DC Comics’ 2023 Pride Plans Are, Once Again, Incredibly Impressive

Last year, we were suitably impressed when DC Comics revealed its plans for how it was going to celebrate Pride Month (and how paltry Marvel’s offerings looked in comparison). Commendably, the publisher’s not resting on its laurels this June — it has special edition comics, an actual book, and much more in the works, but you can check them out now.

DC Pride 2023 #1

First is DC’s annual comic offering, helpfully renamed DC Pride 2023 #1. The 104-page special edition will include several stories starring DC’s LGBTQ characters. Here’s a summary of some of them: “Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy go to extreme measures to get a little alone time…but there’s nowhere on the planet Crush can’t crash. Jon Kent gets a comprehensive course in dark magic when John Constantine sics a golem on him. Tim Drake and Connor Hawke learn that there is nothing more awkward than reuniting with an old friend after you’ve both come out and one of you was indoctrinated by the League of Shadows for a while. Circuit Breaker struggles to stifle his powers after the Flash of Earth-11 leaps out of the time stream and knocks them both into another dimension. Just how far would Flashlight go to honour his lost love?”

DC Pride 2023 #1 Stories and Teams

The comic will also feature a story about Dreamer, written by Nicole Maines, who portrayed the transgender hero on Supergirl, and Rye Hickman. Here’s a full list of the characters featured in DC Pride 2023 #1, as well as the teams behind them:

• Tim Drake and Connor Hawke by Nadia Shammas and Bruka Jones
• Circuit Breaker and the Flash of Earth-11 by A.L. Kaplan
• Midnighter, Apollo, and Green Lantern Alan Scott by Josh Trujillo and Don Aguillo
• Ghost-Maker and Catman vs. Cannon and Saber by Rex Ogle and Stephen Sadowski
• Jon Kent and John Constantine by Christopher Cantwell and Skylar Patridge
• Natasha Irons and Nubia by Mildred Louis
• Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and Crush by Leah Williams and Paulina Ganucheau
• Multiversity by Grant Morrison and Hayden Sherman

DC Pride 2023 #1 arrives on May 30.

The DC Book of Pride

This is cool — a hardcover guide to DC’s LGBTQIA+ characters, arriving May 16. “The DC Book of Pride is an inspiring illustrated hardcover that profiles more than 50 LGBTQIA+ characters in detail, including Harley Quinn, Jon Kent, Nubia, Tim Drake, Batwoman, Aquaman, Dreamer, new character Circuit Breaker, and many more. Authored by Galaxy: The Prettiest Star writer Jadzia Axelrod, it illustrates the rich histories, fascinating origins, amazing superpowers, and key storylines of DC’s leading queer Super Heroes and Super-Villains.”

DC Pride: Through the Years

DC Pride: Through the Years is another special edition comic collecting three classic issues: The Flash #53, where the Pied Piper comes out to the Flash; Detective Comics #854, which was the first solo Batwoman comic; and Supergirl #19, which “tells the story of Lee Serrano, a nonbinary teenager who befriends the Girl of Steel.” There’s also a new story featuring Alan Scott, the Golden Age Green Lantern. DC Pride: Through the Years will arrive in comic stores June 13.

Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent #4 by Stephen Byrne

And, of course, several comics will get special Pride-themed variant covers. Check out a gallery of some of them over the next few pages!

Batman Incorporated #9 by Rosi Kämpe

Detective Comics #1073 by Amy Reeder

Green Arrow #3 by Luciano Vecchio

Harley Quinn #31 and Poison Ivy #13 by Claire Roe

Nightwing #105 by Yoshi Yoshitani

Spirit World #2 by Jessica Fong

Superman #5 by W. Scott Forbes

Tim Drake: Robin #10 by Travis Moore

Wonder Woman #800 by Ted Brandt and Ro Stein

The post DC Comics’ 2023 Pride Plans Are, Once Again, Incredibly Impressive appeared first on Kotaku Australia.