In 2021 DC Comics, like other publishers, were looking to bounce back from the difficulties they faced in 2020. For DC, the year was marked with endings, new beginnings, and iconic characters who hit some impressive benchmark anniversaries.
As a whole, there were a lot of positive steps forward for the publisher as it moved from the Dark Multiverse into the Infinite Frontier as new creators took the reigns of the comic universe. The company also expanded its presence across other media forms with projects taking place in the DCEU and other outlets.
10 DC Comics Began 2021 By Looking At Possible Futures With The Future State Event
DC Comics kicked off 2021 with the Future State event, spinning out of Scott Snyder's Dark Nights: Death Metal saga. The event took the place of the 5G initiative, which promised to unite all eras in the history of the DC Universe into a cohesive narrative by aging and replacing aged and replaced. During January and February, all regular titles were replaced with limited series that told stories of DC's "possible futures."
The Future State event introduced many new characters and served as a transition for the DC Universe into the Infinite Frontier era that launched in March 2021. For the most part, Future State was well received by readers with titles like Future State: Wonder Woman, Future State: Superman Vs. Imperious Lex, and Future State: Dark Detective as the stand-out titles.
9 The Infinite Frontier Introduced A New Direction For The DC Universe
In March, following the end of the Future State story, DC launched the new era of their comic universe and a new status quo. In the Infinite Frontier, everything that has happened over the years in the DCU "counts" when it comes to a character's backstory, legacy, and history, with many characters sharing the same superhero names. Another new feature introduced as part of the Infinite Frontier is that the multiverse has expanded to the Omniverse and completes what DC Rebirth began following the end of the New52. This new era has also introduced a new Multiverse comprised of two opposite worlds the Elseworld, and Earth Omega (Darkseid's prison), sustaining the balance of Metaverse. The Infinite Frontier also saw the return of characters such as Roy Harper and the introduction of a Multiversal Justice League.
8 2021 Marked Multiple 80th Anniversaries For Many Of DC Comics' Golden Age Characters
Along with entering a new era of their history, DC Comics also celebrated the 80th Anniversary of iconic heroes such as Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Green Arrow, with special one-shots commemorating their long publishing histories. Wonder Woman was also inducted into the Comic-Con Hall of Fame, recognizing the character's impact across comics, film, television, and society.
These three titans were not the only characters to reach the 80-year mark in the DCU. Characters such as Hawkgirl, many of the Earth-2 Golden Age heroes, and properties DC acquired over the years from other companies such as The Blackhawks and Quality Comics' characters also reached this monumental anniversary.
7 2021 Marked Marie Javins' First Full Year As Editor-In-Chief At DC Comics
In November of 2020, Marie Javins took on the role of Editor-in-Chief at DC Comics following the publisher's parting with Dan Didio a few months prior. For Javins, 2021 was her first year in the position following the few months she spent as a part of the interim editors-in-chief following Bob Harras' departure soon after Didio's exit. As Editor-in-Chief, Javins oversees the development and execution of the annual publishing schedule of all the DC imprints and leads the strategy for expanding the worldwide consumer reach of the publisher as well as providing editorial and creative direction for DC imprints. This role is a new position for her as she has served as DC's Executive Editor of Global Publishing and Digital Strategy and edited some of the titles in the DCU.
6 DC Comics Celebrated Diversity With The Other History of the DCU And A Series Of Anthologies
In 2021 DC Comics made an effort to showcase the diversity of their comic book universe. Leading this push was the limited series The Other History of the DCU by John Ridley, starring characters such as Black Lightning, Mal Duncan, and Karen Beecher (Bumblebee) and showing iconic moments from the perspective of DC Super Heroes who align with disenfranchised groups.
DC also shone its spotlight on its many Asian superheroes in May's DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration that not only featured established characters like Cassandra Cain (Batgirl) and Katana, but also new characters like the Green Lantern Tai Pham from the young readers series and the new character created by Gene Luen Yang and Bernard Chan, The Monkey Prince. In June, DC celebrated Pride Month with DC Pride, an anthology starring fan-favorite LGBTQIA+ characters such as Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Batwoman, and many more, along with introducing the new hero DREAMER, based on the character from CW's Supergirl show.
