Comic Con 2023's Biggest Announcements From Marvel, DC & The Superhero World

Another San Diego Comic-Con has come and gone, and with it plenty of exciting and surprising announcements from the world of pop culture. With the current writers and actors' strike affecting Hollywood, those on the picket lines didn't appear at the event to promote their shows or movies, which led the con to return to its roots. As a result, much of the event's biggest news focused on comic books, a refreshing change of pace for those who have watched SDCC go from a comic-focused celebration to a way for big film companies to announce the next blockbuster movie in grandiose fashion.

Marvel Comics, DC Comics, BOOM! Studios, and Skybound Comics were among the many publishers and imprints to share details about what they have in the works for the coming year, with big events, new characters, and storylines being teased across the comic book medium. Additionally, there were several noteworthy announcements regarding comic book-adjacent properties in the world of animation and video games, with several new adaptations being shared with fans during the five-day celebration. From "Invincible" announcing a Atom Eve video game and special, a new Punisher stalking the Marvel Universe, and a crossover between the Justice League, King Kong, and Godzilla coming to DC Comics among the highlights, despite the lack of big movie announcements from the film world, there was plenty to get excited about. Here are the biggest comics-related announcements of the week.

Marvel Comics had a number of big announcements, with perhaps none more notable than a "Punisher" comic featuring a brand-new character in the role from David Prepose ("Savage Avengers") and Dave Watcher ("Iron Fist: Heart of the Dragon"). The comic will follow former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Joe Garrison as he becomes the Punisher and continues Frank Castle's violent legacy.

Marvel's "Gang War" is the publisher's next big crossover event, beginning in the pages of "The Amazing Spider-Man" #37 and continuing across several other comics. New stories focused on Miles Morales, Luke Cage, Spider-Woman, and Shang-Chi will occur under the "Gang Wars" banner as the street-level heroes face off against a number of dangerous threats.

On the X-Men side of things, there were multiple reveals. "X-Men Blue: Origins" by Si Spurrier ("Suicide Squad: Blaze") and Lee Garbett ("Captain Marvel") will feature the Uncanny Spider-Man (aka Nightcrawler) joined by his shapeshifting mother Mystique in a story revealing the X-Man's origin for the first time. Additionally, Marvel revealed more information about Kamala Khan becoming a mutant and being brought back to life by the X-Men's resurrection protocols. A mysterious "New X-Men" comic was teased, with little information shared besides the logo for the potential series.

Marvel also announced "Deadpool: Seven Slaughters," a one-shot from Deadpool co-creator Rob Liefeld and Greg Capullo ("Batman," "The Creech"). Liefeld will also tackle two new series: "Time to Kill," starring his original creation Major X, and "First Contact," which has Cable go back in time to join the original X-Men. Both comics are set to arrive in 2024.

Marvel Comics had many more announcements throughout the show, including a new "Timeless" one-shot from Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzig ("Star Trek") and Juan Cabal ("Guardians of the Galaxy"), which will focus on Marvel's future and introduce older versions of Power Man, Sentry, Iron Fist, and the Immortal Moon Knight.

"Daredevil: Black Armor" by D.G. Chichester ("Daredevil"), Netho Diaz ("Predator"), and Mark Bagley ("Spider-Man") is a miniseries featuring the return of Daredevil's black armor from the '90s. The classic creative team of Jim Shooter, Mike Zeck, and Bob Layton will return to the world of "Secret Wars" in a new miniseries called "Marvel Superheroes Secret Wars: Battleworld," revealing untold secrets from Marvel's first universe-wide crossover A new one-shot from Chip Zdarsky ("Spider-Man: A Life Story"), Daniel Kibblesmith ("Loki"), and Merrit K ("Internet Murder Revenge Fantasy"), Joe Quinones ("Captain Marvel'), and ("Black Cat") will tell a new Howard the Duck story in a "What If...?" reality. 

On the digital side, Marvel announced new Marvel Unlimited storylines with more "Marvel Meow" by Nao Fuji, "Love Unlimited: Gambit & Rogue" from Preeti Chhibber ("Spider-Man's Bad Connection"), and Carola Borelli ("Marvel Voices"), "Avengers Unlimited" by Kalinda Vasquez ("America Chavez: Made in the USA"), Alba Glez ("Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur"), and Walden Wong ("Wolverine and the X-Men"), "X-Men Unlimited" by Steve Foxe ("Dark X-Men"), Stephanie Williams ("Spider-Verse Unlimited"), and newcomer Noemi Vettori, "Marvel Voices Echo" by Melissa Flores ("Mighty Morphin Power Rangers") and Kyle Charles ("Phoenix Song: Echo"), and "Marvel Voices: Nightshade" by Stephanie Williams and Hector Barros ("The Pride Omnibus") all coming out throughout the end of the year. Additionally, a new miniseries, "Spider-Gwen: On Tour," by Flores and Enid Balám ("New Mutants: Lethal Legion"), was announced during the same Women of Marvel panel.

DC Comics didn't hold back, having perhaps San Diego Comic-Con's most surprising reveal with a new "Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong" from Brian Buccellato ("The Flash"), Christian Duce ("I Am Batman"), and Luis Guerrero ("Blue Beetle"). DC's greatest heroes will battle the MonsterVerse's biggest creatures in a miniseries promising epic battles. Early art showcases Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman among the heroes fighting against the iconic kaiju.

