Summer may be nearing its end, but it’s not over yet and lots of folks are skipping town to go on one final vacation before the start of fall. But why pay for an airline ticket when you can just pick up a comic book? The DC Universe has no shortage of picturesque locations that would be perfect for a summer escape. Let’s just hope that no catastrophes or crises happen during your stay.
 

New Genesis

New Genesis, the home of New Gods such as Highfather, Orion and Lightray, is a cosmic paradise. It’s a golden, floating city resting above what Jack Kirby describes in New Gods #1 as “a sunlit, unspoiled world of green forests, white mountains and bright waters.” Smiles and laughter come easily to the people of New Genesis. While Orion may remain broody, Lightray’s attitude is infectiously sunny.

Jack Kirby’s work in his Fourth World Saga is some of his best in his career. His designs for New Genesis are utterly out of this world and provide plenty of inspiration for future generations of artists. This splash page of Orion and Lightray flying past an enormous statue cements the iconic look of New Genesis as a world of possibility and dreams. I think if I ever went there, I wouldn’t want to leave, even if it meant living in close proximity to Darkseid and Apokolips.
 

Tamaran

Starfire’s home planet, Tamaran, is nestled in the Vegan Star System. In 1985’s The New Teen Titans #15, artists Eduardo Barreto and Romeo Tanghal rendered Tamaran as a world of lush jungles and fantastic animals outside of the capital city, Tamarus.

In one scene, Starfire brings Nightwing and Jericho on a ceremonial hunt with her family in the Ymeer Forests, where they ride pink dinosaur-like creatures called terets. The creature they’re hunting, called a dragett, can communicate telepathically, and gracefully traipses the waterfalls in the forest. While I personally wouldn’t be drawn to hunting wildlife while on vacation, the flora and fauna of Tamaran would make a remarkable vacation destination. I would just hope that the water isn’t too cold.
 

Themyscira

Wonder Woman’s home, Themyscira, isn’t called “Paradise Island” for nothing. Part of the joy of being a Wonder Woman reader is seeing how different artists depict Themyscira. While its classical architecture is a familiar sight to many of us, the splendor of it never gets old. The Amazons take pride in the society that they’ve built on Themyscira, and that pride is reflected in the lengths they go to keep the island looking its best.

You might be wondering why I included Themyscira on a list of vacation spots, when the island is famously only open to women. Well, that may be changing. The current queen of Themyscira, Nubia, opened the island’s borders to everyone during her Queen of the Amazons arc not long ago. This was part of an ongoing effort to end the isolationist policies of Themyscira and help with problems facing Man’s World. Unfortunately, thanks to Sergeant Steel’s horrific persecution of the Amazons in the current Wonder Woman, Themyscira is once again closed off to the rest of the world. We can only hope that relations will smooth over soon enough, and humanity can prove its worth again.
 

Atlantis

There’s a reason why people from the surface world have been obsessed with finding Atlantis: it’s majestic. While I would imagine that most Atlanteans wouldn’t be keen on surface-dwellers vacationing in their home en masse, exceptions could probably be made. Or one of Aquaman’s many animal sidekicks could help with that.

If you wanted to vacation in Atlantis, there was a time when you wouldn’t need an oxygen tank or protective suit to do so. In Dan Abnett and Riccardo Federici’s Aquaman #38, Arthur raised Atlantis out of the water when he wished to live within both the world of the sea and land at once. At that moment in time, the citizens of Atlantis were worried that their civilization was going to sink further into the water. Much to their chagrin, the opposite happened. Would visiting Atlantis on land be the best time to vacation? Probably not, but it would make the trip to get there much more convenient.
 

Coast City

Some cities are so wonderful, so beloved by their inhabitants, that their denizens would use any means necessary if their city was lost in a tragic incident. This famously happened to Coast City, the home of Green Lantern Hal Jordan. Hal’s love for his hometown partially led to his corruption and downfall as a Green Lantern in the cataclysmic “Emerald Twilight” storyline in Green Lantern by Ron Marz and Darryl Banks.

During “Emerald Twilight,” the villains Cyborg Superman and Mongul razed Coast City in an effort to transform Earth into Warworld. Hal was devastated and went on a murderous rampage to steal energy from his fellow Green Lanterns to try to recreate Coast City. Thankfully, Hal was later reformed and Coast City was revived once more.

On a sunnier note, Jeremy Adams and Xermánico’s current run on Green Lantern depicts Coast City more vibrantly than ever before. As the city’s name suggests, Coast City is situated in California on the Pacific Ocean, where the climate is mild. The city is penned by a mountain range, providing ample opportunities to go hiking, birding and more. With Coast City, you’ve got the best of both worlds: you can go surf in the ocean in the morning, and still have time for an afternoon hike in the mountains. What can be better than that?
 

Jules Chin Greene writes about comics, TV, games and film for DC.com, and his work can also be found at Nerdist, Popverse and Multiverse of Color. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @JulesChinGreene.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Jules Chin Greene and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.