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DC Compact Comics

The first 10 DC Compact collection releases

DC Compact Comics is a line of full-color paperbacks from DC Comics. Announced in November 2023, ahead of a June 2024 launch, they were described as "perfect for readers of prose and manga looking to pick up a new-reader-friendly storyline in a self-contained full color graphic novel".[1]

At 8.5in x 5.5in, they are smaller than the traditional 10.2in x 6.6in size of a collected trade paperback comic.

The initial 10 titles released in 2024 included: Batman: The Court of Owls, Watchmen, All-Star Superman, Far Sector, Batman: Hush, Wonder Woman: Earth One, Harley Quinn & The Gotham City Sirens, Joker, American Vampire Book One, and Catwoman: Trail of the Catwoman - with a further 15 books announced for 2025.[2]

The announcement was largely greeted positively in the comics community with SKTCHD's David Harper saying about the line that, "It’s honestly the best thing to come from one of the Big Two in I don’t even know how long."[3] and Gordon Jackson at Gizmodo noting that, "DC’s Compact Comics Line Is the Smartest Thing It’s Done in Years."[4] In Comicsbeat, Joe Grunenwald stressed that " the size, price and content are all suitable for mass market."[5]

As well as being dedicated to a specific character or series, each release is also designated by genre via a tag in the top right of the cover. These genres include ‘Science Fiction’, ‘Thriller’, ‘Horror’, ‘Fantasy’, ‘Adventure’, and ‘Mystery’.

The line launched five months ahead of the DC Finest series, which was aimed at a similar market to the Marvel Epic Collection.

In late 2024, at the New York Comic Con, Marvel Comics announced the Premier Collection: a similar line of digest-sized 9in x 6in releases "featuring Marvel’s most celebrated and prestigious storylines and creators from its entire comic book legacy".[6]

List of volumes

[edit]

American Vampire

[edit]
Title Years covered Issues collected Writers Artists Genre Pages Pub. date ISBN
Book One 2010–2011 Scott Snyder, Stephen King Rafael Albuquerque Horror 320 1 Oct 2024 978-1779527349

The Authority

[edit]
Title Years covered Issues collected Writers Artists Genre Pages Pub. date ISBN
Book One 1999–2000, 2017
* The Authority (vol. 1) #1–12, and more
  • * Planetary/The Authority: Ruling the World #1
    • "Requiem" from WildStorm: A Celebration of 25 Years
 Warren Ellis Bryan Hitch Adventure 360 1 Jul 2025 978-1799501992

Batman

[edit]
Title Years covered Issues collected Writers Artists Genre Pages Pub. date ISBN
The Court of Owls Saga 2011–2012 Scott Snyder Greg Capullo Thriller 304 4 Jun 2024 978-1779527271
Hush 2002–2003
  • Batman #608–619
 Jeph Loeb Jim Lee Mystery 312 6 Aug 2024 978-1779527264
Batman: The Long Halloween 1996-1997
  • Batman: The Long Halloween #1-13
 Jeph Loeb Tim Sale Mystery TBC 7 Oct 2025 978-1799502883

Batwoman

[edit]
Title Years covered Issues collected Writers Artists Genre Pages Pub. date ISBN
Elegy 2009–2010 Greg Rucka J. H. Williams III Adventure 240 17 Jun 2025 978-1799501824

Catwoman

[edit]
Title Years covered Issues collected Writers Artists Genre Pages Pub. date ISBN
Trail Of The Catwoman 2001–2002
* Catwoman: Selina's Big Score, and more
  • * Catwoman (vol. 3) #1–9
    • "Trail of the Catwoman" from Detective Comics #759–762
 Darwyn Cooke, Ed Brubaker Darwyn Cooke Adventure 336 1 Oct 2024 978-1779527288

DC: The New Frontier

[edit]
Title Years covered Issues collected Writers Artists Genre Pages Pub. date ISBN
DC: The New Frontier 2004–2005
  • TBC
 Darwyn Cooke TBC Science Fiction TBC 5 Aug 2025 978-1799502340

DCeased

[edit]
Title Years covered Issues collected Writers Artists Genre Pages Pub. date ISBN
DCeased 2019
  • DCeased #1–6
 Tom Taylor Trevor Hairsine Horror 216 3 Jun 2025 978-1799501633

Death

[edit]
Title Years covered Issues collected Writers Artists Genre Pages Pub. date ISBN
Death 1993
  • TBC
 Neil Gaiman TBC Fantasy TBC 2 Sep 2025 978-1799502647

Harley Quinn

[edit]
Title Years covered Issues collected Writers Artists Genre Pages Pub. date ISBN
Harley Quinn And The Gotham City Sirens 2009–2010 Paul Dini, Guillem March Guillem March Adventure 320 3 Sep 2024 978-1779527301
Harley Quinn: Wild At Heart TBC
  • TBC
 Amanda Conner Jimmy Palmiotti Adventure TBC 16 Sep 2025 978-1799503033

