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
I've been thinking about the DC Finest: Team-Ups book... and I think a smart thing to do would be to have a companion book that focuses only on Superman/Batman teamups (or maybe Superman Family/Batman Family teamups for variety, allowing Superman to team with Robin and Batman with Supergirl, etc). I think the volumes of this that would excite me most would be the period of time right before Crisis, where their relationship was deteriorating (thanks to the Outsiders, but also editorial edict) and the period right after Crisis, when there was no World's Finest book, but we'd very occasionally see teamups between Superman & Batman as their relationship was explored (starting off with an issue of Man of Steel, and including Dark Knight Over Metropolis, and other early post-Crisis teamups). I think it'd be cool to see writers tackle that relationship as it progressed all in one volume.
That "We'reNot Friends Anymore" period didn't last very long. Batman and the Outsiders #1 (Au'83) was the start of it but the two reconciled in World's Finest #300 (F'84), the end of a five-part story that was the bulk of the tension. After that, WFC only lasted two more years.
That sounds right. I forgot WF lasted after issue 300. But I bet those later issues have writers exploring those differences, even if they're back to being friends. It'd be interesting to see if there was any of that genie left outside the bottle, once they tried to seal it back in there.
I looked at those last few covers and it seems like there was a lot of experimentation going on with new concepts like Null & Void, Swordfish & Barracuda, Sonik, the Network and Cheapjack.
By the end, there was little energy left.
Oh, I remember liking Swordfish & Barracuda, and Null & Void too. I think both teams could have had some return appearances, if the universe hadn't shut down shortly afterward.
Yes, they didn't even make Who's Who!
Sonik was a young black hero like Onyx and Ozone from the Green Arrow feature but they were too "Pre-Crisis" to use again.
In these days of "$5 units" I look at it this way...
Superman Family, for example, comprises 30 issues of content @ $1.30.
The new solicitations are out. I need only ten issues of the Horror volumeand only nine of the Hawkman one, but that's still only $4 and $4.44 each respectively.
Hmm... I wasn't going to buy either of those, but now I'm seriously considering it. And, if I do and the series continue, I'll have them all in a consistent format.
If you're going purely on price, check out instocktrades. Their discounts make the Finest books about $23 apiece -- sometimes $18 on their week of release. That'll change the per-issue pricing on books you have on the edge.
Actually, my shop gives me a 35% pre-order discount because I buy so much, so my cost per volume is more like $26. Instocktrades offers some pretty good deals, but I prefer to remain loyal to my LCS. Thanks for the advice, though.
How do they make a profit on anything you buy?!??
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