DC Next Level reveals new creative teams, covers. Jude Ellison S. Doyle and Caitlin Yarsky are teaming up for a new Oni Press series. Stjepan Šejić’s Sunstone gets compact comics editions.
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Episode Transcript:
DC Next Level reveals new creative teams.
Jude Ellison S. Doyle and Caitlin Yarsky team up.
Sunstone gets small.
This is Comic Book Club News for December 17, 2025.
DC Next Level Reveals New Creative Teams:
Are you ready to go to the Next Level? First announced at New York Comic Con, DC’s initiative spinning out of DC K.O. will launch a number of new main universe series that, despite being in continuity, are inspired by the standalone success of the Absolute Universe line: Lobo, Batwoman, and Deathstroke the Terminator.
Previously announced at NYCC, Lobo is written by Skottie Young with art by Jorge Corona, who have worked together on multiple titles and will seemingly take a back-to-basics approach for the Main Man. It will debut on March 4, 2026.
Also announced at the con, Greg Rucka is returning to Batwoman alongside artist Dani, and finally continuing the story he meant to tell in the title many years ago. It will debut on March 11, 2026.
So that’s two previously announced titles. Brand new for this announcement is the team behind Deathstroke: The Terminator: Tony Fleecs and Carmine Di Giandomenico, as someone calls a hit on the ultimate assassin. That will hit stores on March 18, 2026.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to announcements, as these three titles will roll out in March, with more coming down the road including: The Demon, Firestorm, Barbara Gordon, Zatanna, the Teen Titans, and more. And additional creatives behind the titles include: Jeff Lemire, Javier Rodríguez, Jamal Campbell, Mariko Tamaki, James Harren, Kyle Higgins, Joshua Williamson, Daniele Di Nicuolo, Michael Walsh, Rafael De Latorre, Amancay Nahuelpan, and Deniz Camp.
With Williamson noting that “While the series will be independent reads and not heavily tied to other books, they will exist alongside DC’s ongoing comic book series like Superman, Batman, Justice League Unlimited, and more,” Snyder adds, “This line will launch similar to DC’s Absolute line of comics. The DC: NEXT LEVEL books are very new-reader friendly and will roll out over time. Like the Absolute line, this is an initiative that welcomes new readers that are looking for a jumping-on spot for DC’s main line of comic books.”
And one final note from Williamson, not-so-subtly teasing that he’ll be writing Legion of Super-Heroes for DC: Next Level, “This is just the second phase of what we’ve planned for DC ALL IN. There’s a legion of stories still to be told.”
Jude Ellison S. Doyle And Caitlin Yarsky Team Up For New Oni Press Series:
Normally when one says the phrase “dead teenagers” it’s not a cause for excitement. But then there’s the new comic book series Dead Teenagers from Oni Press, which sports a killer creative team in writer Jude Ellison S. Doyle, and artist Caitlin Yarsky.
In the series, it’s 1997, and five friends have been forced to relive prom night over and over again by a mysterious entity, who kills them in “new and increasingly insane ways each time.” When something appears that may break the loop, they discover that “what they find on the other side will be the most disturbing revelation of all.”
Yarsky will provide an iconic film cover homage per issue as a variant alongside main covers by Naomi Franq, and additional variants by Keyla Valerio and Brandt&Stein.
Dead Teenagers #1 hits stores on March 18, 2026 from Oni Press.
Stjepan Šejić’s Sunstone Gets Compact Comics Editions:
Stjepan Šejić’s series Sunstone is a big hit. The queer romance has been released in various formats, and now it’s about to get even smaller, just in time for Valentine’s Day, as Image Comics and Top Cow have announced new 6″x9″ trim size paperbacks, starting with Volume 1 in February of 2026.
Very, very much for adults, the erotic, R-rated Sunstone focuses on Lisa, a restrained woman who is opened up to domination and submission once she meets Ally. The series was originally posted online as a webcomic, but the erotic journey has continued in trade paperbacks, hardcovers, compendiums, and now tiny little Compact Comics-esque collections. Even better, same as with DC’s popular Compact Comics, these come with a price tag of $9.99 each.
The volumes will feature new covers by Šejić, with Sunstone Volume 1 (New Edition) released February 11 in comic book shops, and subsequent volumes released every two months thereafter.
For Comic Book Club News, I’m Alex Zalben. And if I messed up pronouncing Stjepan Šejić? I’m sorry.
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