Superhero comics can seem impenetrable for those on the outside looking in. Publishers like Marvel and DC Comics have their own extensive and interconnected universes, making it hard to figure out where to begin and what to read. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be that way. DC Comics is making a concerted effort to make their comics accessible in 2023 with the Dawn of DC publishing initiative.
Read on to find out what Dawn of DC is all about and all the comics you can start reading with this extensive guide.
Updating…
Please note that Dawn of DC is a year-long initiative and DC Comics will be drip feeding new comics and information through 2023.
This guide will be continually updated when more details have been made available. I recommend bookmarking this page and checking in every few weeks to find out more about Dawn of DC.
What is Dawn of DC?
Dawn of DC is a publishing initiative by DC Comics to create dozens of jumping-on points for their superhero comics in 2023. It gives new and old readers a place to start reading the publisher’s much-loved heroes and presents lesser-used characters with a renewed push.
This is done through a number of fresh comic series and new story arcs for existing titles. They’re a great jumping-on point, with readers presented with a number of these each month throughout 2023. While DC Comics launches new stories regularly, the publisher will use these comics to “forge the future one hero at a time”. This will include bold storytelling, big stories, and looking to the future instead of relying on the past.
There also seems to be a focus on multievent narratives. This isn’t new in comics, and it’s been made mainstream with the Marvel movies, but Dawn of DC gives DC Comics something to build towards in this new era of storytelling. Based on what we know so far, many of the comics will have narrative links to specific events (see the What do you need to read before Dawn of DC? section for more details) or franchise family (e.g. Superman-themed comics) but will also stand on their own too with their own stories.
Is Dawn of DC a reboot?
No. Dawn of DC is not a reboot. These new comics are not wiping pre-existing history. Everything still exists – they’re just new comics and stories within the DC Universe.
What do you need to read before Dawn of DC?
Many comics that are part of Dawn of DC have been set up by major stories that recently happened in the DC Universe. The conclusion of comic events such as Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths and DC Universe: Lazarus Planet act as springboards for these new comics. They look at what happens next for certain heroes and villains or justify new status quos.
Are those stories essential in understanding Dawn of DC? Not really. DC Comics has marketed the publishing initiative as a jumping-on point, with stories focusing on looking forward. It’s not like they don’t exist, but DC is more concerned with what happens next instead.
This guide will mention if a comic spins out of a particular story when discussing each series. That way, readers looking to do further background reading can be pointed in the right direction.
What is happening to existing comics?
Dawn of DC is introducing a slate of new series, but the current ones are not going anywhere. Comics such as Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, and many others make up the bulk of DC Comics’ publishing line and are sticking around. It’s also likely that many of these existing comics will join Dawn of DC with jumping-on points later in the year.
Which comics are part of Dawn of DC?
So now that you know what Dawn of DC is, you’re probably wondering what comics are part of it. Take a look below at the comics that have been announced for this new publishing initiative so far. As mentioned above, DC will be drip-feeding details throughout 2023. As a result, this list will be updated when more titles have been announced.
Action Comics #1051
Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Dan Jurgens, and Leah Williams. Art by Rafa Sandoval, Lee Weeks, and Marguerite Sauvage.
Action Comics #1051 is the first of many comics in the new era of Superman-themed comics.
Spinning out of the Return of Kal-El crossover, Action Comics #1051 marks a new era for the Superman family of comics and the first comic as part of Dawn of DC. The long-running series is getting a format change, becoming an anthology series that serialises three stories at once.
Headlining this issue will be a Superman story, which will explore the new nature of his powers. This story will include Steel, Lex Luthor, and Metallo.
The second is Lois and Clark 2: Doom Rising. This follow-up to the fan-favourite tale flashes back to tell a story of young Jon Kent on the farm with his parents as he learns to use his powers.
Power Girl stars in the final story with a three-parter that spins out of DC Universe: Lazarus Planet.
Action Comics #1051 will be available on 24th January.
Superman #1
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Jamal Campbell.
