SDCC ’23: The DCU becomes a BEAST WORLD in new event series

Things are about to get savage in the DC Universe. At today’s Jim Lee & Friends panel at San Diego Comic Con, DC Comics announced Beast World, a new event storyline from writer Tom Taylor and artist Ivan Reis. The story spins out of Taylor & Nicola Scott‘s ongoing Titans series, and finds Earth under siege by interstellar sea stars led not by Starro, but by new villain Necrostar.

Here’s how DC describes Beast World:

Clawing its way out of the pages of Tom Taylor and Nicola Scott’s Titans “Dawn of DC” comic book series comes an unprecedented threat to the DC Universe, an intergalactic Sea Star—a conqueror like Starro, but one that is far more frightening. Superman, Wonder Woman, Starfire—all are powerless to stop The Necrostar from ending all life on Earth. And the only Super Hero who can save the world is…Beast Boy?!

With Nightwing, Raven, Cyborg and the Titans beside him, can Garfield Logan rise to battle an ancient evil? Or is he doomed to become the greatest threat to the DC Universe? What will Amanda Waller do to take advantage of the situation as millions of people are changed into rampaging creatures? And can humanity survive all-powerful Super Heroes and Super-Villains transformed into ferocious beasts?

The event storyline will play out in the pages of new series Titans: Beast World, which will launch in November and run into January. Before that series launches, though, Tales of the Titans #4 will set the stage for Beast Boy’s role in the storyline in a story by Andrew Constant, Ted Brandt, and Ro Stein. 

More details from DC’s PR (which feels like it’s really giving a lot away, but maybe not):

As the Titans rally together in the pages of Titans: Beast World to prepare to fight the intergalactic beast, The Necrostar, Starfire discovers how it was first defeated by the Tamaraneans of the past: it was beaten by Starro. Luckily, the Titans have a warrior that can take the shape and match the powers of a world-conqueror like Starro—Beast Boy!

And what does all of this have to do with Amanda Waller? The threat Beast Boy poses will further Amanda Waller’s crusade against metahumans and her anti-alien alliance…by any means necessary. As Waller looks for ways to take Starro Beast Boy down, she will form a cautious understanding with none other than Lex Luthor—as an expert in dealing with alien threats.

Beast World is the first event storyline for DC from writer Tom Taylor, and the latest from artist Ivan Reis, who previously illustrated the 2009 Blackest Night event series with writer Geoff Johns. In the statement, Taylor expressed his enthusiasm at bringing Beast World to readers:

“I’m beyond excited to bring this DC crossover event to life starting in November with our new Titans: Beast World series, featuring art by the incomparable Ivan Reis. ‘Beast World’ will also thread the needle between the current series that I’m writing about the Titans,” said writer Tom Taylor. “Friends will fall. Super Heroes will rise. And nothing will ever be the same again. Earth is about to become…Beast World.”

“I’ve been known for tearing peoples hearts out — readers and characters,” Taylor elaborated on the stage at the Jim Lee & Friends panel, before continuing, “And that’s essentially what we’re doing here.” Taylor also teased that “Beast Boy-Starro becomes the greatest threat in the DC Universe,” to the dismay of at least one person in the crowd.

Check out a few teaser images for the storyline, including concept art for Necrostar and for upcoming new character Doctor Hate, below. Titans: Beast World #1 is set to arrive in stores and digitally in November. More information on the event is still to come.

(With on-site reporting from Zack Quaintance)

Miss any of our earlier SDCC ’23 coverage? Find it all here!

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