Line #18 Creator/DCBlackLabel


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dc_black_label.jpg]]
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3
4	Black Label is an imprint of Creator/DCComics that focuses (but not exclusively) on {{Elseworld}} and out-of-continuity stories about some of Franchise/TheDCU's most popular characters, written and drawn by prominent creators in comics.
5
6	Most of these are new titles original to the imprint, but reprints of older stories that fit the Black Label ethos (e.g. ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'') are also included in the line.
7
8	The first wave of Black Label titles began in Fall 2018, with ''Batman: Damned'' (by Brian Azzarello & Lee Bermejo) serving as its inaugural release, while 2017's ''ComicBook/BatmanWhiteKnight'' was folded into the imprint with its first graphic novel printing.
9
10	With the closure of Creator/{{Vertigo\|Comics}} in 2019, it was announced that the few remaining Vertigo titles would be transferring over to Black Label, with the imprint being retooled slightly as the home for all DC's mature readers material, probably including Vertigo reprints being given Black Label trade dress. This includes the books published under ComicBook/TheSandmanUniverse brand.
11
12	Following the DC layoffs of 2020 -- which notably included both major editors from Black Label -- the company announced plans to significantly scale back the imprint, shifting its focus from new books to reprinting older stories like ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke.'' This is in line with DC editorial's stated goals to make their overall output [[LighterAndSofter more family-friendly]] and more aligned with the "franchise brand" in 2021.
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14	[[foldercontrol]]
15	!DC Black Label
16	[[folder: Original Series]]
17	Original first-run comic series put under the imprint's banner. Usually, but not always, presented in a prestige format with different publishing schedules varying between each series.
18	----
19	[[index]]
20	* ''ComicBook/AmericanVampire: 1976'' - The concluding chapter of the ''American Vampire'' series by Scott Snyder and Raphael Albuquerque.
21	* ''ComicBook/AquamanAndromeda'' - At Point Nemo, the most remote place on Earth, a covert team of scientists pilot an experimental submarine in search of mysterious structure that has suddenly activated. Also on the search however is Black Manta, and his longtime enemy, the ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}. Written by Creator/RamV and art by Christian Ward.
22	* The ''ComicBook/BatmanWhiteKnight'' Saga -- The original series was retroactively placed under the Black Label imprint with all subsequent installments being released under it.
23	** ''ComicBook/BatmanCurseOfTheWhiteKnight'' -- A direct sequel to ''ComicBook/BatmanWhiteKnight'', which was the most recently released graphic novel to be retroactively folded into the label. Written and drawn by Sean Gordon Murphy.
24	** ''Batman: White Knight Presents Harley Quinn'' --When a recent, gruesome crime scene suggests a connection to The Joker, the FBI turn to Harley as the one person with information that could crack the case. Written by Katana Collins and Sean Gordon Murphy with art by Matteo Scalera.
25	** ''ComicBook/BatmanBeyondTheWhiteKnight'' -- When Terry [=McGinnis=] steals the Beyond suit on behalf of Gotham Motors CEO Derek Powers, Bruce escapes from prison and enlists Jason Todd to destroy his tainted legacy once and for all. Written and drawn by Sean Gordon Murphy.
26	* ''ComicBook/BatmanDamned'' -- When Joker's dead body is recovered, Batman journeys through a Gotham City hellscape with ComicBook/JohnConstantine to uncover the killer's identity. Written by Creator/BrianAzzarello and drawn by Lee Bermejo.
27	* ''ComicBook/BatmanGargoyleOfGotham'' -- Set in Earth-46, this dark, unjust Gotham is patrolled by a grim and young Batman who faces a much different rogues gallery, the first of which is a serial killer named Crytoon, a constantly-weeping man obsessed with the cartoon character of the same name. Written and drawn by Creator/RafaelGrampa.
28	* ''ComicBook/BatmanTheImposter'' -- A Batman story set in a "gritty, hard-boiled version of Gotham City" where a second Batman haunting Gotham's rooftops and alleys—and this one has no qualms about murdering criminals, live and on tape. Written by Mattson Tomlin and drawn by Andrea Sorrentino.
29	* ''ComicBook/BatmanLastKnightOnEarth'' -- Billed as "the last Batman story ever told", Batman wakes up in post-apocalyptic tale where the villains have won. Written by Scott Snyder and drawn by Greg Capullo.