5 2021 Was The Year That Saw Some Major Characters Come Out As Members Of The LGBTQIA+ Community
As part of the move toward a more diverse universe, some of DC Comics' major characters came out as queer. In March, Alan Scott, the Golden Age Green Lantern, not only returned to the main DC Continuity in Infinite Frontier #0 but also came out as homosexual to his twins, Jade and Obsidian. Though he had told some of the members of the JSA about his sexual preference, he kept a part of himself hidden from most of his friends and peers. Then in August, in the pages of Batman: Urban Legends #6, Tim Drake, back in the role of Robin, rescued his friend Bernard, leading to Bernard's confession that he has a crush on Tim. Though he was unaware of Tim's true identity when he came out to Robin, this led to the two going out on a date, making at least a nod toward Tim's bisexuality. In November's Superman: Son of Kal-El #5, Jon Kent also came out as bisexual when he fell for Jay Nakamura, a handsome male reporter. Finally, Jess Chambers, the newest member of the Flash family, became the first non-binary member of the Justice League.
4 Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV Announced They Would Be Stepping Away From The DCU
The changing of the creative guard at DC Comics began as two of the biggest creative forces behind the company for the last decade announced that they were stepping away from the DC Universe. After completing his Dark Nights epic, Scott Snyder, who helped define Batman and the larger DCU since 2010, announced that he still working with DC, but would move away from main continuity projects. Snyder also said he wanted to focus on his creator-owned projects.
Also announcing his departure from the DC stable was James Tynion IV, who had been working for the publisher since 2012 on various titles and most recently as the writer of Batman. Along with announcing his departure from DC, Tynion also stated that he had no immediate plans to return to superhero comics anytime soon and that he'd be focused on his own creator-owned work.
3 DC Comics & Warner Brothers Once Again Invited The Public Into The Virtual FanDome
Like many publishers, DC Comics limited their convention appearances in 2021, opting to once again hold the second annual DC Fandome online, showcasing the stars and creators across the company's multiple platforms. The event included 50 livestreams across multiple social media services, allowing fans worldwide to watch the events as they unfolded. During the one-day event, upcoming films such as The Batman, The Flash, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Aquaman, and the Lost Kingdom, along with the animated features Injustice and Catwoman: Hunted, were covered along with the events in DC's comics. According to Warner Media, the event had 66 million viewers from 220 countries and was trending on Twitter for eight hours as the top search.
2 The Milestone Universe Returned To The Comic Page In February 0f 2021
Milestone Media, created in 1993 by a group of Black creators and published through DC, featured characters such as Static, Icon, and Hardware. Milestone returned to publication via DC Comics in February 2021. The first offering from Milestone was the one-shot Milestone Returns #0, retelling the events of the Big Bang in the Milestone Universe and the police-brutality protest responsible for the sudden wave of superpowers in the city of Dakota.
The one-shot was followed up with three miniseries featuring Static, Hardware, and the team of Icon and Rocket as part of the imprint's first season of books. Plans for 2022 include a second season for the 2021 limited series, a New Blood Syndicate series, and an updated Milestone Compendium for 2022.
1 DC Entertainment Introduced A New Suicide Squad, The Snyder Cut Of The Justice League And Many Animated Features
The DC Extended Universe also took center stage in 2021, with Suicide Squad and the Snyder Cut of Justice League being the major offerings for fans in theaters and through the HBOMax streaming service. Announcements were made about the upcoming Flash movie, such as Micheal Keaton reprising his role as Batman, The Rock taking on the role of Black Adam, and John Cena's Peacemaker receiving his own series spinning out of his appearance in The Suicide Squad. The CW shows saw the end of Supergirl after six seasons and Legends Of Tomorrow celebrating its 1,000th episode. In the animated Universe, Batman: Soul of the Dragon, Justice Society: World War II, Batman: The Long Halloween, Parts 1 & 2, Injustice, the new season of Young Justice, and Aquaman: King of Atlantis cartoon rounded out the entertainment docket for DC Comics.