Vertigo Comics

DC Vertigo, also known as Vertigo Comics or simply Vertigo, is an imprint of the American comic book publisher DC Comics. Vertigo publishes comics with adult content, such as nudity, drug use, profanity, and graphic violence, that do not fit the restrictions of DC's main line. Its comics include company-owned series set in the DC Universe, such as The Sandman, Swamp Thing, and Hellblazer, and creator-owned works, such as Preacher, Y: The Last Man, and Fables.

Vertigo originated from DC's 1980s adult comic line, which began after DC stopped submitting The Saga of the Swamp Thing for approval by the Comics Code Authority. Following the success of two adult-oriented 1986 limited series, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen, DC's output of adult comics, edited by Karen Berger, grew. By 1992, DC's mature readers' line was editorially separate from its main line and Berger received permission to manage them under a separate imprint. Vertigo was launched in January 1993 with a mix of existing DC ongoing series and new series.

Although its initial publications were primarily in the horror and fantasy genres, Vertigo expanded to publish works dealing with crime, social commentary, speculative fiction, biography, and other genres. Vertigo also reprinted comics previously published by DC under other imprints, such as V for Vendetta and Transmetropolitan. In North America, Vertigo pioneered a publishing model in which monthly series are periodically collected into editions for bookstore sale. Vertigo became DC's most popular and enduring imprint; several Vertigo series have won the comics industry's Eisner Award and have been adapted to film and television.

Vertigo began to decline in the 2010s, as certain properties like Hellblazer and Swamp Thing were re-integrated into DC's main comic books, while Berger departed in 2013. Berger's departure was followed by a series of editorial restructures. An attempted relaunch in 2018 suffered a multitude of setbacks, including numerous cancellations. DC discontinued Vertigo in January 2020 as part of a plan to publish all comics under a single banner. Most Vertigo series moved to DC Black Label until 2024, when DC revived the imprint.