DC Comics insert previews were 16-page

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

stories inserted into issues of existing

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

series to promote new series usually debuting the next month. Running from 1980 to 1985, they consisted of a front cover, 14 pages of story, and a back cover that depicted the cover of the actual first issue. The addition of the insert did not entail an increase in the price of the comic book, and the cover copy called the insert "a special free 16-page comic!"

Publication history

The insert previews began with ''The New

Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...

'' in ''

DC Comics Presents ''DC Comics Presents'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1978 to 1986 which ran for 97 issues and four ''Annual''s. It featured team-ups between Superman and a wide variety of other characters in the DC Universe. A recurring back ...

'' #26 (Oct. 1980). This

reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...

of an existing property by writer

Marv Wolfman Marvin Arthur Wolfman (born May 13, 1946) is an American comic book and novelization writer. He worked on Marvel Comics's ''The Tomb of Dracula'', for which he and artist Gene Colan created the vampire-slayer Blade, and DC Comics's '' The New Te ...

and artist

George Pérez George Pérez (; June 9, 1954 – May 6, 2022) was an American comic book artist and writer, who worked primarily as a penciller. He came to prominence in the 1970s penciling ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four'' and ''The Avengers (co ...

introduced several new characters and would become a sales success for DC. Wolfman would additionally write previews for a reboot of the " Dial 'H' for Hero" feature and for '' Night Force'' a supernatural series drawn by

Gene Colan Eugene Jules Colan (; September 1, 1926 – June 23, 2011)Eugene Colan
at the Social Security Death Index via ...

, his former collaborator on ''

The Tomb of Dracula ''The Tomb of Dracula'' is an American horror comic book series published by Marvel Comics from April 1972 to August 1979. The 70-issue series featured a group of vampire hunters who fought Count Dracula and other supernatural menaces. On rare ...

''. DC highlighted the work of

Roy Thomas Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibl ...

, newly arrived at the company from

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

, by featuring several of his series in the format. These included ''

All-Star Squadron The All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics superhero team that debuted in ''Justice League, Justice League of America'' #193 (August 1981) and was created by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway. Although the team was introduced in the 1980s, its se ...

'', a revival of the

Justice Society of America The Justice Society of America (JSA, or Justice Society (JS)) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic ...

; ''

Arak, Son of Thunder Arak is a fictional comic book character and a superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in a special insert in '' The Warlord'' #48 (August 1981) and was created by Roy Thomas and Ernie Colón. Arak (Bright-Sky-After-Storm) is depict ...

'', a new Native American character; a revitalization of ''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...

'' including an update of the character's costume; and ''

Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew! ''Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew!'' is a DC Comics series about a team of talking animal superheroes called the Zoo Crew. The characters first appeared in a 16-page special insert in '' The New Teen Titans'' #16 (February 1982), follow ...

'' a combination of the

talking animal A talking animal or speaking animal is any non-human animal that can produce sounds or gestures resembling those of a human language. Several species or groups of animals have developed forms of communication which superficially resemble verbal ...

and

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

genres. When the long running ''

The Brave and the Bold ''The Brave and the Bold'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983. It was followed by two mini-series in 1991 and 1999, and was revived as an ongoing title in 2007. The focus of the series has varied ...

'' series came to its conclusion, the final issue featured a preview of a new Batman series, ''

Batman and the Outsiders The Outsiders are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. As their name suggests, the team consists of superheroes who do not fit the norms of the "mainstream" superhero community, i.e. the Justice League. The ...

'' by writer Mike W. Barr and artist

Jim Aparo James N. Aparo (August 24, 1932 – July 19, 2005) was an American comic book artist, best known for his DC Comics work from the late 1960s through the 1990s, including on the characters Batman, Aquaman, and the Spectre, along with famous stories ...

, which would be described by DC Comics writer and executive

Paul Levitz Paul Levitz (; born October 21, 1956) is an American comic book writer, editor and executive. The president of DC Comics from 2002–2009, he worked for the company for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles. Along with publisher Jenette Kahn ...

as being "a team series more fashionable to 1980s audiences". New talent such as the writing team of

Dan Mishkin Dan Mishkin (born March 3, 1953) is an American comic book writer, and co-creator (with Gary Cohn) of the DC Comics characters Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld and Blue Devil. Biography As an adolescent, Dan Mishkin formed a writing partnership ...

and Gary Cohn was represented in the previews with '' Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld'' and '' Blue Devil''. Licensed properties were featured as well. A ''

Masters of the Universe ''Masters of the Universe'' (sometimes referred to as the ''He-Man'' or ''She-Ra'' series) is a sword and planet-themed media franchise created by Mattel. The main premise revolves around the conflict between He-Man (the alter ego of Prince Ada ...

