2021 has been a stellar year at DC Comics, with many threads from this year's books leading towards events that will debut in 2022. A promising new wave of characters in the DC Universe debuted in 2021, leaving the next year open for more stories that will build on their emergent histories.
Batman Beyond Returns With Neo-Year And A Batman: White Knight Spinoff.
Spiraling out of a story from Batman: Urban Legends #7, Terry McGinnis is set to avenge the murder of Bruce Wayne in Neo-Gotham with Batman Beyond: Neo-Year. As the title suggests, Neo-Year will provide Terry McGinnis with the opportunity to become his own Batman, independent of Bruce Wayne's influence. With a creative team of writers Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing with artist Max Dunbar, Neo-Year looks to provide longtime Batman Beyond fans with a self-reflective look at the character.
The Urban Legends story dug deeply into what the Batman Beyond mythos can mean, giving Terry McGinnis his own unique relationship with the Batman mantle. A dying Bruce Wayne told Terry that he must "go beyond" the rage and hurt that overwhelmed his life after his parents' murder, putting a new spin on what the name "Batman Beyond" actually refers to. At this point, Terry McGinnis is starting to become an older character, and this emotional new start for him in Infinite Frontier signals that Neo-Year could give him the depth that fans have been waiting for. The first issue is set to release on April 5th, 2022.
Similarly, Batman: Beyond the White Knight will place Terry McGinnis in the Batman: White Knight universe as he takes up the mantle of the Dark Knight while Bruce Wayne remains in prison. From writer/artist Sean Murphy, who originally created the White Knight universe, the series will run for eight issues on DC's Black Label imprint.
The Batman: White Knight universe provides a compelling alternate take on a familiar story, envisioning a version where the Joker was a good man at heart who fell prey to his worst impulses. A Batman: White Knight: Harley Quinn series last year showed that this universe could bring new perspective on her character, leaving the opportunity for the same to take place with Terry McGinnis. At this point, with Terry McGinnis stories being far and few, there really can't be too much of him.
Wonder Woman: Trial of the Amazons Is Her First Crossover In Years.
There hasn't been a Wonder Woman crossover event in about thirty years, and there has never been a better time for one. With a new Wonder Girl, Yara Flor, making waves while Nubia rules as queen of Themyscira, the future of the Amazons will likely never be the same. In addition to Joëlle Jones's ongoing Wonder Girl series, Trial of the Amazons will incorporate Nubia and the Amazons, the main Wonder Woman title, and Wonder Woman: Adventures of Young Diana, bringing together writers Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad, Vita Ayala, Stephanie Williams, Joëlle Jones, and Jordie Bellaire. The first issue is set to release on March 1st, with a Trial of the Amazons: Wonder Girl issue starring Yara Flor releasing March 22nd.
Crossover events work best when there is a clear opportunity for a character's reinvention, and Wonder Woman has been in this spot ever since her death in Dark Nights: Death Metal. Yara Flor has quickly become a fan favorite character ever since her debut in Future State: Wonder Woman, and fans will be keen on seeing more of her and her larger place within the DC Universe.
Mark Waid and Dan Mora Bring Back World's Finest.
Batman and Superman are an iconic duo, and the World's Finest series has highlighted this fact in the past. And while the Batman/Superman series has largely taken its place, putting it back into the hands of writer Mark Waid and artist Dan Mora gives both characters the chance to star in their own charming story. According to Polygon, the events of the series are set in "the not too distant past," and will involve the villain Metallo as well as the Doom Patrol.
Mark Waid is the writer of the beloved Kingdom Come storyline, making his return back to DC Comics one to look forward to. From the variant covers alone for issue #1, World's Finest looks like it will be a wholesome time for fans looking for a change of pace after the psychological heaviness from the Fear State event. Issue one of World's Finest is set to release on March 15th.
Chinese Folklore Crosses Into the DC Universe With The Monkey Prince.
The Monkey King is a figure from Chinese folklore, known best for his role in the story, Journey to the West, but a new series entitled The Monkey Prince will follow his son, Marcus Sun, in the DC Universe. In Chinese folklore, the Monkey King is a clever character known for outsmarting even the most formidable of foes, and this legacy will likely influence the way that The Monkey Prince will play out. From a creative team of writer Gene Luen Yang and artist Bernard Chang, The Monkey Prince #1 will drop just in time for the Lunar New Year in February.
The series will span twelve issues, giving Yang and Chang enough space to fully flesh out the world of the story. With readers having already been introduced to Marcus Sun in this year's DC's Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration #1, there will be plenty more to build off from.
Aquamen Marks A New Chapter For Jackson Hyde and LGBTQ Representation.
2021 was a landmark year in terms of LGBTQ representation at DC Comics, with Tim Drake and Jon Kent coming out as bisexual. A new series starring Jackson Hyde's Aquaman, entitled Aquamen, will continue to spotlight one of DC's most prominent queer characters as he moves from Aqualad to Aquaman proper. While details of the series remain under wraps, the series will spin out of Black Manta and Jackson's current Aquaman: The Becoming series, which has acted as a coming-of-age story for the young hero. The series will be written by Brandon Thomas and Chuck Brown.
The future looks bright for DC's other Aquaman, especially with the official debut of the Justice League Queer in this year's DC Pride #1. What Aquamen will lead to remains to be seen, but will likely propel Jackson Hyde forward as a character to watch.
Arcs for Suicide Squad and Teen Titans Academy Culminate in War For Earth-3.
Fans of smaller crossover events will be pleased about 2022's War for Earth-3, which will take place across Suicide Squad, Teen Titans Academy, and The Flash beginning in March. At the center of the event is Amanda Waller, who is wanted by the Crime Syndicate of Earth-3, spawning a battle across the multiverse. The event will be written by Robbie Thompson and Dennis Hopeless, featuring art by Steve Pugh, in addition to their work on the three series involved. Suicide Squad will add artists Eduardo Pansica, Julio Ferreira, and Dexter Soy, while The Flash will feature artists Fernando Pasarin and Matt Ryan, and Teen Titans Academy will add artist Mike Norton. Picking up threads from this year's Future State, War for Earth-3 evidences how the Suicide Squad has never been a more important part of the DC Universe.
This past year has been a period of immense change for the DC Comics Universe, with the beginning of its new Infinite Frontier era. The events announced for next year all indicate that the consequences of these changes will be addressed directly, and will likely have implications for how the era will continue to play out. As Infinite Frontier has established already, anything can happen in DC Comics, leaving fans guessing for what they will see in next year's comics.