DC’s All-In initiative, a line-wide shift that will set the stage for a variety of new series starting in October 2024, will bring changes not just within the DC multiverse…but in the real world, too. On social media this weekend, DC publisher Jim Lee confirmed that the classic “DC bullet” logo — a version of which will serve as the new logo for James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Studios — will also replace the DC logo on comic books published beginning in October. The current logo, which launched in 2016, was the third in just under 20 years. In the 29 years before that, there had just been one: the bullet.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Designed by Milton Glaser (best known for the “I love New York” logo, as Lee pointed out in his social media post), the bullet was the branding DC used from 1976 until 2005. During that time, many of the publisher’s most famous stories were published, from Crisis on Infinite Earths and The Man of Steel to The Death of Superman and The Dark Knight Returns.
“It’s exciting to see Peter Safran and James Gunn bring it back and see the classic DC logo on all DC comics going forward, starting this October and on other merch and toys in early 2025!” Lee said in part. “The beautiful motion logo with the iconic, classic take on Superman breaking forth from the chains that bind him is a powerful reminder of DC Comics’ role in the history of comic books and the impact of our iconic stories on modern, global pop culture.”
This is the first time since 2012 that DC’s logo has featured stars. It’s reported that DC sued DC Shoes over their use of a logo they deemed too similar to their then-current logo in 2005, and eventually lost the lawsuit…because they had failed to trademark their own logo. They ended up forced to pay DC Shoes to keep using their logo, leading to the 2012 “DC flip” logo that launched as part of The New 52.
The 2016 logo debuted on DC Universe: Rebirth, a one-shot that was touted as “the next chapter in the ongoing saga of the DC Universe, mixing traditional values and a modern aesthetic.” It’s only fitting, then, that All In and the Absolute DC Universe, the biggest publishing initiative since Rebirth, gets a new look as well.
Per Lee’s post, the DC bullet will be featured on DC comics beginning in October, and on toys and merchandise beginning in 2025.
