DC Archive Editions

DC Archive Editions, collect early, sometimes rare, comic books published by DC and other publishers into a permanent hardcover series. With more than 100 titles, this series began in 1989 with Superman Archives Vol. 1. Most of the restoration work to make the pages suitable for quality printing has been done by Rick Keene who has restored more than 2500 pages.^[1]

Cover to The Action Heroes Archives Vol. 2 (2007), focusing on the Charlton Comics characters. Cover art by Steve Ditko.

The books span DC's Golden, Silver and Bronze Age as well as titles not originally published by DC such as Will Eisner's The Spirit, Wally Wood's T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, and the Fawcett and Charlton lines of super heroes as well as Mad magazine and Elfquest. The DC Archives provide a dual service in that they not only preserve DC's history but provide readers with stories that normally would not be available to them at an affordable cost. When the line first started, the cover price for an Archive was $39.95 US. However, from the early 1990s up to the present, the standard cover price for a DC Archive is $49.99 US (although some books in the line have cost much more, depending on how much content is collected, thus a larger page count & higher cover price). As of 2009^[update], new volumes released have a cover price of $59.99 US.

Other titles in the series include Superman Archives, Batman Archives, Batman: The Dark Knight Archives , Black Canary Archives, Plastic Man Archives, Shazam! Archives, World's Finest Archives, The Doom Patrol Archives, Green Lantern Archives, The Flash Archives, Justice League of America Archives, Superman: The Man of Tomorrow Archives, Wonder Woman Archives, Teen Titans Archives, and many more.

In recent years, newer printings of previously published DC Archives volumes have been released at the special introductory cover price of $19.95 U.S. In 2001, the remaining excess stock of Batman Archives Vol. 1 first printing edition were put up for this reduced price, with a new price tag label placed on the book's shrinkwrap. Sales proved successful as the remaining inventory would sell away. DC would try this promotional price again with a second printing of Batman Archives Vol. 1 in 2003, Superman Archives Vol. 1 (fifth printing) in 2004, and Batman: The Dark Knight Archives Vol. 1 (third printing) in 2005.

It was widely believed that the DC Archive Editions would cease publication in 2008.^[2] However, in an issue of the publication Comic Shop News (issue #1080, February 27, 2008), an update was given regarding the DC Archive Editions during an announcement regarding DC's collected editions schedule: "In spite of earlier reports of their demise, DC Archives will continue in 2008 and 2009, although in reduced numbers, focusing on continuing already-established Archives series."^{[citation needed]} The numbers have since decreased from 14 volumes released in 2007, to 7 released in 2008, 6 in 2009, 4 in 2010, and at least 1 in 2011.

See also

• List of DC Archive Editions
• List of comic books on CD/DVD
• Showcase Presents

References

1. ^ "The G4 - Feature - The Art of Comic Book Restoration by Rick Keene Friday, September 05, 2003". G4tv.com. 2003-09-05. http://www.g4tv.com/screensavers/features/45751/The_Art_of_Comic_Book_Restoration.html. Retrieved 2011-02-02. 
2. ^ DC Trade Book Collections Go Deluxe - 17 December 2007 12:58:00 PM - Publishers Weekly^{[dead link]}

Awards & recognition

The first volume of the "Plastic Man Archives" won the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Reprint Graphic Album for 2001.

Price

Since most of the volumes are priced at $49.99 or higher, many fans have complained that the series is too expensive. More recently the comics have been reprinted again in the trade paperback Chronicles series, which offers most of the issues at a lower price.

External links

• DC Comics: search results for DC Archive Editions
• DenysH.com: Denys Howard Online - DC Archives by Date
• Infinite Earths - Complete List of DC Archives