to the active work that DC Comics has done to cultivate LGBTQ+ characters in the past decade or so. (I need a monthly Midnighter and/or Apollo book though.)
After a wild and wacky cosmic adventure set in the DC Multiverse, DC Pride 2025 wraps up with a beautiful nonfiction storyfrom Jenny Blake and Sara Soler about Blake coming out as a transgender woman earlier this year. It has gorgeous soft lines and a refreshing color palette to go with Jenny Blake’s honest and humorous script about how old comics about Clark Kent switching genders had an influence on her own gender identity journey. I love how Soler inserts different DC characters into the panel to blur the line between fantasy and non-fiction with Blake’s most famous co-creation Black Lightning making an appearance as well as transgender superheroine Dreamer, who shares coffee with Blake. The story shows that you’re never too old to be your authentic self and hints at a longer graphic memoir, which I hope Jenny Blake gets to realize at DC or elsewhere.
DC Pride 2025 is an ambitious comic with summer crossover energy that tells an epic story with DC’s LGBTQ+ characters while still taking time to dig into their individual hopes, fears, and dreams. It’s a showcase of queer representation on the page and on the issue’s creative teams, and Blake and Sara Soler’s memoir is a beautiful coda and rallying cry to continue to be queer and fearless in an increasingly dark and hateful world.
Story: Vita Ayala, Jude Ellison S. Doyle, Maya Houston Story: Sam Maggs, Tim Sheridan, Josh Trujillo, Jenny Blake Art: Don Aguillo, Vincent Cecil, Derek Charm, A.L. Kaplan, Giulio Macaione Art: Emilio Pilliu, Max Sarin, Philip Sevy, Sara Soler, Alex Moore, Skyler Patridge Colors: Eren Angiolini, Jordie Bellaire, Triona Farrell, Marissa Louise Letters: Aditya Bidikar, Frank Cvetkovic, Lucas Gattoni, Ariana Maher, Morgan Martinez, Jodie Troutman Story: 8.9 Art: 9.3 Overall: 9.1 Recommendation: Buy
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
(W) Tim Sheridan, Vita Ayala, Josh Trujillo, Sam Maggs, Maya Houston and Jude Ellison S. Doyle (A) Emilio Pilliu, Skylar Patridge, A.L. Kaplan, Vincent Cecil and Others In Shops: Jun 04, 2025 SRP: $9.99
THE AWARD-WINNG DC PRIDE CELEBRATES ITS 5TH ANNIVERSARY WITH AN ALL-NEW SPECIAL IN AN ALL-NEW FORMAT! When a 100-year-old queer speakeasy-turned-bar-turned-restaurant-and-community-space in Gotham announces that it will soon be closing its doors, generations of patrons come to pay their respects–including Alan Scott, the Green Lantern. After all, this is the place where he and his first love, Johnny Ladd, long ago carved their names into the basement wall before it all went to hell…and a love lost is never a love forgotten. But they weren’t the only ones to put their names in the wall over the years, and suddenly queer heroes, villains, and civilians alike from across the DCU–the Question, Midnighter and Apollo, Harley Quinn, Green Lantern Jo Mullein, Bunker, Connor Hawke, and Blue Snowman among them–find them-selves spirited away to a strange alternate dimension that seems to provide everything they could possibly want…but at what cost? In this single, oversized story of interweaving narratives, the vanished will need to come together and look into the very depths of the Starheart itself if they hope to escape that which ensnares them in this triumphant and timely story of community amid chaos!
(W) Tim Sheridan, Vita Ayala, Josh Trujillo, Sam Maggs, Maya Houston and Jude Ellison S. Doyle (A) Emilio Pilliu, Skylar Patridge, A.L. Kaplan, Vincent Cecil and Others In Shops: Jun 04, 2025 SRP: $9.99
THE AWARD-WINNG DC PRIDE CELEBRATES ITS 5TH ANNIVERSARY WITH AN ALL-NEW SPECIAL IN AN ALL-NEW FORMAT! When a 100-year-old queer speakeasy-turned-bar-turned-restaurant-and-community-space in Gotham announces that it will soon be closing its doors, generations of patrons come to pay their respects–including Alan Scott, the Green Lantern. After all, this is the place where he and his first love, Johnny Ladd, long ago carved their names into the basement wall before it all went to hell…and a love lost is never a love forgotten. But they weren’t the only ones to put their names in the wall over the years, and suddenly queer heroes, villains, and civilians alike from across the DCU–the Question, Midnighter and Apollo, Harley Quinn, Green Lantern Jo Mullein, Bunker, Connor Hawke, and Blue Snowman among them–find them-selves spirited away to a strange alternate dimension that seems to provide everything they could possibly want…but at what cost? In this single, oversized story of interweaving narratives, the vanished will need to come together and look into the very depths of the Starheart itself if they hope to escape that which ensnares them in this triumphant and timely story of community amid chaos!