30	* ''ComicBook/BatmanReptilian'' -- Batman used to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies but a new and mysterious savage monster is stalking Gotham's streets and it’s after the city’s infamous villains. Written by Creator/GarthEnnis and art by Creator/LiamSharp.
31	* ''ComicBook/BatmanThreeJokers'' -- Picking up on the ComicBook/DCRebirth revelation that there have been three different [[ComicBook/TheJoker Jokers]] throughout history. Written by Creator/GeoffJohns and drawn by Jason Fabok.
32	* ''[[ComicBook/BatmanCatwoman Batman/Catwoman]]'' -- An out-of-continuity sequel to ''ComicBook/BatmanTomKing'', set in a world where James Tynion's run doesn't happen. Written by Creator/TomKing and drawn by Clay Mann. [[note]] with Creator/LiamSharp filling for issues Mann couldn't reach his deadline by.[[/note]]
33	* ''The Boy Wonder'' - When Batman goes missing while Gotham experiences a series of mysterious abductions, it's up Damian Wayne and his adoptive brothers to take care of business. In process learning what it means to be a Robin. Written and drawn by Juni Ba
34	* ''[[ComicBook/CatwomanLonelyCity Catwoman: Lonely City]]'' -- An elderly Selina Kyle goes for her last big "score" by breaking into the Bat-Cave in a Gotham ruled over by Mayor Harvey Dent following an incident 10 years ago that claimed the lives of Batman, the Joker, Nightwing, and Jim Gordon. Written and drawn by Cliff Chiang.
35	* ''ComicBook/TheDarkKnightReturnsTheGoldenChild'' -- The fourth chapter of Creator/FrankMiller's iconic ''ComicBook/TheDarkKnightReturns'' saga, in which Lara Kent and Carrie Kelly, the new Batgirl and Supergirl, dealing with Lara's younger brother, Jonathan Kent, as he comes into his immense power, which could have catastrophic repercussions. Written by Creator/FrankMiller and drawn by Rafael Grampa.
36	* ''Danger Street'': Starman, Metamorpho, and Warlord look to prove themselves worthy by summoning and defeating Darkseid in battle. Soon they’ll learn that calling upon a New God never ends well, and their world is headed for a crisis as a result! Written by Creator/TomKing and drawn by Jorge Fornés.
37	* ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'' -- The story of the citizens of Fabletown continues.
38	** ''ComicBook/BatmanVsBigbyAWolfInGotham'' —- The Big Bad Wolf detective of Fabletown teams up with the Dark Knight Detective.
39	* ''ComicBook/TheFellspyreChronicles'' -- An original heavily dark HighFantasy saga and set around the kingdom of Fellspyre in the fantastical realm of Cain Anuun.
40	** ''ComicBook/TheLastGod'' -- The first book, taking place 30 years after a band of heroes had supposedly killed the last living god, Mol Uhltep, an eldritch creature who's kind once plagued and ravaged the lands. However, it would seem the legends lie as the supposedly dead Mol Uhltep makes a chilling return, bent on gruesome revenge. Written by Creator/PhillipKennedyJohnson and drawn by Riccardo Federci and Sunny Gho with Dean White.
41	*** ''[[Literature/TheLastGodTalesFromTheBookOfAges The Last God: Tales from the Book of Ages]]'' -- A {{sourcebook}} detailing the setting for use with 5th edition ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''.
42	*** ''The Last God: Songs of Lost Children'' -- One shot showing the journey of Queen Cyanthe from innocent girl to warrior.
43	* ''ComicBook/{{Harleen}}'' -- A BroadStrokes interpretation of ComicBook/HarleyQuinn's origins. Written and drawn by Creator/StjepanSejic based on his popular fanart series of the same name.
44	* ''ComicBook/HellblazerRiseAndFall'' -- A stand-alone story written by Creator/TomTaylor where John Constantine and Lucifer Morningstar investigate a series of bizarre suicides.
45	* ''ComicBook/TheHumanTarget2021'' -- A [[FilmNoir Noir Detective-style]] comic following [[ComicBook/HumanTarget Christopher Chance]], a man hired to disguise himself as his clients to invite would-be assassins to attempt his murder, has just 12 days to track down who in the DC Universe is after his latest client, ComicBook/LexLuthor. Written by Creator/TomKing and art by Greg Smallwood.
