DC Sets Its NYCC 2026 Panel Lineup Around Absolute Universe, Next Level, and Vertigo

DC has released its programming lineup for New York Comic Con 2026, and the schedule leans hard into three of the publisher's biggest current bets: the Absolute Universe, the year-old Next Level launch initiative, and the newly revived Vertigo imprint. Rather than a single publisher-wide panel, DC built dedicated sessions around each line, with additional programming carved out for Black Label and its YA slate.

The Next Level panel is likely to draw the biggest crowd. The initiative launched earlier this year with Lobo, Batwoman, and Deathstroke: The Terminator, and has since grown to include Barbara Gordon: Breakout and The Deadman, with Teen Titans expected to join the lineup as well. NYCC panels have historically doubled as venues for confirming creative teams and previewing unseen art, so expect this one to function as both a first-year status report and a preview of what Next Level does next.

The Absolute Universe and Vertigo panels round things out. Absolute Batman has been the runaway hit of DC's line this year, and any Absolute-focused session is a natural spot for writer Scott Snyder and artist Nick Dragotta to tease upcoming arcs. Vertigo's relaunch, meanwhile, has been pitched as a home for creator-driven, mature-readers storytelling outside the shared-universe books — a return to something closer to the imprint's original identity. With con panels reliably generating their own wave of announcements once the doors open, this lineup is really a preview of previews.

Original reporting: AIPT.