DC Comics has announced a new publishing initiative at the ComicsPRO Comic Industry Conference this week, leading to a new line of graphic collections. We also have word on an Elseworlds imprint and their new summer event called Absolute Power.
Starting with the event, Absolute Power is written by Mark Waid with art by Dan Mora, kicking off a four-issue series that 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 superhero 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. The event will kick off with 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.
DC 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.
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
Fans in attendance also got a first look at the DC Versus Marvel crossover omnibuses, including two exclusive direct market covers by Jim Lee, Scott Williams, and Alex Sinclair for DC Versus Marvel Omnibus and DC/Marvel: The Amalgam Age Omnibus.
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