A while back, DC announced a new line of reprints, called DC Finest, that packages about 500 pages of comics from various eras into a $40 softcover. From all appearances, it looks to be an attempt to mimic Marvel's successful Epic Collections line, in which complete runs of their books are reprinted in similar paperbacks, but often out of order. So you might get Fantastic Four volume 3 (The Coming of Galactus) before volume 1 (the early stuff), but the volumes have all been mapped out, and gaps get filled in as time goes on.
DC announced a bunch of collections, ranging from the Golden Age (All-Star Comics, Superman) to the 2000s (Wonder Woman), with plenty in between. In October's solicitations, they've finally nailed down the contents for most of the announced books. Here's what's been announced so far.
DC FINEST: WONDER WOMAN: ORIGINS & OMENS
ON SALE 10/8/24
DC Finest: Wonder Woman: Origins & Omens collects these Wonder Woman issues from October 2007 to 2009: Wonder Woman (vol. 3) #14-35, Outsiders: Five of a Kind – Wonder Woman/Grace #1, and The Brave and the Bold #7.
DC FINEST: SUPERMAN: THE FIRST SUPERHERO
ON SALE 11/5/24
The First Superhero covers Summer 1938 to Fall 1940 and reprints classic stories from Action Comics #1-25, Superman #1-5, and New York World’s Fair #1.
DC FINEST: BATMAN: BATMAN: YEAR ONE & TWO
$39.99 US | 592 pages | 6 5/8″ x 10 3/16″ | Softcover | ISBN: 978-1-77952-835-3
ON SALE 11/5/24
Collects Batman #404#401-414, Batman Annual #11, and Detective Comics #571- #568-581.
DC FINEST: CATWOMAN: LIFE LINES
ON SALE 12/17/24
Collects Catwoman (vol. 1) #1-4, Catwoman (vol. 2) #1-12, Catwoman Annual #1, Batman/Catwoman: Defiant #1, and stories from Action Comics Weekly #611-614 and Showcase ’93 #1-4.
DC FINEST: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA: THE BRIDGE BETWEEN EARTHS
ON SALE 11/19/24
Collects Justice League of America #45-72 from July 1966 to June 1969.
DC FINEST: GREEN LANTERN: THE DEFEAT OF GREEN LANTERN
ON SALE 12/3/24
Featuring works from revered comics writers and artists such as John Broome, Gardner Fox, and Gil Kane, this volume collects classic stories from Green Lantern #19-39, The Flash #143, and The Brave and the Bold #59.
DC FINEST: EVENTS: ZERO HOUR PART ONE
ON SALE 12/10/24
This first of two collections features Superman #93, The Flash #94, L.E.G.I.O.N. #70, Green Lantern #55, Super-man: The Man of Steel #37, Team Titans #24, The Darkstars #24, Valor #23, Batman #511, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #31, Detective Comics #678, Legionnaires #18, Hawkman #13, Showcase ‘94 #8-9, Steel #8, Superboy #8, Outsiders #11, and Zero Hour: Crisis in Time #3-4.
DC FINEST: LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES: ZAP GOES THE LEGION
ON SALE 12/10/24
This first collection starring the greatest heroes of the 30th century features stories pulled from the pages of Action Comics #378-387 and #389-392, Adventure Comics #374-380 and #403, and Superboy #172-173, #176, #183-184, #188, #190-191, #193, #195, and #197-203.
DC FINEST: THE FLASH: THE HUMAN THUNDERBOLT
ON SALE 11/26/24
Collects Showcase #4, #8, and #13-14, and The Flash #105-123.
DC FINEST: JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA: FOR AMERICA AND DEMOCRACY
ON SALE 12/3/24
Collects All-Star Comics #3-12.
DC has also announced three more for January, although the exact contents aren’t announced yet:
DC Finest: Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters – 21st of January, 2025
The most iconic stories starring Green Arrow! (From the cover, it looks like it’s the start of the Grell run, starting with The Longbow Hunters miniseries.)
DC Finest: Supergirl: The Girl of Steel – 14th of January, 2025
The earliest stories starring Supergirl! (Looks like Supergirl, from the beginning.)
DC Finest: Aquaman: The King of Atlantis – 7th of January, 2025
The earliest stories starring the King of the Seas: Aquaman! (Silver Age Aquaman, with Jack Miller, Robert Bernstein, and Ramona Fradon listed as creators.)
So for the purposes of discussion... which ones of these interest you the most? And looking forward, where would you go for the second volumes of these titles?
Replies
I'd also bet on Crisis 4 and Legends 2. Can't believe I forgot the events! They're certainly more likely than some of my other guesses!
I've wrapped up DC Finest: Batman: A Death in the Family (mere days before I'll be ordering Blind Justice... these Batman books come fast!). In the last few issues of Detective that round out the book, Wagner and Grant's Judge Dredd experience is still really apparent. We get short, harsh stories centered around a gripping image (such as Jesus stashing a body in a trunk) and a puzzle to solve. We get outlandish new supporting characters like Joe Potato, who apparently didn't last long, but stuck around long enough for a Who's Who entry. It's a very different energy than the Batman stories Starlin and Collins and Barr had been providing, and different from Miller, too. It's a welcome jolt... even though at the time, I think I bristled a bit.
