EXCLUSIVE: Brian Michael Bendis' First DC Work Revealed

Longtime Marvel Comics writer Brian Michael Bendis's first published work under his long-term DC-exclusive contract will be a backup story in Action Comics #1000, featuring art by DC co-publisher Jim Lee, ComicBook.com has learned.

The issue, which represents the first time a major American superhero comic has reached the 1,000-issue milestone, will be an over-sized extravaganza with a main feature by writer Dan Jurgens, who took over Action Comics with #957 at the start of the Rebirth initiative in 2016; and another by Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason, who took over Superman at that same time. The rest of the book is a star-studded tribute to eighty years of Superman storytelling.

Besides Action Comics #1000, DC will release a hardcover collection, Action Comics #1000: 80 Years of Superman, which will retail at $29.99 and feature over 300 pages, with a blend of new and reprinted content.

DC had no comment for this story.

News that Bendis had left Marvel for DC astounded fans in November, when DC released a statement via Twitter.

"We are beyond thrilled to welcome Brian Michael Bendis exclusively to the DC family with a multiyear, multi-faceted deal," DC's statement read. "He's one of the premier writers in the industry, having created so many unforgettable stories wherever he's been and we can't wait to see what he has planned for the DC Universe."

Bendis confirmed the news, retweeting the DC Comics announcement.

"This is real," Bendis added. "I love you all. Change is good. Change is healthy. I am bursting with ideas and inspirations. Details to come! Stay tuned!"

Since that announcement, Bendis has teased fans by posting photos to social media with dozens of DC collected editions he was looking over for research purposes, but neither he nor DC has given much clue as to what is coming up.

There have been persistent rumors that Bendis could take over Superman following Action Comics #1000, but our source did not elaborate on Bendis' future beyond DC's massive 80th anniversary bonanza this spring.

During his years at Marvel, Bendis was responsible for some of the publisher's best-known and best-selling comics and storylines, with long runs on comics like Daredevil and The Avengers. He also reinvented the character of Jessica Jones in Alias, the comic that would lay the groundwork for Netflix's acclaimed Jessica Jones TV series. Perhaps most famously, he tackled the reinvention of Spider-Man's early years in Ultimate Spider-Man, a gig that ran so long he eventually killed off Ultimate Peter Parker and created his successor, Miles Morales, who remained a key figure in the Marvel Universe after the Ultimate Universe had been done way with.