Joker

[edit]
Title Years covered Issues collected Writers Artists Genre Pages Pub. date ISBN
Joker 2008
  • Joker
 Brian Azzarello Lee Bermejo Thriller 136 3 Sep 2024 978-1779527318

Static

[edit]
Title Years covered Issues collected Writers Artists Genre Pages Pub. date ISBN
Season One 2021–2022
  • Static: Season One #1–6
 Vita Ayala, Reginald Hudlin Adventure 184 27 May 2025 978-1799501541

Superman

[edit]
Title Years covered Issues collected Writers Artists Genre Pages Pub. date ISBN
All-Star Superman 2005–2008
  • All-Star Superman #1–12
 Grant Morrison Frank Quitely Fantasy 296 2 Jul 2024 978-1779527257
Birthright 2003–2004
  • Superman: Birthright #1–12
 Mark Waid Leinil Francis Yu, Gerry Alanguilan Adventure 312 24 Jun 2025 978-1799501916

Superman/Batman

[edit]
Title Years covered Issues collected Writers Artists Genre Pages Pub. date ISBN
Book One 2003–2004
  • Superman/Batman (vol. 1) #1–13
  • "When Clark Met Bruce" from Superman/Batman Secret Files & Origins 2003
 Jeph Loeb Ed McGuinness, Michael Turner Adventure 304 15 Jul 2025 978-1799502135

Wonder Woman

[edit]
Title Years covered Issues collected Writers Artists Genre Pages Pub. date ISBN
Earth One 2016–2021
  • Wonder Woman: Earth One Vol. 1–3
 Grant Morrison Yanick Paquette Fantasy 376 6 Aug 2024 978-1779527332
Wonder Woman: Blood And Guts 2011–2012
  • TBC
 Brian Azzarello Cliff Chiang, Tony Akins Adventure TBC 19 Aug 2025 978-1799502494

Y: The Last Man

[edit]
Title Years covered Issues collected Writers Artists Genre Pages Pub. date ISBN
Book One 2002-TBC
  • TBC
 Brian K Vaughan Pia Guerra, José Marzán Science Fiction TBC 21 Oct 2025 978-1799502890

Miniseries

[edit]

This section includes books that have self-contained miniseries and are unlikely to have a sequel

Title Years covered Issues collected Writers Artists Genre Pages Pub. date ISBN
Far Sector 2019–2021
  • Far Sector #1–12
 N. K. Jemisin Jamal Campbell Science Fiction 296 2 Jul 2024 978-1779527295
Kingdom Come 1996
  • Kingdom Come #1–4
 Mark Waid Alex Ross Fantasy 208 6 May 2025 978-1799501299
V For Vendetta 1982-1989
  • TBC
 Alan Moore David Lloyd Thriller TBC 4 Nov 2025 978-1799503132
Watchmen 1986–1987
  • Watchmen #1–12
 Alan Moore Dave Gibbons Thriller 416 4 Jun 2024 978-1779527325
We3 2004
  • We3 #1–3
 Grant Morrison Frank Quitely Science Fiction TBC 18 Nov 2025 978-1799503255

Upcoming releases

[edit]
Title Pub. date ISBN
Kingdom Come 6 May 2025 978-1799501299
Static: Season One 27 May 2025 978-1799501541
DCeased 3 Jun 2025 978-1799501633
Batwoman: Elegy 17 Jun 2025 978-1799501824
Superman: Birthright 24 Jun 2025 978-1799501916
The Authority: Book One 1 Jul 2025 978-1799501992
Superman/Batman: Book One 15 Jul 2025 978-1799502135
DC: The New Frontier 5 Aug 2025 978-1799502340
Wonder Woman: Blood And Guts 19 Aug 2025 978-1799502494
Death 2 Sep 2025 978-1799502647
Harley Quinn: Wild At Heart 16 Sep 2025 978-1799503033
Batman: The Long Halloween 7 Oct 2025 978-1799502883
Y: The Last Man Book 1 21 Oct 2025 978-1799502890
V For Vendetta 4 Nov 2025 978-1799503132
We3 18 Nov 2025 978-1799503255

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "DC Announces 'DC Compact Comics'". DC. Retrieved 2024-09-25.
  2. ^ David Brooke (12 November 2024). "New 'DC Compact Comics' coming in 2025 with 2nd printings on the way too". AIPT comics. Archived from the original on 12 November 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  3. ^ Says, Linus (2023-11-03). "Comics Disassembled: Nine Things of Note from the Past Week in Comics, Led by DC Going Compact". SKTCHD. Retrieved 2024-09-25.
  4. ^ Jackson, Gordon (2024-08-16). "DC's Compact Comics Line Is the Smartest Thing It's Done in Years". Gizmodo. Retrieved 2024-09-25.
  5. ^ Grunenwald, Joe (2023-11-02). "Syndicated Comics". The Beat. Retrieved 2024-09-25.
  6. ^ Nico Marjolin (17 October 2024). "Marvel Comics Unveils All-New 'Marvel Premier Collection'". Penguin Random House. Archived from the original on 23 October 2024. Retrieved 23 October 2024.