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#401-414, Batman Annual #11, and Detective Comics #571- #568-581.
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
Here is a comparison between the upcoming DCF "The Demon Lives Again" (9/8) and the Bronze Age Omnibus v1 (7/28).
Bottom line: The DCF comprises 35 issues and runs four months longer, whereas the omnibus comprises 55 issues and starts 14 issues earlier.
Thanks, Jeff!
There's still a ton of DC Finest lines left to be started, but among the ones that exist, which follow-ups are you most hoping for? Here are a few on my wishlist:
The Spectre: Follow up the 60s-70s volume with a collection of the mature-readers 80s book that leads off with stories by Doug Moench and Gray Morrow. I feel like it'd be a good companion to the concurrent runs of Green Arrow and Batman in mood and pacing.
Super Friends: The first volume was a real delight, and I'd love to see a second volume to wrap it up.
The Blue Beetle: We've caught up with all the Charlton matierial, now lets get into Ted Kord's 1980s DC adventures!
Legion of Super-Heroes: A follow-up to Zap Goes the Legion would take us almost up to Earthwar!
Superboy: I'd love to see how the Superboy feature started to evolve now that Krypto was becoming part of the cast. I don't think the next volume would take us to the first appearance of the Legion, but it'd be interesting to see if there were any trial runs, or other ideas as the strip's cast & history gets more expansive.
My current progress is I've gotten to the Jimmy Olsen story where he uses his signal watch because he has a bad sunburn and can't go into work. Has there ever been a worse reason to signal Superman, or is this the bottom of the barrel?
Meanwhile, in the Flash, there's an issue where the Top's secret ID is given as Roscoe Neyle instead of Roscoe Dillon -- a change in name eventually codified in Who's Who, which listed his name as Roscoe Neyle Dillon. Plus, there's a hired assassin in one issue named Bork -- but not the same Bork who Flash and Batman fought in "But Bork Can Hurt You" back in Brave & Bold 81 from 1955. What's up with Barry and Borks?
I've wrapped up The Flash: The Fastest Man Dead and have moved on to the Demon: Birth of the Demon... and am burning my way through the Kirby issues, up to issue 7 already. Lots of fun there, as even Jason Blood doesn't understand what's going on at first (let alone his pals Randu and Harry)! I'm still reading Superman Family, too, but those are Silver Age stories, and they simply take longer.
Looking forward to what would be the subsequent volume of the Flash, there a lot of REALLY short stories through issue 247, as the comics shrunk down to 17 pages, and Barry's stories often were just 10 pages to leave room for a Green Lanter backup. And then, once GL left the book... stories were still just 17 pages! They can pack a lot off issues into the next book, since everything's so short. I'd love it if it went to issue 265, the second-honeymoon epilogue to the 4-part Ringmaster saga, but if they can't reach that (and it's a possibility, since there's the Flash Spectacular to think about, plus maybe an issue or two of Brave & Bold), issue 260 is the cleanest stopping point.
...and have moved on to the Demon: Birth of the Demon...
REMEMBER: I started a discussion in support of this DCF.
Nice, thanks!
Whoa!
Five DC Finest volumes have just appeared on DCU Infinite!
The titles available are Science Fiction, Horror, Superboy, and two of the Supergirl volumes -- The Girl of Steel and Die and Let Live! (This last one, a very recent release, is just available at the Ultra level right now.)
This is a very new development -- but maybe we'll see more DCF books come along as the year progresses!
This is a very new development -- but maybe we'll see more DCF books come along as the year progresses!
Yes we will, and here's a press release to that effect:
New DC Finest Titles Arrive on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE This Week
DC UNIVERSE INFINITE expands its curated library of comic books and graphic novels this week with five new DC Finest titles, each spotlighting a different corner of DC’s publishing history. These additions continue DCUI’s commitment to delivering theme-driven collections, celebrating genre storytelling, and bringing new archival material to the platform, much of it available digitally for the first time.
Beginning today, fans can read:
DC Finest: Supergirl: The Girl of Steel — A comprehensive collection of Supergirl’s earliest Silver Age comic book adventures, curated from Action Comics, Superman, Superboy, Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane, andSuperman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen, showcasing the sci-fi and fantasy storytelling that defined her earliest era.
DC Finest: Superboy: The Superdog from Krypton — A selection of classic Superboy and Krypto tales from Adventure Comics and Superboy, highlighting the playful, imaginative tone of the Silver Age.
DC Finest: Science Fiction: The Gorilla World — A sweeping anthology of mid-century DC sci-fi comics from Action Comics, Strange Adventures, and Mystery in Space, featuring some of the era’s most inventive stories.
DC Finest: Horror: The Devil’s Doorway — A chilling collection of Bronze Age horror stories from House of Secrets, House of Mystery, The Witching Hour, and more, spotlighting DC’s haunting history of ghoulish and genre-driven comics.
DC Finest: Supergirl: Die and Let Live — A curated look at Supergirl’s late-’90s era, including crossover issues from Resurrection Man, Team Superman, and more, offering a deeper exploration of one of her most dynamic publishing periods.
These new DC Finest releases highlight the full breadth of DC’s catalog, from foundational character arcs to genre-defining sci-fi and horror. More DC Finest titles will arrive soon, reinforcing DCUI as the premier destination for exploring DC’s library of comic books. Each DC Finest volume features key moments in the adventures of the greatest characters in comics. Written and drawn by classic creators, these are the stories that transformed the DC Universe forever!
COMING SOON ON DCUI
More DC Finest titles will continue rolling out throughout the summer, including:
Fantastic news! Thanks, Cap!
I have, or plan to pick up, most of them, but I'll keep an eye out for that Robin book in particular!
And having a host of "new" older material on DCU Infinite is something we haven't seen in a long while!
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