vertigo

DC’s Vertigo Line Relaunches Next Month

Long long ago, DC decided to target a different market: adult comic book readers who wanted something a bit more…sophisticated and mature. The result was Vertigo, which turned into one of the most successful ventures they’d ever tried. Fables and the Sandman universe came from this line, among other things.

Now in 2026 Vertigo is back, with a completely brand new line of titles! This is by necessity. Bill Willingham will never work with them again and they have to pretend Neil Gaiman never happened. Fortunately they’ve roped in talent like James Tynion IV, Deniz Camp, Kyle Starks and Steve Pugh, among others, to come up with new worlds. Each #1 issue (except the first one, which is actually issue #7) will debut one week at at time throughout the month of February.

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Tynion’s book, The Nice House By The Sea, continues as a Vertigo title. “The residents of the House on the Lake and the House by the Sea were both told the same thing: that they were the only humans who survived a global apocalypse,” reads the DC synopsis. “But while Walter, the mysterious and seemingly all‑powerful alien master of the Lake House, chose to save the people he’d grown fond of, the Sea House was assembled by another of his species, Max, and she chose the most brilliant and competitive humans. They’ve just learned their only path to survival is to kill every one of the loveable losers in the Lake House…and they know exactly how do it. And what’s worse? Someone in the Lake House has agreed to help them…” This is the first Vertigo book, due out February 4.

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One week later comes Bleeding Hearts #1, a wacky tale about the zombie apocalypse — from the perspective of the zombies. The dilemma of the main protagonist is that he may be turning BACK into a human (oh no!) The story comes from Deniz Camp with art by Stipan Morian, and it will be released February 11.

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The next title is the comedic End Of Life #1, about a manchild hitman who crossed the wrong target and now needs a place to hide. He picks the one place everyone figures he’d never go, his childhood home town — and home of his estranged and angry father. Complications ensue! It’s by Starks and Pugh, and it begins February 18.

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Final;y there’s The Peril of the Brutal Dark #1, half noir and half fantasy — a private investigator in the 1940s finds himself up against a cabal with weapons that give them the powers of the gods. This gumshoe might be out of his depth. The story’s from Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips and it starts February 25.

Check out the new DC Vertigo line all throughout the month of February, and look out for more.

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Avatar of Ampersand&
Ampersand&

Member

468 messages 42 likes

Wow, hearing Vertigo coming back makes me cautious but also curious. I know the old era cannot return, and I am fine with that. What matters is tone and freedom. The Nice House By The Sea already feels like it belongs here, since it is slow, tense, and uncomfortable in a good way. The idea of two groups of survivors being forced into a fight sounds cruel but interesting. I like that they are not trying to revive old titles directly. New worlds make more sense. I am less sure about the comedy ones, but Vertigo always mixed strange ideas with serious themes. I will probably try the first issues digitally before committing. If the writing respects adult readers and does not feel like superhero leftovers, I think Vertigo can still work in 2026.

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Avatar of Owllliance245
Owllliance245

The Best Sunglasses Shop owner

125 messages 4 likes

I am mostly here for Bleeding Hearts because it sounds stupid in a way I enjoy. Zombies that worry about turning human again is funny, but it can also say something if done right. I like comics that flip the point of view, especially when everyone else keeps repeating the same apocalypse stories. I do not really care about Vertigo as a brand name anymore, since labels change all the time. What I care about is whether the books feel free and weird. Deniz Camp usually writes smart ideas without being annoying, so I trust that one the most. The release schedule is kind of strange, one issue per week, but it also makes February feel like an event. I will probably skip the crime noir one unless people say it is special. I am not against mature comics, I just want them to have a reason to exist beyond nostalgia.

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Avatar of Kreme of the Yellow Hills
Kreme of the Yellow Hills

New Member

15 messages 0 likes

Vertigo was important to comics history, and it introduced me to stories that felt more adult without being edgy for no reason. On the other hand, bringing it back now feels like DC trying to clean its image after many problems. I am glad they are using new creators instead of pretending nothing happened. That is at least honest. The Peril of the Brutal Dark sounds closest to what I liked before, since I enjoy noir stories with strange elements. A detective facing god-like enemies in the 1940s feels heavy and moody, which is what I want from this line. I am not sure about the manchild hitman story. Comedy is hard, and it can break the mood if it tries too hard. I will give Vertigo a chance, but only if the books trust readers to think and feel uncomfortable sometimes.

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Avatar of Change
Change

Member

778 messages 4 likes

I read Vertigo back when I wanted to feel smart, and sometimes it worked, sometimes it was just confusing. Now I am older and more patient, so I am open to trying again. The February rollout feels like DC testing the water without making a big promise.

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