Other announcements and reveals include a new "Kneel Before Zod" comic from Joe Casey ("Deadpool) and Dan McDaid ("Firefly") that will explore Zod's whereabouts before the destruction of Krypton. Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing and artist Robert Carey ("Aliens: Resistance") will tackle the world of DC in "Outsiders," a book focusing on Batwoman and Batman Luke Fox. Josie Campbell ("The New Champion of Shazam") and Vasco Georgiev ("Aquaman & The Flash: Voidsong") will collaborate on "Amazon Attacks," starring several fan-favorite characters from the world of Wonder Woman, including Yara Flor/Wonder Girl. Ram V ("The Many Deaths of Laila Starr"), Dustin Nguyen ("Ascender"), and Jason Scott Alexander ("Gotham Central") will spin a four-issue "Detective Comics: Outlaw" storyline taking the Dark Knight to a Western-inspired world.

DC also revealed "Titans: Beast World," a new event from Tom Taylor ("Teen Titans") and Ivan Reis ("Superman"), where Beast Boy will transform into a version of the villain Starro. The new comic will feature several crossovers throughout the DC Comics universe.

On the animated side of things, DC revealed a pair of home video releases with a new "Watchmen" film and a "Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths" adaptation.

Skybound/Image Comics took San Diego Comic-Con as a chance to show off the recently launched Energon Universe, which brings Hasbro's G.I. Joe and Transformers together in a shared reality. The imprint revealed new looks at "Duke" by Joshua Williamson ("Justice League Incarnate"), Tom Reilly ("Ant-Man"), and Jordie Bellaire ("Batman"), and "Cobra Commander" by Williamson, Andrea Milana ("Impact Winter: Rook"), and Annalisa Leoni ("Oblivion Song"). Skybound also shared images from Daniel Warren Johnson's new "Transformers" comic.

Skybound also made sure to feed "Invincible" fans well over the weekend. Between revealing a new trailer for "Invincible" Season 2 showcasing what's in store for the titular hero, announcing a new "Invincible Presents: Atom Eve" visual novel video game, and releasing a 50-minute "Atom Eve" special, which is already streaming on Prime Video, the imprint brought the goods over SDCC weekend. Additionally, Omni-Man gameplay from the upcoming "Mortal Kombat 1" was shared, with J.K. Simmons reprising his role and voicing the character.  While there may not have been any new "Invincible" comics since the series wrapped up in 2018, the expanded universe continues to grow and draw new fans into its world.

The biggest "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" comic in years is getting an official sequel with "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II – Re-Evolution." The comic features the return of the creative team of the original "Last Ronin" miniseries, Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz, Ben Bishop, Esau Escorza, Isaac Escorza, Edgar Delgado, and Shawn Lee. The new story will follow Yi, Odyn, Moja, and Uno as they defend their city against emerging threats alongside Casey Jones Jr. Given the success of the original "Last Ronin" storyline and its spinoffs featuring the new Turtles, it'll be exciting to see them in their adult forms in what's set to be an action-packed and emotional comic.

BOOM! Studios also shared some hints at what it has coming out over the next year. Tom King ("Batman," "Strange Adventures") and Peter Gross ("The Books of Magic") are teaming up for a new unnamed project coming towards the end of 2023. Meanwhile, a new one-shot based in Keanu Reeves' "BRZRKR" universe called "BRZRKR: Poetry of Madness" was showcased, with the violent new storyline featuring art from Steve Skroce ("Clobberin' Time") and Dave Stewart ("Black Hammer"). 

One of the smaller publishers that had a great San Diego Comic-Con was Titan Comics. Their most significant announcement was a new "The Savage Sword of Conan" comic coming in 2024, which returns the world of the Cimmerian barbarian to its roots with a black-and-white magazine-sized format. The book features a rotating group of creators on the title, including Frank Tieri ("Ravencroft"), Richard Pace ("Second Coming"), and Howard Chaykin ("American Flagg!"). While there were some initial worries from readers about Conan's upcoming stories after the character left Marvel, Titan seems to be a worthy new publisher for Robert E. Howard's fan-favorite property.

Adult Swim's presence at SDCC led to a new look at the animated adaptation of Junji Ito's "Uzumaki." The spiral-filled world got a two-minute trailer that shows off the brilliant and horrifying mind of the manga legend. For those worried Adult Swim might tone down the manga series' most terrifying imagery, the trailer proves the series is in good hands.

It was fun to see comics get the focus at San Diego Comic-Con again, resulting in a weekend filled with thrilling announcements for readers.

Marvel Comics sharing the new "Gang War" event, a new "Punisher" character and comic, and a new installment of "Timeless" shows the publisher is still trying new things. DC announcing an unexpected MonsterVerse crossover co-starring the Justice League and revealing fans can expect new unique "Detective Comics" stories from Ram V is also great news. With Skybound dropping a handful of new "Invincible" reveals, BOOM! Studios sharing more "BRZRKR" and Titan Comics ushering in a new era of "Conan the Barbarian," there's something for every kind of comic fan to latch on to throughout the SDCC weekend and beyond.

The comic books above will come out throughout 2023 and into 2024. Looper will share more information on each project as it becomes available.