Earlier this year, Black Lightning creator and longtime comics writer Jenny Blake came out as transgender. Now Blake and DC are teaming to tell her story, as the publisher has announced that Blake will pen an autobiographical story, “Master Planner,” for the forthcoming DC Pride 2025 one-shot. Blake will be joined by artist Sara Soler and letterer Jodie Troutman for the story.
“Master Planner” joins previous autobiographical entries in the DC Pride series, including the Eisner Award-winning “Finding Batman” by Kevin Conroy and artist J. Bone, and “Spaces” by Phil Jimenez and artist Giulio Macaione. This year’s DC Pride entry is the first new work for DC from Jenny Blake since she came out as transgender back in February. In a statement announcing the story, Blake described the reception to her announcement and the inspiration for the story:
Along with the announcement of the new Jenny Blake-penned story, DC has also unveiled the contents page for DC Pride 2025, featuring the full list of creators contributing to the one-shot. The publisher has also revealed artist Sozomaika‘s variant cover for the issue, which features fan-favorite couple Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy.
You can read the full release from DC about Blake’s story and the one-shot as a whole, including many more quotes from contributing creators, below. DC Pride 2025 is due out in stores and digitally on Wednesday, June 4th. Final order cutoff for the issue is next Monday, May 5th.
In an extraordinary collaboration between two celebrated voices in comics, DC today announced the addition of an original story, “Master Planner” by writer Jenny Blake and artist Sara Soler with lettering by Jodie Troutman, to DC Pride 2025. This new story, like Kevin Conroy’s personal story “Finding Batman” (art by J. Bone) in 2022 and Phil Jimenez’s autobiographical story “Spaces” (art by Giulio Macaione) in 2024, is a poignant exploration of Blake’s identity, authenticity, and the universal quest for self-understanding.
Jenny Blake, a trailblazing figure with over five decades of contributions to the comics industry, shared her heartfelt reflections on the project:
“When I came out as transgender, the comics community was overwhelmingly loving and supportive. Being asked to contribute to this anthology was unexpected and so affirming. I’ve done a lot of cool things in my 50-plus years in comics, but this story is one of the things I’m most proud of. I see myself in this story and I hope readers see something of themselves in it. I had a wonderful time writing my story, and I hope the readers enjoy it as much as I did.”
The story, brought vividly to life by the extraordinary artistry of Sara Soler, invites readers into a journey that is both deeply personal and widely relatable, bridging human experiences of transformation, resilience, and belonging. Soler’s style beautifully captures the essence of Blake’s narrative, creating a perfect harmony between words and visuals.
Blake’s original story, along with the entire creative team across DC Pride, is a testament to the strength of community, and the power of storytelling, in building empathy and understanding.
“Superhero comics are a really perfect medium for telling a story about community,” said Jude Ellison S. Doyle about DC Pride 2025. “These characters inherently live in community, in-universe and out, and are kept alive by the community of fans and readers that sustains their existence. So getting to sit with a bunch of queer comics creators and build a story about queer superheroes together felt really healing and right.”
“Growing up, I was a huge DC Comics fan,” continued Maya Houston. “Once I realized my own queerness and found a community within that identity, it became even more exciting to see the heroes I grew up loving resemble the lives of my loved ones and myself. It showed that we didn’t need a cape to feel triumphant. DC Pride is so important because it serves as a celebration of LGBTQ+ experiences.”
“It really is an honor to work alongside these talented, passionate creators and tell stories that celebrate our community,” added Josh Trujillo. “I came out at a time when there were virtually no mainstream queer superheroes, so I can’t overstate what being a part of DC Pride means to me. All of us in the book are lucky enough to build on the hard work of previous queer creators. I hope together we can move the needle and expand what representation means in the DC Universe.”
“Oh man, I’m like a broken record on this when I say: Every reader deserves to see themselves in comics!” said Tim Sheridan. “And if Pride stands for anything, it should stand for our resilience in the face of uncertainty, anxiety, and hate—and for the heroes, all around us and in the mirror, who, despite all of it, keep on going. This year’s story (and it is, for the first time, one big, unified story) will try and address some of what we’re collectively feeling, because ignoring it just feels dishonest. And, like, if we’re gonna have pride, let’s have pride in everything, including our anxieties and fears. The idea is to own all of it, even that darker stuff, and, together, look for the light to lead us through. Now, that doesn’t mean there isn’t any joy in this book! Quite the opposite, in fact. It’s got all the things: highs, lows, ups, downs, a smooch or two, and a big, cosmic superhero problem to be dealt with!”
Additionally, DC’s editorial team has selected a handful of letters, cosplay, and fan art to be published in a letters column within the pages of DC Pride 2025. Originally shared on the DC Official Discord server, fan contributions to DC Pride 2025 reflect how the legacy of DC’s storytelling has impacted, or reflected, their LGBTQIA+ identity, journey, or experience.
DC Pride 2025 will publish on June 4, available wherever comic books are sold. Contributors include writers Vita Ayala, Jude Ellison S. Doyle, Maya Houston, Sam Maggs, Tim Sheridan, and Josh Trujillo; artists Don Aguillo, Vincent Cecil, Derek Charm, A.L. Kaplan, Giulio Macaione, Alex Moore, Skylar Patridge, Emilio Pilliu, Max Sarin, and Phillip Sevy; colorists Eren Angiolini, Jordie Bellaire, Tríona Farrell, and Marissa Louise; letterers Aditya Bidikar, Frank Cvetkovic, Lucas Gattoni, Ariana Maher, Morgan Martinez, and Jodie Troutman for main story “The Heart Wants”; along with Blake, Solar, and Troutman for “Master Planner.” The 96-page Prestige format comic will feature a main cover by Kris Anka and variant covers by Sozomaika, Julia Reck, and Jack Hughes (1:25), all priced at $9.99 US (card stock).
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