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Although it is the Absolute universe that is getting a lot of headlines, DC also has its Next Level line that gives some lesser-known characters the spotlight with the mainline DC Universe. Now, they’ve revealed that an upcoming Deadshot special is going to set up the future of the 'Next Level' line, with characters like Jonah Hex, Firestorm, and the Legion of Super-Heroes playing some kind of role in the story coming.

On sale on August 19, 2026, DC’s Next Level: One Shot follows Deadshot, the world’s most deadly assassin, as he uncovers a conspiracy that threatens to change everything. Former Marvel exclusive writer Gerry Duggan and artist Fernando Blanco will create a “tale of a job gone sideways, a father and his daughter, and a web of super-powered lies that stretches throughout the entire DC Next Level cast of characters…and points in the direction of war on the horizon.”

This 48-page one-shot comic isn’t just a Deadshot story, though. DC is promising that Next Level: One Shot #1 will tell “you everything you need to know about what’s next for Next Level… if you survive the experience.”

What does that future entail? We don’t know for sure, but DC has mentioned that both Jonah Hex and the Legion of Super-Heroes are involved, along with characters like Batwoman, Barbara Gordon, and Zatanna. We cannot wait to see how they are going to draw a line between all these characters and draw them into the bizarre conspiracy that Deadshot is going to uncover this summer.

Next Level: One Shot #1 goes on sale on August 19, 2026.

Need more? Here's our picks for the best DC Comics stories of all time, and here's a list of all the free DC comics you can look forward to as part of this year's Free Comic Book Day 2026 and Comics Giveaway Day 2026.