San Diego Comic-Con wrapped its four-day run on July 26, and while DC Studios skipped a standalone movie-slate panel this year, the publisher still left San Diego with real momentum — both on the page and on the screen. Here's what actually matters for your pull list and your watch list.
Lanterns gets its biggest trailer yet — and the Manhunters are the villains
HBO Max used its Friday Hall H panel to debut a new trailer for Lanterns, the Green Lantern series from DC Studios starring Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart. Series stars Garret Dillahunt and Poorna Jagannathan joined co-creators Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King on stage, with Nathan Fillion (reprising Guy Gardner) arriving partway through the panel.
The footage confirmed two long-rumored details fans had been chasing since the first teaser underwhelmed: Sinestro is in the series, and the core threat comes from the Manhunters — the shapeshifting android peacekeepers who patrolled the universe before the Green Lantern Corps existed, first introduced in Justice League of America #140. Laura Linney was also confirmed in a Guardian of the Universe role.
Lanterns premieres Sunday, August 16 at 9:00pm ET/PT on HBO, streaming after on HBO Max. Eight episodes, one season.
If you're building a Green Lantern display for the next three weeks, now's the time — customer interest in this one just turned a corner.
DC Next Level panel: The Demon returns, written and drawn by James Harren
Away from Hall H, DC's Next Level publishing panel delivered the clearest comics-side news of the show: a brand-new ongoing The Demon series from James Harren, who is both writing and illustrating the book. It's slated to launch in October 2026, bringing Etrigan back with a horror-forward take blending medieval mythology and occult action.
The announcement continues DC's broader Next Level initiative, which has already expanded books built around Firestorm, Zatanna, Doom Patrol, Teen Titans, and Deadman.
DC's booth also leaned into its ongoing decade-by-decade retrospective, spotlighting the 1950s this year — the era that gave us Barry Allen's Flash debut, Supergirl's first appearance, and Hal Jordan's reinvention of Green Lantern.
Absolute Batman and Absolute Universe creators took the stage
Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta appeared for Absolute Batman programming alongside Jim Lee, Mark Waid, Joshua Williamson, G. Willow Wilson, and Matt Fraction — the same creative team behind this month's Batman: Bad Seeds event. If you're wondering where to jump into the Absolute line, this is a good moment to check out Absolute Batman back issues while the panel buzz is fresh.
Absolute Batman #1 (Tenth Printing) · Absolute Batman #25
Marvel's Hall H return: Ghost Rider, Black Panther 3, and Doomsday footage
Marvel Studios returned to Hall H for the first time since 2024, and Kevin Feige used the panel to confirm a new Ghost Rider film starring Ryan Gosling, alongside an update on Black Panther 3 — Ryan Coogler returns to direct, with David Jonsson stepping into the mantle of Black Panther. Most of the panel's runtime, though, went to Avengers: Doomsday, with exclusive footage shown to the Hall H crowd ahead of its December release, and a look at Spider-Man: Brand New Day, including a teased team-up between Spider-Man and the Punisher against the Hulk.
What this means for your pull list
- Green Lantern back stock is worth a look ahead of the Aug 16 Lanterns premiere.
- Absolute Batman and Absolute Universe trades tie in directly to this year's panel buzz.
- Watch for October solicitations on the new Demon ongoing — a good FOC target for horror-comic fans.
Trailer and panel details sourced from official HBO Max and DC coverage of San Diego Comic-Con 2026, July 22–26.