Bullied nerd Virgil Hawkins wasn’t the kind of kid you’d normally find on the streets at a protest—but like everyone else in the city of Dakota, he was fed up. Unfortunately, the first time he stood up to raise his voice, the world turned upside down. The experimental tear gas released that day left some of his classmates maimed or dead…but it left Virgil, and others, with stunning new abilities. Virgil has power inside him now—real power, the ability to channel and manipulate electromagnetic fields.
But there’s anger burning inside him, too.
What is he supposed to do about all of this? And first and foremost—what is he supposed to do about his bullies, now that they’ve got superpowers too?
Story: Reginald Hudlin, Vita Ayala, Greg Pak Art: Denys Cowan, Nikolas Draper-Ivey, Chriscross, Jim Lee, Ryan Benjamin, Jimmy Palmiotti, Don Ho, Bill Sienkiewicz, Khoi Pham, Scott Hanna Ink: Bill Sienkiewicz, Juan Castro Color: Chris Sotomayor, Wil Quintana, Alex Sinclair, Hi-Fi Letterer: Andworld Design
Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.
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In an extraordinary collaboration between two celebrated voices in comics, DC has announced the addition of an original story, “Master Planner” by writer Jenny Blake and artist Sara Soler with lettering by Jodie Troutman, to DC Pride 2025. This new story, like Kevin Conroy’s personal story “Finding Batman” (art by J. Bone) in 2022 and Phil Jimenez’s autobiographical story “Spaces” (art by Giulio Macaione) in 2024, is a poignant exploration of Blake’s identity, authenticity, and the universal quest for self-understanding. Blake is a co-creator of Black Lightning, along with Trevor Von Eeden, among other accomplishments.
Jenny Blake, a trailblazing figure with over five decades of contributions to the comics industry, shared her heartfelt reflections on the project:
When I came out as transgender, the comics community was overwhelmingly loving and supportive. Being asked to contribute to this anthology was unexpected and so affirming. I’ve done a lot of cool things in my 50-plus years in comics, but this story is one of the things I’m most proud of. I see myself in this story and I hope readers see something of themselves in it. I had a wonderful time writing my story, and I hope the readers enjoy it as much as I did.
The story, brought vividly to life by the extraordinary artistry of Sara Soler, invites readers into a journey that is both deeply personal and widely relatable, bridging human experiences of transformation, resilience, and belonging. Soler’s style beautifully captures the essence of Blake’s narrative, creating a perfect harmony between words and visuals.
Additionally, DC’s editorial team has selected a handful of letters, cosplay, and fan art to be published in a letters column within the pages of DC Pride 2025. Originally shared on the DC Official Discord server, fan contributions to DC Pride 2025 reflect how the legacy of DC’s storytelling has impacted, or reflected, their LGBTQIA+ identity, journey, or experience.
DC Pride 2025 will publish on June 4, available wherever comic books are sold. Contributors include writers Vita Ayala, Jude Ellison S. Doyle, Maya Houston, Sam Maggs, Tim Sheridan, and Josh Trujillo; artists Don Aguillo, Vincent Cecil, Derek Charm, A.L. Kaplan, Giulio Macaione, Alex Moore, Skylar Patridge, Emilio Pilliu, Max Sarin, and Phillip Sevy; colorists Eren Angiolini, Jordie Bellaire, Tríona Farrell, and Marissa Louise; letterers Aditya Bidikar, Frank Cvetkovic, Lucas Gattoni, Ariana Maher, Morgan Martinez, and Jodie Troutman for main story “The Heart Wants”; along with Blake, Solar, and Troutman for “Master Planner.” The 96-page Prestige format comic will feature a main cover by Kris Anka and variant covers by Sozomaika, Julia Reck, and Jack Hughes (1:25), all priced at $9.99 US (card stock).
