DC Finest offers new readers a new entry point into 90 years of comic book history

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Just months after the announcement of DC Compact Comics, a new line of evergreen collected editions, DC has announced a second line of evergreen collections, aimed at appealing to casual and completist readers alike and focusing on specific characters and genres.

Rather than looking to storylines or specific creators, the new DC Finest line will instead be built on editions collecting material by character, era, or genre, offering affordable — each book will be priced $34.99 for at least 20 comic books' worth of material — and extensive collections of material that act as introductions to their particular subject. The launch titles announced by DC to date are:

• DC Finest – The Flash: The Human Thunderbolt: Collects classic adventures of Barry Allen, the Silver Age Flash, by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, including 1956’s iconic Showcase #4. Also includes Silver Age Flash stories that include the first appearances of famous Flash rogues, including Captain Cold, Mirror Master, and Gorilla Grodd.
• DC Finest – Batman: Year One & Two: Collects the Dark Knight’s adventures following the game-changing crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths, including Batman: Year One by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli and Batman: Year Two by Mike W. Barr and Todd McFarlane, plus more mid-to-late-’80s Batman stories from Barr, Max Allan Collins, Norm Breyfogle, and others.
 
• DC Finest – Wonder Woman: Origins & Omens: This collection spotlights fan-favorite writer Gail Simone’s run on Wonder Woman, starting with 2007’s “The Circle,” with artist Terry Dodson, plus celebrated story arcs “Ends of the Earth,” “Rise of the Olympian,” and “Warkiller,” featuring art by Aaron Lopresti.
 
• DC Finest – Catwoman: Life Lines: Selina Kyle steps out of Batman’s shadow and becomes a protagonist in her own right in this collection featuring Catwoman’s 1989 solo debut by Mindy Newell and J.J. Birch, Peter Milligan and Tom Grindberg’s Catwoman Defiant from 1992, and the first year of DC’s Catwoman ongoing series, by writer Jo Duffy and artist Jim Balent.
 
• DC Finest – Superman: The Coming of Superman: Features the Man of Steel’s earliest and most iconic adventures, starting with Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s groundbreaking Action Comics #1. This collection includes Action Comics #1-25, Superman #1-5, and New York World’s Fair Comics #1.

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It’s worth noting that, judging by the contents listed above, these will be lengthy books: the Wonder Woman edition alone looks set to collect somewhere in the realm of 20 issues, while the Superman book looks set to collect stories from 31 different issues — which makes the $34.99 price point all the more appealing.

Taken in combination with the Compact Comics line, it appears that DC is looking to offer as many entry points for new and lapsed readers into its vast back catalog as possible across the next few months, as the company prepares to relaunch its cinematic slate and, not coincidentally, celebrate its 90th anniversary. (DC initially launched all the way back in 1935.)

The first DC Finest editions will be released in November, as per the company. Look for more information on the titles as their debut draws closer.

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