DC Comics upcoming Rebirth event may be centred on its core superhero line, but that isn't all the publisher has planned to rejuvenate its slate of titles.

Besides Rebirth and its bizarre reinventions of Hanna-Barbera characters, DC has revealed Young Animal, a new imprint aimed at mature readers.

Described as a "pop up imprint" – immediately evoking images of a slightly pretentious Shoreditch venue selling artisanal comics – the line will be "curated" by Gerard Way. The former frontman of the band My Chemical Romance, Way turned Eisner Award-winning comic writer with his creator-owned series The Umbrella Academy. Way describes the new imprint as "comics for dangerous humans".


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The Young Animal line-up will initially consist of four titles, all modernising some of DC's more obscure superhero titles. The flagship title will be Doom Patrol, written by Way and with art by Nick Derington. A team of misfit heroes whose powers are often a curse, various iterations have appeared over the years.

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Way and Derington "will put their unique stamp on the world's strangest heroes taking on the universe's strangest villains", but only appears to have one classic member of the team - Robotman, a disembodied brain in a powerful shell. Curiously, it also seems to include Flex Mentallo, a character who can alter reality by flexing his muscles and was trapped in real-world legal limbo for years due to his similarity to Charles Atlas.

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In October, Way will also co-write Cave Carson Has A Cybernetic Eye with Jon Rivera, with artist Michael Avon Oeming. Loosely based on a non-powered adventurer first introduced in the 1960s, this will follow "Cave Carson, his cybernetic eye and his college-age daughter as they travel to dark places deep in the earth and mind."

Also launching in October is Shade, The Changing Girl. Inspired by Shade the Changing Man, the series see an alien taking over the body of a 16-year-old bully and facing "the challenges of being a stranger in a foreign land," while dealing with the consequences of her host body's actions. Cecil Castellucci writes, with art by Marley Zarcone and covers by Becky Cloonan. The previous Shade series dealt heavily with themes of madness and identity, traits this run is set to echo.

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Finally, in November, Way writes Mother Panic. Co-written with Jody Houser and with art by Tommy Lee Edwards, DC describes the series with: "Meet Violet Paige, a celebrity heiress by day and brutal vigilante by night as she takes on the underbelly of Gotham City's high society."

This is likely to be the most original comic of the quartet, as other than the Gotham City setting – home to a certain flying rodent-themed vigilante – the character appears to be entirely new. She also sounds to work on an inversion of Batman's modus operandi, targeting high-profile criminals rather than street-level criminals and murderous clowns. If so, that's perfect social commentary in the wake of the Panama Papers and increased scrutiny on the activities of "high society".


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"I am thrilled to help bring DC's Young Animal to life, having been raised on experimental 80s and 90s takes on superheroes," said Way, via statement. "I see Young Animal as a place to try new ideas- following the spirit of those books from the past but bring them somewhere else. I see it as an imprint where we can explore fine art, bold concepts, mature themes, and strangeness – with lots of heart." "We're excited about Gerard's vision for DC's Young Animal," added DC Entertainment co-publishers Dan DiDio and Jim Lee. "Giving DC Comics characters different story tones and distinct art styles will result in a different look and feel for the line."

While DC has another mature readers imprint, Vertigo, Young Animal appears to be set in the continuity of the core superhero shared universe. It also appears to add a touch of genre diversity that the announced DC Rebirth line-up currently lacks, instead choosing to double-down on the prime Justice League characters. Should Young Animal prove a success, it could be a strong new pillar for DC, allowing creators to explore the stranger side of superhero fiction.