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
Justice League of America: The Return is more like "The End" as it was the lasst issues of the original JLA series and it was a depressing finale!
Plus, Zatanna got "Ms. Marvel"-ed, if anyone forgot!
Blue Beetle if only for historical purposes. I've alsways heard that this run was very mediocre.
Batman: Red Skies is not my favorite era as I never liked Nocturna and Jason Todd's mommy fixation for her. And I loathe the Thief/Slayer of Night!
Crisis on Infinite Earths Part One appears to be an interesting way of re-examining the entire phenomenon.
Are you sure about the Blue Beetle volume?
Sorry, I was actually thinking about "The Blue Beetle: Volume 9" from Gwandanaland.
Although I do have that volume, I may have to reconsider the DCF volume for better reproduction values. (I changed my earlier post.)
I've always heard that this run was very mediocre.
Oh, it is... make no mistake about that.
...more like "The End" as it was the last issues of the original JLA series and it was a depressing finale!
Another mark in favor of the omnibus, which ends with JLA:Classified #22-25, JSA: Classified #14-16 and the Justice League of America Retroactive: 1980s one-shot (and begins with Justice League of America Annual #2).
I never liked Nocturna and Jason Todd's mommy fixation for her.
Just to clarify, the "good stuff" I was referring to is the Mandrake run toward the end of the volume (and some other stuff as well). For the record, I'm not a fan of "Nocturna and Jason Todd's mommy fixation for her," either, hence my ambivalence: "I'll have to give this one some serious thought."
Thanks for the pointers as to where to get a better Detroit-era wrapup! I've read those stories, but it's been ages, and it'd be good to revisit them. Wasn't there also a Detroit chapter in JLA: Generations? (I think that was the title of the miniseries that had an issue devoted to different eras of the League.)
You'd described it exactly right, Rob. I reference it below in my Blue Beetle essay, but I could be wrong about my reference. Generations did examine a different JLA era in each issue. And I was thinking about a post-Crisis story (or maybe just an issue) where all the Silver Age characters are locked up in a Stalag-looking camp. I don't remember the story particularly well -- I assume everyone escapes -- but I do remember the jarring sight of Silver Age characters milling about who, in the actual Silver Age, were at different publishers. Now they're all at DC. So you might see in this scene, for example, Bulletman standing next to the Dan Garrett Blue Beetle. Which blew my little mind. I think that was in JLA: Generations, but if not. I don't know where it would be.
I think the series you're thinking of is JLA: Incarnations (#5 specifically).
(That comic is not included in the omnibus.)
That's it, yes! A shame it's not in the omnibus!
D'oh! Incarnations, not Generations. Generations was the John Byrne thing.
I think the scene you're thinking of, Cap, is in Mark Waid and Barry Kitson's JLA: Year One. I haven't read it since it was published, but that's the bell that your description is ringing.
That sounds exactly right -- I can picture the Kitson art in my head. Thanks, Rob!
For the record, I've read the Batman material and feel no need to read it again, and I've got Crisis in about 37 formats already. The JLA volume represents another period in comics history I didn't really enjoy the first time around.
As to Blue Beetle, I'm pretty jazzed. And not because I expect it'll be good (I know the pre-Ditko stuff won't be). But because of a childhood confusion I can finally straighten out.
My brother had a bunch of Blue Beetle comics and the numbering always baffled me. The numbers jumped all over the place, and the dates seemed equally random. What was going on here? I never figured it out -- I'd just buy Blue Beetles at flea markets if I didn't recognize the cover, regardless of issue number or date.
In this world of variant covers, that is no longer possible. OTOH, in this world of search engines, I finally figured out those numbers the last time I re-bagged my Charltons.
Fox launched Blue Beetle in 1940, after introducing the character a year earlier in Mystery Men. Holyoke swiped all Fox properties for a while, and published Blue Beetle #12-30. Fox got the title back, but somehow never published issue #43.
After Fox went out of business, Charlton picked up the rights. Charlton tried a five-issue revival in 1955, picking up the numbering from the horror anthology The Thing!
That title was rebranded Mr. Muscles. Charlton tried again in 1964. This is the Dan Garett (with two T's) incarnation, with a new origin where he got his powers from an Egyptian scarab. This time they didn't take the numbering from anywhere, but once again it only lasted five issues.
I don't know why, but Charlton started the series over in 1965, with exaclty the same premise and exactly the same creators. And once again it only lasted five issues. But did they number the series 1-5 like normal people? Not on your life! They took the numbering from Unusual Tales.
That title was rebranded Ghostly Tales. Then Dick Giordano became editor, and gave Beetle to Steve Ditko, who promptly turned him into an adult Spider-Man. These stories, featuring Ted Kord as the Azure Avenger, were backups in Charlton's most popular superhero title. Bucking convention, this time the run only lasted four issues.
But lo, Giordano had faith in Ditko (or perhaps it was good sales numbers, who knows) and launched the Ditko version in his own title in 1967. But the entire "Action Heroes" line was canceled in 1968. I don't know why, but maybe that's when Giordano moved to DC. Anyway, once again Beetle was stranded after five issues.
I'm not really sure what the DC Finest has, though, as the numbers they list reproduced above don't quite match up. They show "Blue Beetle #1-5 (1965)," for example, whereas the 1965 series was numbered #50-54, and don't list Blue Beetle #1-5 (1967) at all. I'm hoping they're just confused -- understandable -- and the book will be comprehensive from 1964 through 1968. I'd love for the 1955 revival to be in there, too, but I guess you can't have everything.
As to quality, the pre-Ditko stuff is pretty wretched. But as a lad I dreamed of what the character could be, in better hands. He had Superman-like powers and Egyptian iconography available. Wally Wood would have had a blast. He appeared briefly in JLA: Incarnations, sparking my what-could-have-been imagination.
But the upshot for me and this volume is that I'll finally read those '60s Blue Beetles in the right order, for the first time. Dreams do come true! :)
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