At this week’s ComicsPRO Comic Industry Conference, DC lifted the curtain on its big summer publishing initiative, a new line of graphic collections, plus updates on the Elseworlds imprint and the recently announced DC/Marvel omnibuses.
Throughout the Dawn of DC, Amanda Waller’s combination of pure ruthlessness and dangerous alliances has placed her on the precipice of fulfilling her pledge—the elimination of all metahuman abilities planetwide. This summer, her plans take a major step forward with Absolute Power, DC’s big summer blockbuster.
Helmed by the critically-acclaimed duo of writer Mark Waid and artist Dan Mora, this four-issue series launches July 2 and shows how Waller will use the strategic and military might of Failsafe and the otherworldly technology of the Brainiac Queen to steal all metahuman abilities from every super hero and super-villain around the globe, a threat so dire it will take the combined efforts of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Super Heroes of the DC Universe to defeat it.
Fans can get an early jump on the excitement and intrigue of Absolute Power on Free Comic Book Day, May 4, as DC revealed Dan Mora’s cover for the 2024 Absolute Power Free Comic Book Day Special Edition. Available at participating comic book shops Saturday, May 4, this 32-page comic features an original 12-page story by Mark Waid with art by Mikel Janín, a recap of the events that led to Absolute Power, and a sneak preview of Absolute Power #1. DC also revealed Mora’s cover for Absolute Power: Ground Zero, the official prelude. Debuting in June, this one-shot comic book will bridge the shocking conclusion of the Superman story “House of Brainiac” with Amanda Waller’s machinations in Absolute Power—all helmed by Mark Waid, the event’s architect.
The publisher also announced DC Finest, a new line of comprehensive collections of the most in-demand periods, genres, and characters from across DC history. Scheduled to launch in November, these affordably priced, large-size paperback collections start at $34.99, and will take full advantage of DC’s extensive backlist and appeal to casual and completist fans alike. Focusing on characters and storytelling genres instead of creators or prior series will give casual fans the chance to discover full continuities for their favorite characters, while offering completist readers an affordable option to build out their ultimate collection of stories based on their favorite DC Super Hero or genre.
Character-focused collections will spotlight multiple iterations of fan-favorite DC Super Heroes throughout the decades; for example, a “Robin” collection may include volumes featuring Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, or Jason Todd, depending on chronology, while a “Green Lantern” collection may include classic stories featuring Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, Alan Scott, or other fan-favorite ring slingers. Genre fans can curate collections of their favorite tales from specific genres, which may include of science fiction, romance, war, westerns, horror, and other genres; many of these volumes will feature material reprinted for the first time, by some of comics’ greatest storytellers.
The first wave of DC Finest collections include:
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.
Following the 2023 announcement of the return of Elseworlds at New York Comic Con, DC revealed the release schedule for the titles making up this new iteration of DC’s classic imprint:
- June – Gotham by Gaslight: The Kryptonian Age #1, by Andy Diggle and Leandro Fernandez
- July – Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter #1, by Jay Kristoff and Tirso Cons
- August – DC vs. Vampires: World War V #1, by Matthew Rosenberg and Otto Schmidt
- September – Batman the Barbarian #1, by Greg Smallwood
- October – Green Lantern Dark #1, by Tate Brombal and Werther Dell’Edera
- November – Batman: Nightfire #1, by Clay Mann
Finally, hot on the heels of DC and Marvel’s recent announcement of two forthcoming DC Versus Marvel crossover omnibuses, retailers in attendance received an early look at exclusive direct market cover art by Jim Lee, Scott Williams, and Alex Sinclair for DC Versus Marvel Omnibus and DC/Marvel: The Amalgam Age Omnibus.
Available at participating comic book shops on August 6, DC Versus Marvel Omnibus collects Batman/Captain America #1, Batman/Daredevil#1, Batman/Punisher: Lake of Fire #1, Batman/Spider-Man #1, Daredevil/Batman #1, DC Special Series #27, Darkseid vs. Galactus: The Hunger #1, Green Lantern/Silver Surfer: Unholy Alliances #1, Incredible Hulk vs. Superman #1, Marvel and DC Present Featuring the Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans #1, Marvel Treasury Edition #28, Punisher/Batman: Deadly Knights #1, Silver Surfer/Superman #1, Spider-Man and Batman #1, Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man #1, and Superman/Fantastic Four #1.
DC/Marvel: The Amalgam Age Omnibus collects DC Versus Marvel #1-4, DC/Marvel: All Access #1-4, Unlimited Access #1-4, Bat-Thing #1, Bruce Wayne: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1, Bullets and Bracelets #1, Challengers of the Fantastic #1, Doctor Strangefate #1, Iron Lantern #1, Legends of the Dark Claw #1, Lobo the Duck #1, Speed Demon #1, Spider-Boy #1, Super Soldier #1, Thorion of the New Asgods #1, X-Patrol#1, and more, plus a host of behind-the-scenes material.