Oh, and for the no-prize crowd, the killer's diary entry in "The Fear" is dated November 5, and he details his encounter with Batman. Yet a couple issues before, we see Batman in London for Guy Fawkes Day, Nov. 5.
I've just started DC Finest: Deadman: How Many Times Can a Guy Die?, and although I've read the stories in the first half of this book before, somehow I had the idea that Arnold Drake wrote most of them... but he only wrote the first two, before giving way to Jack Miller, Bob Haney, Robert Kanigher, and Neal Adams himself! I'm looking forward to this weird, bumpy road to find the Hook -- and whatever lies beyond, which I've only read some of.
I'm running out the door, so I don't have time to do a full write-up yet, but we've got two more DC Finests announced for January: DC Finest: Batgirl: Silent Knight (on Jan 5) and DC FInest: Romance: Escape from Loneliness (on Jan. 26). The Batgirl looks to be volume 1 of the Cassandra Cain series, including a lot of No Man's Land material; there's an omnibus coming out soon as well.
I haven't seen this one mentioned yet (or I overlooked it):
DC FINEST: BATMAN: THE CURSE OF CRIME ALLEY
Art by IRV NOVICK, DON NEWTON, JOHN CALNAN, and others
Cover by JIM APARO
$39.99 US | 664 Pages | 6 5/8" x 10 3/16" | Softcover | ISBN: 978-1-79950-961-5
ON SALE 11/24/26
A new decade dawns in the storied saga of the Dark Knight Detective as the 1970s roll into the 1980s in these era-defining tales from the Pages of Batman and Detective Comics! Crafted by creative titans like Len Wein, Don Newton, Dennis O’Neil, and Irv Novick, DC Finest: Batman: The Curse of Crime Alley also features some of the first DC work from the vanguard of a new generation of talent, including Jim Starlin, Walter Simonson, and Frank Miller! Collects Batman #307-324, Detective Comics #481-490, The Brave and the Bold #159, and a story from the “Super-Star Holiday Special” DC Special Series #21.
We've known about that one for a bit, Cap (I posted about it back in March, on p67) -- but I'm excited that it's coming up soon!
Here are the listings at Penguin Random House for Batgirl and Romance:
DC Finest: Batgirl: Silent Knight
Written and Illustrated by Kelley Puckett, Scott Peterson and Various
Available on Jan 05, 2027 | 688 Pages
Cassandra Cain’s journey continues, as she expands her role in Gotham and beyond in a powerful story of growth, identity, and action. At age 17, the teenaged assassin Cassandra Cain is literally a fighter like no other. Remorselessly trained by her mercenary father to be the ultimate human weapon, Cassandra cannot speak or write, but her uncanny ability to read body language allows her to take down opponents three times her size without batting an eye.
But when she rebels against her programming on the lawless streets of No Man’s Land-era Gotham City, the Dark Knight Detective sees a possible successor to the role of Batgirl. Under the tutelage of the original Batgirl, Barbara Gordon, Cassandra must now reinvent herself as a protector instead of a predator—and prove to both her newfound family and herself that even someone who was born to kill can be worthy to take up the cowl of a legend!
Witness the origin of one of the DC Universe’s most celebrated heroes in this landmark volume showcasing Cassandra’s first appearances and foundational adventures. Collects Batgirl #1-6; Batgirl Annual #1; Batman: No Man’s Land #0; Batman #567 and #569, Detective Comics #732 and #734; Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #120; Azrael: Agent of the Bat #56-57 and #60-61; The Batman Chronicles #18; Batman: Gotham Knights #2; and the long-out-of-print crossover series Ghost/Batgirl #1-4.
DC Finest: Romance: Escape From Loneliness
Written and Illustrated by Various
Available on Jan 26, 2027 | 632 Pages
Love—and heartbreak—is in the air in this new DC Finest volume! Return to those moonstruck days of the Silver Age, when comics readers everywhere could find an endless supply of romantic inspiration for 12 cents an issue in the peerless pages of DC’s legendary line of love story anthologies.
These passionate tales of romance and intrigue—carefully crafted by a host of comics’ finest hands, including John Romita, Robert Kanigher, Mike Sekowsky, Phyllis Reed, and more—will leave you breathless and yearning for more! Known for their bold storytelling and iconic imagery, many of these panels later became touchstones in the broader art world, influencing the graphic language of pop art and artists.
Collects Falling in Love #58-61, Girls’ Romances #91-94, Girls’ Love Stories #94-97, Heart Throbs #83-85, and Secret Hearts #86-89.
Despite Batgirl's write-up saying "Cassandra Cain’s journey continues," these are the first of her adventures, as the Batgirl mantle eventually falls to her during No Man's Land! There might be a little disjointed storytelling up fron in this one, as certain issues might only have relevant pages excerpted. But the Batgirl/Ghost intercompany crossover is an unexpected inclusion!
As for Romance, I'm excited that DC is opening up another genre, and it'll be good to see some nice art from John Romita, among others! These issues were published in spring and summer, 1963.
I'm definitely down for the "romance" volume.
DC Finest: Batgirl: Silent Knight
IIRC, Cassandra Cain was capable of speach. Her monster of a father never taught her ANYTHING but killing.
Yeah, I think she's physically able to, but not emotionally able to, at least in the beginning.
I just saw a cover for a Warlord DC Finest, with no information attached. So it looks like the DCF announcements are starting in earnest. I'll post the image when I have the details with it.
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