Nightwing, Lex Luthor and a new writer take over Justice League title for Death Metal crossover

(Image credit: Liam Sharp (DC))

Flash writer Joshua Williamson will be taking over DC's Justice League title in September, just in time for a five-part tie-in to the concurrent Dark Nights: Death Metal event titled "Doom Metal".

(Image credit: Liam Sharp (DC))

"Nightwing’s on a mission to free the Legion of Doom from Perpetua’s clutches. But to do so, he’ll need the help of none other than…Lex Luthor?!" reads DC's solicitation for the kick-off issue, #53. "The surprises are only just beginning, as Nightwing, Lex, and a new Justice League must fight their way through an Earth twisted by the Dark Multiverse. Titans will be tested, hearts will be broken, and blood will be spilled!"

According to DC, this tie-in is integral to the larger Death Metal event - soliciting that this five-issue Justice League arc "will directly impact the finale of that event!"

Williamson will be working with Xermanico, an artist who has been drawing the title recently with current series writer Robert Venditti. Liam Sharp has drawn the cover to #53, with a variant incoming from Ben Oliver.

Although best known for his work on the Flash title, Williamson has written the JL on several occasions including the Justice League vs. Suicide Squad event, Justice League Odyssey, and co-writing Justice League: No Justice.

The Dark Nights: Death Metal event kicks off June 16 with Dark Nights: Death Metal #1 (of 7), and will include several concurrent one-shots such as Trinity Crisis, Speed Metal Multiverse’s End, Legends of the Dark Knights, a Metalverse Guidebook, and two additional teased specials dubbed 'Robin King' and 'Last 52.'

Williamson's Justice League run kicks off September 15 with Justice League #53 - just one week before his finale on The Flash.

Here's a full list of DC's September 2020 titles.

Chris Arrant

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)

Latest in Dc Comics
Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.
DC June 2025 solicitations: 10 must-have comics to pre-order this month
Batman and the Jason Todd Robin leap into action.
Sweet Tooth creator Jeff Lemire revisits the early days of Batman's second Robin, Jason Todd
New History of the DC Universe #1
Almost 90 years of DC history will be refined into an official timeline in New History of the DC Universe: "It's a chance to realign all of DC's sprawling continuity into one master timeline"
Sonic and the Flash racing over water
We'll finally learn if Sonic is faster than the Flash as Sega's famous hedgehog and pals team up with the Justice League in a new mash-up comic
Superman surrounded by the exploding Krypton.
Absolute Superman #5 puts a devastating new spin on the Man of Steel's origin story
Superman and the rest of the Super family at Pride.
DC Pride 2025: A revamped special issue starring Green Lantern Alan Scott, new books, and a host of variant covers
Latest in News
Hideo Kojima
Death Stranding 2 Japanese voice recording has officially "wrapped," director Hideo Kojima says: "Thank you so much"
Moana in Moana 2
Disney Plus finally adds heavily requested feature, and we're surprised it took this long
Monster Hunter Wilds screenshot showing lagiacrus holding a monster down
Monster Hunter fans lose their minds as Monster Hunter Wilds confirms Lagiacrus will return this summer, finally answering 7 years of prayers
Alienware Area-51 16-inch and 18-inch RTX 5080 gaming laptops on a purple background
Brand new RTX 5080 Alienware Area-51 gaming laptops just hit the shelves at Dell
Monster Hunter Wilds hunter eating a meal at the cat cafe
Monster Hunter Wilds Title Update 1 is out April 4 and looks stacked: Zoh Shia returns, the Grand Hub adds a social space, plus Arch-Tempered Rey Dau, arena speedrun contests, and Mizutsune
Assassin's Creed Shadows Naoe assassinating target with Tanto skill
Assassin's Creed Shadows players are questioning the lack of modern day segments: "what happened to Layla, Desmond, and Basim?"