When superstar writer Brian Michael Bendis first made the move from Marvel to DC in 2017, the writer behind instant-classic runs on Ultimate Spider-Man and Daredevil was always going to make waves with his post-DC Rebirth debut.
In addition to both Superman and Action Comics. However, that was just the beginning. Bendis also spearheaded a new imprint: Wonder Comics, which teamed the writer up with some of today's hottest creators to revitalize DC's teen heroes. As Wonder Comics approaches its one-year anniversary, one thing that's abundantly clear is that Wonder Comics has already left a meaningful mark on the DC Universe.
The first book to kick off Wonder Comics was Young Justice, by Bendis and Patrick Gleason. The series brought back the popular 90s teen team, reuniting Tim Drake's Robin, Conner Kent's Superboy, Impulse and Wonder Girl and adding Amethyst, Jinny Hex and Teen lantern to the fray. It was quickly followed up by three miniseries; Naomi by Bendis, David F. Walker, and Jamal Campbell, Dial H For Hero by Sam Humphries and Joe Quinones, and Wonder Twins by Mark Russell and Stephen Byrne.
With its first issue, Young Justice set the tone for Wonder Comics. It was fast-paced, fun, and filled with excitement. The story saw the team reform as they traveled through multiple realities like Gemworld, the world of Captain Carrot and the Zoo Crew and Earth-3. In addition to revealing the origins of Teen Lantern and Jinny Hex, the series has revealed what Superboy has been up to for the last few years, and seen Tim Drake take on a new non-Robin persona.
With Young Justice #13, the team just doubled in size with the addition of the other Wonder Comics characters, and a second "real" Young Justice showed up, and the series seems set to remain the beating heart of the Wonder Comics imprint. On top of that, the series still has to unravel the mystery of how Impulse returned and what S.T.A.R. Labs has quietly been up to.
Over its initial six-issue run, Naomi was met with critical acclaim, as it introduced a new hero while exploring her mysterious connection to the greater DC Universe. While the titular young hero has joined Young Justice and popped up around the DC Universe since then, Bendis has already teased some of Jamal Campbell's art from the hero's next miniseries.
While both Dial H For Hero and Wonder Twins were originally planned as six-issue series, each series earned critical acclaim and was 12 issues each. Dial H saw its teenage heroes take up the device that can turn anyone into a random superhero, and Wonder Twins saw its titular alien super-siblings try to adjust to modern Earth culture.
With both books features characters and ideas that have drifted in and out of prominence over recent years, it doesn't look like the characters will be disappearing any time soon. The Wonder Twins work at the Hall of Justice and have already shown up in a few other books as background characters. They've also joined Miguel Montez and Summer Pickens - the current owners of Dial H's H-Dial - as the newest members of Young Justice.
Even though Wonder Comics doesn't really feature any A-list heroes outside of Young Justice, the imprint has succeeded thanks to a relatively conservative publishing plan that focused on a small handful of quality titles. By focusing on one ongoing title and three miniseries with distinct tones, Wonder Comics avoided the over-saturation that likely played a role in the premature end of DC's New Age of Heroes line. With all but one series building off of established characters or parts of DC lore, Wonder Comics made a new character like Naomi stand out in a crowd of familiar faces, instead of getting lost in a mix of several new characters.
As the second year of Wonder Comics begins, Young Justice will delve deeper into the mystery of S.T.A.R. Labs, Naomi is set to return, and Amy Reeder will be writing and drawing a six-issue Amethyst series. Additionally, Bendis has already teased more Wonder Comics announcements soon. With Young Justice set to start interacting more with the rest of the DC Universe, it doesn't look like Wonder Comics will be going away any time soon.