Superman has returned to Metropolis after spending a significant time on Warworld. But he won’t have much time to settle in, with villains old and new striking from the shadows. Also, Lex Luther, who is in prison, has left Superman a gift – the secretive Supercorp!
Superman #1 is available on 21st February.
Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #1
Written by Tom Taylor. Art by Clayton Henry.
Jon Kent, Superman’s son, gets a new series. In this one, he discovers that Supermen from across the multiverse are being murdered. The culprit appears to be Ultraman, the evil Superman from Earth-3.
This series will also see a trip to the world of Injustice: Gods Among Us, which Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent writer Tom Taylor wrote extensively in.
Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #1 is available on 7th March.
Unstoppable Doom Patrol #1
Written by Dennis Culver. Art by Chris Burnham.
Spinning out of Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate, the Doom Patrol are getting their first series in a while. Lazarus Planet saw an influx of regular people gaining superpowers. The misfit team’s mission is to protect them from sinister forces so they don’t become weapons or guinea pigs.
The team will consist of Doom Patrol regulars Robotman, Elasti-Woman, Negative Man, and Crazy jane. Along for the ride are two new characters, Beast Girl and Degenerate.
If it’s anything like previous Doom Patrol series, expect plenty of weirdness and odd powers.
According to writer Dennis Culver on Twitter, this will be a six-part miniseries – with the potential for follow ups.
Unstoppable Doom Patrol #1 is available on 28th March.
Harley Quinn #28
Written by Tini Howard. Art by Sweeney Boo and Erica Henderson (Back-up story).
Ever wanted to start reading Harley Quinn? This looks like it will be a great jumping on point! In this issue, Harley get arrested for property damage (after fighting some jerks) and is sentenced to community service. This will end badly…
The back-up will focus on what Dc is describing as a “very special in-continuity dream”.
Harley Quinn #28 will be available on 28th March.
Superboy: The Man of Tomorrow #1
Written by Kenny Porter. Art by Jahnoy Lindsay.
Conner Kent, Superman’s teenage clone, is looking to make a name for himself. To do that, he’s leaving Earth and going on a journey of self-discovery. Along the way, the hero that doesn’t take anything seriously will meet freedom fighters who will challenge what Conner stands for and what it means to wear the Superman crest.
This six-part miniseries was the winner of the 2022 DC Round Robin competition.
Superboy: The Man of Tomorrow #1 is available on 18th April.
Green Arrow #1
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Sean Izaakse.
Green Arrow has been missing since Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths. His friends and family are determined to find him, but dangerous forces want to keep them apart. DC has promised this action-packed series will set up major stories in 2023.
Based on the above cover, this will feature the extended Green Arrow family of characters plus a few that are not usually associated with the Emerald Archer.
The series will run for six issues, but Joshua Williamson has mentioned in his newsletter that he hopes it will be extended to 12 issues if there is enough demand.
Green Arrow #1 is available on 25th April.
Shazam! #1
Written by Mark Waid. Art by Dan Mora.
This new Shazam series will be an action-comedy brought to you by the creative team of Batman/Superman: World’s Finest.
DC Comics has promised “Dinosaurs from space! The Clubhouse of Eternity! Homicidal worms and talking tigers! Atomic robots, alien worlds, mad scientists, sinister curses, and villains from throughout the DC Universe…” in this new comic series. Based on that and the creative team involved, it sounds like it will be a lot of fun.
Shazam! #1 is available on 2nd May.
Green Lantern #1
Written by Jeremy Adams and Phillip Kennedy Johnson (back-up only). Art by Xermánico and Osvaldo Monto (back-up only).
Spinning out of Dark Crisis of Infinite Earths, this series will see Hal Jordan stuck in the quarantined Sector 2814, on order of the Guardians of Oa. With Earth being a being part of this block of space, it’s likely we’ll see a more earthbound Green Lantern series.
It will be a lot of fun if it’s anything like Jeremy Adam’s Flash run. There has been a lot of cool ideas, breathing new life into Wally West.
The series will also have a John Stewart back-up, which will help set up the Green Lantern: John Stewart series in the future.
