Brian Michael Bendis' future plans at DC Comics have been confirmed. It was previously announced that Bendis, who recently signed an exclusive deal with DC Comics, would be making his DC Comics premiere with a story in the upcoming Action Comics #1000 and that DC Comics co-publisher Jim Lee would be providing the artwork for that story.
Primarily known for his work at Marvel Comics, Brian Michael Bendis is one of the most popular and prolific writers in American comics. He first achieved mainstream fame as one of the architects behind Marvel Comics' Ultimate line of books in 2000, with his Ultimate Spider-Man title establishing the dominant voice for the adventures of Peter Parker for an entire generation of comic book readers. He's also well known for his creation of the character of Jessica Jones (who first appeared in Bendis' mature-readers series Alias) and his independent comic series Powers, which was adapted into a short-lived television series for The PlayStation Network.
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DC Comics announced Bendis' upcoming assignments in an official press release to their website. The announcement promised big changes for the current line-up of Superman titles after Action Comics #1000 hits the stands.
The big surprise is that Bendis will be retelling the origins of Superman with a new Man of Steel mini-series, which will run for six consecutive weeks beginning on May 30, 2018. Featuring interconnected covers by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado, with artwork by an all-star team of master artists including Ivan Reis, Evan “Doc” Shaner, Ryan Sook, Kevin Maguire, Adam Hughes and Jason Fabok, the story promises to redefine the last days of the planet Krypton and introduce a new villain that will reveal the shocking truth of the reasons behind Krypton's destruction. A prelude to Man Of Steel, written by Bendis with art by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, will be part of the DC Nation #0 25 cent preview sampler due out on May 2, 2018.
Once Man of Steel has concluded, Bendis will be writing both monthly Superman comics. July 11, 2018 will see the current Superman series starting anew with a new #1 issue and Ivan Reis providing the artwork. Patrick Gleason - currently the artist and co-writer on Superman - will take over the art duties on the sister title, with Action Comics #1001, which is scheduled for release on July 25, 2018.
Taking over the Superman series is only the start of Bendis' work at DC Comics. The author will also be designing a new custom imprint, that will allow Bendis to work with some of his favorite classic characters outside of the mainstream DC Comics continuity as well as introduce some new characters of his own design. To that end, DC Comics is also taking over publication of Bendis' Jinxworld line of gritty, noir series, which will be available digitally for the first time by the end of Spring 2018. Bendis will also work on creating new stories for his original series Powers, Scarlet and The United States of Murder.
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Source: DC Comics.