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DC Vertigo Relaunch Hits the Presses Running with Seven New Books

S.W. Sondheimer

Staff Writer

When not prying Legos and gaming dice out of her feet, S.W. Sondheimer is a registered nurse at the Department of Therapeutic Misadventures, a herder of genetic descendants, cosplayer, and a fiction and (someday) comics writer. She is a Yinzer by way of New England and Oregon and lives in the glorious 'Burgh with her husband, 2 smaller people, 2 cats, a fish, and a snail. She occasionally tries to grow plants, drinks double-caffeine coffee, and has a habit of rooting for the underdog. It is possible she has a book/comic book problem but has no intention of doing anything about either. Twitter: @SWSondheimer

There was much excited flailing at Emerald City Comic Con this past March when Vertigo’s new executive editor, Mark Doyle, announced the imprint would be celebrating its 25th anniversary by gifting us with a Sandman Universe line curated by none other than Sandman creator, Neil Gaiman.

dc vertigo relaunch

Well, hold on to your ankhs, kids, there’s more.

Today, DC Vertigo announced that Sandman Universe is only part of a complete rebrand/relaunch for the imprint, which will be, “rededicating its focus to creating modern, socially relevant, high-concept, inventive stories appealing to readers of all genres.”

What, exactly, does that mean?

It means seven brand-spanking-new books, four of which will release in the fall/winter of 2018 and the remainder of which will be available in “early 2019.”

Take a peek:

BORDER TOWN by Eric M. Esquivel and Ramon Villalobos (September, 2018):

“When a crack in the border between worlds releases an army of monsters from Mexican folklore into the small town of Devil’s Fork, Arizona, the residents blame the ensuing weirdness—the shared nightmares, the otherworldly radio transmissions, the mysterious goat mutilations—on “God-dang illegals.” With racial tensions supernaturally charged, it’s up to new kid in town Frank Dominguez and a motley crew of high school misfits to discover what’s REALLY going on.”

Hex Wives by Ben Blacker and Mirka ANdolfo (October, 2018)

“‘The women are too powerful. They must be tamed.’ A malevolent conspiracy of men brainwashes a coven of witches to be subservient, suburban housewives. But it’s only a matter of time before the women remember their power…”

American Carnage by Bryan Hill and Leandro Fernandez (November, 2018)

“In this thrilling crime saga, disgraced FBI agent Richard Wright, who is biracial but can pass for white, goes undercover in a white supremacist group believed to be responsible for the death of a fellow agent.”

Goddess Mode by Zoë Quinn and Robbi Rodriguez (December, 2018)

“In a near future where all of humanity’s needs are administered by a godlike A.I., it’s one young woman’s horrible job to do tech support on it. But when Cassandra finds herself violently drawn into a hidden and deadly digital world beneath our own, she discovers a group of super-powered women and horrific monsters locked in a secret war for the cheat codes to reality.”

High Level by Rob Sheridan and Barnaby Bagenda (2019)

“Hundreds of years after the world ended and human society was rebuilt from scratch, a self-interested smuggler with a price on her head is forced to traverse a new continent of danger and mystery to deliver a child messiah to High Level, a mythical city at the top of the world from which no one has ever returned.”

Safe Sex by Tina Horn and Mike Dowling (2019)

“A dystopian sci-fi thriller about a ragtag team of sex workers fighting for the freedom to love in a world where sexual pleasure is monitored, regulated and policed by the government.”

SEcond Coming by mark Russell and Richard Pace (2019)

“God sends Jesus to Earth in hopes that he will learn the family trade from Sun-Man, an all-powerful superhero, who is like the varsity quarterback son God never had. But, upon his return to Earth, Christ is appalled to discover what has become of his Gospel and vows to set the record right.”

 

Says Doyle of the relaunch:

“It’s time to rebuild DC Vertigo… We’re returning to our roots by spotlighting the most exciting new voices in comics, as well as bringing new voices to comics. From the corners of television, games, music, activism, podcasting, comics and more, all of our creators are passionate and have something to say. These sophisticated stories have amazing new characters and vast worlds to explore. That’s what it has always been about for me—new stories, new voices, new possibilities. We’re creating a new generation of DC Vertigo classics for readers of all genres.”

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m planning to catch ’em all.