It’s worth noting that the original announcement for this series had Mariko Tamaki as the writer. However, this changed sometime between November and late-January. Without going into too much detail, it appears that she has other conflicting projects.
Green Lantern #1 is available on 9th May.
Green Lantern: John Stewart #1
Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson. Art by TBA.
This John Stewart series will spin out of Green Lantern: Hal Jordan and will debut later on.
Green Lantern: John Stewart #1 will be available in 2023.
Dawn of DC: Free Comic Book Day Special Edition
Written and art by various.
DC Comics will be giving away a few free comics as part of the annual Free Comic Book Day tradition. One of these will be a special Dawn of DC comic, which will tease upcoming comics as part of the publishing event. It will feature different stories from a range of creative team, that will help set up new stories and hint at what’s to come.
Dawn of DC: Free Comic Book Day Special Edition will be available on 6th May.
Titans #1
Written by Tom Taylor. Art by Nicola Scott.
The Justice League is no more after the events of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths! A new team has risen to fill the void – The Titans. These once Teen Titans have now grown up and are ready to show the world they can be the premier superhero team.
The team will be lead by Nightwing and will feature Cyborg, Starfire, Rave, Beast Boy, Donna Troy, and Wally West.
Check out Nightwing #100 if you can’t wait for this new series. That issue helps set up this new series.
Titans #1 is available on 16th May.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold #1
Written by Tom King and Rob Williams. Art by Mitch Gerads, Guillem March, Gabriel Hardman, Dan Mora.
Batman: Brave and the Bold is anthology series, which will see all-star cast of creators do Batman team-ups and much more. Each issue is 64 pages and will feature at least four tales in each issue. These don’t seem to be limited to just Batman, with the first issue containing other characters as well.
Here’s the details for the debut issue:
- The first chapter in a four-part Batman story by Tom King and Mitch Gerards. This retells the first meeting between the Dark Knight and The Joker. DC has described it as “a tale of loathing, lies, and laughter, this may be the most frightening Joker story in a generation.”
- A black and white Batman story by artist Dan Mora that’s set in a Gotham City overrun by cybernetic henchmen of The Joker.
- A Stromwatch story by Ed Brisson and Jeff Spokes, which continues their story in the Wildstorm 30th Anniversary Special. It will feature a new incarnation of the team and kick off a new mission.
- Christopher Cantwell and Javier Rodríguez are pairing up or a Superman story called The Order of the Black Lamp.
Future issues of Batman: Brave and the Bold will introduce new stories and feature other characters over time. Some of these will be self-contained, while other spanning over multiple issues. It’s also likely DC Comics will use some stories as a backdoor pilot for new comic book series and to test out new creators.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold #1 is available on 16th May.
Cyborg #1
Written by Morgan Hampton. Art by Tom Raney.
Cyborg returns to Detroit after many years away to find a simpler life. However, it won’t be restful, when it’s discovered that a company plans on turning the city into a big engine using artificial intelligence – at the price of human life.
A preview of this series will be in 31st January’s DC Power: A Celebration anthology one-shot.
Cyborg #1 is available on 16th May.
Spirit World #1
Written by Alyssa Wong. Art by Haining.
New character Xanthe returns for their own series after their debut in Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate.
Who is Xanthe? They’re a magic user who has the ability to bring objects back-and-forth from the Spirit World, which is realm of the dead in Chinese culture. As you can see in the cover above, their favourite object is a giant sword.
After duping John Constantine, Xanthe will need to team up with them to go into the Spirit World to save Cassandra Cain (Batgirl), who’s stuck in that realm. Along the way, they’ll confront various creatures of Chinese mythology such as jiangshi (Chinese hopping vampires) and other spirits.
Spirit World is part of the We Are Legends initiative, which sees new series inspired by Asian culture.
Spirit World #1 is available on 9th May.
The Vigil #1
Written by Ram V. Art by Lalit Kumar Sharma.
Spinning out of their appearances in Lazarus Planet: Next Evolution and Detective Comics #1070-1071, The Vigil are a mysterious South Asian team of vigilantes. Each member has revived metahuman abilities that the don’t want and are determined to stop others in their situation from being used in military applications.
