It's been a while, but DC’s Vertigo imprint is officially back. With an all-star lineup of some of the industry’s greatest creators telling daring, original stories on the bleeding edge of the comic book medium, DC Vertigo has returned to its mission of providing you with bold, unforgettable experiences you’ve never had in comics before.

But hang on a second, I hear you asking. In fact, it’s probably been the most frequent question asked since DC Vertigo’s return was announced. What does this mean for DC Black Label? Or for classic Vertigo comics like Swamp Thing and Hellblazer? 

All reasonable questions. After all, DC Black Label was still quite new when DC’s Vertigo imprint went on hiatus. We’re here to clear things up, and let you know what exactly DC Vertigo is, what it isn’t, and what DC Black Label will continue to be.
 

A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

Back in the early ’90s, Vertigo was founded as a space where mature stories, that were often—and later, exclusively—divorced from the mainstream DC Universe continuity could be told about DC-originating characters, like Animal Man, the Doom Patrol, Swamp Thing and John Constantine. But just a couple years in, DC’s Vertigo imprint also became home to wholly original titles not connected to the DC Universe at all—acclaimed classics like 100 Bullets, Fables, American Vampire and Y: The Last Man. Meanwhile, Hellblazer, Swamp Thing and other DC Universe-adjacent series continued to run, as it became an imprint with two parallel missions. 

By 2012, with the launch of the New 52, mature titles featuring original DC characters began moving back to the main line, and Vertigo became increasingly known for creator-driven original stories without any DC Universe characters.

In 2018, we saw the debut of DC Black Label, a new imprint which carried Vertigo’s original mission statement: a home for mature stories featuring DC characters, unburdened by the wind changes of continuity. Not long after, DC’s Vertigo brand was rested and some original titles—Joe Hill’s Hill House imprint, The Fellspyre Chronicles and The Nice House on the Lake, for example—began appearing in DC Black Label’s lineup. They were exceptions to the norm, but their presence and popularity suggested that a home at DC for these original stories was missed and needed.
 

THE DIFFERENCE

So, that brings us to now. Wholly original books set outside the DC Universe, like The Nice House on the Lake’s follow-up, The Nice House by the Sea, will largely be DC Vertigo books going forward. If you see any reprints of The Nice House on the Lake in the future, you can expect that to be printed as DC Vertigo, too. Likewise, the upcoming follow-up series to 100 Bullets will also be a DC Vertigo title. 

On the flip side, don't expect to see Constantine or Swamp Thing returning to DC’s Vertigo imprint in the future. Reprints of the old Vertigo stories, and any future mature-rated stories featuring DC characters outside of comic book continuity, will for the most part be dressed as DC Black Label now. (This includes the recently announced Swamp Thing 1989 comic.)

In short, you’re going to see a lot of great original titles under the DC Vertigo name, and a lot of great new mature takes on DC characters under the DC Black Label name. Two different missions, two different labels. Simple.

And in the few cases where maybe it isn’t...well, enjoy the head trip. That's what DC’s Vertigo line of comics has always really been about.