Hot off the heels of the All-In Saga launching DC’s Absolute Universe (the absolute hottest game in superhero comics), the publisher’s wasting no time taking things to the Next Level. DC K.O marks the end of Act 1 of the All-In Saga, and Act 2 begins iwth both a continuation of the K.O. fallout and what we’ve learned about Darkseid and Superman, as well as the Next Level line of books, focused on playhouses for superstar creators with DC characters that needed dusting off!
Previously: DC All-In Saga Part 1
Related: DC Absolute Universe
DC noting the success of Absolute and doubling down on creator-driven comics with Next Level is why they’re the most popular arm of the Big 2 in the mid 2020s. It’s extremely cool to see top-tier comics makers like James Harren, the Ice Cream Man team, and Mariko Tamaki all wanting to play in the DC sandbox. And somehow there’s room for all these attempts to make great comics outside of Black Label and Absolute! What a time to be a DC fan!
Below, you’ll find a complete reading order DC Next Level and DC All-In Saga Act 2, including crossover events like Superman Kingdom of Zod and Batman’s Bad Seeds (also the name of my Chicago hardcore outfit).
DC Next Level
Up front, I’ll clarify that the Next Level books are very much in mainline continuity. There’s a focus on creative visions, but not to the degree that Black Label removes those visions from the restrictions of continuity. For example, both Barbara Gordon: Breakout and (eventually) Batwoman are very much a part of the Batman Family line of shared universe storytelling.
Lobo Vol. 1: All Anti, No Hero
Collects: Lobo #1–6
Creators: Skottie Young, Jorge Corona
Fury of Firestorm (Jeff Lemire)
Collects: The Fury of Firestorm #1–6
Creators: Jeff Lemire, Rafael de Latorre
Deathstroke The Terminator Vol. 1: The Killer
Collects: Deathstroke: The Terminator #1–6
Creators: Tony Fleecs, Carmine Di Giandomenico
Collects: Batwoman #1–6 (2026 series)
Creators: Greg Rucka, DaNi
Collects: Zatanna #1–6
Creators: Jamal Campbell
Follows right on the heels of Campbell’s Zatanna: It’s Showtime from 2025.
Collects: The Deadman #1–6
Creators: W. Maxwell Prince, Martín Morazzo
Ice Cream Man is my favorite Image book of the 2020s. And this is the full creative team. WOOT WOOT.
Collects: Barbara Gordon: Breakout
Creators: Mariko Tamaki, Amancay Nahuelpan
This is a bit of an outlier, because “Breakout” follows directly from the pages of Fraction/Jimenez Batman. But I guess because Mariko Tamaki is an Eisner-machine, her mini with Amancay Nahuelpan qualifies for “Next Level” status!
Next Level: One Shot (2026-) #1
Collects: Next Level: One Shot (2026-) #1
Creators: Gerry Duggan, Fernando Blanco
Legion of Super-Heroes (2026-)
Collects: tbd
Creators: Joshua Williamson, Hayden Sherman
Follows hot on the heels of Williamson’s Superman, DC K.O. and most directly, Superman Annual: Year One Thousand #1. You could read all that first. Or you could just say, “Holy Grife, Hayden Sherman on Legion! Long Live the Legion!” Either approach works.
Collects: tbd
Creators: Kyle Higgins, Daniele Di Nicuolo
Collects: tbd
Creators: Darcy Van Poelgeest, Niko Henrichon
I mean, come on. The writer of Little Bird with the artist of Pride of Baghdad and Brian K. Vaughan’s weird porn comics? On Doom Patrol?! Where do I sign.
Collects: tbd
Creator: James Harren
Ok, this is actually too specifically targeted to make me buy DC Comics. Get out of my head you freaks. If you don’t know James Harren, he’s the cartoonist behind Ultramega and that Eisner-winning Absolute Batman Annual. He rules.