It sounds like there will be a covert element to the team, with DC Comics mentioning that the team “clean up the mess before any hero or villain arrives, as if both the crime and The Vigil were never there.”
The Vigil is part of the We Are Legends initiative, which sees new series inspired by Asian culture. It will run for six issues.
The Vigil #1 is available on 16th May.
City Boy #1
Written by Greg Pak. Art by Minkyo Jung.
Previously appearing the the Wildstorm 30th Anniversary Special and Lazarus Planet: Legends Reborn #1, City Boy is a new hero who can communicate with cities. He uses this ability to make a living finding hidden and lost objects. However, this power also means he hears all kinds of secrets.
The series will see City Boy heading to other famous locations around the DC Universe including Metropolis, Amnesty Bay, and Themyscira. Will these cities communicate with him too? Or will they be less receptive to him?
City Boy is part of the We Are Legends initiative, which sees new series inspired by Asian culture.
City Boy #1 is available on 23rd May.
The Dawn of DC Primer
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Leandro Fernandez.
At the end of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earth #7, there was an ominous scene at the end featuring Amanda Waller. It teased that there was something that there was treat coming that could lead to the end of the world. With this free primer comic, readers will find out a bit more about what that is, with Waller assembling an army of allies in the shadows.
The Dawn of DC Primer will be given out for free in comic book shops (and probably digitally too). It’s purpose is to set-up future stories lines, tease secrets, and give readers a taste of the future of DC Comics for the second half of 2023 and beyond.
The Dawn of DC Primer will be available on May 16th.
Justice Society of America #6
Written by Geoff Johns. Art by Mikel Janin.
I’ve put Justice Society of America #6 in this guide as the solicitation says “be sure to pick up this tie-in to The Dawn of DC!” I’ll update this when more information is available.
Justice Society of America #6 is available on 23rd May.
Power Girl Special #1
Written by Leah Williams. Art by Marguerite Sauvage.
Check out the Power Girl Special #1 if you’ve been following Power Girl in the pages of Lazarus Planet and Action Comics.
Power Girl Special #1 is available on 30th May.
Batman #136
Written by Chip Zdarksy. Art by Belen Ortega.
This issue kicks off a brand new story. While details are light at the moment, but the solicitation reveals that “Gotham isn’t as welcoming as it once was” and that Batman will need to remind the city (and Catwoman) what he’s all about.
It appears this will also be an exciting time to read the Bat-books, with DC claiming that “the future of the Bat-books starts here, and everyone’s world is about to explode!”
Batman #136 is available on 6th June.
The Penguin #1
Written by Tom King. Art by Stefano Gaudiano and Scorpio Steele.
Spinning out of Batman, The Penguin is ready to leave Gotham City and his criminal past behind him. However, the U.S. Government isn’t and pulls him back in for their own use.
DC Comics will also release The Penguin #0, which collects the Penguin back-up stories that set up this new series. This is perfect for anyone who missed them them when they were originally published in Batman #125-127. This will be released on 13th June.
The Penguin #1 is available on 20th June.
Steelworks #1
Written by Michael Dorn. Art by Sami Basri.
Spinning out of the pages of Action Comics, Steelworks is a series that focuses on John Henry Irons (Steel) and his new business of rebuilding Metropolis. Business is going well, as well as his love life too. Does he even need to be a superhero anymore? And what does his neice, the other hero known as Steel, think of that?
Steelworks is the debut of Star Trek regular Michael Dorn, who’s best-known for his role as Worf in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine. He also has a connection to Steel, having voiced the character in Superman: The Animated Series.
Steelworks #1 is available in June.
Hawkgirl #1
Written by Jadzia Axelrod. Art by Amancay Nahuelpan and Adriano Lucas.
After the disbanding of the Justice League in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, Kendra Saunders (Hawkgirl) has decided she needs a fresh start. Setting herself up in Metropolis, she soon encounters a mysterious villain with a powerful connection to Nth Metal – the metal that makes up her wings and weapons.
