DC’s Metropolis and Beyond panel at San Diego Comic-Con delivered a high-profile announcement for the Superman family, and it marks a long-awaited milestone for one of Metropolis’s most enduring heroes.
WriterMorgan Hampton (Cyborg, Green Lantern Corps) is officially crafting a brand-new ongoing Steel series. The announcement marks the first ongoing solo title for Steel in nearly 30 years, following the conclusion of the character’s original 52-issue run back in 1998.
Hampton’s Steel announcement caps off a massive weekend for representation across DC’s publishing slate. Coming on the heels of Friday’s reveals for Stephanie Williams and Khary Randolph’s Vixen ongoing and Cody Ziglar and Diego Olortegui’s Static relaunch, Steel completes a trio of major Black-led ongoing titles joining the DC line.
For Hampton, who entered the publisher’s radar as part of the inaugural Milestone Initiative class in 2022, taking the wheel on a flagship Metropolis icon represents a major career moment.
The Legacy of John Henry Irons
Debuting during the legendary 1993 “Reign of the Supermen!” arc in Adventures of Superman #500, weapons-engineer-turned-hero John Henry Irons holds the distinction of having the longest-running ongoing solo series for a Black superhero in DC’s mainline continuity.
While the character was recently featured in Michael Dorn’s six-issue Steelworks miniseries in 2023, fans have long called for DC to give the armored hero a permanent, full-time ongoing runway. While DC kept specific plot details and whether the book focuses primarily on John Henry Irons or his brilliant superhero niece Natasha Irons under wraps during the panel, bringing Hampton on board signals a fresh, modern direction for Metropolis’s resident armor-clad protector.
As Metropolis continues to evolve post-All In, giving Steel a dedicated solo title ensures the city’s metallic shield is right where he belongs—on the front lines.
