Posted in: Batman, Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, DC Comics, Justice League, Superman | Tagged: DC Compact Comics, joker

Will The Shine Come Off DC's Compact Comics With A Joker In The Pack?

This week, we saw the release of Joker by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo, for the DC Compact Comics line and there;s a problem.

Published Thu, 05 Sep 2024 09:12:18 -0500

by Rich Johnston

Comments

Article Summary

Joker by Azzarello and Bermejo launches in DC Compact Comics, but stands out at only 136 pages.
Most Compact Comics titles feature hefty collections of 300+ pages, creating a stark contrast with Joker.
Upcoming releases like Kingdom Come and Static: Season One also have fewer pages than initial titles.
Will smaller, less substantial books affect the appeal of DC's Compact Comics line at $9.99 each?

Bleeding Cool has covered at length the new DC Comics publishing plan for the DC Compact Comics line, with sizeable storylines collected in a smaller size for easier portability for $9.99 each. With a 5.5" x 8.5" standard book trim for trade paperback graphic novels from DC's evergreen library, Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons is a massive 416 pages. Batman: The Court of Owls by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo is a middling 304 pages. All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely is 296 pages. Far Sector by N.K. Jemisin, Jamal Campbell is the same. Wonder Woman: Earth One by Grant Morrison, Yanick Paquette is 376 pages. American Vampire Book One by Scott Snyder, Stephen King, Rafael Albuquerque – is 320 pages. Batman: Hush by Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee is 312 pages. Harley Quinn & the Gotham City Sirens by Paul Dini, Peter Calloway, Tony Bedard, Guillem March, Andres Guinaldo is 312 pages. Catwoman: Trail of the Catwoman by Darwyn Cooke, Ed Brubaker is 336 pages.

So we understand the landscape, right? Maybe not. This week, we saw the release of Joker by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo, and it's only 136 pages long. That's a third of the size of the other DC Compact Comics titles, and it really stands out on the shelf above, it even needs a smaller DC logo. It doesn't have the same kind of heft as the others, And it appears it may not be alone.

Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross, out on the 6th of May 2025, is 208 pages, which is better, but Static: Season One by Vita Ayala and Nikolas Draper-Ivey, out on the 27th of May 2025 is 184 pages, Neither as low as Joker but lower than any of the others. Though at least Kingdom Come is $9.99 rather than the $19.99 it was listed as, in their November solicits. And DCeased by Tom Taylor, Trevor Hairsine for the 3rd of June, 2025 is 216 pages.