DC Comics Unveils New Batman #1 with Fresh Costume

2025 is set to be a monumental year for DC's flagship Batman comic. Chip Zdarsky's run concluded with Batman #157, setting the stage for Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee's much-anticipated Hush 2 storyline in March. Following Hush 2, DC will relaunch Batman with a fresh start, featuring a new #1 issue, a new writer, and an updated costume.

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 his role, collaborating with Fraction to introduce a new costume and Batmobile. Batman's iconic black and gray suit will be replaced with a vintage-inspired blue and gray ensemble, which you can see below:

"I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Batman. It was the first comic I ever read," said Fraction. "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."

The new Batman #1 is slated for release in September 2025.

In addition to the Batman news, DC provided more insights into the future of the Superman line at 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 illustrate the series, which will see Kara Zor-El returning to 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," said Campbell. "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 will hit the shelves on May 14.

Moreover, Action Comics will introduce a new creative team, featuring Justice League Unlimited writer Mark Waid and Resonant artist Skylar Patridge. Their run will delve into Clark Kent's teenage years in Smallville, exploring his journey in mastering his powers as Superboy.

"I start the book with Clark as a 15-year-old boy, learning to be a superhero for the first time,” said Waid. “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 storyline will begin with Action Comics #1087 in June.

Lastly, DC has confirmed that Krypto will star in his own five-issue miniseries, Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton, as part of the DC All In initiative. The series, written by Ryan North and illustrated by Mike Norton, will delve deeper into Krypto's origin story.

"Krypto's origin has always been done at kind of a high level," said North. "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 available starting June 18.