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DC Switching to Longer Hardcover Collections of Ongoing Series?

Published Tue, 05 Mar 2019 11:30:57 -0600

Last updated Mon, 11 Mar 2019 05:40:31 -0500

At ComcisPRO, Dan DiDio talked about DC Comics reducing the number of collections they publish.

But initial signs indicate that the nature of the collections may be changing as well.

We mentioned yesterday that Detective Comics collections were starting with a new Vol 1 with Pete Tomasi and Doug Mahnke's run. And also that there was some naming confusion, an Amazon URL giving one name, the listing giving another.

It all ties in. It seems that DC Comics are moving away from the six-issue trade paperback-first approach, to a twelve/thirteen-issue hardcover-first approach. And Detective Comics was caught in the middle, switching from the six-issue Mythology trade paperback collection to a thirteen-issue Arkham Knight hardcover collection. The listing details all the issues it's collecting but the page count reflects the earlier plan.

Other titles are also to be affected. Batman and The Flash have switched from paperback with their The Flash Vol. 9: Reckoning of the Forces and Batman Vol. 9: The Tyrant Wing …

…to hardcover starting with The Flash Vol. 10: Force Quest and Batman Vol. 10: Knightmares.

Moreover, while the trade paperbacks collect Flash #52-57 and Batman #58-60, Batman Annual #3 and Batman: Secret Files, about six issues worth in each, the hardcovers collect Flash #58-63 and #66-69 and Batman #61-63 and #66-74, that's eleven to twelve issues worth each apiece.

DC's new strategy appears to be, yes, putting out fewer collections – but making them thicker, harder and more expensive, at least on first release.

Will cheaper TPBs follow? And is the Deluxe hardcover line done for now?

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