DC has announced a new line in their graphic novel slate: DC Compact Comics. Featuring 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 as the first books offered in this new lineup of compact editions of adult graphic novels. Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons and All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, among others, will go on sale beginning in June 2024, retailing at $9.99 US, to launch DC’s new program.

The format is more focused on the manga crowd who are used to this format as well as casual readers like you might find at bookstores, airports, and train stations. The initiative is squarely aimed at expanding the comic market as opposed to catering to the current readership. To watch out for is the second wave of releases and if DC uses the releases to get readers to explore comic shops or DC’s own services like DC Universe.

The new line will showcase DC stories across many genres, including science fiction, thrillers, horror, fantasy, adventure, and mystery. Featured among the DC Compact Comics launch titles in 2024 are DC’s recent Hugo Award-winning sci-fi graphic novel Far Sector by N.K. Jemisin and Jamal Campbell, along with perennial classic graphic novels like Catwoman: Trail of the Catwoman, Batman: Hush, Batman: The Court of Owls, and more.

The initial DC Compact Comics launch in 2024 will offer the following titles at $9.99 US:

• 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