In the aftermath of Dark Crisis and Lazarus Planet, DC's iconic heroes and villains come out of the events changed, supercharged, and looking to head into the future.
Like Infinite Frontier, Dawn of DC is a combination of continuing titles and brand new titles and mini-series, focusing on other characters.
Titles involved in the Initiative
Superman
- Action Comics: In the aftermath of Superman's fight with Lex Luthor, the Super-Family is united and ready to take on the future with a new outlook... and new outfits. Continuing from #1051 by Writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Artist Rafa Sandoval.
- Head Like a Whole: A back-up in Action Comics; following the events of Lazarus Planet, Power Girl, with the help of Lilith Clay aka Omen, attempts to explore her new psychic powers. Written by Leah Williams with art by Marguerite Sauvage.
- Home Again: Taking place after The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special, Jon attempts to adapt to life in Smallville. Written by Dan Jurgens.
- Superman: Clark Kent reclaims his namesake title and continues to protect Metropolis from evil threats. Written by Joshua Williamson, art by Jamal Campbell.
- Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent: Jon Kent finally confronts Ultraman, the insane evil counterpart of Superman who left him trapped on Earth-3 for years. As well, Val-Zod of Earth 2 returns! Six issue mini-series Written by Tom Taylor and drawn by Clayton Henry
- Power Girl: In the aftermath of Knight Terrors, Power Girl faces down an awoken Kryptonian threat aiming to destroy Superman and his family. Written by Leah Williams with art by Eduardo Pansica.
- Steelworks: John Henry Irons is ready to push Metropolis into the future as well as give his niece Natasha the reigns as the new Steel. Written by Michael Dorn and drawn by Sami Basri. Beginning in June 2023.
- Superboy: The Man Of Tomorrow Feeling left out, Conner Kent leaves Earth to find himself. However, his exploration leads him getting caught up in a war and aiding a group of freedom fighters. Six issue mini-series. Written by Kenny Porter and drawn by Jahnoy Lindsay.
- Kneel Before Zod: The descent into hell has begun as we see the House of Zod fall further and further from grace. Ongoing series. Written by Joe Casey and illustrated by Dan Mc Daid.
Batman
- Batman: Hot off the heels of facing Red Mask, a brand new path for Batman is revealed. Resumes from Issue 135 with writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Jorge Jimenez
- Batman: The Brave and the Bold: Batman reclaims his iconic team-up title to team up with DC's finest and fearsome, starting with... the Joker?!
- Harley Quinn: Harley Quinn’s been cursed and now she’s got to use magic and travel the Multiverse. Starts from Issue #28, Written by Tini Howard and art by Sweeney Boo.
- Catwoman: Howard also continues her post-Ram V run, as Selina is now in prison for the events of Catwoman #50. As she tries to survive incarceration, her allies must take up the mantle of the Catwoman to complete her mission against the Big Four (and to protect themselves from Black Mask).
- The Penguin: After faking his death in the events of Batman (Chip Zdarsky), Oswald Cobblepot thinks he's free from the world of organized crime... until the US Government drags him back in. Beginning in June 2023.
- Batman and Robin: Following the events of Batman vs. Robin and Lazarus Planet, Bruce and Damian have returned to Gotham and resumed protecting it together as the Dynamic Duo for the first time since the end of Tom King's Batman run.
- Poison Ivy: Chronicling Pamela's exploits following 'Fear State', she swears to destroy the human race to save the Earth from total destruction nature before she dies. Starts its tenure as an ongoing from #13.
- Red Hood The Hill
Wonder Woman
- Wonder Woman: After a mysterious Amazon is accused of mass murder, The Amazon Safety Act is passed, barring all Amazons from American soil. In her search for the truth, Wonder Woman finds herself an outlaw. Written by Tom King, art by Daniel Sampere and Tomeu Morey.