Collects: Lobo #7–12
Creators: Skottie Young, Jorge Corona
DC All-In Saga Pt. 2
Superman Family
Superman: Reign of Superboy Prime
Collects: Superman #36–40
Supergirl: Reign of the Superboys – Kandor
Collects: Supergirl #11–15
Action Comics Vol. 2: Reign of the Superboys – Future Shock
Collects: Action Comics #1096 to #1100
Collects: Bizarro: Year None #1–4
Superman Unlimited: Superboys of Tomorrow
Collects: Superman Unlimited #11–15
Collects: Superman: Father of Tomorrow #1–6
Collects: Superman Annual: Year One Thousand #1, Action Comics #1100–1102, Superman #41–42, Supergirl #16–17, Superman Unlimited #16–17, Superman: Kingdom of Zod Special #1, Summer of Supergirl Special #1
- Action Comics #1100
- Superman Annual: Year One Thousand #1
- Supergirl #16
- Action Comics #1101
- Superman Unlimited #16
- Superman #41
- Supergirl #17
- Action Comics #1102
- Superman Unlimited #17
- Superman #42
- Superman: Kingdom of Zod Special #1
Justice League Family
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest Vol. 9: The Merger
Collects: Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #44-49
Justice League Unlimited Vol. 4: Villain Amnesty
Collects: Justice League Unlimited #17–22
Emperor Aquaman Vol. 3: Empire of the Stars
Collects: Aquaman #15-20
The Flash Vol. 6: The Speed Was Power, and The Speed Was Joy
Collects: The Flash #31-36
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest – Warlords
Collects: Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #50–53, 2026 Annual #1
Wonder Woman Vol. 5: The Wonder War Act I
Collects: Wonder Woman #31-36
Wonder Woman: The Wonder War Act II
Collects: Wonder Woman #20–21, #37–40 and Wonder Woman Annual: Wonder War – The Matriarch #1
Batman Family
Nightwing Vol. 4: Blüdhaven Lore
Collects: Nightwing #136–141
Catwoman Vol. 4: Where the Heart Is
Collects: Catwoman #85–90
Batman: Detective Comics – Flight
Collects: Detective Comics #1107–1112
Batgirl Vol. 4: Gotham Knockout
Collects: Batgirl #17–22
Harley Quinn Vol. 3: The Harq Knight Returns!
Collects: Harley Quinn #58-65
Collects: Clayface #1–6
Creators: Jude Ellison S. Doyle, Fran Galán
Poison Ivy: Grassroots Monarchy
Collects: Poison Ivy #42–47
Collects: Batman: Bad Seeds – Sunset #1, Batman #13–14, Poison Ivy #48–49, Detective Comics #1113–1114, Batman: Bad Seeds – Sunrise #1
- Batman: Bad Seeds – Sunset #1
- Batman #13
- Detective Comics #1113
- Poison Ivy #48
- Batman #14
- Detective Comics #1114
- Poison Ivy #49
- Batman: Bad Seeds – Sunrise #1
Batman: Bad Seeds – Sowing and Reaping
Collects: Nightwing #142–143, Catwoman #91–92, Harley Quinn #66–67, Batgirl #23–24, Batwoman #7–8
- Batgirl #23
- Catwoman #91
- Batwoman #7
- Nightwing #142
- Harley Quinn #66
- Batgirl #24
- Batwoman #8
- Catwoman #92
- Nightwing #143
- Harley Quinn #67
Batman: Bad Seeds – Streets of Gotham
Collects: Batman: Bad Seeds – Gotham Central #1–2, Batman: Bad Seeds – Gotham General #1–2, Batman: Bad Seeds – Streets of Gotham #1
- Batman: Bad Seeds – Gotham General #1
- Batman: Bad Seeds – Gotham Central #1
- Batman: Bad Seeds – Streets of Gotham #1
- Batman: Bad Seeds – Gotham General #2
- Batman: Bad Seeds – Gotham Central #2
Titans Family
New Titans Vol. 1: The Future is Tomorrow
Collects: New Titans #33-37
Collects: New Titans #38–42
DC Cosmic
Collects: Green Lantern #34–39
Green Lantern Corps Vol. 3: Guy Gardner – Born Again?
Collects: Green Lantern Corps #14–19
The New Golden Age
JSA Vol. 4: Search for the Spectre
Collects: JSA #17–18 (backup stories only), JSA #19–24
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