DC surprise drops new Harley Quinn anthology comic 'Black + White + Red' from A-list talent

It's a very, very good time to be a Harley Quinn fan. The character launched a hit animated series last year that's wrapping up its second season, she starred in her second movie earlier this year with Birds of Prey, and she's been killing it in a number of comics appearances lately. Now, we can add one more exciting Harley project to the list: A brand-new anthology comic from some of the best creators DC has to offer, and you can read the first chapter right now.

On Friday, DC Comics announced the surprise launch of Harley Quinn: Black + White + Red, a new digital-first anthology series in the vein of the beloved Batman: Black & White comics. As the name suggests, the series will feature stories told through black and white, with the addition of stylized red to highlight Harley's particular...worldview.

The first chapter, from writer/artist Stjepan Šejić and letterer Gabriela Downie, is available to buy right now, and takes readers back to the world of Šejić's acclaimed Harley Quinn graphic novel Harleen. You can check out a preview of that issue in the gallery right here:

Upcoming chapters will feature an impressive lineup of talent from around the comics world, including Harley co-creator Paul Dini, fan-favorite Harley team Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner, Chad Hardin; Saladin Ahmed and Javier Rodriguez; Tim Seeley and Juan Ferreyra; Erica Henderson, Daniel Kibblesmith, and more. Plus, several acclaimed artist will use Black + White + Red to make their DC Comics debuts as writers, including Mirka Andolfo, Dani, Joe Quinones, and Riley Rossmo.

“This is such a cool series with killer art,” Mark Doyle, DC Executive Editor, said in a press release. “Senior Editor Chris Conroy had the idea to riff on the classic Batman: Black & White series but to do it with Harley in that irreverent, fun way that only Harley can do - and DC Digital First seemed like the perfect format to tell these stories.”

Harley Quinn: Black + White + Red is expected to run 14 chapters, with a new chapter dropping weekly beginning today. The first month will include Andolfo's chapter on July 3, Ahmed and Rodriguez's chapter on July 10 and Seeley and Ferreyra's chapter on July 17. The first issue is now available at readdc.com, comiXology, Kindle, and other places comics are sold.

Artist Alex Ross takes Comic-Con@Home by storm with new 'Extraordinary X-Men' litho

Due to the ongoing pandemic crisis, this year's San Diego Comic-Con will be a gala virtual event called Comic-Con@Home, with a galaxy of Hollywood stars, comic book creators, video game designers, and everything else of a geeky nature under the sun, all in one online experience running July 22-26.

Legendary illustrator Alex Ross (Kingdom Come, Marvels) is gearing up for the event by releasing an all-new Extraordinary X-Men lithograph as part of the digital celebration. This is the first time this remarkable piece has ever been offered as a fine art collectible, and has an exclusive pre-order period available as a Comic-Con@Home exclusive in the Alex Ross Art Web Store starting Tuesday, July 7, at 3 p.m. ET.

"It was always my intention to do a lineup of the X-Men this way — the timeless six, the most important original six members of the X-Men," Ross tells SYFY WIRE. "It has Phoenix in her pre-Dark Phoenix stage, Cyclops, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Storm. These were the prime members - the cornerstone of when X-Men became the hottest book in comics."

"Extraordinary X-Men" is a striking illustration created by Alex Ross celebrating Marvel's most magnificent mutants, The X-Men. Showcased in this simmering Ross composition is an imposing force of iconic fan favorite characters: Wolverine, Night Crawler, Jean Grey, Cyclops, Storm, Human Torch, and Cyborg.

Each individually numbered piece of "Extraordinary X-Men" is hand-signed by Alex Ross and is priced at $325. This dynamic image measures 34"x19" and was reproduced by Alex Ross Art as a fine art offset lithograph composed on premium archival paper in a limited edition of just 100. Includes a Certificate of Authenticity.

Video of X-Men Character Design

Only a small run of this bold X-Men art is available, so anyone interested in signing up is highly encouraged to join the waitlist here.

Ross and his support team will be participating in Comic-Con@Home and presenting a live video premiere with all-new Alex Ross interviews and featuring an hour of fresh, never-before-seen video footage. The program will premiere on their Alex Ross Art channels, and fans can sign up to receive more info as additional details are announced.