DC Pride is one of the comic book highlights of every June. The annual anthology celebrating DC’s LGBTQIA+ characters is always a delight, packed with great art, and heartwarming stories, and not to underplay this, is just a darn good comic book. And now the publisher has announced their 2024 plans, which are expanding to include a tribute to creator Rachel Pollack and much more. There’s even a DC Uncovered that collects all the covers from last year’s Pride event!
Starting with the annual DC Pride issue, you’ll get to see a Dreamer story by Nicole Maines, a Blue Starman story by Al Ewing, and even some pinups in the oversized, 104-page Prestige format comic that will drop on May 28, right before Pride kicks off in June.
Even earlier than that are the previously announced graphic novels Bad Dream: A Dreamer Story (also by Maines), which hits stores on April 2; and The Strange Case of Harleen and Harley by Melissa Marr and Jenn St-Onge, which won’t hit stores until September 3, but will get a preview in the DC Pride anthology.
But the biggest book is probably DC Pride: A Celebration of Rachel Pollack #1, which pays tribute to the writer, who passed away last April at age 77. Pollack was best known for her work on Doom Patrol, as well as being an open trans activist, having created the first trans superhero in the pages of the aforementioned comic. The 96-page special will include reprints of that book, another of Pollack’s works, and an original story by her friend and collaborator Joe Corallo, with art by Rye Hickman.
You can check out a lot more info via press release from DC about the publisher’s Pride plans, as well as a slew of variant covers, below.
DC Pride 2024 #1 Official Info and Covers:
DC’s Eisner and Ringo award-winning Pride comic book anthology returns for 2024 in the form of a universe-spanning travelogue like you’ve never seen! DC’s comics are as vast, varied, and fantastic as the incredible and weird locations found across the DC cosmos, and DC’s LGBTQIA+ characters are everywhere, belong anywhere, and can do anything they set their hearts and minds to. How they get there is as important as where they’re going, so join them as they explore the farthest edges of the DC Multiverse, together! DC’s 2024 Pride collection of books and comics will be available at your local comic book shop, bookstore, library, and beyond, taking DC’s characters across the far reaches of the Phantom Zone, the Fourth World, and beyond!
DC Pride 2024 #1, DC’s annual anthology containing all-new stories spotlighting LGBTQIA+ fan favorites, will publish on May 28. The 104-page Prestige format comic will feature a main cover by Kevin Wada, an open-to-order wraparound variant cover by David Talaski, foil and card stock variants by Babs Tarr, and Wada’s main cover offered as a 1:25 card stock variant.
In DC Pride 2024, DC will host an unmissable autobiographical story written by industry legend Phil Jimenez about the fantastical worlds that shaped him, brought to life by Giulio Macaione. This heartwarming story is a can’t-miss highlight, plus Dreamer makes a first-time pilgrimage to her ancestral planet, Naltor, in a story by Nicole Maines and Jordan Gibson; Poison Ivy and Janet from HR go spore-hunting on Portworld in a story by Gretchen Felker-Martin and Claire Roe; Superman (Jon Kent) gets Jay, Bunker, and the Ray together for a boys’ night out in A-Town in a story by Jarrett Williams and D.J. Kirkland; Steel (Natasha Irons) works up the courage to face Traci 13 at the Oblivion Bar’s Pride party for the first time since they broke up in a story by Jamila Rowser and ONeillJones; Aquaman (Jackson Hyde) catches an unexpected ride to the Fourth World just in time for their annual Love Festival in a story by Ngozi Ukazu; Circuit Breaker’s unstable powers fritz him into the Phantom Zone in a story by Calvin Kasulke and Len Gogou; plus a Blue Starman story written by Al Ewing and character pinups, in a volume celebrating how the LGBTQIA+ community is everywhere and belongs anywhere—even the farthest reaches of the known and unknown worlds!
The Strange Case of Harleen and Harley Official Info:
As an additional DC Pride teaser, this year’s anthology features a special preview of DC’s upcoming YA OGN The Strange Case of Harleen and Harley by New York Times bestselling author of Wicked Lovely Melissa Marr, teamed up with celebrated artist Jenn St-Onge.
