DC kicked off a celebration of comics with fans at Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) over the past weekend: a decade-long campaign that will showcase 100 years of publishing the World’s Greatest Super Heroes! While DC highlighted comics published between 1935-1945, fans coming through the DC Booth experienced more than a nostalgic nod to the past.
The free 1940s-style Daily Planet newspaper, complete with classic DC Comics ads pulled direct from DC’s comic book archives, served a dual-purpose to highlight DC’s panels and promotions while being a crowd-favorite way for fans to capture signatures from DC’s current comic book creators: Jim Lee, Bilquis Evely, Matheus Lopes, Tom King, Matt Fraction, Scott Snyder, Joshua Williamson, Nick Dragotta, Jeph Loeb, Mark Waid, and more, were all able to sign posters, comics, and copies of the Daily Planet as they came through the DC Booth. Fans shared optimism and enthusiasm about DC with comic book creators during high-profile meet-and-greet moments, with a lot of conversations centered around the success of “Superman” and the upcoming season of “Peacemaker.” During theSupergirl: Woman of Tomorrow(Tom King, Bilquis Evely and Matheus Lopes) signing, fans shared their excitement for DC Studios’ upcoming film “Supergirl,” following Kara’s cameo in “Superman,” with the comic book creative team.
The DC Booth also showcasedFortnite,Progressive, Milk-Bone®,andDC Worlds Collidewith limited edition SDCC convention exclusives and activities.Fortnitefans were able to livestream themselves from the DC Booth daily, with DC comic book creators Jeremy Adams and Nicole Maines notably kicking multiplayer butt as they challenged fans to take them down in the gameplay. During theJim Lee & Friends panel, where DC Studios co-chief James Gunn made a surprise guest appearance, it was announced thatSuperman is returning to Fortnite Battle Royale as part of an in-game story event on August 2 called Super Showdown, and that Peacemaker is coming to the Fortnite Shop during the next Battle Royale season.
Global Consumer Products (GCP) and DC Shop offered fans a variety of DC-themed apparel and accessories, alongside variant covers from DC Comics, exclusive to DC Booth at SDCC 2025. Highlights include a rapid sell-out of products themed to Krypto from DC Studios’ “Superman”—many fans asked when and what Supergirl/Kara Zor-El and Krypto-themed offerings would be available ahead of “Supergirl” releasing in theaters next summer.
GCP and DC Shop also displayed all-new “Peacemaker” season two-themed offerings at HBO Max’s Peacefest fan activation ahead of the series’ return to HBO Max in August.In a collaboration between IGN.com and GCP publicity, John Cena and James Gunn tossed out DC Shop’s new “Eat Peace, Motherf*ckers” hats to fans in a surprise appearance on the Hard Rock Hotel’s balcony to fans assembled below in the Gaslamp Quarter. See Instagram coveragehereof the moment.
And it wasn’t just DC’s comic book creators showing up in the DC Booth for fans: nonprofit organization Guide Dogs of America’s “Tender Loving Canines” program hosted a meet-and-greet with a legion of caped canines on Sunday morning, which continued into the early afternoon! The demonstration kicked off with trainers sharing with fans how the dogs respond to behavioral cues from humans to aid and comfort, followed by the opportunity for fans to meet the dogs in one-on-one interactions. While the Krypto merchandise on sale in the DC Booth flew off shelves, the DC Shop on DC.com has a range of Krypto product available to purchase for fans that couldn’t pick up the exclusives at the show.
On DC’s fan-packed panels, the publisher highlighted their fall crossover comic book seriesDC K.O.with event co-architects Joshua Williamson and Scott Snyder revealing several heroes that will make it onto the 32-character arena fight bracket. While it was no surprise that the Amazonian warrior Wonder Woman made it to the first round, fans were thrilled to see wild cards Lobo, Swamp Thing and Green Lantern Guy Gardner appear on the bracket along with Supergirl, Red Hood, Zatanna, Aquaman, Captain Atom and Cyborg. Who will win the Heart of Apokolips and channel enough Omega Energy to take on Darkseid? Will Superman’s miniature sun-knuckles help the hero land a spot on the bracket and carry him through to future rounds? Fans will need to wait until October to find out!
DC also announcedDC K.O.tie-in seriesKnightfightbyJoshua Williamsonand Dan Mora, and new comic book seriesAbsolute Green Arrowwill launch in early 2026 by Pornsak Pichetshote and Rafael Albuquerque.
Over the weekend, excitement surged forBatman: High Volume, the immersive audio podcast series that reimagines Gotham’s dark alleys in cinematic sound. Anticipation is rising as the“Dark Victory”storyline is set to begin,promising a gripping new chapter in the saga. At the DC Comics: Gotham City panel, attendees were treated to an exclusive trailer teasing what’s to come, and a special promo comic book was handed out, offering fans a tantalizing glimpse into the mood, mystery, and menace of this upcoming arc.
Other notable highlights over the action-packed Comic-Con weekend were artist Bilquis Evely receiving industry recognition with not only the prestigious Inkpot award but also an Eisner award for Best Penciler, DC’sZatanna: Bring Down the Houseby Mariko Tamaki and Javier Rodriguez receiving the Best Limited Series Eisner award,Absolute Wonder Womanby Kelly Thompson and Hayden Shermanreceiving the Best New Series Eisner award, and “Spaces” by Phil Jimenez and Giulio Macaione (published in the pages of DC Pride 2024) receiving Eisner honors for Best Short Story.
Capping the weekend, upcomingBatmancomic book writer Matt Fraction appeared on DC’s Jim Lee & Friends panel and DC’s Gotham City publishing-focused panel, putting a spotlight on new designs andcomic book pages from series artist Jorge Jiménez, and sharing insight into the new comic book run that begins withBatman#1 on September 3.
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