10 DC Comics That Deserve A Reprint

Since the first half of the twentieth century, DC Comics has been relentless in producing fantastic comic releases. As a result, DC has a huge back catalog to collect, from some of the publisher’s greatest heroes’ best stories to more niche gems left to catch dust.




While DC has often been inconsistent in its output of collected editions, it has tried to catch up to the pace set by competitors like Marvel with its recent Compact Collection and DC Finest lines. Regardless, they have a long way to go when collecting or reprinting certain comics.


10 Legends Of The Dark Knight Was A Treasure Trove Of Classics

Series Title

Creators

Dates of Release

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight

Various

October 1989 – January 2007


Related

10 Best DC Comics Since 2020

Some of DC’s recent best were new directions for Batman and Wonder Woman and unforgettable stories like Warworld and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight was a monumental series for its time. It was the first new Batman ongoing to join Detective Comics and Batman since their inception. The series’ premise was also enticing to fans, as it was initially made as a creator-driven anthology covering untold stories of the Dark Knight’s early years. Legends of the Dark Knight spanned about 214 issues in 18 years and provided fans with many classic stories about Batman and his world at that time.


Legends of the Dark Knight is another instance of a series having a ridiculously wide array of issues to collect, and while many have found new life in short trades, said trades are difficult to find— not to mention the fact that there has never been a series of larger volumes or omnibuses collecting the title. Considering Legends of the Dark Knight‘s influence, it would be a shame to keep it out of print any longer.

9 Phil Jimenez Experimented With Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman posing in front of a DC Comics banner

Series Title

Creators

Dates of Release

Wonder Woman Vol.2

Phil Jimenez, Andy Lanning, J.M. DeMatteis, Trish Mulvihill, George Perez, Roy Allan Martinez, Adam Hughes, Comicraft, & Heroic Age

October 1989 – January 2007

Kicking off the 2000s for Wonder Woman, Phil Jimenez breathed new life into the stagnant title for a new century. Rotating writers had plagued Wonder Woman for a long time, but Jimenez’s presence, while brief, kicked the heroine into full gear. Jimenez penciled and plotted most of the run, an intense task when readers look at how detailed his art and paneling were for the time. The creator modernized many aspects of the George Perez run of the character, making them more approachable for the time— while also writing new stories, such as the death of Wonder Woman’s mother Hippolyta, with the pathos it deserved.


The series has seen some printings in the Paradise Lost and Paradise Found trades. Still, those don’t complete the title— and with the reprint of Gail Simone’s time on the character released and the solicits of an omnibus collecting Greg Rucka’s time on the character announced, it seems fitting this run’s omnibus should be reprinted alongside these classics.

8 The Original Huntress Series Showed The Dark Roots Of A Fan-Favorite Hero

Helena Bertinelli debuts as the Huntress in 1989

Series Title

Creators

Dates of Release

The Huntress Vol.1

Joey Cavalieri, Joe Staton, Bruce Patterson, Dick Giordano, Nansi Hoolahan, & Albert De Guzman

February 1989 – October 1990


Related

Why Did DC Force Huntress to Go Out Into the Cold Without Pants?

In the latest Comic Book Legends Revealed, learn why DC wouldn’t allow Huntress to wear something warmer on a mission in the cold

Helena Bertinelli has a complicated history, especially considering she isn’t even the first to don the mantle of Huntress. Created to fill the gap left by the death of Helena Wayne in Crisis on Infinite Earths, Helena Bertinelli premiered in the first issue of her own solo series, a rarity for characters— especially female ones— of the time.

While not perfect, the nineteen-issue solo series was a mature look at Helena’s origins and psychology, taking place in the grungiest areas of New York City. With stylized art provided by Joe Staton and a new printing technique used for the book, the series had art as unique as its storytelling, earning its place in the “mature readers” section of DC’s publication. However, since its release, The Huntress hasn’t had any reprinting, an unfortunate way to treat an underappreciated gem that introduced a fan-favorite character.


firestorm_nuclear_man

Series Title

Creators

Dates of Release

Fury of Firestorm Vol.1

Gerry Conway, John Ostrander, Ross Andru, & Al Milgrom

June 1982 – June 1990

Not many characters can claim the honor of a solo series that had run for 100 back-to-back issues, especially when their debut title got canceled right out of the gate— but Firestorm is one of a very scarce few that holds said honor. When the original Firestorm: The Nuclear Man got canceled after a mere five issues in the DC Implosion of 1978, it seemed that it was lights out for the character. However, fan demand brought him back in 1982 in The Fury of Firestorm.


While the character is certainly niche in the modern era, it’s wildly unfair that such a large amount of comic issues have been lost to time, only accessible in the back issue bins of local comic shops or through sites like eBay. Even the single trade collecting the first few issues of Firestorm: The Nuclear Man is remarkably difficult to find, a fate unfitting for a character graced by the pens of legendary writers like Gerry Conway and John Ostrander.

6 Some Of Batman’s Best Stories Were In Newspaper Strips

Batman Newspaper Strip

Series Title

Creators

Dates of Release

Batman

William Messner-Loebs, Max Allan Collins, Carmine Infantino, John Nyberg,& Marshall Rogers

November 1989 – August 1991


Related

The 25 Most Iconic Comic Book Sound Effects

Since their earliest comics, Marvel and DC have employed various sound effects, some of which soon became iconic for their distinct nature.