46	* ''[[ComicBook/JokerHarleyCriminalSanity Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity]]'' -- A SerialKiller plagues Gotham City and profiler Harley Quinn is brought in to help apprehend him. Written by Kami Garcia and drawn by Mico Suayan and Mike Mayhew.
47	* ''[[ComicBook/JokerKillerSmile Joker: Killer Smile]]'' -- The Joker has a fateful encounter with a mental health professional... who is ''not'' Harley Quinn. Written by Creator/JeffLemire and drawn by Andrea Sorrentino.
48	** Later got an epilogue one-shot called ''Batman: The Smile Killer''
49	* ''ComicBook/TheNiceHouseOnTheLake'' -- A horror comic by Creator/JamesTynionIV, Alvaro Martinez Bueno, and Jordie Bellaire. Eleven friends go up to a nice house on the lake for a vacation... just in time for the apocalypse. The one who invited them, however, already knew this was going to happen.
50	* ''ComicBook/TheOtherHistoryOfTheDCUniverse'' -- A "literary" recounting of [[Franchise/TheDCU DC Universe]] history that focuses on characters from marginalized groups. Written by Creator/JohnRidley with art by Giuseppe Camuncoli and Andrea Cucchi.
51	* ''ComicBook/{{Peacemaker}}: Disturbing The Peace'': A curious psychiatrist attempts to get into the mind of Christopher Smith, a.k.a Peacemaker. An extra-sized one-shot by Creator/GarthEnnis and art by Gary Brown.
52	* ''[[ComicBook/TheQuestionTheDeathsOfVicSage The Question: The Deaths of Vic Sage]]'' -- ComicBook/TheQuestion discovers that he's been the subject of reincarnation since at least TheThirties and seeks to investigate. Written by Creator/JeffLemire, drawn by Denys Cowan and inked by Bill Sienkiewicz.
53	* ''[[ComicBook/RiddlerYearOne Riddler: Year One]]'': A {{Prequel}} tie-in comic exploring the origins of The Riddler from the movie ''Film/TheBatman2022''. Written by the Riddler's actor, Creator/PaulDano, and art by Stevan Subic.
54	* ''ComicBook/{{Rogues\|DCComics}}'' -- Ten years into retirement [[Characters/TheFlashTheRogues The Rogues]] reunite for OneLastJob that takes them to Gorilla City. Written by Creator/JoshuaWilliamson and drawn by Leomacs.
55	* ''ComicBook/Rorschach2020'' -- In the ''Watchmen'' universe, someone's dressed up as the divisive anti-hero, but for what purpose? Written by Creator/TomKing, drawn by Jorge Fornés and colored by Dave Stewart.
56	* ''ComicBook/StrangeAdventures2020'' -- ComicBook/AdamStrange's post-space war life turns sideways when an angry man gets killed.
57	* ''ComicBook/SupermanVsLobo'' -- A three-part miniseries that sees the Man of Steel pitted against [[ComicBook/{{Lobo}} The Main Man.]] Written by Creator/TimSeeley and art by Sarah Beattie.
58	* ''ComicBook/SupermanSpaceAge'' -- Clark Kent, a young reporter who just learned that the world will soon come to an [[ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths end]] and there is nothing he can do to save it. Sounds like a job for his alter ego... Superman! Three issue mini-series written by Creator/MarkRussell and drawn by Mike Allred.
59	** Followed in 2024 by ''Batman: Dark Age'' by the same creative team.
60	* ''[[ComicBook/SupermanYearOne Superman: Year One]]'' -- A retelling of Superman's origin story. Written by Creator/FrankMiller and drawn by John Romita Jr.
61	* ''ComicBook/SupermanTheLastDaysOfLexLuthor'' -- A three-part miniseries about the death of Lex Luthor written by Creator/MarkWaid and drawn by Bryan Hitch.
62	* ''[[ComicBook/SwampThingGreenHell Swamp Thing: Green Hell]]'' -- As the last remnants of humanity cling to existence, the Parliaments of the Green, the Red, and the Rot agree it’s time to wipe the slate clean and start the cycle of life over again and only Alec Holland finds he can stop them. Written by Creator/JeffLemire and drawn by Dough Mahnke.
63	* ''Waller vs. Wildstorm'': In the early 1980s, as the Cold War stubbornly refuses to thaw, a new battle heats up for the soul of the intelligence agency Checkmate between Jackson King, a.k.a. the armored Battalion, against Adeline Kane and his clever new ally—an ambitious young woman named Amanda Waller. Written by Spencer Ackerman and drawn by Evan Narcisse.