- Amazons Attack: After the shocking events of Wonder Woman, a ragtag group of Amazons featuring Yara Flor and Faruka II and headed by Queen Nubia frantically search for answers. Will the tribes survive their new reputation! Written by Josie Campbell and illustrated by Vasco Georgiev.
Titans
- Titans: Spinning out of Nightwing (Infinite Frontier), the Titans step up to protect a world left weakened by the Justice League's disbandment. Written by Tom Taylor with art by Nicola Scott.
- Cyborg: When a family emergency brings Cyborg back home to Detroit, Victor Stone encounters an aggressive new company that is turning the Motor City into an engine for AI. Written by Morgan Hampton and art by Tom Raney.
- Nightwing: Nightwing protects the city of Bludhaven alongside his allies the Titans! Continues from Issue 104 by Writer Tom Taylor and Artist Bruno Redondo.
- Tales Of The Titans: Who are the Titans? Where do they come from? What do they stand for? An series of spotlight issues in the same vein as Tales of the New Teen Titans mini. Written by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale with art by Javier RodrÍguez
- World's Finest: Teen Titans: Before they were the Titans of the DCU, they were the Teen Titans. Spinning out of Batman/Superman: World’s Finest, written by Mark Waid with art by Emanuela Lupacchino.
Green Lantern
- Green Lantern: Hal Jordan finally returns to Earth to protect it from evil threats. Written by Jeremy Adams and art by Xermánico.
- John Stewart: The Good Soldier: A back-up epic for the main Green Lantern title, John Stewart takes a more grizzled, militaristic approach following the events of Dark Crisis. The events of the back-up lead into Green Lantern: War Journal. Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Art by Osvaldo Montos.
- Green Lantern: War Journal: The immortal “Guardian and Builder” John Stewart’s time as a Green Lantern has come to an end…or so he thinks. Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Art by Osvaldo Montos.
The Flash
- The Flash: Wally West's evolved understanding of his powers opens the door to a world of sci-fi adventure. He'll encounter new worlds, allies, and terrors. Written by Si Spurrier, art by Mike Deodato, Jr, starting in September 2023.
- Speed Force: Wallace West and Avery Ho race to Keystone City as they become aware of something changing the Speed Force. Written by Jarrett Williams and illustrated by Daniele Di Nicuolo, and starting in November 2023.
We Are Legends
- Dawn of DC We Are Legends Special Edition: A one-shot special issue that features the prologues of the We Are Legends titles.
- Spirit World: Magic user Xanthe Zhou is Chinese-American and non-binary, and travels across land of the living and the dead... the Spirit World! They'll work together with John Constantine to rescue Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) from the underworld realm. Six issue mini-series, written by Alyssa Wong with art by Haining.
- The Vigil: YOU ARE BEING WATCHED! A team of mysterious government experimentees-turned vigilantes from India are determined to stop metahuman research and tech created for military applications at any cost... Six issue mini-series, written by Ram V with art by Lalit Kumar Sharma.
- City Boy: Korean-American Cameron Kim, who can literally talk to cities, is just a kid trying to make a living, but having these powers also means that he hears everything about these cities. So why does Nightwing think he's suspicious? Six issue mini-series, written by Greg Pak with art by Minkyu Jung and Sunny Gho.
The New Golden Age
- Alan Scott: The Green Lantern: Alan Scott is the Green Lantern, one of the flagship members of the JSA and hero to many. But who is he truly and how did he get from a youth living his life in the 30's to being a legend of the Golden Age? Six issue mini-series, written by Tim Sheridan and art by Cian Tormey.
- Jay Garrick: The Flash: It’s hard being a parent, especially when your kid is a speedster! Jay Garrick has been reunited with his long-lost daughter, Judy, the (in)famous Boom! But figuring out how to connect with her is proving to be difficult. Six issue mini-series, written by Jeremy Adams and art by Diego Olortegui.
