⚡ Quick answer

DC All In is the editorial initiative DC launched in October 2024 under the direction of writers Joshua Williamson and Scott Snyder. It covers two universes: the main DC universe and the new Absolute universe, linked by Darkseid. The reading order comes down to five milestones: DC All In Special #1 (October 2, 2024), the first Absolute titles (Batman on October 9, 2024, Wonder Woman on October 23, Superman on November 6), Justice League Unlimited #1 (November 27, 2024), the We Are Yesterday crossover (spring and summer 2025), then the DC K.O. event (October 2025 to March 2026). The next step is DC All In Saga: Darkseid vs. The World #1, a 48-page issue written by Snyder and Williamson and drawn by Sanford Greene, scheduled for October 28, 2026.

Two years after its launch, DC All In has become hard to follow for anyone who has not read the publisher's series every month. The initiative is not just an event: it is a framework that encompasses all the series of the main universe, an entire line of reinvented series, several crossovers, a tournament, and now a 48-page issue billed as the showdown between Darkseid and the rest of the world.

This guide offers a path. It does not list all the series, which would be pointless, but the milestones that structure the whole, in the order they were published, with what you need to have read to arrive at October 28, 2026 understanding what is at stake. For Darkseid's first appearances and their place in a collection, our Darkseid key issues remain the reference.

How the initiative is built

DC All In succeeds the publisher's previous banner, Dawn of DC, and directly follows the 2024 event Absolute Power. The announced principle is twofold. On one side, offering an entry point to all the main universe's series, with a new status quo for the Justice League. On the other, creating a second universe, the Absolute universe, in which the publisher's best-known heroes are reinvented in a harsher world, where everything works against them.

The thread linking the two is Darkseid. The opening issue establishes that the tyrant of Apokolips is behind the link between these two realities, and the line accompanying the initiative sums it up: two universes, one prophecy. The whole background plot, for two years, has been preparing a confrontation with him.

A useful note for reading: the Absolute series read on their own. They have their own characters, their own stakes, and you can perfectly well read Absolute Batman without opening a single main universe series. The reverse is true too. It is only for the big rendezvous, like October 28, 2026, that the two threads join.

Issues mentioned : DC All In

Milestone 1: DC All In Special #1 (October 2, 2024)

1

DC All In Special #1

October 2, 2024 · Joshua Williamson and Scott Snyder · art notably by Daniel Sampere
The starting point

The opening issue does two things at once. It sets the Justice League in its new configuration, with a rebuilt watchtower and a team widened to nearly all the heroes of the universe. And it opens the door to the Absolute universe, establishing Darkseid's role in its birth.

To read: first, without exception. It is the only essential issue for both universes at once.

Milestone 2: the Absolute line (October 2024 to April 2025)

The Absolute series came out in two waves. The first, in fall 2024, reinvents the publisher's trinity:

The second wave arrives in spring 2025:

These series met with rare commercial success. According to its writer, Absolute Batman sells nearly 500,000 copies a month. The series pauses after its #25, on October 28, 2026: no issue in December, a spinoff story in November, a special issue in January 2027, and a resumption at #27 in February 2027. Our analysis of this December pause and our guide to the Absolute line detail the strategy, and our key issues of the Absolute universe list the first appearances.

For October 2026, the line's rendezvous are Absolute Superman #24 on October 7, Absolute Flash #20 on October 21, then Absolute Wonder Woman #25 and Absolute Batman #25 on October 28, the same day as the big Darkseid issue.

Milestone 3: Justice League Unlimited (from November 27, 2024)

In the main universe, the series carrying the central thread is Justice League Unlimited, launched on November 27, 2024 by Mark Waid and Dan Mora. It follows the expanded League set up by the opening issue, with a scope recalling the big team series of the 1990s. It is the series to follow if you only want to read one in the main universe.

The heroes' individual series, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash and the others, have all restarted under the All In banner. They read independently, but several of them later take part in the events.

Milestone 4: We Are Yesterday (April to July 2025)

First big crossover of the main universe, We Are Yesterday is written by Mark Waid and brings together Batman/Superman: World's Finest and Justice League Unlimited. It begins with World's Finest #38, put on sale on April 16, 2025. A time-traveling Gorilla Grodd reveals he is behind a Legion of Doom from the past, sends older versions of Batman and Superman into the future, and scatters the League across time.

The reading order alternates the two series: Justice League Unlimited #5, World's Finest #38, Justice League Unlimited #6, the 2025 annual of World's Finest, World's Finest #39, then Justice League Unlimited #7 to #9. The crossover continues in Justice League: Dark Tomorrow Special #1, out on July 30, 2025, which links to what follows.

Milestone 5: DC K.O. (October 2025 to March 2026)

DC K.O. is the initiative's central event. Written by Scott Snyder, with Joshua Williamson, and drawn by Javi Fernández, it organizes a tournament among the members of the Justice League. The winner is to become the King Omega, a champion powered by Omega energy, the only one able to defeat Darkseid and prevent his domination over reality.

1

The prologue

Justice League: Dark Tomorrow Special #1, a few issues of Justice League Unlimited and of Superman, then Justice League: The Omega Act Special #1, out on October 1st, 2025.

