DC Comics Reveals 'Heroes in Crisis' #1 Variant Covers

DC has released a number of variant covers for the first issue of Heroes in Crisis, the forthcoming miniseries from Tom King and Clay Mann.

In addition, the company provided looks ahead at variant covers by fan-favorite artist Ryan Sook for the second and third issues of the series, as well as a breakdown of what fans can expect from Sook's variants in each of the subsequent issues.

Sook's variants will be a look inside of the casefiles at Sanctuary, detailing some of the most traumatic moments in the lives of DC's heroes, from the death of Superman to Hal Jordan's murder of his friend Kilowog. Sook will provide such a cover for each of the series' seven issues, which will be open-to-order variants.

"I think these momentous occasions fit so naturally into the scope of the project as a whole," Sook explained on DC's blog. "Many devoted readers know these events, but even new readers can instantly connect to them or may be aware of them already. Like the death of Superman or Batman's back being broken—these defining moments have already come out in other media like film, animation and games, because they are lasting, character-defining moments. They go beyond the comic book page into something human that we can all relate to. It's what makes the series so compelling, to see how the heroes have to deal with [trauma]."

Heroes in Crisis Variant Covers Gallery

Sanctuary is a mental health facility, built for the heroes and villains of the DC Universe. It uses Kryptonian technology, modified by Batman and embracing Amazonian philosophies, so that its AI nurses can provide therapy for the super-beings who find themselves embroiled in violent conflicts on a daily basis.

And the premise for Heroes in Crisis is that there is a "slaughter" at Sanctuary, leaving a number of heroes and villains dead, and two heroes who were on site getting help (Harley Quinn and Booster Gold) are the prime suspects.

Following Sook's depiction of the death of Superman on the cover of issue one, Sook's subsequent Heroes in Crisis variants will focus on Batman's back being broken by Bane for issue two, Wonder Woman killing Maxwell Lord for issue three, Aquaman losing his hand for issue four, Jason Todd's death for issue five and Hal Jordan killing Kilowog for issue six. Issue seven will feature a special yet-to-be-announced Harley Quinn moment to round out the series. All of Sook's variants in this series will receive a spot varnish treatment to give a photo-finish shine to each case file snapshot.

Sanctuary #1 will be in stores on September 26.