DC Universe rebrands as comics reader 'DC Universe Infinite'; original shows to HBO Max

Beginning early next year, the DC Universe subscription service as we know it will be gone — but something new is rising in its place. 

DC Entertainment announced Friday that January 2021 will mark the launch of DC Universe Infinite, a new subscription home for the company's archive of more than 24,000 digital comics from eight decades of DC history, as well as the community forums that launched with DC Universe back in 2018. Along with continued access to the comics archive and the community features, DC Universe Infinite will also include special fan events scheduled throughout 2021, unlimited downloads for offline reading, access to new comics six months after their on-sale dates, faster access to digital-first comics, and all-new line of still unannounced DC Universe Infinite Originals comics. 

“Our fans love the platform’s robust library of comic books and, with the transformation, we will not disappoint,” DC Publisher and Chief Creative Officer Jim Lee said in a statement. “I’m excited to share that not only will DC Universe Infinite members still be able to read all of the great comics that they’ve enjoyed but new issues are debuting on the platform quicker than before, digital first exclusives are being created, and the members-only events will begin as soon as possible. There has never been a better time to be a DC fan!”

Fans have been waiting to learn the fate of DC Universe for a while now, ever since WarnerMedia began moving streaming content from the service — like acclaimed original series Doom Patrol and Harley Quinn — over to HBO Max, a new streaming service that's also become the new home for various DC Comics-based movies and future projects like Justice League Dark. Lee confirmed just a few weeks ago, in the wake of restructuring at DC, that the DC Universe original streaming shows would all be migrating over to HBO Max, and that the comics archive at DC Universe would live on in some form. Now, we know what form that'll take, and future seasons of Harley Quinn, Doom Patrol, Young Justice and more will all be HBO Max originals. 

As for the rest of the streaming content at DC Universe, including classic live-action shows and animated series like Batman Beyond, Wonder Woman, and more, they'll also be making the leap to HBO Max. So, a clear line has been drawn. When it comes to streaming video content from DC, HBO Max is the home base, while DC Universe Infinite will hold down the comic book side of things. 

DC Universe Infinite will be available to pre-order at dcuniverseinfinite.com at the price of $7.99 per month or $74.99 annually. Existing DC Universe subscribers will begin receiving notifications next month asking them to confirm if they'd like their membership to continue into the new service. If you confirm, you'll be able to keep reading comics and using the community without interruption until DC Universe Infinite takes over from DC Universe next year. Plus, from now until October 30, eligible subscribers will be able to add HBO Max at a discounted rate of $4.99 per month, so you can follow the DC streaming series over there. 

DC Universe Infinite launches January 21, 2021 in the U.S. and expands globally next summer. Beginning in February 2021, existing subscribers and people who pre-order the service will be given a "thank you" voucher to the DC Shop, good for $25 for annual subscribers and $10 for monthly subscribers. There are a lot of bells and whistles attached to this news, to be sure, but for comics fans who can't get enough of the DC archive, the headline is that those books aren't going anywhere, and that's a very good thing.