2

The main series

DC K.O. #1, on October 8, 2025, through #5, on March 4, 2026. It is the only essential thread.

3

The fights

Each round of the tournament has its issue: one-shots like Superman vs. Captain Atom, Wonder Woman vs. Lobo, Harley Quinn vs. Zatanna or Red Hood vs. the Joker, and episodes in the Aquaman, Titans, The Flash and Superman series.

4

The side items

The four-issue miniseries Knightfight and several special issues. Enjoyable, not necessary.

The practical advice is to read the five issues of the main series first, then go back to the fights involving your favorite characters. The tournament is built to be understandable without reading everything.

In between: Next Level and the 2026 series

In 2026, DC added to All In the Next Level banner, devoted to new creator-driven series on established characters, but set in main continuity. On September 2, 2026, under this banner, Teen Titans #1, Legion of Super-Heroes #1 and The Doom Patrol #1 came out. These series are not needed to understand the coming showdown with Darkseid, but they are part of the initiative and show its diversity.

In the same month of October 2026, two other special issues deserve a mention: Justice League: Dark Realm Special #1, on October 28, the first script by artist Dan Mora, devoted to the origins of Cadejos, and the continuation of the main universe's regular series.

Milestone 6: Darkseid vs. The World (October 28, 2026)

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DC All In Saga: Darkseid vs. The World #1

October 28, 2026 · 48 pages · Scott Snyder and Joshua Williamson · art by Sanford Greene
The next rendezvous

This issue reunites the two architects of the initiative, two years after the opening issue. The encyclopedic database devoted to the publisher places it among the sequels to DC K.O., with several regular series issues. The title says what is at stake: Darkseid, whom the whole universe has been preparing to face since 2024.

What you need to have read: at minimum DC All In Special #1 and the five issues of DC K.O.. With Justice League Unlimited as well, you will have the essentials of the main universe's context.

What we do not yet know is just as important. The issue's detailed content is not known as we write, and any claim about its consequences for the Absolute universe would be a guess. A New York convention takes place October 8 to 11, 2026; details are possible there, but nothing has been said yet.

Paths according to your time

The minimal path: DC All In Special #1, DC K.O. #1 to #5, then Darkseid vs. The World #1. Seven issues, and the essentials of the background plot.

The main universe path: add Justice League Unlimited from its #1, with the We Are Yesterday crossover, and the DC K.O. fights that interest you.

The Absolute path: the six series from their #1, in order of launch, starting with Absolute Batman. It is self-sufficient and can be read without the rest.

Frequently asked questions

With DC All In Special #1, out on October 2, 2024, written by Joshua Williamson and Scott Snyder. This issue sets the new Justice League in the main universe and opens the door to the Absolute universe, establishing Darkseid's role. After that, two paths are possible: Justice League Unlimited, launched on November 27, 2024, for the main universe, or the Absolute series, starting with Absolute Batman on October 9, 2024. The two can be read separately.
No. The Absolute series take place in a distinct universe, with their own versions of the heroes, and read independently. The main universe plot, from Justice League Unlimited to DC K.O., does not assume you know them. The two threads are however linked by Darkseid, and the big rendezvous, like the October 28, 2026 issue, can reference both. Reading them enriches the experience, but it is not an obligation to follow the story.
It is the central event of DC All In, published from October 8, 2025 to March 4, 2026 in five issues, written by Scott Snyder with Joshua Williamson and drawn by Javi Fernández. The members of the Justice League face off there in a tournament whose winner is to become the King Omega, a champion powered by Omega energy, the only one able to defeat Darkseid. Each fight gets a one-shot or an episode in a regular series. The main series is enough to follow the plot.
At minimum, DC All In Special #1 from October 2024 and the five issues of DC K.O., published between October 2025 and March 2026. These are the two pillars of the plot leading to the showdown with Darkseid. For fuller context, add Justice League Unlimited from its #1 and the 2025 We Are Yesterday crossover. The October 28, 2026 issue has 48 pages, is written by Scott Snyder and Joshua Williamson, and drawn by Sanford Greene.
Six main series were launched in two waves. In fall 2024: Absolute Batman (October 9), Absolute Wonder Woman (October 23) and Absolute Superman (November 6). In spring 2025: Absolute Flash (March 19), Absolute Martian Manhunter (March 26) and Absolute Green Lantern (April 2). Other spinoff issues are added, like Absolute Batman: Beyond Ark M in November 2026. Each series reads independently of the others, even though they share the same universe.
Nothing allows us to say so to date. DC has not announced the end of the initiative, and the regular series continue after October 28, 2026, notably Absolute Batman, which resumes at #27 in February 2027 after a pause. The Snyder and Williamson issue is presented as a big rendezvous of the background plot, but its exact content and consequences are not yet known. We will have to wait for its release, or any clarifications from the publisher, to know what it changes.
Trademark notice: DC Comics, DC All In, Absolute, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Justice League, Darkseid and the character names mentioned are registered trademarks of DC Comics. CGC is a registered trademark of Certified Guaranty Company. My Comics Collection is not affiliated with any comic publisher. References are made for purely informational and descriptive purposes. The dates given are on-sale dates in the United States, as of October 3, 2026; upcoming dates may change.