In mid-January, DC announced Earth-Prime, a new mini-series based on the TV universe known as the Arrowverse. Earth-Prime will be a three-month, six-issue event that will be set in the Arrowverse's main continuity. Every one of its issues will follow a different Arrowverse hero, except the last issue, which will serve as a crossover book. According to its creators, Earth-Prime will be full of bonus content created by The CW's cast members, as well as teasers like clues that point to the sixth issue.
Earth-Prime will feature the art of a dozen different artists such as Tom Grummett, Clayton Henry, Norm Rapmund, and Kim Jacinto, who will be doing all the covers. Additionally, the stories will be written by writers such as Natalie Abrams and Kelly Larson, both currently writing for the Batwoman series, which assures the fans the Arrowverse heroes' essences will be thoroughly respected. The series will kick off on April 5, 2022.
7 Four Shows Have Been Confirmed So Far
Earth-Prime is planned as a miniseries, so it will be over after three months. The series will have only six issues. So far, DC has revealed the cover for the first four books, all created by Kim Jacinto. Every cover features art for a different Arrowverse series, except the sixth one, which includes them all.
The first issue includes Ryan Wilder as Batwoman, the second one features Superman & Lois flying while their kids observe from the ground, the third one includes several former and current members of the DC's Legends of Tomorrow and the fourth one features Stargirl ready to fight next to Pat in the S.TR.I.P.E. armor. There's no information yet about the fifth cover, but it's likely going to be The Flash's issue since it's the only Arrowverse current series without a cover yet. Given this superhero's popularity, it's only logical that DC is holding onto the surprise.
6 It’s The Arrowverse’s Eighth Crossover
While the first five issues of Earth-Prime center on a specific Arrowverse show, the sixth number features all the series' heroes in a crossover against a threat that hasn't been identified yet. Of course, this isn't the first time most of these heroes met. In the almost 10 years of Arrowverse, there have been seven crossovers.
The first one, Flash vs. Arrow, wasn't exactly big. However, as the years pass they have become more and more ambitious. Crisis On Infinite Earths is probably the most complex one so far. In addition to including cameos of practically every DC TV show in existence, it connected the Arrowverse to the DCEU by bringing Ezra Miller into action.
5 It Isn’t The Arrowverse’s First Comic Book
Earth-Prime is only the latest entry into the comics for the Arrowverse. Before this miniseries, others CW superheroes have starred in their own book. In 2014, DC released Arrow: Season 2.5 and The Flash: Season Zero, as companions for the TV shows. The same thing happened with The Adventures of Supergirl in 2016. These three series ran for at least a dozen issues each.
The Arrowverse's main characters aren't the only heroes who have managed to star in a comic. In 2021, Supergirl's Nia Nal — an original Arrowverse character loosely based on Dream Girl — appeared in DC Pride, an anthology book celebrating LGTBQ+ diversity in the DC Universe. Additionally, Crisis on Infinite Earths Giant served as a two-issue tie-in for the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover in 2019. Although all these comics were created to fill in on the Arrowverse series, Earth-Prime is the first story created for the comics. Hopefully, this comic will set a precedent for the future and become a tradition.
4 It Marks Ryan Wilder’s First Comic Appearance As Batwoman
After Ruby Rose stepped down from her role as Kate Kane and it was announced that a new character would be created to fill the void, fans were, rightfully, skeptical about Batwoman's future. It's been a year since Javicia Leslie took the Batwoman mantle as Ryan Wilder, and most people agree she's fulfilling everyone's expectations.
While she's fairly new to the Arrowverse, Earth-Prime isn't Ryan's first crossover. In 2021, she appeared in Armageddon as one of the heroes who Barry Allen called for help against Despero. However, Earth-Prime is Ryan's first time in the comics as Batwoman. This character has appeared before in Batgirl #50, but she hadn't taken the Batwoman mantle at the moment. At that point, she was only a civilian becoming interested in vigilantism.
3 The Second Issue Will Look At John Henry Iron’s Earth
Earth-Prime #2 stars Clark and the rest of the Kent family as they try to balance their life in Smallville and their superpowered responsibilities, just like in Superman & Lois. Since the series first began, Superman & Lois has introduced several new characters to the Arrowverse. One of them has promptly become a fan favorite: John Henry Irons.
John Henry Irons first appeared as a mysterious villain suing an Exosuit of Lex Luthor's creation who considered Superman a threat to the human race. The reason behind this shocked the audience: John Henry comes from an Earth where Superman went mad with power. In fact, he even killed John Henry's wife, Lois Lane. According to the official synopsis of Earth-Prime #2, this comic will delve into John Henry Iron's original world and clarify this evil Superman's origins. Hopefully, this will finally introduce Injustice to the Arrowverse.
2 It Features Stargirl’s First Appearance As An Arrowverse Hero
Courtney Whitmore, aka Stargirl, became the main character of her own show in May 2020. Stargirl follows Courtney as she discovers the cosmic staff and becomes a superhero, inspiring others to do the same and creating the second Justice Society of America. Contrary to popular belief, Stargirl isn't an Arrowverse series... yet. The show's characters had a cameo during the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, but until Earth-Prime, this had been Courtney's only connection to this universe.
Regardless of this, DC revealed Stargirl will be a part of the Earth-Prime crossover. In fact, according to the cover for Earth-Prime #3, she's this issue's main character. Only time will tell if this is the first step towards Stargirl becoming an official Arrowverse superhero or if this is just the writers taking advantage of the DC multiverse.
1 Arrow Probably Won't Be Included
As of February 2022, four different stories have been announced, all corresponding to a different Arrowverse show currently on air. However, fans are wondering if Arrow will be included in any way in this story. After all, Oliver Queen's story kicked off the Arrowverse itself, almost 10 years ago.
Sadly, it's likely the answer is no. As every Arrowverse fan knows, Arrow ended in 2019. By the end of the series, Oliver Queen sacrificed his life for the multiverse during the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover. Since Earth-Prime is clearly a story embedded in the Arrowverse's main continuity, it's safe to assume he remains dead for this story. If Oliver were to appear in Earth-Prime, his appearance would probably be a flashback. More likely, it would be only as an homage, not as a central character for the story.