DC Comics Unveils New Batman #1 with Fresh Costume

2025 is set to be an exciting year for DC's flagship Batman comic. Chip Zdarsky recently concluded his run with Batman #157, setting the stage for Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee to bring back their iconic Hush storyline in March with Hush 2. Following the conclusion of Hush 2, DC is poised to relaunch Batman with a brand new #1 issue, featuring a new writer and a fresh costume design.

Announced at the ComicsPro retailer event, the new volume of Batman will be penned by Matt Fraction, known for his work on Uncanny X-Men and The Invincible Iron Man. Jorge Jimenez, the current Batman artist, will continue to illustrate the series. Together, Fraction and Jimenez have crafted a new costume and Batmobile to usher in this new era. Batman will don a vintage-inspired blue and gray suit, a departure from the traditional black and gray. Take a look at the new Batsuit below:

"I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Batman. It was the first comic I ever read," Fraction shared. "Jorge and I have a very superhero-forward kind of take on Batman. We’ve got a new Batmobile, we’ve got a new costume, we’ve got new characters, and we’ve got a lot of old ones too—good and bad; all the stuff that makes Batman the coolest character in comics. We want to celebrate it all."

Batman #1 is scheduled for release in September 2025.

In addition to the Batman news, DC provided further details on the future of the Superman line during ComicsPro, as part of their ongoing "Summer of Superman" event. Supergirl is set to receive a new series and a new costume designed by Stanley "Artgerm" Lau. Sophie Campbell, known for her work on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, will both write and draw the new book, which will see Kara Zor-El returning to the city of Midvale.

"I came up in the comics industry doing mostly graphic novels that I wrote and drew myself, so doing the same with Supergirl feels like I’m returning to my storytelling roots," Campbell remarked. "My main touchstones to Kara Zor-El were the stories and the wild costumes from the 70’s, the 1984 Supergirl movie, and The CW show, which I was a huge fan of. In creating this version of Supergirl, I’ll be drawing on some of those influences as the series unfolds."

Supergirl #1 is slated for release on May 14.

Action Comics will also see a new creative team, with Justice League Unlimited writer Mark Waid teaming up with Resonant artist Skylar Patridge. The series will delve into Clark Kent's teenage years in Smallville, exploring his journey in mastering his emerging powers as Superboy.

"I start the book with Clark as a 15-year-old boy, learning to be a superhero for the first time,” Waid explained. “What is that like, learning to use your powers at that age? What kind of challenges are you facing? Skylar and I are also bringing Smallville a little more up to date—it still has that rustic feel to it, but farms don’t look like that anymore."

Waid and Patridge's run will commence with Action Comics #1087 in June.

Lastly, as part of the DC All In initiative, Krypto is getting his own five-issue miniseries titled Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton. Written by Ryan North, known for his work on Fantastic Four, and illustrated by Mike Norton from Revival, the series will delve deeper into Krypto's origin story than ever before.

"Krypto's origin has always been done at kind of a high level," North noted. "The little guy starts out on Krypton, ends up on Earth, and helps Superman fight crime. The chance to really define Krypto—to show what a little lost dog would go through if he landed all alone on a strange alien world named Earth—was really enticing. And I also fell in love with the idea of treating Krypto as the actual dog he is: he doesn't talk, and we don't cheat by reading his thoughts in balloons either. Mike Norton’s art captures exactly what needs to be ‘said’ in every scene."

Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #1 will be released on June 18.