DC made big waves in the comic book industry with the introduction of the Compact Comics line in 2024. The focus with these books is all on value, presenting classic comic book stories in a smaller package and a $9.99 price point. These inexpensive volumes have proven to be a big hit in the months since, and DC has rapidly expanded the Compact Comics line to include even more classic tales.
What exactly makes the Compact Comics line different from DC’s regular graphic novels? Which ones are most worth reading? We’ve got the full breakdown, along with links to purchase them for yourself.
What Are DC Compact Comics?
The idea with the DC Compact Comics line is pretty simple. These books are small in size and big on value. They focus on reprinting contemporary, new reader-friendly stories like All-Star Superman and DC: The New Frontier at a smaller page trim than standard DC trade paperbacks. They measure about 8.5” tall by 5.5” wide, making them more akin to manga collections or YA graphic novels like Dog Man.
That manga-esque format alone has helped them appeal to buyers normally wary of American superhero comics. But it’s really the price tag that’s been responsible for the line’s success. Compact Comics editions carry an MSRP of $9.99, falling just under that psychologically important $10 threshold. And if you shop around online, they can be had for even cheaper than that. Not bad, considering these volumes generally clock in at several hundred pages and collect as many as 12 issues.
Granted, there is a tradeoff here. You have to be willing to accept the smaller format in exchange for the cheaper price tag. But that’s a bargain plenty of readers have been willing to make over the past year. On ICv2’s list of the top-selling graphic novels of 2024, four DC Compact Comics made it into the top 10 - Batman: The Court of Owls, All-Star Superman, Batman: Hush, and Watchmen.
Needless to say, other publishers have started taking notice. Marvel responded with its own budget-oriented line called Marvel Premier Comics, though between the higher $15 price tag and the slower rollout, the Premier books haven’t made quite the same impact on the market. Regardless, with so much debate over how best to hook new readers, it’s clear that the DC Compact Comics line and similar initiatives are an important and necessary step forward.
But which ones should you buy? Let’s break it down.
All-Star Superman
Superman director James Gunn has made no secret of the fact that his film was heavily inspired by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s All-Star Superman. Gunn could not have picked a better piece of source material on which to begin crafting a new cinematic universe. Many fans regard All-Star Superman as the greatest Superman comic ever published. We’d have to agree, as the book currently tops our Top 30 Superman Graphic Novels list.
All-Star is nothing if not accessible to newcomers. It’s a standalone story set within its own continuity that draws on both the classic Silver Age comics and the Richard Donner/Christopher Reeve movies. As the series opens, Superman finds himself grappling with his own mortality after literally flying too close to the sun. That prompts him to begin putting his affairs in order and undertake a series of feats akin to the 12 Labors of Hercules. Arguably, no creators understand both the grandeur and the human appeal of Superman as much as Morrison and Quitely, and this book remains their magnum opus together.
Buy All-Star Superman on Amazon.
The Authority: Relentless
Among many other characters, Gunn’s Superman introduces moviegoers to María Gabriela de Faría’s Engineer, a lethal, tech-based metahuman deeply committed to Lex Luthor’s cause. In the comics, the Engineer is a member of The Authority, a more militant and proactive alternative to the Justice League. It remains to be seen when and if we’ll meet the full team in the DCU, but there’s no better introduction to these characters than The Authority: Relentless.
Relentless collects Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch’s full 12-issue run on The Authority from 1999. Few superhero comics have proven as influential over the past 30 years. Hitch’s trademark “widescreen” comic art combines with Ellis’ dark, acerbic writing to create the ultimate postmodern superhero book. Not for lack of trying, the franchise has never managed to reach this pinnacle since.
Buy The Authority: Relentless on Amazon.
Batman: The Court of Owls Saga
There’s probably no better introduction to the modern Batman franchise than Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s New 52 series. The whole point of the New 52 initiative was to update and streamline characters for the 21st Century. Snyder and Capullo really hit the ground running, pitting the Dark Knight against one of his best new threats in decades - the shadowy Court of Owls.
Over the course of these 11 issues, Batman uncovers the existence of this shadowy cabal of Gotham City power players and comes to terms with the fact that he doesn’t know his city as well as he thought. If Capullo wasn’t already a comic book superstar thanks to his work on books like X-Force and Spawn, this run certainly cemented that status. The Court of Owls Saga also helped establish Snyder as one of the prime movers in the rapidly evolving DC Universe.
Snyder and Capullo would remain on the monthly Batman series for several years after, though none of that material has yet been collected in the Compact Comics format. But regardless, this storyline stands on its own as one of the true gems of the modern Batman era.
Buy Batman: The Court of Owls Saga on Amazon.
