Rick Veitch’s Swamp Thing returns. Marvel speaks out against AI. DC Comics goes Next Level.
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Episode Transcript:
Rick Veitch’s Swamp Thing returns.
Marvel speaks out against AI.
DC Comics goes Next Level.
This is Comic Book Club News for October 14, 2025.
Rick Veitch’s Swamp Thing Returns:
Back in 1989, Rick Veitch wrote an arc of DC’s Swamp Thing that found the character meeting Jesus at the crucification. You may not be surprised to learn it was never published, but at New York Comic Con the publisher surprised the crowd at the DC Vertigo panel by announcing that it finally will roll away the rock and get resurrected, as a four issue series titled Swamp Thing 1989.
The first issue, which was supposed to be Swamp Thing #88, will be published in the original format, meaning it will fit right in your short box next to the other issues of Veitch’s run. After that, Veitch will be working with artist Tom Mandrake and colorist Trish Mulvihill to finish the run, for the next three issues — possibly even with vintage ads. And when collected, it will sport the original trade dress, so that too will fit right on your shelf next to the rest of Veitch’s volumes.
Swamp Thing 1989 will be published under DC’s Black Label imprint, and hit stores starting in April of 2026.
Marvel Speaks Out Against AI:
At the New York Comic Con retailer day, DC Comics Publisher Jim Lee issued a strong statement about the publisher’s use of AI — or rather, firm stance against it. The next day at New York Comic Con? It was Marvel’s turn, as Editor-in-Chief CB Cebulski explained that the company also won’t use the emerging technology.
During a Spider-Man panel which Cebulski was sitting in on, the Q&A section opened with a fan asking the Editor plainly whether Marvel will issue a statement on AI, in light of Lee issuing a statement the previous day.
Said Cebulski, “Yes, we’ve never used AI.” He went on to elaborate, calling out multiple people in the crowd from Marvel’s office who regularly scan Marvel art for AI discrepancies like “six fingers.”
Continued Cebulski, “They’ve really gone to great lengths to detect AI… We never used it, we will not be using it, and we don’t condone it in the Marvel Comics division.”
That was met by applause from the crowd, and while not the mission statement of Lee’s speech the other day, put’s Marvel’s stance on AI in plain, clear language.
That said, one tends to wonder about the language “in the Marvel Comics division.” Previously, Marvel Television and Marvel Studios were knocked for using AI in the credits on Disney+’s Secret Invasion. A poster for Thunderbolts* was similarly taken to task online for including what looked like extra fingers — though Disney clarified this was a photoshop issue made by humans, not an AI issue made by computers. And just this past week, Marvel’s Wonder Man trailer was revealed to have used art assisted by AI. We’ll have more on this as it develops.
DC Comics Goes Next Level:
What’s next after DC KO? DC Next Level, a line-wide branding that isn’t an event, it’s a mission statement. As announced at New York Comic Con, the goal is to bring in creative teams and let them shoot their shots with under the radar characters and strong takes.
Teams and creators announced at NYCC include Greg Rucka, who is returning to Batwoman after 17 years alongside artist DANI — and will be continuing the story he never got to finish back in the day. Skottie Young and Jorge Corona, the duo behind The Me You Love In The Dark, will take on Lobo. And Joshua Williamson will be writing Legion of Super-Heroes, and though not stated out loud, it sounds like to do so he’ll be leaving Superman.
Other new titles coming after the currently running DC K.O. event include: Deathstroke The Terminator, Firestorm: The Nuclear Man, Zatanna, The Demon, Batman: Shadow of the Bat, and Barbara Gordon: Breakout. Other creators announced include Deniz Camp, Tony Fleecs, Jamal Campbell, Jeff Lemire, James Harren, and Mariko Tamaki.
With DC K.O. running until March, we’ll likely know more about the lineup — which will release one or two new series a month — starting in 2026.
For Comic Book Club News, I’m Alex Zalben. And we also don’t condone using AI in the Comic Book Club news division.
Got tips or stories you’d like us to cover? Email us at comicbookclublive@gmail.com.
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