Hawkgirl #1 will be available in August.
Night Terrors
Written by Joshua Williamson. Art by Howard Porter and Guillem March.
The middle point of the Dawn of DC will see a comic book event called Night Terrors. Spanning over two months, it will have a horror bend to it, with heroes and villains forced to face their worst nightmares in real-life. similar to Future State, Night Terrors will be accompanied by a number of two-part miniseries that focus on a particular character or team.
The event will be teased with a Free Comic Book Day special on 6th May.
Keep a look out for more details and reading order on the site closer to publication.
Night Terrors will run between July and August.
Wonder Woman #1
Written by Tom King. Art by Daniel Sampere.
U.S Congress has passed The Amazon Safety Act, barring all Amazons from American soil, after a mysterious Amazonian is accused of committing mass murder. Wonder Woman is now on a mission to discover the truth, but in doing so she has now become an outlaw.
A prelude to Wonder Woman #1 will be found in June’s Wonder Woman #800. It’s also worth noting that with this relaunch, DC Comics are introducing a duel numbering system. This makes this relaunched issue Wonder Woman #801 at the same time.
Wonder Woman #1 is available in September.
The Flash #1
Written by Si Spurrier. Art by Mike Deodato Jr.
This new Flash series, starring Wally West, will lean hard into the science fiction roots of the character. Wally’s powers are evolving, which has opened the door to the dark vibrations beyond the Speed Force and into strange new realms.
Spurrier is known for high-concept ideas, which should translate into some fun and different Flash stories.
Just like Wonder Woman #1 (see above), this Flash series will have a prelude story in June’s The Flash #800. It will also adopt the numbering system, which will include the legacy issue number on the cover.
The Flash #1 is available in September.
Where can I find these comics?
The Dawn of DC titles can be found at all good comic book shops, online stores, eBay, and digitally on Kindle.
Do you need to read everything?
Nope. How much you read is totally up to you.
My recommendation is to check out the comics that appeal to you the most. The could be based on the characters, story premise, or creative team.
Will there be more Dawn of DC comics?
Yes! DC Comics will be drip feeding new comics as part of Dawn of DC throughout the year. As a result, there’s plenty of more comics to reveal over the coming months.
With every batch of announcements, the publisher has released the Dawn of DC road map. Here’s the most recent one.
Each version of the road map has held clues to future announcements. For instance, in a previous version, if you enhance the brightness of the image, you’ll see something called The Return of the Justice League. Oh, and an ominous looking skull too. Perhaps Superman villain Brainiac?
In the version above, you will see an image of Detective Chimp holding a Dr Fate’s helmet. Perhaps a Justice League Dark book is in the works? I guess we will find out later this year.
This is on top of an Aquaman series that has been hinted at.
This guide will be updated throughout 2023 as new information comes to light. Make sure you bookmark it so you can easily find it again.
Share your thoughts
Which of the Dawn of DC comics are excited to read? Share your thoughts in the comments below or via Facebook, Twitter, or Mastodon.
Is there a similar “Your Guide to Marvel Comics 2023 Jumping on Points”? Or will there be soon?
Or is only DC providing a good entry point currently?
Fingers crossed for Cyborg and John Stewart titles to actually come out. You never know with DC.
I hope they plan a new Suicide Squad series I liked the idea of Col. Rick Flag running the Suicide Squad .
Wish they would add Weather Wizard, Chiller, Phobia, Mammoth, Vigilante 2 & 3, Black Thorn, Rose & Thorn, Quakemaster, Signalman & Live Wire
Also bring back Deadshot
I’ve been waiting for a Hal Jordan/Green Lantern solo series for a long time, and I want to read more Green Lantern with Hal Jordan as the main character. But why Mariko Tamaki ? Why her ? I don’t trust her to handle Hal Jordan. Oh man, I’m worried.
I am skeptical about the reboots,
Yet again the franchise. Has changed over the years. I actually liked Man of Steel. And I am really disappointed that Wonder Woman 3. Was canceled. I really enjoyed the first 2.