Catwoman: Trail of the Catwoman
Catwoman has pretty consistently enjoyed a solo comic book series since the late ‘80s, but there’s one writer that towers over the rest - Ed Brubaker. Before he revitalized Marvel heroes like Captain America and Iron Fist, Brubaker revamped Catwoman and brought this antiheroine into the modern era.
Trail of the Catwoman collects the graphic novel Selina’s Big Score and the first nine issues of the 2001 Catwoman series. Together, these stories bring a welcome touch of noir to Selina Kyle’s world. It certainly doesn’t hurt that Brubaker had Darwyn Cooke by his side for the early issues. If you want to read more about Catwoman outside of Batman’s shadow, there’s no better place to start.
Buy Catwoman: Trail of the Catwoman on Amazon.
DC: The New Frontier
The comics industry still mourns the loss of Darwyn Cooke, and to understand why, one need only read DC: The New Frontier. This is quite possibly the greatest Justice League story ever published, and is certainly a must-own at this price point.
The New Frontier presents a distinctly retro-futuristic take on the DCU. It’s set in the 1940s and ‘50s, exploring how this world and its characters dealt with the rise of McCarthyism and came to embrace a brighter, more optimistic new age. The book features a wide cast of characters, but it’s anchored by DC stalwarts like Batman, Wonder Woman, and Martian Manhunter. You really don’t need to know much about DC lore to appreciate this love letter to a bygone era.
Buy DC: The New Frontier on Amazon.
Far Sector
If you’re interested in dipping your toes into the Green Lantern line and aren’t picky about which character wears the ring, then N.K. Jemisin and Jamal Campbell’s Far Sector is a perfect gateway drug. This series purposely distances itself from the rest of the DCU to tell a visually resplendent sci-fi murder mystery.
Far Sector introduces Sojourner “Jo” Mullein, a rookie Lantern tasked with policing a massive intergalactic settlement known as the City Enduring. When the city experiences its first murder in 500 years, it falls on Jo to unravel the conspiracy. The result is a fun journey through a remote corner of the DCU, one bolstered by some truly incredible art from Campbell.
Kingdom Come
The mid-’90s weren’t the healthiest time for the comics industry, but there were some real gems to come out of this era. That includes Mark Waid and Alex Ross’ Kingdom Come, probably the most iconic alternate future DC story this side of The Dark Knight Returns.
Among other things, Kingdom Come is a commentary on the rise of a grimmer, grittier class of anti-hero in the ‘90s. The series is set decades into the future of the DCU, a place where Superman has retreated from the world stage and a new generation of would-be heroes has risen up to replace him. Superman’s reluctant return ushers in a conflict between old and new and culminates in a truly apocalyptic conflict. The scope of the series is massive, thanks in no small part to Ross’ stunning, painted artwork.
Y: The Last Man - Unmanned
Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra’s Y: The Last Man is one of the books that truly defined DC’s Vertigo imprint. It’s a postapocalyptic drama that’s sweeping in scope, yet never loses sight of the characters driving the conflict.
Unmanned collects the first 10 issues of the series, introducing readers to plucky Yorrick Brown and his pet monkey Ampersand. Yorrick finds himself transformed from an ordinary shlub with a fascination with escape magic to the potential savior of the human race when a mysterious plague wipes out every other man on the planet. Cue the ultimate road trip.
One caveat worth noting here - Y: The Last Man ran for 60 issues in total, so you’re only getting the first few chapters of a much longer saga here. DC has shown no sign so far of collecting the rest of the series in the Compact Comics format, so you may need to switch to a different format to finish out the series. But regardless of how you read it, Y: The Last Man is essential.
Buy Y: The Last Man - Unmanned on Amazon.
Honorable Mentions: Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention both Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen and Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. Each ranks among the most iconic and critically acclaimed DC books ever published, and both are natural choices for the Compact Comics line. That said, they’re a little harder to recommend than the other books on this list.
With both Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns, the limitations of the Compact Comics format are more pronounced. As products of the ‘80s, they hail from a time when comic book art tended to rely more on denser page layouts with more tightly packed panels. When the pages are shrunk down to this level, the presentation starts to suffer. In particular, the text-heavy supplemental pages in Watchmen are a real chore to read at this size.
Make no mistake, both Watchman and The Dark Knight Returns are absolutely essential reading for any budding comic book fan. We just can’t necessarily recommend the Compact Comics versions. Fortunately, both books have been reprinted in just about every format imaginable, so you have no shortage of other options.
Buy The Dark Knight Returns on Amazon.
For more DC fun, check out the Top 27 Batman graphic novels and the top 10 Batman crossovers.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.
