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
IIRC, Sandman appears in All-Star Squadron #66 (Tarantula's origin) and there is a bit of fun on how the two of them are barely distinguishable when John Law is in his original costume and Wesley Dodds in his second one. But that is probably not what you are thinking about.
You mean to explain why Sandman changed costumres? Cool!
More like why Tarantula did.
No, it was going to be the Origin of the Sandman and Sandy team!
Sandman's wirepoon was introduced in Adventure Comics #61, before his costume change. The issue was also the debut of Starman and was reprinted in the Millennium series. The GCD doesn't know who wrote the Sandman one but notes the Millennium edition attributes it to Gardner Fox. The plot was recycled from "The Batman Wars Against the Dirigible of Doom" in Detective Comics #33, which might support that, but there's a degree of uncertainty about that story's authorship too (since the origin, with which it opens, is thought to be by Bill Finger).
The #69 story introduces the Sandman's new costume without explanation, but depicts the first meeting of the Sandman and Sandy. When they meet Sandy already has a costume modelled after Sandman's new one. The story involves giant bees and is attributed to Mort Weisinger. Until Simon and Kirby took over with #72 the duo's costumes had capes.
Weisinger is also attributed with the creation of the Tarantula, and another caped duo, TNT and Dan the Dyna-Mite. The GCD says the Tarantula story from Star Spangled Comics #11 (by Manly Wade Wellman) was reprinted in World's Finest Comics #207, and the TNT story from World's Finest Comics #5 in 100-Page Super Spectacular #DC-18.
This is great information, Luke!
Some great ideas here!
One thing I remember seeing on Bluesky was Kurt Busiek suggesting that a golden age DC Finest: Shazam volume startin 1945 with Captain Marvel Adventures #49 -- which he says begins a great run of (unreprinted?) stories, but also is the first issue after the racist charicature Steamboat left the strip. It's after the Monster Society of Evil storyline, but the strip still had plenty of juice in it!
I couldn't afford to buy it when published because it was only released in hardbound, but there was a volume collecting the entire Monster Society of Evil serial. If I remember correctly, it had a red cover with gold lettering and also had a content warning because of the politically/socially incorrect material of the day.
I remember a really expensive version of it that was published in the late 80s or early 90s... before the DC Archives, IIRC, and possibly before the Marvel Masterworks. The ads for it in Comics Buyer's Guide were how I first heard about the Monster Society of Evil story, but the price of the book was so out of my reach at the time, I wondered how they managed to sell any of them at all!
Looking online, I think the version we're both talking about was published by America Nostalgia Library in 1989. I see one on the Heritage Auctions site with a note to send the owner an offer of over $510 dollars. "This item's owner would consider the right offer, but isn't actively participating and doesn't respond to most offers."
So it's STILL way out of my league.
I remember this as well. I didn't buy it, and I don't remember why. Too pricey, probably. And assumed I'd see it in some other format down the road, probably. We're now down the road, and I still haven't read that story!