DC Expands Its NEXT LEVEL Line of Comics with
Barbara Gordon: Breakout Launching This May,
The Deadman Launching in June,
and More
DC: Next Level continues its rollout this spring as the line’s next two series arrive from the award-winning teams of Mariko Tamaki and Amancay Nahuelpan, and W. Maxwell Prince and Martín Morazzo. Following the March launches of Batwoman, Lobo, and Deathstroke: The Terminator, and the April debuts of The Fury of Firestorm and Zatanna, Barbara Gordon steps into the spotlight with Barbara Gordon: Breakout in May, and Boston Brand rises from the dead in The Deadman in June. Barbara Gordon: Breakout is a tense, character-driven thriller that forces her into the heart of Gotham City’s most dangerous new battleground—one she'll have to face not with Batgirl's tools or Oracle's tech, but with only her wits to survive—while The Deadman is replete with paranormal activity, possessions, and a profusion of other poignant peculiarities!
BARBARA GORDON: BREAKOUT
Leaping from the pages of Batman into the NEXT LEVEL!
Barbara Gordon: Breakout #1 main cover by Karl Kerschl
Framed. Outlawed. Hunted. The extralegal activities of Gotham City’s vigilantes have never been more dangerous. After Barbara Gordon is arrested for aiding the Bat-Family, she is shipped off to Supermax, GCPD Commissioner Vandal Savage’s pet-project prison for all who oppose him. She will find herself alone, surrounded by dangerous criminals and equally dangerous guards, in a place where nothing is what it seems. The true danger is just beginning.
Eisner Award–winning writer Mariko Tamaki and fan-favorite artist Amancay Nahuelpan reunite to deliver a twisty, unexpected Bat-book for DC: Next Level.
Barbara Gordon: Breakout #1, by Mariko Tamaki and Amancay Nahuelpan, launches on May 13 with a main cover by Karl Kerschl, variant covers by David Nakayama and Yanick Paquette, and a 1:25 incentive variant by Nahuelpan. The issue also features a DC: Next Level variant cover by Jorge Corona and a foil variant by Nakayama. The debut issue is priced at $3.99 US for the main cover, with card stock variants available for $4.99 US and a foil variant for $6.99 US.
Barbara Gordon: Breakout #1 variant covers by David Nakayama, and Yanick Paquette
Barbara Gordon: Breakout #1 variant covers by Amancay Nahuelpan, and Jorge Corona
THE DEADMAN
The DC: NEXT LEVEL Line Expands With THE DEADMAN!
The Deadman #1 main cover by Martín Morazzo and Chris O’Halloran
DC is also adding a supernatural twist to the Next Level lineup with The Deadman, a six‑issue miniseries launching June 3 from the acclaimed Ice Cream Man and Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum team of W. Maxwell Prince and Martín Morazzo. In the aftermath of DC K.O., the balance between life and death has been thrown into chaos, leaving souls trapped in a dangerous loop of ghostly derangement. Only Boston Brand—the one and only Deadman—can possess the living and the metahuman alike to uncover the source of the disruption and restore order before the entire world slips into spiritual freefall.
The Deadman #1, by W. Maxwell Prince, Martín Morazzo, and Chris O’Halloran, launches on June 3 with a main cover by Morazzo, variant covers by Frank Cho and Tula Lotay, and a 1:25 incentive variant by Mike Choi. The issue also features a DC: Next Level variant cover by Jorge Corona and a foil variant by Lotay (pending your fact‑check). The debut issue is priced at $3.99 US for the main cover, with card stock variants available for $4.99 US and a foil variant for $6.99 US.
The Deadman #2 main cover by Martín Morazzo and Chris O’Halloran
More From DC: NEXT LEVEL This Spring
Barbara Gordon: Breakout and The Deadman join the DC: Next Level line of new comic books with their May and June debuts. Fans can look forward to monthly installments of Batwoman, Deathstroke: The Terminator and Lobo (launching in March), along with new issues of Zatanna and The Fury of Firestorm (launching in April), and now Barbara Gordon: Breakout and The Deadman, each shining a spotlight on these fan-favorite characters as the line continues to expand.
More DC: NEXT LEVEL Announcements Still to Come
Barbara Gordon: Breakout and The Deadman are the latest DC: Next Level titles to be announced in 2026. As DC: All In continues its second act, fans can expect even more creator-driven #1s and bold new directions for iconic characters like Batwoman, Deathstroke, The Demon, Firestorm, Lobo, the Legion of Super-Heroes, Barbara Gordon, Deadman, Jonah Hex, Zatanna, the Teen Titans, Doom Patrol, and more. The creative roster includes Jeff Lemire, Jamal Campbell, Hayden Sherman, Mariko Tamaki, Rafael De Latorre, Greg Rucka, Tony Fleecs, James Harren, Martín Morazzo, Deniz Camp, Javier Rodríguez, Michael Walsh, W. Maxwell Prince, Jorge Corona, Kyle Higgins, DaNi, Daniele Di Nicuolo, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Skottie Young, Amancay Nahuelpan, Joshua Williamson, and others. Additional DC: Next Level titles, creative teams, and storylines will be revealed in the months ahead as DC builds toward a landmark year of storytelling across the DCU.
