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
True. I wonder if he also has any Super Friends appearances during that time?
I can also imagine a volume or two preceeding this with all the appearances from the 40s through the 60s.
Even without a series of his own, I could see a comparable Luthor series being worth a read. Catwoman (pre-Duffy/Balent), too. But they should be wary of releasing them too soon, to avoid cannibalizing the hero lines that most of their stories would also appear in.
I could see volumes featuring Solomon Grundy, Eclipso and Doctor Light!
True! I think Eclipso is a particularly great idea.
Joker only appeared in Super Friends animations from 1983 on(!) - he was _not_ part of the Legion of Doom.
He did, however, appear quite a lot in the two Batman animation series from Filmation (both the 1960s and 1970s versions).
As for Super Friends-related comics, it seems that he never appeared there before the 1980s either.
He was, of course, part of the SUPER POWERS line and in its first miniseries!
That's so strange! I wonder what kept Joker off of Super Friends for so long? Were his rights tied up somewhere else? Was Hanna Barbera worried that kids would be scared of clowns? It seems like he'd be a natural fit!
According to this archived article (reference #2 of the "Legion of Doom" Wikipedia article) it was because Filmation still had the rights.
Of course, that explains why Joker wasn't part of the original formation of the Legion of Doom, not quite why it took until 1983 for his introduction.
Filmation had the Batman Animation rights for 1968-1969 ("The Batman/Superman Hour" / "The Adventures of Batman"), 1977-1978 ("The New Adventures of Batman" / "The Batman/Tarzan Adventure Hour"), 1980-1981 ("Batman and the Super 7").
Perhaps by 1981 it was felt that there was not much of a point in suddenly introducing Joker as a new recruit for the Legion of Doom. And the last two seasons of Super Friends were already a remarkable retooling of the show as "The Legendary Super Powers Show" and then "The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians", in no small measure due to the then new Kenner line of toys, so a better starting point for new characters - particularly if they were part of Kenner's line.
https://www.noblemania.com/2011/07/super-70s-and-80s-super-friendsd...
Ah, that makes sense. Thanks for digging that up! That's a great interview!
Another fact was that because they used the Riddler and Scarecrow in Challenge of the Super Friends, they couldn't appear in The New Adventures of Batman though the Riddler was in the intro in a pink costume.
Since the Riddler was excluded, the "Big Four" villains of NAOB were the Joker, the Penguin, Catwoman (in a new outfit never seen before) and...Clayface II!
DC Finest: The Demon – Birth of the Demon collects the earliest and most essential tales of Etrigan the Demon, from his explosive debut by Jack Kirby to his mystical evolution in the Bronze Age. This omnibus includes stories from The Demon #1–16 (1972–1973), classic team-ups from The Brave and the Bold, and key appearances in Detective Comics, Wonder Woman, and more. Featuring writing by Jim Starlin and Bob Rozakis, and art by Juan Manuel Ortiz and others, this volume explores the cursed bond between Jason Blood and the demon Etrigan across centuries of dark magic, betrayal, and vengeance.
This gives us four titles released in February, so it looks like 2025 isn't seeing a slowdown after all!
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