Deadshot Returns In Next Level: One Shot #1, And It Will Have A Huge Impact On The Wider DC Universe

Deadshot Returns In Next Level: One Shot #1, And It Will Have A Huge Impact On The Wider DC Universe

DC Comics has announced Next Level: One Shot #1 for this August, and Deadshot finally returns to the DC Universe for an adventure that will set up the next wave of storytelling from the publisher.

By JoshWilding - May 18, 2026 09:05 AM EST
Filed Under: DC Comics

DC Comics has just announced Next Level: One Shot #1, a brand‑new 48‑page DC All In special from writer Gerry Duggan, artist Fernando Blanco, and letterer Buddy Beaudoin. The comic spotlights the one and only Deadshot in a high‑stakes mission that "pushes DC Next Level toward its explosive future."

In Next Level: One Shot, DC’s deadliest assassin goes to the Next Level and uncovers a conspiracy that will change everything. It's said that Duggan and Blanco tell the 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.

A press release notes that, "This epic issue tells you everything you need to know about what’s next for Next Level...if you survive the experience."

Deadshot remains one of the publisher's most popular villains (or anti-heroes) and was last seen on screen played by Will Smith in 2016's Suicide Squad. When the actor didn't return for James Gunn's The Suicide Squad five years later, his story arc was seemingly given to Bloodsport. 

DC’s Next Level: One Shot #1 is a one-shot showcasing what’s next for DC Next Level in 2026. As DC All In continues, we can expect even more creator‑driven #1s and bold new directions for iconic characters like Batwoman, Deathstroke, the Demon, Firestorm, Lobo, the Legion of Super-Heroes, Barbara Gordon, Deadman, Jonah Hex, Zatanna, the Teen Titans, and the Doom Patrol.

Those are coming our way from creatives like Jeff Lemire, Jamal Campbell, Hayden Sherman, Mariko Tamaki, Rafael De Latorre, Greg Rucka, Tony Fleecs, James Harren, Martín Morazzo, Deniz Camp, Javier Rodríguez, Michael Walsh, W. Maxwell Prince, Jorge Corona, Kyle Higgins, DaNi, Daniele Di Nicuolo, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Skottie Young, Amancay Nahuelpan, and Joshua Williamson.

Additional DC Next Level titles, creative teams, and storylines will be revealed in the months ahead as DC builds toward what the publisher is billing as "a landmark year of storytelling across the DC Universe."

Next Level: One Shot #1 is written by Duggan, with art and a main cover by Blanco. Variant covers are provided by Mark Spears, Jorge Corona, and Carmine Di Giandomenico, with a 1:25 variant cover by Mario Foccillo and a foil variant by Mark Spears. You can check those out below. 

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NEXT LEVEL: ONE SHOT #1
Written by GERRY DUGGAN
Art & Cover by FERNANDO BLANCO
On Sale 8/19

About The Author:
JoshWilding
Member Since 3/13/2009
Comic Book Reader. Film Lover. WWE and F1 Fan. Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and ComicBookMovie.com's #1 contributor.
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