''The Best of DC'' is a

digest size Digest size is a magazine size, smaller than a conventional or "journal size" magazine but larger than a standard paperback book, approximately , but can also be and , similar to the size of a DVD case. These sizes have evolved from the printin ...

comics anthology A comics anthology collects works in the medium of comics, typically from multiple series, and compiles them into an anthology or magazine. The comics in these anthologies range from comic strips that are too short for standalone publication t ...

published by

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 ...

from September–October 1979 to April 1986. The series ran for 71 issues and while it primarily featured

reprint A reprint is a re-publication of material that has already been previously published. The term ''reprint'' is used with slightly different meanings in several fields. Academic publishing In academic publishing, offprints, sometimes also known a ...

s of older comic books, it occasionally published new stories or inventory material.

Publication history

''The Best of DC'' began publication with a September–October 1979

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 ...

. The digest size format was chosen as a way of gaining distribution in supermarkets and was successful enough that a second such series, ''DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest'', was launched in 1980. The series was 100 pages including covers for 95¢. The "Year's Best Comics Stories" issues included extra pages and a higher price point. Two

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a fictional reindeer created by Robert L. May. Rudolph is usually depicted as the ninth and youngest of Santa Claus's reindeer, using his luminous red nose to lead the reindeer team and guide Santa's sleigh on ...

stories intended for publication in the ''

All-New Collectors' Edition ''Limited Collectors' Edition'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1972 to 1978. It usually featured reprints of previously published stories but a few issues contained new material. The series was published in an overs ...

'' treasury series were printed in ''The Best of DC'' #4 after the former title was cancelled in the

DC Implosion The "DC Explosion" and "DC Implosion" were two events in 1978 – the first an official marketing campaign, the second a sardonic reference to it – in which DC Comics expanded their roster of publications, then abruptly cut it back. The DC Explos ...

. A

Sandman The Sandman is a mythical character in European folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes. Representation in traditional folklore The Sandman is a traditional charact ...

story written and drawn in 1975 was published in ''The Best of DC'' #22 (March 1981) after sitting in DC's inventory for several years.Dallas and Wells, p. 101 Writer

Michael Fleisher Michael Lawrence Fleisher (November 1, 1942 — February 2, 2018) was an Americans, American writer known for his DC Comics of the 1970s and 1980s, particularly for the characters Spectre (DC Comics character), Spectre and Jonah Hex. Biography ...

and artist

Romeo Tanghal Romeo Tanghal (born July 24, 1947) is a Filipino comics artist who has worked primarily as an inker. He became well known in the industry in the 1980s for his work on DC Comics' '' The New Teen Titans''. Career Romeo Tanghal was born and raised ...

crafted a new story which revealed the origin of the

Penguin Penguins (order (biology), order List of Sphenisciformes by population, Sphenisciformes , family (biology), family Spheniscidae ) are a group of Water bird, aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: on ...

in ''The Best of DC'' #10 (March 1981). Other new material was prepared occasionally for the title including a

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 ...

story in #18 (Nov. 1981) 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 artists

Carmine Infantino Carmine Michael Infantino (; May 24, 1925 – April 4, 2013) was an American comics artist and editing, editor, primarily for DC Comics, during the late 1950s and early 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comic Books. Among his character creat ...

and Romeo Tanghal and a

Legion of Super-Heroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st c ...

tale in #24 (May 1982) by

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 ...

, Infantino, and Rodin Rodriguez. Several ''

Sugar and Spike ''Sugar and Spike'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1956 through 1971, named after its main protagonists. The series was created, written, and drawn by Sheldon Mayer. Publication history The series was launched in 1 ...

'' stories by writer-artist

Sheldon Mayer Sheldon Mayer (; April 1, 1917 – December 21, 1991) was an American comics artist, writer, and editor. One of the earliest employees of Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson's National Allied Publications, Mayer produced almost all of his comics work ...

which were prepared for overseas markets were published in various issues of ''The Best of DC'' The

Super Jrs. Super Juniors are a group of fictional DC Comics characters based on members of the Justice League of America, designed as baby versions in order to appeal to younger audiences and introduce them to the publisher's most popular properties. At Kenn ...

characters made their only comic book appearance in #58 (March 1985) in a story written by

Tom DeFalco Tom DeFalco (born June 26, 1950) is an American comic book writer and editor well known for his association with Marvel Comics, with long runs on ''Amazing Spider-Man'', ''Thor'', and ''Fantastic Four''. Career While in college, DeFalco "wrote fo ...

and drawn by Vince Squeglia ''The Best of DC'' was cancelled as of issue #71 (April 1986).

The issues

Collected editions

* '' The New Teen Titans Archives Vol. 2'' includes the New Teen Titans "Reunion" story from ''The Best of DC'' #18, 240 pages, May 2004, * ''The New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 1'' includes the New Teen Titans "Reunion" story from ''The Best of DC'' #18, 684 pages, September 2011, * ''The Jack Kirby Omnibus Vol. 2'' includes the Sandman story from ''The Best of DC'' #22, 624 pages, May 2013, * ''DC Through the 80s: The Experiments'' includes ''The Best of DC: Blue Ribbon Digest'' #58, 504 pages, May 2021,

References

External links

*
''The Best of DC''
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics * ''Daily Planet'' Volume 79 Issue #22 (May 21, 1979) house advertisement fo
''The Best of DC''
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics {{DEFAULTSORT:Best of DC, The Comic book digests Comics anthologies Comics by Jack Kirby Comics by Marv Wolfman Comics by Michael Fleisher Comics by Paul Levitz Defunct American comics Humor comics Superhero comics

Publication history

The issues

Collected editions

See also

References

External links