Around the beginning of 2026, DC Comics was criticized for the lack of ongoing series starring Black characters. There were mini-series, such as Mr. Terrific Year One (written by Al Letson) and Black Lightning (Brandon Thomas), but nothing continuous. Some fans argued that there were Black characters on teams like the Justice League roster and in the Bat Family, but the initial problem of the lack of ongoing series starring Black characters remained. Thankfully, DC is beginning to fix the problem with two of comic books’ best writers leading the way.
During a panel at San Diego Comic Con 2026, DC Comics announced that Vixen and Static Shock will both have ongoing series. Vixen will be written by Two-time Eisner Award nominee (and the first Black woman ever nominated for Best Writer at the Eisner Award) Stephanie Williams, with art by Khary Randolph (co-creator of Sirens of the City). Meanwhile, Staticwill be written by the amazing Cody Ziglar (who wrote the best Miles Morales series) with art by Diego Olortegui (She-Hulk).
Vixen (whose real name is Mari McCabe) made her debut in Action Comics No. 521. She’s had a mini-series called Vixen: Return of the Lion (written by G. Willow Wilson) and a title on DC Infinite, Vixen: NYC DC Go! Edition (Jasmine Walls), but this is her first ongoing run. This is surprising since Vixen has been a powerful and popular character in comics for years, while also appearing in multiple animated shows; there were also multiple live-action versions of the character in The CW’s Arrowverse, appearing on both Arrow and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. What’s more interesting is that Stephanie Williams had this idea for a couple of years.
Per Bleeding Cool, Williams said, “Two long years. I remember sharing on Threads that I had a Vixen pitch that was burning a hole in my drafts.” She also said this series is, “What if Rihanna decided to be a superhero, but not Tyra Banks?” That premise alone is enough for me to read this series. The added bonus is that Stephanie Williams is an elite writer who just recently had an issue of Wonder Woman that’s an absolute game-changer for Diane Prince.
As for Static (Virgil Hawkins), he first appeared in his own series in Static No.1 in 1993. It was written by the late great writers Dwayne McDuffie and Robert L. Washington III for Milestone. It’s been years since Virgil headlined a comic book (I recommend reading Vita Ayala’s run). During the groundbreaking New History of the DC Universe: The Dakota Incident, DC Comics changed the history of Dakotaverse characters like Hardware, Icon, Rocket, and the aforementioned Static. That change is partly why Static is starring in this series.
I can’t talk enough about how great Cody Ziglar is. As I mentioned earlier, his Miles Morales: Spider-Man is the best run of the character’s history. That says a lot since Brian Michael Bendis and Saladin Ahmed came before him. Ziglar also wrote an incredibleDeadpool series that highlighted everything people love about the Merc with the Mouth and made his daughter, Ellie, more than just a side character.
I have nothing but high hopes for both the Vixen and Static series and for the future of Black comic book characters. Once these two titles become hits (and they will), you’ll see likely see Mr. Terrific, Green Lanterns John Stewart and Sojourner Mullein, Cyborg, and more get greenlit for ongoing titles. When that happens, remember you heard it here first.
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