- Wesley Dodds: The Sandman: Wesley Dodds believes the world can never be truly peaceful....but people can be better to each other if they're given the right tools. But what if the wrong tools fall into the right hands? Six issue mini-series, written by Rob Venditti and art by Riley Rossmo.
Other Titles
- Blue Beetle: On the road to the Scarab War! In the aftermath of Blue Beetle Graduation Day, Jaime, Paco and Brenda settle in Palmera City to studying at Palmera State University and training two new Beetles as well as helping a race of aliens settle in their new home. Written by Josh Trujillo with art by Adrian Gutiérrez.
- Birds of Prey: When Black Canary is given a mission by a “mysterious ally”, she recruits a brand new deadlier teamnote to once more break hearts and break faces. Written by Kelly Thompson with art by Leonardo Romero.
- Fire And Ice Welcome To Smallville: Spinning out of the Power Girl one-shot, Superman banishes Bea and Tora to Smallville after a disastrous incident involving them and Guy Gardner in Boston. Can they survive a Fate Worse than Death: irrelevance? Six-issue mini-series
- Green Arrow: In the events of Dark Crisis, Oliver Queen was left behind to allow the Justice League to escape. Now, he seeks to escape and reunite with his family, but someone doesn't want him to. Initially a mini, then a maxiseries and now an ongoing, written by Joshua Williamson and Art by Sean Izaakse.
- Hawkgirl: In the aftermath of the Justice League disbanding, Kendra Saunders moves to Metropolis looking for a fresh start. By Jadzia Axelrod, with art by Amancay Nahuelpan and Adriano Lucas. Beginning in July 2023.
- Shazam: Billy Batson reclaims the power of Shazam and, together with Tawky Tawny, goes out to have crazy adventures. Written by Mark Waid with art by Dan Mora. Beginning in June 2023.
- Unstoppable Doom Patrol: The World's Strangest Superteam return to protect a world changed by the events of Lazarus Planet. Written by Dennis Culver and art by Chris Burnham.
- Outsiders: Disillusioned with vigilantism after the events of Gotham War, Kate Kane and Luke Fox quit being superheroes and start becoming super-archeologists. Written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing, with art from Robert Carey.
- Suicide Squad: Dream Team: In the aftermath of Beast World, Amanda Waller puts together a brand new squadnote to make a few changes.
One-Shots
- Power Girl Special: The finale of Head Like a Whole from Action Comics, Power Girl, alongside Omen, faces her past. Leads into her new ongoing. Written by Leah Williams with art by Marguerite Sauvage.
- Supergirl Special: There's only room for one Supergirl in Metropolis, and it seems that Power Girl is taking her place. Will she be lead out of the city or out of this world? Written by Mariko Tamaki and art by Skylar Patridge.
- Trinity Special:
- Superman: House of Braniac Special
Events
- Knight Terrors: The body of an old Justice League villain at the Hall of Justice leads our heroes and villains into a realm of nightmares and the only one who can save the world is Deadman!
- The Gotham War: In the aftermath of Knight Terrors, Batman finds himself face to face with the new Kingpin of Gotham: Selena Kyle, Catwoman.
- Titans: Beast World
- House of Brainiac: The Superman event of 2024, as Brainiac launches his latest invasion of Earth. Written by Joshua Williamson with art by Rafa Sandoval.
- Absolute Power (2024): DC's Summer 2024 event, bringing the Amanda Waller Myth Arc that's been running through Dawn to a head.
Tropes involved in this initiative:
- Artistic License – Law: To put it simply, a law such as the Amazon Safety Act would have so many lawyers coming down on the law for trampling on the rights of the Amazons on American soil it would not be funny.
- Big Bad: The Dawn of DC Primer marks Amanda Waller as this. She believes that the heroes are completely gung-ho and the events of both Dark Crisis and Lazarus Planet is proof of that. She recruits what's left of Slade's Society with a promise: a full pardon and a clean slate for any villain who kills a superhero.
- The Bus Came Back: Quite a few people are making a comeback with this initiative, namely those who were left out of Infinite Frontier or even as far back as Rebirth.
