DC Comics has announced a number of projects for the publisher's 2023 Pride celebrations, honoring its LGBTQ+ characters and creators with new one-shots, books, and special covers. The breadth of this 2023 Pride line-up expands on DC's 2021 and '22 offerings, making this a celebration of queer superheroes unlike anything readers have seen before.
DC Comics released details about its 2023 Pride celebration offerings, many of which will be released in late May and early June in time for June's annual Pride Month celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. DC Pride 2023 #1 is the centerpiece anthology, featuring stories about new and classic queer DC characters like Circuit Breaker, Tim Drake, Midnighter and Apollo, and more. DC also plans to celebrate its queer history with the encyclopedia The DC Book of Pride by rising star Jadzia Axelrod and a reprint anthology, DC Pride: Through the Years #1, featuring out-of-print Pride-themed moments from DC history.
The official press release includes in-depth details about featured stories and creators within these individual projects. Here are a few of DC's own eye-catching blurbs:
DC’S ANNUAL PRIDE COMIC BOOK ANTHOLOGY HIGHLIGHTS THE PUBLISHER’S ONGOING LEGACY OF LGBTQIA+ CHARACTERS
100+ pages of original content, an introduction by Phil Jimenez, and more!
EXPLORE A NEW DC CHARACTER ENCYCLOPEDIA, THE DC BOOK OF PRIDE BY JADZIA AXELROD
Discover the rich history of DC’s LGBTQIA+ Super Heroes in this inspiring hardcover from publisher DK featuring detailed character profiles and comic book artwork!
DC TO PUBLISH DC PRIDE: THROUGH THE YEARS WITH A NEW ALAN SCOTT GREEN LANTERN STORY
Includes three history-making out-of-print comics, now collected in a special-edition release!
DC Pride 2023 Celebrates Characters like Harley Quinn, Superman, Batwoman, and More
Since 2021, DC's Pride anthologies have become an annual celebration of LGBTQ+ characters and creators. Though the tradition is still nascent, these Pride anthologies have become essential spotlights for beloved characters like Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Batwoman, and more. Perhaps more importantly, DC Pride 2021 #1 and DC Pride 2022 #1 continued the stories of new and newly-out characters like Robin Tim Drake, Superman Jon Kent, Dreamer, Green Arrow Connor Hawke, Kid Quick, and others. These anthologies have been nominated for a number of awards, including the GLAAD Media Awards.
This year's DC Pride celebration expands on its previous success, which is a testament to the editors, publicists, and creators of all kinds who have worked on these yearly anthologies both behind the scenes and on the page. Though DC Pride 2023 #1 was an expected (and highly-anticipated) release, the previously-announced The DC Book of Pride and the newly-announced DC Pride: Through the Years #1 are both welcome additions to the Pride line-ups. These releases honor the history of DC's queer characters just as DC Pride 2023 #1 celebrates their present and future at the publisher.
DC's Pride Celebrations Should Always Include Essential History
The wide net of DC's planned 2023 Pride celebration demonstrates just how far the publisher has come in its inclusive efforts in recent years—though there will always be new ground to break and cover. But DC's future is nothing without its history, and that includes the history of DC's LGBTQ+ characters, from Batwoman to Green Lantern Alan Scott. To learn more about the past and future of these characters, check out DC Pride 2023 #1, available May 30th, The DC Book of Pride, available May 16th, and DC Pride: Through the Years #1, available June 13th, all from DC Comics.
Source: DC Comics