DC has released an ad for its new Compact Comics line, a range of some of the company’s most popular titles, scaled to a portable 5.5″ x 8.5″ and going for just $9.99 each.
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Just one inch taller than the average manga volume, the new line eschews the unwieldiness of traditional graphic novels, which are typically printed around the size of a paper magazine you cannot fold. Better still, these small books contain the entirety of their story arcs, instead of the multi-volume format of trade paperbacks or even the average manga series. Also unlike most manga, each volume will remain in full color, but printed on a paper stock slightly less glossy than the average $20+ graphic novel.
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These are the four titles currently available, followed by the line’s upcoming slate:
- Watchmen by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons
- Batman: The Court of Owls by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo
- All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely
- Far Sector by N.K. Jemisin, Jamal Campbell
Coming soon:
- Wonder Woman: Earth One by Grant Morrison, Yanick Paquette – August 6
- Batman: Hush by Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee – August 6
- Joker by Brian Azzarello, Lee Bermejo – September 3
- Harley Quinn & the Gotham City Sirens by Paul Dini, Peter Calloway, Tony Bedard, Guillem March, Andres Guinaldo – September 3
- American Vampire Book One by Scott Snyder, Stephen King, Rafael Albuquerque – October 1
- Catwoman: Trail of the Catwoman by Darwyn Cooke, Ed Brubaker – October 1
- Kingdom Come – by Mark Waid, Alex Ross – May 6, 2025
- Static: Season One – May 27, 2025
- DCeased – June 3, 2025
- Batwoman: Elegy – June 17, 2025
- Superman: Birthright – June 24, 2025
- Superman/Batman: Book One – July 15, 2025
This is a really cool idea. I’d love to see Marvel and Dark Horse follow suit. I think there are quite a few I would be I retested in.
As a kid I actually had an X-men book that was exactly this. It was a story about Arcade trapping them in an amusement park.
It was black and white, but I read it way more than my other comics because I didn’t want to take them anywhere and wreck them.
It really is. I’ve bought a few to give out as inexpensive gifts to friends and family that might be interested.
If you haven’t read them, several of these are quite good:
Watchmen by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons
Far Sector by N.K. Jemisin, Jamal Campbell
American Vampire Book One by Scott Snyder, Stephen King, Rafael Albuquerque – October 1
Catwoman: Trail of the Catwoman by Darwyn Cooke, Ed Brubaker – October 1
Kingdom Come – by Mark Waid, Alex Ross – May 6, 2025
And A-SS, everyone loves A-SS.
Whole the ones you pick are top notch, you can’t really go wrong with any of them and, at that price, you can afford to take a shot on them or give them away as presents.
I liked Watchmen but I enjoyed the film even more. Honestly from a perspective of storytelling, character development and overall solidity, I consider Watchmen one of the greatest movies ever made. It’s definitely among my favorite of all. I think even as celebrated as it is, it’s still underrated.