The critically acclaimed The Horizon Experiment comic book series, led by Eisner and Harvey Award-winning The Good Asian creator Pornsak Pichetshote, will be collected into a first volume this April. The series features five unique “pilot” one-shots by all-star creative teams from across entertainment, with stories featuring diverse protagonists inspired by pop culture icons (like James Bond, John Constantine, and Indiana Jones), while exploring popular genre fare from a different perspective.
Co-edited by Pichetshote and Eisner Award-winning editor Will Dennis, the series kicked off with The Horizon Experiment: The Manchurian, written by Pichetshote and featuring illustrations by superstar artists Terry and Rachel Dodson, a scintillating thriller full of secrets and scandal, featuring a Chinese super spy inspired by James Bond. The Horizon Experiment series also features stunning connecting variant covers by Eisner Award-winning artist Tula Lotay.
Writer Sabir Pirzada, known for writing on beloved franchises like Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel, teamed with Eisner Award-winning horror artist Michael Walsh for the one-shot, The Horizon Experiment: The Sacred Damned, introducing the world to Inayah Jibril, Professor of Ethnography and the Occult. A love letter to classic horror from Dracula to John Constantine, the terrifying tale follows a Muslim exorcist, in a new interpretation of horror tropes.
Tananarive Due and Kelsey Ramsay’s The Horizon Experiment: Moon Dogs one-shot follows a family of Black Lycanthropes of East African descent who find themselves caught in a burgeoning war in Miami when the truth starts to come out that werewolves aren’t just a myth. Co-author of the graphic novel The Keeper, and an acclaimed fiction writer known as the “Octavia Butler of horror,” Due has won an NAACP Image Award, World Fantasy Award, a British Fantasy Award, and much more; Moon Dogs marks her first solo full-length writing endeavor in comics. She’s joined by breakout artist Kelsey Ramsay in her first Image Comics series.
J. Holtham, an esteemed playwright, TV writer, and producer, joined the project with his first creator-owned comic The Horizon Experiment: Motherf*ckin’ Monsters, co-created by African-American cartoonist Michael Lee Harris, creator of Black Hitler and Choco Leche. The Horizon Experiment: Motherfu*kin’ Monsters is like Evil Dead for blerds, a love letter to Sam Raimi and Edgar Wright set to a Wu-Tang soundtrack. Fans of Bitter Root and Chew will enjoy this meta horror comedy full of quips and gore, in which a nerdy Black kid from Brooklyn and his friends stumble upon demon-worshipping frat assholes trying to take over the world.
Powerhouse comic book writer Vita Ayala partnered up with on-the-verge star artist Skylar Patridge for The Horizon Experiment: Finders//Keepers, an action-adventure one-shot that twists the genre in a way that’s never been done before. The comic is a reverse Indiana Jones story that follows Puerto Rican archeology grad student Ines Guarua, who plans to steal an important cultural artifact from a famous museum in order to bring it back home to where it belongs.
The Horizon Experiment, Vol. 1 (Lunar code 0225IM443) will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, April 16 (FOC date is Monday, March 10). It will be available at independent bookstores (ISBN: 9781534337008) on April 29, 2025, as well as on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Indigo, and Waterstones, and across many digital platforms.
(W) Brandon Thomas, Vita Ayala, John Jennings, Zipporah Smith (A) Ray-Anthony Height, Caanan White, Kelsey Ramsay, Charles Stewart III In Shops: Jan 29, 2025 SRP: $5.99
DC POWER RETURNS FOR 2025! The Justice League’s watchtower looming in the skies is intended to inspire hope and faith in superheroes, but not everyone believes metahumans act in humanity’s best interests. The fringe beliefs that “Waller was Right” have grown louder as paramilitary groups take to the streets to take Earth back for the human race. Enter Josiah Power, a meta-attorney who’s seen enough of rising hate and sets out to assemble a team not only to protect black and brown communities from these new threats but also to rebuild human faith in heroes. DC Power returns for a third year in a new format, continuing the storylines from Absolute Power and All In and setting the stage for the return of the Power Company!
Vita Ayala needs our help after a fire broke out at their apartment building when the building next door burned down. The fire resulted in heavy damage for Ayala’s home. Ayala and their family will be displaced for at least a home while the damage from the fire and water are cleaned up.
While insurance will help, a GoFundMe has been set up to help raise donations as well to ease the burden.
Ayala is the writer behind such comics as Finder/Keepers, Submerged, New Mutants, Nubia, Star Trek, Xena: Warrior Princess, Prisoner X, Morbius, and more.
