DC’s Next Level initiative continues to grow, with three more ongoing series announced during the publisher’s San Diego Comic-Con panel: Vixen, Static, and Shadow of the Bat.
The trio joins a growing slate of creator-driven books that includes Jonah Hex and the Shadow of Death, further expanding DC’s efforts to offer fresh entry points for readers while remaining firmly rooted in continuity.
Stephanie Williams finally brings Vixen to center stage
Stephanie Williams and Khary Randolph will launch a new ongoing Vixen series, a project Williams revealed has been years in the making.
According to Williams, the original pitch document stretched roughly 20 pages, and she’d been carrying the idea for two years before finally getting the green light.
Rather than simply positioning Mari McCabe as another Justice League member, Williams said the series is about Vixen reclaiming her own narrative.
“It’s Mari telling people who she is instead of everyone assuming,” Williams explained.
She compared the approach to “if Rihanna finally decided to be a superhero,” emphasizing Mari’s confidence, celebrity, and ability to define herself on her own terms.
Static returns to the spotlight
Cody Ziglar and Diego Olortegui will also launch a new Static ongoing series.
Ziglar described the book as an opportunity to reintroduce Virgil Hawkins to the wider DC Universe after recent appearances.
“We’re dusting off the cobwebs,” Ziglar said. “He’s reintroducing himself to the superhero world.”
The ongoing promises a fresh starting point for longtime fans and newcomers alike as Static steps back into a larger heroic role.
Deniz Camp and Javier Rodríguez tackle Batman’s deepest wounds
Following their acclaimed collaboration on Absolute Martian Manhunter, Deniz Camp and Javier Rodríguez reunite for Shadow of the Bat, a new ongoing series centered on Bruce Wayne confronting both personal and societal trauma.
Camp described the series as a deeply introspective look at Batman in the aftermath of catastrophe.
“It’s Batman coming to terms with the failure of our institutions and the trauma of his own, paralleled with the trauma of the people of Gotham after a massive chemical plant explosion, along with every other traumatic event they’ve experienced,” Camp said.
The series appears poised to explore Gotham’s collective wounds as much as Batman’s own, using a citywide disaster as the backdrop for a more psychological take on the Dark Knight.
With Vixen, Static, and Shadow of the Bat joining an already ambitious lineup, DC’s Next Level initiative continues to position some of the publisher’s most recognizable heroes alongside bold new creative voices, with more announcements still expected as DC All In heads into its second act.
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