SDCC 2026, Day Two: Turtles Turn 300, DC Spreads the Wealth, and the Eisners Weather a Leak

Friday started slower than I planned. After a late morning, I made it to the convention center in time for what turned out to be the perfect way to ease into a busy day: the TMNT 300th issue “Shellebration” panel, hosted by the always-delightful Brad and Lisa from Comic Book Couples Counseling.

Three hundred issues of Turtles

The panel brought together a strong lineup: Gene Luen Yang, Tom Waltz, Andrew Joustra, Jake Thomas, Sarah Myer, and a surprise appearance from Shawn Kittelsen, head of creative and production at Paramount Games. Reaching 300 issues is no small thing for a property that started as a black-and-white indie parody in 1984, and the panelists treated the milestone with the affection it deserves.

The biggest news of the hour was the announcement of the third and final arc of The Last Ronin, titled “Return to New York.” For a series that has become one of the defining modern TMNT stories, closing out the trilogy is a genuine event, and the room responded accordingly. Kittelsen also spent time on the upcoming Platinum Games project, promising it would be a proper AAA experience rather than a licensed cash-in. Platinum’s pedigree with character action makes that an easy promise to get excited about, and I’ll be curious to see whether it lands closer to their best work or their more uneven output.

What stuck with me most, though, was the panelists taking turns describing how the Turtles shaped their lives. Gene Luen Yang put it plainly: “Turtles fired up my imagination as a kid and launched my career as an adult.” He also made a point I hadn’t heard framed quite that way before, talking about TMNT as a tool for teaching creative writing. Everyone knows a Donny, a Raph, a Leo, and a Mikey, so those four archetypes give young writers an easy foothold for building character. Tom Waltz described the Turtles as comfort food, saying that no matter how they look or sound across their many incarnations, they’re the Turtles at heart. He mentioned always asking himself how people will feel about what he wrote, which tells you a lot about why his work on the series has resonated the way it has.

After the panel wrapped, I got to do a quick walk-and-talk with Brad and Lisa before heading over to a DC double-header.

DC’s Gotham City panel and the Bad Seeds event

First up was DC’s Gotham City panel, centered on the upcoming Bad Seeds event. The setup: Poison Ivy has become mayor of Gotham, and things are going about as well as you’d expect when a plant-based ecoterrorist takes City Hall. All the major Bat-properties will be pulled into the event, and one of the more exciting threads is the spotlight on Stephanie Brown’s return as Batgirl, a character who has a devoted following and doesn’t always get the room to shine.

The reveal I walked away thinking about was Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez, the team behind Absolute Martian Manhunter, reuniting for a new series called Shadow of the Bat. The premise has a chemical explosion leaving a ward of Gotham overrun with transformed monsters, forcing Batman to step in and contain the threat. Camp joined the panel and said he hoped it would be another interesting and original take on the caped crusader. Given what he and Rodriguez pulled off on Martian Manhunter, which was one of the most formally adventurous books DC put out last year, that’s a pairing worth paying attention to.

The DC Next Level panel and a smarter way to grow

The second half of the double-header was the DC Next Level panel, and this one had me genuinely energized. The lineup included Joshua Williamson, Hayden Sherman, Kyle Higgins, Michael Walsh, Gerry Duggan, Brittany Holzer, and Andrew Marino.

The first major focus was the upcoming Legion of Super-Heroes series from Hayden Sherman and Joshua Williamson, built around an assortment of fan-favorite heroes who don’t often get the spotlight. That turned out to be the throughline of the whole panel, and it’s what makes the Next Level arm of DC so interesting right now. In the wake of the Absolute franchise’s success, DC has made a conscious decision to reinvest that momentum into a wider range of properties rather than hoarding the profits. The result is a more varied landscape for the publisher and for readers, which is a win all around. Too often a hit becomes a reason to play it safe. DC is doing the opposite, and I respect it.

From there, the announcements kept coming. Kyle Higgins talked up an upcoming Teen Titans series. Michael Walsh announced he’d be working on a Jonah Hex title this October. Gerry Duggan discussed a one-shot he has coming. And then the surprises: Next Level is launching an ongoing Vixen series written by Stephanie Williams, a new Static series from Cody Ziglar, and a new run on The Demon written and drawn by James Harren. Harren on Etrigan is the kind of pairing that makes me want to preorder immediately. I’m very excited to see this next chapter from DC running alongside the powerhouse that the Absolute line has become.

