The Deadman Brings Supernatural Horror to DC Next Level

DC Comics is expanding the supernatural scope of its Next Level initiative with The Deadman, a six-issue limited series launching June 3. The highly anticipated project reunites the acclaimed creative team behind Ice Cream Man and Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum, writer W. Maxwell Prince and artist Martín Morazzo, whose work is celebrated for blending psychological depth with unsettling, atmospheric storytelling. Together, they deliver a haunting and emotionally layered reimagining of one of DC’s most enigmatic supernatural heroes.

The story takes place in the aftermath of DC K.O., a catastrophic event that has shattered the natural balance between life and death. The boundary separating the living from the afterlife has collapsed, leaving souls trapped in an endless loop of confusion, anguish, and spectral disorientation. As this spiritual instability spreads, reality itself begins to distort. The threat is no longer just physical destruction but a profound unraveling of existence at its most fundamental level, pushing the world toward total metaphysical collapse.

At the center of the crisis is Boston Brand, the restless spirit known as Deadman. Both cursed and uniquely empowered, Brand can possess the bodies of the living, from ordinary people to powerful metahumans, accessing their memories, abilities, and senses to investigate what others cannot see. To restore balance, he must navigate the world through borrowed bodies and uncover the source of this cosmic disruption before both the living and the dead are trapped in permanent spiritual freefall.

Deadman’s legacy dates back to 1967, when writer Arnold Drake and artist Carmine Infantino introduced the character in Strange Adventures #205. Since then, the ghostly hero has stood apart in comic book history, known for stories that combine supernatural mystery with philosophical themes of mortality, identity, and redemption. Drake originally envisioned Deadman as a muscular skeleton, a far more literal interpretation of the undead. Even the name “Deadman” nearly faced rejection, as publishers feared the Comics Code Authority might object to the title. In an eerie twist, Boston Brand had already adopted the name as his circus trapeze persona, complete with corpse-white makeup, before his murder during a live performance.

While Infantino created the character’s visual foundation, artist Neal Adams later redefined Deadman’s appearance with a dramatic, realistic style beginning with issue #206. Early stories also pushed creative boundaries, including one of the first Comics Code-approved depictions of narcotics, and a continuity error involving the killer Hook switching hands was cleverly turned into a plot point by Jack Kirby, suggesting the murderer may have been an impostor.

As a ghost, Deadman’s defining power is possession, allowing him to inhabit living hosts and wield their memories, skills, and even superhuman abilities. The character has appeared across DC media in surprising ways, including a comedic gag in Teen Titans Go!, where Robin discovers Brand’s literal corpse hidden beneath Starfire’s bed. Much of Deadman’s spiritual path is tied to Nanda Parbat, a hidden Himalayan sanctuary known for mystical training and enlightenment.

The new series also features colors by Chris O’Halloran, whose work enhances the book’s eerie and emotional tone. Issue #1 arrives with a main cover by Morazzo, plus variant covers by Frank Cho and Tula Lotay, a 1:25 incentive variant from Mike Choi, a Next Level variant by Jorge Corona, and a foil edition by Lotay, giving collectors multiple striking editions to choose from.

Blending metaphysical horror, emotional intensity, and classic superhero storytelling, this new miniseries pushes Deadman into darker, more unsettling territory while honoring the character’s enduring legacy. It continues a storytelling tradition that explores not only what it means to live, but what it means to exist between worlds.