When Harleen signs up to participate in a clinical research trial with her girlfriend, Pamela, her only goals are extra cash and a chance to control her anxiety. But what she gets instead are increasingly larger gaps in her memory and stolen mementos from some guy named Jack. Soon Harleen discovers she’s sharing her life with Harley—a take-no-prisoners, who-cares-about-attendance, maybe-we-oughta-save-the-bunnies kind of girl. She is the opposite of Harleen in every way. And although she’s throwing Harleen’s life completely off track, maybe she ain’t so bad either…
New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr (Wicked Lovely) and celebrated artist Jenn St-Onge (Bingo Love), with color by Jeremy Lawson and lettering by Lucas Gattoni, explore the twisted transformation from Harleen to Harley in this compelling new YA original graphic novel on sale beginning September 3!
DC Pride: A Celebration of Rachel Pollack #1 Official Info:
In the 1990s, writer Rachel Pollack did the impossible: she raised the bar for surprise and strangeness in her beloved run following Grant Morrison’s career-making Doom Patrol! To celebrate her life and works, DC will publish a spotlight issue, DC Pride: A Celebration of Rachel Pollack, hitting shelves on June 6. This 96-page one-shot comic book reprints the debut of the iconic Coagula, DC’s first transgender Super Hero, from Doom Patrol #70, pencilled by Scot Eaton, along with the long-unavailable one-shot Vertigo Visions: The Geek (with superstar artist Michael Allred)!
And in a final, original short story, Rachel’s most beloved creation, Kate Godwin, a.k.a. Coagula, returns to the spotlight in a tale of triumph over death itself written by Joe Corallo, Rachel’s longtime friend and collaborator, and drawn by Rye Hickman!
Bad Dream: A Dreamer Story Official Info:
Bad Dream: A Dreamer Story is the untold origin story of Dreamer, the first trans Super Hero ever to appear on TV! DC’s newest YA graphic novel publishes on April 2, written by Nicole Maines and drawn by Rye Hickman with color by Bex Glendining and lettering by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.
Nia’s spent her whole life taking a back seat to her older sister, Maeve, who was expected to inherit their mother’s Seer powers: the ability to see the future through dreams, passed down to one woman in each generation. But when Nia, a trans girl, starts having visions of the future, she must suppress her powers to protect her relationship with her sister.
Soon Nia’s dreams become impossible to ignore, and she has no choice but to distance herself as she navigates her new reality. Taking off for Metropolis, Nia is quickly swept up in the bustling city and, guided by her dreams, connects with a group of queer girls who feel more like sisters than her own. As Nia starts to discover her powers may be more than just a burden, she’s given a choice: accept her new responsibility as a Seer or give it all up for a chance at normalcy.
From Nicole Maines, the actress, activist, and writer who originated the fan-favorite role of Dreamer on the groundbreaking Supergirl TV show, and with art by Rye Hickman, who captures Nia’s depth and humor, comes this joyful and gut-wrenching graphic novel featuring characters from Galaxy: The Prettiest Star in DC’s first YA crossover!
DC Pride 2024 Variant Covers Official Info:
Throughout its line of monthly comic books, DC will highlight Pride-themed variant covers on series that feature queer characters in regular and lead roles. This year, look for DC Pride covers on Action Comics #1066 (Betsy Cola), Batman #148 (Skylar Patridge), Green Arrow #13 (A.L. Kaplan), Poison Ivy #23 and Harley Quinn #41 (W. Scott Forbes), Nightwing #115 (Bruka Jones), Outsiders #8 (Don Aguillo), Suicide Squad: Dream Team #4 (Fatima Wajid), Superman #15 (Angel Solorzano), The Flash #10 (Nick Robles), and Wonder Woman #10 (Phil Jimenez and Arif Prianto).
DC Pride Uncovered #1 Official Info:
And if you missed picking up previous years’ variant covers, DC has you covered with DC Pride: Uncovered #1! DC’s most iconic LGBTQIA+ artists put the party in Pride with their fabulous array of variant covers spotlighting LGBTQIA+ characters across the DCU year after year, and this art book collects a robust selection of fan favorites in one place for the very first time! Don’t miss out on a gallery of gorgeous art as imaginative and colorful as the characters themselves.
DC Pride: Uncovered #1, on sale June 11, is a gallery comic of gorgeous covers from Jen Bartel, Phil Jimenez, Jim Lee, Joshua “Sway” Swaby, David Talaski, Babs Tarr, Kris Anka, and more! DC Pride: Uncovered will have a main cover by Jen Bartel, with variant covers by Oscar Vega; Luciano Vecchio; Mateus Manhanini; and Jim Lee, Scott Williams, and Tamra Bonvillain. DC Pride: Uncovered #1 will be scripted by DC editor Andrea Shea
