In October 2018, DC Comics launched
DC Black Label, a prestige-format imprint for mature readers meant for writers to tell definitive stories without necessarily being held back by continuity or censhorship, in the tradition of
Watchmen,
Batman: The Killing Joke, and so on... Or that was the original intention, anyway. The imprint's first comic
Batman: Damned #1 attracted much attention, but definitely not for the reasons DC had hoped. Featuring the first ever official depiction of Batman's
other Dick, it promptly got people talking for the wrong reasons and the publisher didn't take it well,
censhoring all digital copies,
refusing to reprint the issue, and blaming the nudity on "
production errors" while stating that it "was not additive to the story." This has caused them to rethink Black Label, with
Batman: Damned #2 getting pushed back twice from its November release,
Batman: Damned #3 delayed all the way to March 2019, and Frank Miller's
Superman: Year One (originally intended to be Black Label's debut title) nowhere to be seen. And now we can add yet another title to Black Label's long list of delays...
According to
Newsarama, John Ridley's (
12 Years a Slave) upcoming limited series
The Other History of the DC Universe has been set back indefinitely. The anothology comic was intended to focus on lesser heroes in the DC Universe, such as Black Lightning, Renee Montoya, and Katana. DC reportedly informed retailers that January 2019-solicited orders for the comic had been cancelled, with the title being moved to a later unknown date.
Academy Award-winning screenwriter John Ridley (12 Years a Slave, Let It Fall) examines the mythology of the DC Universe in this compelling new miniseries that reframes iconic moments of DC history and charts a previously unexplored sociopolitical thread as seen through the prism of DC Super Heroes who come from traditionally disenfranchised groups.
This unique new series presents its story as prose by Ridley married with beautifully realized color illustrations from a selection of exciting illustrators and comics artists. Alex Dos Diaz provides art for #1, which follows the story of Jefferson Pierce, the man who will one day become Black Lightning, as he makes his way from being a young track star to a teacher and, ultimately, to his role as a hero.
Future issues focus on characters such as Karen and Mal Duncan, Tatsu Yamashiro and Renee Montoya.
Extensively researched and masterfully executed, THE OTHER HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE promises to be an experience unlike any other. You may think you know the history of the DC Universe…but the truth is far more complex. THE OTHER HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE isn’t about saving the world—it’s about having the strength to simply be who you are.
PRESTIGE FORMAT
$7.99 US | 1 of 5 | 64 PAGES
APPROX. 8.5” x 10.875”
FC | MATURE READERS
But while the imprint's original titles are moving at a snail's pace, it's important to note that DC has started reprinting famous graphic novels under DC Black Label, including Kingdom Come, Joker, All Star Superman, Batman: Year One, Black Orchid, Watchmen and DC: The New Frontier. Still, one can only wonder if the imprint will be short-lived.