- Eiko Hasigawa, the third Catwoman, was last seen prominently in a 2015 arc of Catwoman and was briefly touched on alongside a bunch of other Gotham gang members in Infinite Frontier. She's going to return in the Catwoman ongoing.
- Val-Zod, not seen since Earth 2 ended in 2016, makes a return in Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent. This will also include the return of the Injustice: Gods Among Us universe. The Red Tornado of Earth 2 also returns.
- Kong Kenan, the Super-Man of China, has rarely appeared since 2018, and even his role as the "character whose powers are based in Chinese culture, while being tied to a larger franchise" role was filled by Monkey Prince and his connections to Batman. He's going to be part of the Superman Family proper in this relaunch.
- The Doom Patrol have been MIA thanks to the stagnation of the Young Animal imprint, but are slated to make a return with a new series.
- Mia Dearden, who last appeared in the Arrow-inspired Kingdom arc of New 52 Green Arrow, as well as her Speedy mantle, which last appeared in the last issue of Pre-Flashpoint Teen Titans, makes a return.
- Cissie King-Jones aka Arrowette II, whose appearances post-Graduation Day have been cameos, makes a grand return to a leading role in the mantle since 1999.note
- Bette Kane, as well as her Flamebird mantle and the Titans West, returns since 2016, 2011 and 1978 respectively in DC's Legion of Bloom.
- Evan McCulloch returns as the Mirror Master in the DC Universe, and makes his post-Flashpoint debut, in the main DC Universe for the first time in 12 years since the New 52's Cosmic Retcons included the resurrection of the original Mirror Master, Sam Scudder. Edwin Gauss also makes his return as the Folded Man since the New 52 run.
- The Dynamic Duo, at least in terms of a team book, since the conclusion of the Tomasi and Gleason run back in 2015.
- White Rabbit, who last appeared in a Dark Nights: Metal tie-in back in 2017.
- Charley Parker aka Golden Eagle makes a return in publication in World's Finest: Teen Titans as the Teen Titans' social media manager and a retired vigilante.
- Lena Luthor II, Lex Luthor's daughter, makes her grand return in Superman #850, having last been seen in Our Worlds at War as an infant.
- C-List Fodder: In Dawn of DC Primer Special Edition 1, Gunsmith and Codename: Assassin are killed by Amanda Waller.
- Distaff Counterpart: Peacemaker's newest partner is a woman going by the alias Peacewreaker, who wears a female version of his costume.
- He's Back!: In Steelworks #3, Lana Lang regains her red energy form, once lost due to the events of Superman Reborn, allowing her to return as Superwoman.
- Secret Identity: The Kent family's is restored after Clark revealed himself as Superman during Bendis' run years prior. It turns out that Lex Luthor pettily did it with the aid of an unwilling Manchester Black after feeling like he was grouped among "everyone else" in Clark's life due to the way he learned it. Nobody affected by how it was done can remember it, and relearning it may kill them, meaning Clark can't re-reveal his identity to those who weren't protected from it, which mostly amounts to the Kent Family, some of the superhero community, and Jay Nakamura.
- Status Quo Is God:
- The secret identity of the Kents was restored, despite a big part of Jon's tenure as Superman being him not having a secret identity. This was expressly because the writers felt it was a more classic approach
. - Supergirl's redesign courtesy of Woman of Tomorrow, which included pants and shorter hair, was kept for Dark Crisis, but her long hair returns here.
- The secret identity of the Kents was restored, despite a big part of Jon's tenure as Superman being him not having a secret identity. This was expressly because the writers felt it was a more classic approach
- Take Up My Sword:
- A non-lethal variation. With the Justice League having disbanded following the events of Dark Crisis, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman have turned to Nightwing to lead things. In turn, he's recruited his old Titans friends (Donna Troy, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven, Starfire, and Wally West) to lead the charge while the League is away.
