DC Comics announced a new line of compact comics featuring smaller-sized versions of some of its top-selling trade paperbacks.
The DC Compact Comics will be sized to 5.5″ x 8.5″ which is a standard book trim compared to the regular trade paperback size of 6 5/8″ x 10 3/16″. While smaller and sized in comparison to more traditional books, Archie Comics Digest, which you can easily find at the checkout counter at grocery stores is trimmed to 4 7/8″ x 6 1/2″. To be honest, that is a smaller size that can comfortably be read by normal people, and at first glance, this feels like DC Comics is trying to release these new books to size nicely with manga books, but in the United States, manga publishers release their books typically at 5″ x 7.5″. While this is a good start to get comic books on the shelves with “regular books,” had DC hit this at manga-sized there would probably be a lot better placement at bookstores, and quite possibly getting them young kids interested in the following titles:
Watchmen (9781779527325) by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons- Batman: The Court of Owls (9781779527271) by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo
- All-Star Superman (9781779527257) by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely
- Far Sector (9781779527295) by N.K. Jemisin, Jamal Campbell
- Wonder Woman: Earth One (9781779527332) by Grant Morrison, Yanick Paquette
- American Vampire Book One (9781779527349) by Scott Snyder, Stephen King, Rafael Albuquerque
- Batman: Hush (9781779527264) by Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee
- Joker (9781779527318) by Brian Azzarello, Lee Bermejo
- Harley Quinn & the Gotham City Sirens (9781779527301) by Paul Dini, Peter Calloway, Tony Bedard, Guillem March, Andres Guinaldo
- Catwoman: Trail of the Catwoman (9781779527288) by Darwyn Cooke, Ed Brubaker
Or maybe not, Anne DePies, Senior Vice President and General Manager at DC Comics said, ““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. For readers, DC Compact Comics delivers a new graphic novel reading experience that fits in the palm of their hands, with no loss of readability.”
One of the best parts of this announcement is the price – DC is releasing these in 2024 with a $9.99 cover price.