'' preview featured in several comic books

cover date The cover date of a periodical publication is the date displayed on the cover, which is not necessarily the true date of publication (the on-sale date or release date); later cover dates are common in magazine and comic book publishing. More unusu ...

d November 1982 led to a

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

the following month. The ''

Atari Force ''Atari Force'' is the name of two comic book series published by DC Comics from 1982 to 1986. Both were loosely based on trademarks of Atari, Inc. Publication history The first ''Atari Force'' title was a series of minicomics created in 198 ...

'' preview in January 1983 served as a prequel to the ongoing series launched a year later. ''

M.A.S.K. M.A.S.K. (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand) is a media franchise created by Kenner. The main premise revolved around the fight between the titular protagonist underground task force and the criminal organization V.E.N.O.M. (Vicious Evil Network o ...

'' was a

cartoon series An animated series is a set of animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can have either ...

and a

Kenner Products Kenner Products, known simply as Kenner, was an American toy company founded in 1946. Throughout its history, the Kenner brand produced several highly recognizable toys and merchandise lines including action figures like the original series of ' ...

toyline adapted into comic books in a September 1985 preview which led to a miniseries the following December.''M.A.S.K.''
at the Grand Comics Database

The issues

Collected editions

The following insert preview stories have been reprinted in collected editions: * The New Teen Titans story from ''DC Comics Presents'' #26 (October 1980) in: ** '' The New Teen Titans Archives Vol. 1'', 240 pages, February 1999, ** ''The New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 1'', 684 pages, September 2011, ** ''The New Teen Titans Vol. 1'', 240 pages, September 2014, * The All-Star Squadron story from ''Justice League of America'' #193 (August 1981) in: ** ''

Showcase Presents ''Showcase Presents'' was a line of black-and-white paperback books published by DC Comics (from 2005 - 2016) at an average rate of two per month. Much like Marvel Comics' ''Essential Marvel'' volumes, each book usually included over 500 pages of r ...

: All-Star Squadron Vol. 1'', 528 pages, April 2012, ** ''Justice Society of America: A Celebration of 75 Years'', 496 pages, July 2015, * The Wonder Woman story from ''DC Comics Presents'' #41 (January 1982) in: ** ''Wonder Woman: 80 Years of the Amazon Warrior The Deluxe Edition'', 416 pages, September 2021, * The Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew story from ''The New Teen Titans'' #16 (February 1982) in: ** ''Captain Carrot and the Final Ark'', 168 pages, April 2008, ** ''Showcase Presents: Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew'', 672 pages, September 2014, * The Night Force story from ''The New Teen Titans'' #21 (July 1982) in: ** ''Night Force by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan: The Complete Series'', 396 pages, October 2017, * The Masters of the Universe story from various DC Comics titles (November 1982) in: ** ''DC Through the 80s: The End of Eras'', 520 pages, December 2020, * The Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld story from ''Legion of Super-Heroes'' vol. 2 #298 (April 1983) in: ** ''Showcase Presents: Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld Vol. 1'', 648 pages, October 2012, * The Batman and the Outsiders story from ''The Brave and the Bold'' #200 (July 1983) in: ** ''Showcase Presents: Batman and the Outsiders Vol. 1'', 552 pages, September 2007, ** ''Batman and the Outsiders Vol. 1'', 368 pages, February 2017,

References

Notes

External links

* ''Daily Planet'' Volume 80 Issue #22 (October 1980) house advertisement fo
''The New Teen Titans'' insert preview
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics * ''Daily Planet'' Volume 80 Issue #26 (November 1980) house advertisement fo
"Dial 'H' For Hero insert preview
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics
DC Bonus Books (including the insert previews)
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics * {{cite web, url=http://blindedmewithcomics.blogspot.com/2009/05/insert-preview-here-dc-showcase-80s.html , title=Insert Preview Here: DC Showcase, 80s Style , date=May 1, 2009 , publisher=Blinded Me With Comics , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812134217/http://blindedmewithcomics.blogspot.com/2009/05/insert-preview-here-dc-showcase-80s.html , archivedate=August 12, 2011 , url-status=live 1980 comics debuts 1980 in comics 1981 in comics 1982 in comics 1983 in comics 1984 in comics 1985 comics endings 1985 in comics Comics by George Pérez Comics by Gerry Conway Comics by Marv Wolfman Comics by Michael Fleisher Comics by Paul Kupperberg Comics by Roy Thomas DC Comics-related lists DC Comics titles Defunct American comics Insert previews Superhero comics

Publication history

The issues

Collected editions

See also

References

Notes

External links