64	* ''ComicBook/WonderWomanDeadEarth'' -- Diana awakens from a centuries-long sleep to discover that the world of man has been ravaged by nuclear war, and it's up to her to defend the last remnants of humanity from the grotesque monsters that roam the wastelands. Written and drawn by Daniel Warren Johnson.
65	* ''ComicBook/WonderWomanHistoriaTheAmazons'' -- A "Creator/{{Homer}}ic" epic about the history of Queen Hippolyta and the Amazons, before Steve Trevor washed up ashore on Themyscira. Written by Creator/KellySueDeConnick and drawn by Creator/PhilJimenez, with artists Creator/NicolaScott and Gene Ha on subsequent issues.
66	* ''[[ComicBook/ZatannaBringTheHouseDown Zatanna: Bring The House Down]]'' -- Zatanna will have to take herself and her magical abilities seriously when an interdimensional vortex cracks open the very stage she performs on, releasing a terrifying demon bent on killing her. And if Zatanna hopes to escape with her life, she'll have to face the even more terrifying consequences of her past. Written by Creator/MarikoTamaki with art by Creator/JavierRodriguez.
67	[[/folder]]
68	[[/index]]
69
70	[[folder: Reprints]]
71	Reprints of previously published DC Comics prior to Black Label's launch.
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73	[[index]]
74	* ''ComicBook/AllStarSuperman''
75	* ''[[ComicBook/ArkhamAsylumASeriousHouseOnSeriousEarth Batman: Arkham Asylum A Serious House On Serious Earth]]''
76	* ''ComicBook/BatmanWhiteKnight''
77	* ''ComicBook/DCTheNewFrontier''
78	* ''ComicBook/{{DMZ}}''
79	* ''ComicBook/ExMachina''
80	* ''ComicBook/GreenArrow: The Longbow Hunter's Saga'' [[note]] Omnibus of Mike Grell's original ''Longbow Hunters'' mini and Green Arrow run [[/note]]
81	* ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}'' [[note]] Omnibus of Creator/GarthEnnis' Hellblazer run [[/note]]
82	* ''ComicBook/{{Joker}}''
83	* ''ComicBook/KingdomCome''
84	* ''ComicBook/LexLuthorManOfSteel''
85	* ''Comicbook/{{Preacher}}''
86	* ''ComicBook/Ronin1983''
87	* ''[[ComicBook/SwampThing Saga Of The Swamp Thing]]'' [[note]] Collections of Creator/AlanMoore's run [[/note]]
88	* ''ComicBook/WonderWomanTheHiketeia''
89	* ''ComicBook/VForVendetta''
90	* ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}''
91	[[/folder]]
92	[[/index]]
93
94	[[folder: Hill House Comics]]
95	A sub-imprint of HorrorComicBooks curated by Creator/JoeHill.
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97	-> See Creator/HillHouseComics for more details.
98	[[/folder]]
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100	!!DC Black Label provides examples of:
101	* BroadStrokes: The name of the game with the Black Label is to tell out-of-continuity stories, but not necessarily so out there to be considered {{Elseworlds}}.
102	* CanonDiscontinuity: WordOfGod has confirmed that some of the titles were originally pitched as in-canon storylines but were folded into Black Label to allow more breathing room continuity-wise.
103	* HotterAndSexier: The line has been know to get more steamy than the regular books when it wants.
104	* PrecisionFStrike:
105	** The imprint is a bit more lenient on foul language, as ''Batman: Damned'' and ''Last Knight on Earth'' has Batman and Joker respectively say "shit."
106	** ''Harleen'' freely throws around "fuck" whenever it feels like it.
107	* {{Retool}}: Black Label was retooled four times in its first four years. It was initially pitched as an imprint for creator-driven, out-of-continuity books starring DC characters. Then standalone, but in-continuity stories like ''Three Jokers'' were announced for Black Label too. And then, with the shuttering of Vertigo, it was announced that both former Vertigo books and standalone graphic novels would be reprinted in Black Label trade dress . And then at last, both its major editors were fired in DC's mass layoffs and indications are that the Black Label books will basically be prestige miniseries set in regular DC continuity.

Context Creator / DCBlackLabel