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 #404-414, Batman Annual #11, and Detective Comics #571-581.
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
DC's new solicits are out today, and with them the three solicitations for the last DC Finest volumes to be announced:
July 1: Wonder Woman 2
July 8: Justice Society of America 2
July 15: Science Fiction
So we've got two second volumes, and an anthology of SF stories!
DC FINEST: JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA: THE PLUNDER OF THE PSYCHO-PIRATE
Written by GARDNER FOX and JACK KIRBY
Art by JACK BURNLEY, SHELDON MOLDOFF, JOE GALLAGHER, and others
Cover by JOE GALLAGHER
$39.99 US | 608 pages | 6 5/8″ x 10 3/16″ | Softcover | ISBN: 978-1-79950-207-4
ON SALE 7/8/25
Your favorite classic JSA characters return in this follow-up volume collecting their early exploits together from All-Star Comics #13-24. Join Hawkman, Doctor Mid-Nite, the Spectre, Starman, Johnny Thunder, Doctor Fate, the Atom, and the Sandman as they continue to defend the world from villainous Nazis, invaders from beyond, and super-villains such as the Psycho-Pirate, who uses emotions as weapons! It’s Golden Age adventure at its best!
DC FINEST: WONDER WOMAN: THE LEGEND OF WONDER WOMAN
DC FINEST: SCIENCE FICTION: THE GORILLA WORLD
Written by DAN MISHKIN, MINDY NEWELL, TRINA ROBBINS, KURT BUSIEK, and others
Art by DON HECK, TRINA ROBBINS, EDUARDO BARRETO, and others
Cover by TRINA ROBBINS
$39.99 US | 632 pages | 6 5/8″ x 10 3/16″ | Softcover | ISBN: 978-1-79950-201-2
ON SALE 7/1/25
At long last—Wonder Woman’s adventures before George Pérez’s game-changing Crisis reboot get their own DC Finest volume that officially ends her first long-running series from the 1940s. Featuring tales from Wonder Woman #306-329, DC Comics Presents #76, Blue Devil #10, and The Legend of Wonder Woman #1-4, written and illustrated by the late comics historian Trina Robbins, this long-awaited collection features never-before reprinted stories that have been restored for the very first time.
Written by JOHN BROOME, GARDNER FOX, JACK SCHIFF, SID GERSON, and others
Art by JIM MOONEY, MURPHY ANDERSON, GIL KANE, CARMINE INFANTINO, and others
Cover by MURPHY ANDERSON
$39.99 US | 624 pages | 6 5/8″ x 10 3/16″ | Softcover | ISBN: 978-1-77950-215-9
ON SALE 7/15/25
DC Finest proudly presents this first genre anthology collection featuring classic science fiction stories that have never before been collected! This is Silver Age weirdness at its best from legendary talents in- cluding John Broome, Gardner Fox, Murphy Anderson, Gil Kane, and many others, starring long-forgot- ten pulp heroes, such as Tommy Tomorrow and Captain Comet, and strange dimensions where gorillas rule the world! Start your sci-fi collection today with these stories from Action Comics #183-196, Strange Adventures #35-48, and Mystery in Space #16-22.
JSA: I've got the archives so I'll pass on the DCF.
WONDER WOMAN: I have The Legend of Wonder Woman #1-4 and the last four issues of the main series leading into Crisis but that's it. I'm in for this one.
GORILLA WORLD:
Though I'm curious about the Wonder Woman volume, from what I can recall, the series didn't end on a high note.
I'll get the second All-Star volume. I have the Archives too but you have to encourage more Golden Age volumes.
Definitely getting Gorilla World!
Though I'm curious about the Wonder Woman volume, from what I can recall, the series didn't end on a high note.
I disagree. [SPOILER] "The skies above are clear now... as if a passing storm had paused, retreating for a time before gathering its forces anew. And the day is hushed, save for one rich voice, echoing with depths of wisdom and power unimaginable by mortal man... "
"Our two lives have been entwined by fate since before the world was born. Whatever happens... now or in the future... we'll be together till the end of time."
[END SPOILER]
I'll get the second All-Star volume. I have the Archives too but you have to encourage more Golden Age volumes.
I don't need to be lectured by you "to encourage more Golden Age volumes."
(Just sayin'.)
I'm sorry but the wedding of Diana to Steve Trevor in Wonder Woman #329 is just as bittersweet as the reunion of Barry and Iris Allen in The Flash #350. They're supposed to be happy endings but they were momentary joy before the actual ending of two of DC's oldest titles.
The Earth-Two WW and Steve got a better sendoff as condescending as it was, being consigned to a forgotten corner of an Olympian suburb.
And did the Earth-One Steve get to mourn his Diana? Or did he just fade away?
I added some art to Rob's post (and took out what was an ad from his original source that didn't translate to my CMS -- it looked like a big block of white space).
DC FINEST: WONDER WOMAN: THE LEGEND OF WONDER WOMAN
I have all the Wonder Woman stories in comic book form, and I have to say the series was pretty weak there toward the end .It was drawn by Don Heck, who was also close to the end (he died 10 years later). I bought Wonder Woman in those days out of a sense of obligation, rather than enjoyment. I'm not trying to discourage anyone from buying this; in fact, the reverse is true. It's history, just as Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? is history, and should be celebrated. Just don't expect Watchmen.
