Stephanie Williams Shatters Another Ceiling!

DC Comics, together with Stephanie Williams, announced that Williams will take the helm of an ongoing DC Series starring Vixen.

A Record Breaking Year

The announcement from San Diego Comic Con 2026 marks the latest in a record-breaking year for the Eisner-nominated and Zelda Award-winning writer. Earlier this year, when Eisner nominees were announced, Williams joined her inspiration Dwayne McDuffie as only the second Black writer nominated for the Eisner’s Top Writer Award. In doing so, Williams also became the first Black Female nominated for the prestigious award. Earlier in the year, Williams racked up a slew of awards at the first-ever Zelda Awards, honoring the work of female creators in comics. In addition to the top writer nomination, Williams, along with Asiah Fulmore, and DJ Chavis, saw their series Temporal nominated for Best New Series at this year’s Eisners.

Check out Nerd Initiative’s Review of Temporal!

In addition to her success in Eisner Nominations, Williams also saw a massive appreciation for her creator-owned comic Roots of Madness, published by Ignition Press. The psychological thriller story bucked established comic book trends when Issue #5 of the series saw a 10% increase in orders over Issue #4. In the event you’re unfamiliar with the comic book industry, it’s almost unheard of for any comic four issues in, much less a creator-owned comic like Roots of Madness, to experience a jump in sales late in the run.

This is a testament to Williams’ writing prowess that comic fans as well as the comic industry are now taking distinct notice of. The Vixen announcement bookends a season of exciting announcements from Williams about upcoming projects. Among other projects announced by Williams and various companies include Any Given Smile! Williams’ football-themed entry into the Smile comic universe from IDW Dark, Vengeance Unchained: The Legend of Black Caesar from Archie Comics, Warriors, and a Tween Wonder from DC. Williams also teased another collaboration with Legendary Comics to be revealed at SDCC.

The lineup provides a good example of why I have called Williams “the hardest working woman in comics” several times before. Williams was kind enough to sit down with Megan and myself for an interview earlier this year that you can view below.

Stephanie Williams Helms DC’s Vixen!

While at the DC All-In panel Friday, there were two empty seats left on the stage, which I am sure nobody gave any thought to. However, if you have been following Stephanie, you know she also had a “secret panel” scheduled for the same time. And it was at this panel that her Vixen run was announced! It may have been the worst-kept secret in comics, but it is a massive announcement nonetheless, and it will be Vixen’s first ongoing! In addition to her announcement, it has been announced that Cody Zigler will be writing Static!

Williams has spoken previously about her love for the character Vixen and her desire to get the character a proper treatment and story. You’ll be able to check out her interview with Comics are Dope to get an idea of what we may see from Williams’ run on the character. Created by the legendary Gerry Conway and Bob Oksner, Vixen is a DC superheroine who first appeared in Action Comics #521 in July 1981. Mari Jiwe (Mari McCabe after coming to America) hails from the fictional African nation of Zambesi. Her introduction in 1981 means she is one of the earliest created Black superheroes in comics. Conway has previously stated, prior to his passing, that the DC Implosion of 1978 shelved Vixen’s planned solo series, leading to her appearance in Action Comics three years later.

Vixen wields the Tantu Totem, a totem passed down through generations of her family that allows her to take on the attributes of animals. Her history has seen her as a descendant of the warrior Tantu while also being linked to Anansi, the African trickster god who served as a patron for her family. On top of her superhero duties, Conway created her inspired by the growing business-savvy supermodels of the 1970s, having Mari serve as a model herself in addition to being a stellar businesswoman and animal rights activist.

The creation of Vixen meant DC was adding not just another “girl” to the superhero table, but a fully formed adult female heroine, a gap that Conway noticed presented an opportunity. Vixen’s planned debut story was eventually released in the Cancelled Comic Cavalcade. On top of the powerful totem she possesses, the character is shown to lean towards stealth despite being a significant threat in a hand-to-hand battle. 2008 saw the character get a five-issue limited series from DC titled: Vixen: Return of the Lion, helmed by Williams’ fellow Best New Series nominee G. Willow Wilson. Vixen’s return to prominence under Williams will mark not only the first DC ongoing led by a Black character since Ridley’s I Am Batman that concluded in 2023, but will realize the late Gerry Conway’s vision for Vixen getting her own solo ongoing series.

Are you excited about Vixen? Let me know in the comments.