Meeting Hickman on the floor

After the panels, I made my way back to the exhibit hall, where I got signatures from Jonathan Hickman and Nick Spencer on their new title Three Worlds, Three Moons. I also got Hickman to sign my hardcover of East of West Volume One, which already carried a remark from Nick Dragotta.

Since East of West is arguably the best comic I’ve ever read (often in my top 3 rotating), getting to meet Hickman in person and thank him for it was a real highlight of the con for me so far.

Meanwhile, elsewhere at Comic-Con…

While I was busy running between panels and working the floor, plenty else was happening across the convention. Here’s some of the bigger news from Friday.

Marvel made its return to Hall H this year ahead of Avengers: Doomsday, and the games side delivered. Insomniac Games surprised fans with a new story trailer for Marvel’s Wolverine, opening on a confrontation between an enraged Logan and Jean Grey. The trailer also spotlighted foes including the Hand and Lady Deathstrike, who serves as one of the story’s central villains.

On the PlayStation front, Santa Monica Studio held a God of War Laufey panel and gave the game a release date. The game launches February 16, 2027, roughly seven months out. The bigger surprise came from creative head Cory Barlog, who confirmed that a new Kratos-led God of War game is also underway and directly connected to Laufey. Laufey puts players in the role of Faye, Kratos’s late wife, letting us finally see the warrior we’ve only heard about in legend across the Norse games. Knowing a Kratos game follows and ties directly into her story is a smart way to build anticipation for both.

Back to the floor: ashcans, artists, and a mentoring moment

While the awards buzz was building, I made a return trip to Felix Comic Art to get my ashcan signed by Ian Bertram. I’m genuinely excited for his upcoming series, The Kármán Blade, and I was glad to tell him so in person. Felix continues to set the standard for how to handle these kinds of drops, and it’s always a good stop.

After that, I was walking the floor with my friend, the talented comic artist Eamon Winkle, and we swung by to say hello to Danny Earls. I’ve had the pleasure of chatting with Danny before at New York Comic Con, and he’s a tremendous talent. What happened next was the kind of thing that makes conventions worth the sore feet: watching Eamon and Danny connect in person for the first time, which turned into an impromptu mentoring session. Danny offered some really insightful advice on drawing landscapes to establish depth in perspective, and even as someone who isn’t an artist myself, it was encouraging and honestly just cool to watch two people connect over their craft and their dedication to it. So one more shout to Danny Earls. He is an incredibly nice guy, and if you get the chance to say hello to him, you absolutely should.

After that it was time for dinner and then back to the hotel to recharge.

The Eisners weather an early leak

Friday night closed out with the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards at the Hilton Bayfront. This year came with a bit of drama, since a winners list appeared to leak early after briefly going live on the official website, prompting Comic-Con International to say it would investigate while urging fans not to let it overshadow the nominees and winners. Comparisons to premature Oscar and Nobel leaks were made, which feels about right for how the comics internet reacted. To the credit of everyone involved, the leak didn’t seem to dampen the spirit of the night.

And what a night for the Absolute line. Absolute Batman took Best Continuing Series, and the Absolute Batman 2025 Annual #1 by Daniel Warren Johnson, James Harren, and Meredith McClaren won Best One-Shot/Single Issue. That annual was a standout, and Johnson used his acceptance speech to thank editor Katie Kubert and DC for standing behind a story he refused to compromise on, closing with a line about how at least we have comics in a tough world. Indeed - at least we have DWJ in the comics world too!

Deniz Camp had an excellent evening too, with Absolute Martian Manhunter winning Best Limited Series and Assorted Crisis Events taking Best New Series. Seeing his work recognized right before his Shadow of the Bat reveal made the timing feel especially fitting.

And I have to give a personal shout to Jesse Lonergan, who won Best Graphic Album–New for Drome. Drome was one of my favorite reads of last year, a formally inventive book that does things with the comics page most creators wouldn’t attempt. Congratulations again, Jesse. Well earned.

On to Saturday

All told, it was a busy, full, and thoroughly fun day. Now I’m looking ahead to the climax of the con on Day Three. Marvel returns to Hall H, and things are about to get a little crazy. See you Saturday!