The Trina Robbins miniseries was published to maintain the rights to Wonder Woman, bridging Wonder Woman Vol. 1 and George Perez's Wonder Woman Vol. 2. According to everything I've read on the subject, William Moulton Marston's contract stipulated that DC Comics had to publishe Wonder Woman continually, or the rights would revert to his estate. There is word that the contract has since been renegotiated, but some say that's not so. At any rate, it was true in 1986-87. For all that it was essentially an editorial mandate rather than a story that needed to be told, Robbins did a good job of channeling the early spirit of the strip.
DC FINEST: JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA: THE PLUNDER OF THE PSYCHO-PIRATE
I also have all the Justice Society stories in Archives form, and had intended to skip this volume as I had the last. But as has been pointed out here, those Archives are now 25 years old. When did that happen? At any rate, they're now pretty yellow and I'd be concerned about the binding if I cracked one open. So that raises the issue of buying these cheap (ish) paperbacks. OTOH, the Archives had fascinating forewords (usually by Roy Thomas), whereas the TPBs do not. I may remain satisfied with what I have.
DC FINEST: SCIENCE FICTION: THE GORILLA WORLD
Oh, yeah, I'm in.
Here are some more books of interest (mainly compact and omnibus collections)
SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT DC COMPACT COMICS EDITION
Pencils by LEINIL FRANCIS YU
Inks by GERRY ALANGUILAN
Cover by LEINIL FRANCIS YU and GERRY ALANGUILAN
$9.99 US | 312 pages | 5.5" x 8.5" | Softcover | ISBN: 978-1-79950-191-6
ON SALE 6/24/2025
The whole world knows that Superman fights for truth and justice…but why does he? What drives a farm boy from Kansas to divide his life between posing as a mild-mannered reporter and embarking on a career as a superhero?
Superman: Birthright is an epic telling of Superman’s origin crafted by the superstar team of Mark Waid, Leinil Francis Yu, and Gerry Alanguilan. Within these pages is the exciting tale of the Man of Steel’s early days, incorporating his vast and colorful legend into a brand-new, epic story…a battle to save both the legacy of Krypton and the future of Metropolis!
THE AUTHORITY: RELENTLESS DC COMPACT COMICS EDITION
Pencils by BRYAN HITCH
Inks by PAUL NEARY
Cover by BRYAN HITCH and PAUL NEARY
$9.99 US | 360 pages | 5.5" x 8.5" | Softcover | ISBN: 978-1-79950-199-2
ON SALE 7/1/25
The Authority are heroes in only the strictest sense of the word. Ruthless and unforgiving, the group of insanely powerful superhumans face down countless menaces to Earth, protecting humankind with their cold version of justice.
THE AUTHORITY: RELENTLESS DC COMPACT COMICS EDITION features creators Warren Ellis
(Transmetropolitan) and Bryan Hitch (The Ultimates) joined by a host of comics’ greatest talents, bringing you one of the most groundbreaking and influential sagas in modern comic book history!
SUPERMAN/BATMAN: DC COMPACT COMICS EDITION
Art by ED McGUINNESS, MICHAEL TURNER, and DEXTER VINES
Cover by MICHAEL TURNER
$9.99 US | 304 pages | 5.5" x 8.5" | Softcover | ISBN: 978-1-79950-213-5
ON SALE 7/15/25
Superman/Batman: Book One contains two titanic tales of loyalty and unlikely friendship featuring two of the most famous superheroes on the planet—the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight. First, “Public Enemies” unites the iconic heroes when President Lex Luthor accuses Superman of terrible crimes against humanity and assembles a top-secret team of powerhouse heroes to bring him in. But the World’s Finest duo is determined to topple the corrupt president’s reign once and for all!
Then, “Supergirl” begins with Batman discovering something strange at the bottom of Gotham Bay, which leads him to a mysterious and powerful teenage girl who is bent on destroying Gotham City! Soon she’ll capture the attention of Superman, Wonder Woman, and even Darkseid and his Female Furies. What is this strange girl’s connection to Superman? How will Darkseid succeed in recruiting her to do his bidding? Who is she, and whose side will she end up on?
SUPERGIRL: THE NEW 52 OMNIBUS VOL. 1
Written by MICHAEL GREEN, MIKE JOHNSON, and others
Art by MAHMUD ASRAR and others
Cover by MAHMUD ASRAR
$125.00 US | 824 Pages | 7 1/16" x 10 7/8" | Hardcover | ISBN: 978-1-79950-209-8
ON SALE 7/8/25
After crash-landing on Earth, Kara Zor-El of Krypton awakens with no knowledge of where she is or how she came to be there. Surrounded by hostile strangers speaking in an alien language, Kara is utterly lost and cut off from everyone she’s ever known. Or is she? A man wearing her family’s insignia appears, impossibly claiming to be her infant cousin Kal-El—the very baby she’d held in her arms just a few days ago…
The Supergirl: The New 52 Omnibus Vol. 1 collects the first half of Kara’s The New 52 debut, including Supergirl #0-20 along with Superboy #0, #6, and #14-17; Superboy Annual #1; and Superman #0, #6, and #13-17.
