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DC Launches Compact Comics Line For Watchmen, All Star Superman & More

DC launches Compact Comics Line for Watchmen, All Star Superman, American Vampire, Batman Hush, Court Of The Owls, Far Sector and more

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Article Summary

  • DC Comics announces the launch of 'Compact Comics' priced at $9.99 for 12-issue compilations.
  • Includes iconic titles like 'Watchmen', 'All-Star Superman', and 'Batman: The Court of Owls'.
  • Format is new-reader-friendly and is designed to be affordable and appealing to a wider audience.
  • Compact size makes comics portable and convenient, without losing any readability.

Compact Comics! One of the biggest complaints I have about the current direct comic book marketplace comes down to price. Comic books used to be a working-class pastime because they were cheap, immediate… and wonderful. Then, as prices rose well above inflation, they became a middle-class pastime. In Britain, we went from Beano, Dandy, Bunty and 2000AD to… Phoenix, a very expensive Beano and… 2000AD. The people who buy their kids comic books as we know them are the wealthy ones. That's where manga ate into the market, with production costs already paid for in Japan, they could be as cheap as chips, cheaper even, and offer far more bang for their buck than their American counterparts. And America's big success in comic books has been amongst the middle grade and YA graphic novels, getting six and seven-figure print runs… and bought for kids by parents.

So anything to get cheaper comic books out there is a good thing. Marvel Comics, for pretty much the first time, have made some inroads into bookstores with their Epic line, charging less for more. And that's why DC Comics is announcing Compact Comics for June 2024, at an even lower price point. Twelve-issue comic book compilations for $9.99. That's 83 cents a comic. And using comic books which have already had the production costs paid for from the direct market. This means that, yes, DC Comics finds yet another way to publish Watchmen – in a digest size.

DC Compact Comics has a  5.5" x 8.5" standard book trim for trade paperback novels, the new format pulls bestselling, new-reader-friendly titles from DC's evergreen library. Here's the first list for June 2024.

"The DC Compact Comics price and sizing is perfect for readers of prose and manga looking to pick up a new-reader-friendly storyline in a self-contained full color graphic novel," said Anne DePies, SVP & General Manager, DC. "This 5.5" x 8.5" paper cut is the most widely circulated softcover book size in the US and is popular among graphic novel aficionados in international markets. At $9.99, it's a great price point for retailers to stock these classic titles. For readers, DC Compact Comics deliver a new graphic novel reading experience that fits in the palm of their hands, with no loss of readability."

This is how the size compares… Watchmen to Watchmen.

DC Comics Launches Compact Line For Watchmen, Batman, Superman

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Rich JohnstonAbout Rich Johnston

Founder of Bleeding Cool. The longest-serving digital news reporter in the world, since 1992. Author of The Flying Friar, Holed Up, The Avengefuls, Doctor Who: Room With A Deja Vu, The Many Murders Of Miss Cranbourne, Chase Variant. Lives in South-West London, works from Blacks on Dean Street, shops at Piranha Comics. Father of two. Political cartoonist.
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