DC Comics Boycott: 1200 Days With No Ongoing DC Universe Black Lead

Posted in: Batman, Comics, DC Comics, Justice League, Superman | Tagged: boycott, DCSoWhite

DC Comics Boycott: 1200 Days With No Ongoing DC Universe Black Lead

DC Blackout: a DC Comics fan boycott launches after 1200 days without an ongoing DC Universe comic book series with a black lead character

Published Thu, 28 May 2026 08:59:10 -0500
by Rich Johnston
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Last updated Thu, 28 May 2026 09:11:17 -0500
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Today, it is 1200 days without DC Comics publishing an ongoing DC Universe comic book with a black lead character. And as a result, a boycott campaign of DC Comics is being launched by fans of the comic book publisher. Later today, they will be issuing this statement widely.

"We are calling on fans to cancel their DC Comics that are on their pull lists until DC solicits and makes a black ongoing available for preorder, and in turn put that money saved towards publishers and titles that are deserving of their dollar that value telling everyone's stories. There is amazing work coming from Image, Boom!, Vault, Ignition and others that is worth investing in. We are also asking content creators to cease reviews and promotion of DC titles past and present until DC solicits, and makes, a black ongoing available for preorder. They are showing with their actions that they do not value black stories, so we should not give them free promotion. Supporting the movement on social media by using #DCSoWhite and #DCBlackout. Showing your pull list with no DC books is an amazing way to show your support as well as the petition that will be released as well."

It's certainly been an issue of late. The closest you get right now might be Jo Mullein in Absolute Green Lantern, but a) that's the Absolute Universe and b) it's an ensemble book. Everything else, such as Mr Terrific or Static, has been in a shared book or mini-series. Sometimes both. It wasn't that long ago that this wasn't going to be an issue. DC Comics was going to retire Bruce Wayne as Batman and replace him with Luke Fox or Jace Fox, Lucius Fox's sons, as part of the 5G initiative, written by John Ridley. Tamara Fox would have been the new Robin. You would also have Tara Flor as a Brazilian Wonder Woman. And Jo Mullein as the Green Lantern lead. And Jackson Hyde as the new Aquaman lead. But then lockdown happened, plans changed, and the executive responsible, Dan Didio, was fired. The line was repurposed to be the two-month event Future State. And Jace Fox's story was repurposed as the mini-series I Am Batman, set in New York. Turns out he wasn't Batman, though, and the series was dropped.

Recently, writer James Portis III wrote for the Comics Beat about his frustration as a black comic book reader and DC Comics fan, saying "The last ongoing mainline title led by a black character was I Am Batman by Academy Award-winning writer John Ridley, centering on Timothy "Jace" Fox. This series concluded after 18 issues on February 14, 2023. Since then, DC has relied almost exclusively on mini and limited series for its Black characters, leaving fans to ask "why?""  He also challenged the idea that "Black-led books don't sell", noting major successes outside DC Comics in Kickstarter, as well as a lack of comparable promotion for projects that do feature black leads. He also points out that "DC Comics has never published an ongoing series centred around a Black woman superhero in its mainline continuity. And despite the outpouring of fans urging DC to give that honor to Vixen and to have industry trailblazers like Stephanie Williams and Tee Franklin pen the project, it has seemingly fallen on deaf ears."

No one would ever accuse Marvel Comics of doing a step-up job in this regard, either. And some of their ongoing series seem to become mini-series rather quickly, across the board. But even they have a new Miles: Morales: Spider-Man ongoing series launching in August. Oh, and Image Comics? One of its bestsellers is Spawn… And today, twelve hundred days after the final issue of I Am Batman was published, a group of DC Comics fans are deciding, for a while at least, that they won't be DC fans anymore. And they are asking you to join them. The hashtag for DC Blackout will be #DCSoWhite, in the fashion of the #OscarsSoWhite campaign.

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