JOHN CONSTANTINE, HELLBLAZER BY JAMIE DELANO OMNIBUS VOL. 2
Art by DAVID LLOYD, JOCK, SEAN PHILLIPS, RON TINER, PHILIP BOND, and others Cover by DAVID LLOYD
$99.99 US | 960 Pages | 7 1/16" x 10 7/8" | Hardcover | ISBN: 978-1-79950-206-7
ON SALE 7/8/2025
John Constantine is responsible for the deaths of many, but he’s never been the one to pull the trigger. When targeted by the Family Man killer, a deadly game of cat and mouse will unravel his life. Shifting from hunted to hunter, Constantine will confront his past, present, and potential future to discover the man he wants to be.
Collects Hellblazer #23-40, The Horrorist #1-2, Hellblazer #84, Hellblazer: Pandemonium, Hellblazer: Bad Blood #1-4, and tales from Hellblazer #250 and Vertigo Secret Files: Hellblazer #1, with a brand-new introduction by Delano, a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes art, and more.
FLEX MENTALLO: MAN OF MUSCLE MYSTERY DELUXE (2025 EDITION)
Written by GRANT MORRISON
Art and Cover by FRANK QUITELY
$29.99 US | 128 pages | 6 5/8" x 10 3/16" | Hardcover | ISBN: 978-1-79950-208-1
ON SALE 7/8/2025
The wait is over—The Man of Muscle Mystery has returned!
Born in the fertile pages of the groundbreaking series Doom Patrol, the force of nature that is Flex Mentallo was willed back into existence by the legendary creative team of New York Times best-selling writer Grant Morrison and superstar artist Frank Quitely (All-Star Superman, Batman and Robin, We3) for a special four-issue miniseries that shook the very foundations of reality!
Now, this singular vision of heroism and the redemptive power of imagination is finally available in a single hardcover volume. Featuring all-new coloring as well as a special sketchbook section showcasing more than a dozen pages of behind-the- scenes material, Flex Mentallo: Man of Muscle Mystery Deluxe will not only change the way you look at comics, it will alter your understanding of spacetime itself!
SHADE, THE CHANGING MAN BY PETER MILLIGAN AND CHRIS BACHALO OMNIBUS VOL. 1
Written by PETER MILLIGAN
Art by CHRIS BACHALO and others
Cover by BRENDAN McCARTHY
$150.00 US | 1424 Pages | 7 1/16" x 10 7/8" | Hardcover | ISBN: 978-1-79950-037-7
ON SALE 7/15/25
In 1990, Milligan and Bachalo revolutionized comics with Shade,
The Changing Man, often considered one of the greatest works of the decade.
Sent to Texas from another world, Rac Shade must save the United States from the madness inside all of us. Trapped in the body of a killer, Shade will embark on a road trip across the country to stop the American Scream. With the help of Kathy, whose life was shattered by the killer, and Lenny, a sharp-witted runaway, they might just save the world.
Collects Bachalo’s complete run with Milligan, issues #1-50, along with a story from Vertigo Jam #1, a brand-new introduction by Milligan, and a brand-new afterword and commentary by Bachalo with an extensive art gallery.
THE SUPERMAN BOX SET
$84.99 US | ISBN: 978-1-79950-196-1
ON SALE 8/19/25
This slipcase box set includes six softcover editions of beloved Superman stories by some of the comics industry’s most creative talents, including All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross, Superman for All Seasons by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? by Alan Moore and Curt Swan, Superman: Up in the Sky by Tom King and Andy Kubert, and Superman Vol. 1: Supercorp by Joshua Williamson and Jamal Campbell.
Take these adventures home with you and catch Superman in theaters!
BATMAN: WAR GAMES OMNIBUS
Art by MIKE HUDDLESTON, KINSUN LOH, GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI, PETE WOODS, and others
Cover by JAMES JEAN
$125.00 US | 1120 Pages | 7 1/16" x 10 7/8" | Hardcover | ISBN: 978-1-79950-214-2
ON SALE 7/15/25
When a skirmish between rival gangs boils over to the entire Gotham underworld, Batman and his allies struggle to contain the conflict. As chaos erupts, Tim Drake abandons his role as Robin, and Batman gets an unexpected—and unwelcome—replacement in the form of Stephanie Brown, otherwise known as the vigilante Spoiler. This single massive volume collects Batgirl #53, #55-57, Batman #631-634, #642-644, Batman Allies Secret Files and Origins 2005, Batman Villains Secret Files and Origins 2005, Batman: Gotham Knights #56-58, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight
#183-184, Batman: The 12-Cent Adventure, Catwoman #34-36, Detective Comics #790- 800, #809-810, Nightwing #96-98, Robin #126-131, and a story from Solo #10!
It just occured to me that with Alan Moore wanting nothing to do with DC and DC wanting nothing to do with Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison has become the de facto British author that DC can actually publicize!
I expect more Morrison trades soon!
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