Many renowned heroes have experimented with the way their stories have been told, and Batman is no exception. While the Caped Crusader has seen comics across a myriad of solos, a fascinating series that has gone unspoken of is the 1989-1991 newspaper strip Batman, written by William Messner-Loebs and illustrated by Carmine Infantino and John Nyberg.

While not necessarily revolutionary, the series had remarkably definitive takes on Batman and his rogues, with some characters receiving top-tier writing not provided in any other comic or adaptation. What was most notable was the deception of characters like Two-Face, who shared many similarities in terms of nuance with his Batman: The Animated Series incarnation. The series lives on through fan archives and is inaccessible otherwise, leaving it desperately needing officially collected editions from DC.


5 Hellblazer’s Volumes Are Inconsistently Printed

Series Title

Creators

Dates of Release

Hellblazer Vol.1

Various

September 1987 – February 2013

Considered a Vertigo classic, the original Hellblazer series was an expansive title about John Constantine that ran for 300 issues across 25 years. This is a truly remarkable stint for a character that’s not exactly a staple of pop culture. While there was a rotating door of creative teams, each left a distinct mark on Constantine’s murky world.


Unfortunately, it’s difficult to truly catalog the series in collected editions—DC did its best with 26 large trades dubbed “New Editions” printed from 2013 to 2022. Yet, while many of these volumes were printed, a good number of the New Edition trades remain inaccessible on the aftermarket. DC is printing omnibuses based around the runs of creators on the title, but keeping the more affordable and accessible trades afloat would be a boon to fans.

4 Cassandra Cain Had The First Batgirl Ongoing

Cassandra Cain as Batgirl

Series Title

Creators

Dates of Release

Batgirl Vol.1

Various

February 2000 – February 2006

Related

A Fan-Favorite Bat Family Member is Confirmed as the BEST DC Martial Artist

After the mystical events of the Spirit World miniseries, DC confirmed that Cassandra Cain, more than her Bat Family siblings, is DC’s best fighter.


While not as well-known by the general public as her predecessor Barbara Gordon, Cassandra Cain was a remarkable character upon her debut. This led to the first (and longest) Batgirl ongoing series, lasting a jaw-dropping 73 issues. The series was dynamic and unique as if an action film was seamlessly translated into the comic medium. While it also relied on more episodic stories that never lasted more than a few issues, the overall series had long-running subplots that brought a profound tragedy to Cassandra’s character.

While the original tenure of author Kelley Puckett has been collected in trades— some hard to affordably find, though— the rest of the series merits revisiting in any of DC’s collected formats, and it’s deeply disappointing DC did not make use of the character’s 25th anniversary this year to bring the series back into circulation.


3 Captain Marvel Should Have His Golden Age Roots Reprinted

whiz-comics-1-captain-marvel-shazam-cover

Series Title

Creators

Dates of Release

Whiz Comics

Various

December 1939 – June 1953

Known as Captain Marvel, Shazam, or, most recently, The Captain, Billy Batson is a long-standing relic from the Golden Age who has improved over time. Unfortunately, unlike many of his peers, the character’s classic tales from his debut era have gone completely uncollected to this day.


There are a few reasons for this, as some of the character’s early material featured problematic content that would not hold up to scrutiny in the modern day. Still, it also exists in a suffocating legal limbo. Captain Marvel was created under Fawcett Comics before being bought out by DC, which may make collecting the early stories from his Whiz Comics issues difficult. But with DC’s solicitations of a Charlton Peacemaker volume from their DC Finest line becoming publically available, there may be hope for the World’s Mightiest Mortal.

2 George Perez’s Wonder Woman Redefined The Hero For A New Age

Wonder Woman holds her arms aloft imposed against Ares on the cover for Gods and Mortals.

Series Title

Creators

Dates of Release

Wonder Woman Vol.2

George Perez, Len Wein, Carl Gafford, John Constanza, Greg Potter, Bruce Patterson, Tatjana Wood, Todd Klein, Mindy Newell, Chris Marrinan, Agustin Mas, Will Blyberg, Carrie Spiegle, Keith Giffen, Phil Jimenez, Romeo Tanghalm, Jill Thompson, Tom Ziuko, & Nansi Hoolahan

December 1939 – June 1953

Related

How To Start Reading Wonder Woman Comics

DC fans looking to dive into the best of Wonder Woman’s comics will want to check out a few of these starting points for the Amazing Amazon’s story.


Many writers hesitated to handle Wonder Woman’s reboot in the post-Crisis era, except for George Perez. The creative’s enthusiasm manifested in his run on Wonder Woman, defining the character for a new generation in a new version of the DC universe. While imperfect in places, the run was a strong starting point for many readers, and DC has seen it fit to advertise it as such.

The series has been printed in trades, omnibuses, and Absolute editions, but DC has done a poor job of keeping it all accessible to all readers. While the early volumes of the series are available for purchase or are cheap secondhand, later stories are nigh-impossible to find, which makes concluding Perez’s epic saga a difficult challenge. This is especially notable in the War of the Gods omnibus, a defining Wonder Woman event left untouched since 2020.


1 DC Needs To Bring Its Roots Back To Print

Series Title

Creators

Dates of Release

Golden Age Archives, Silver Age Archives

Various

Various

The restoration of Golden Age and Silver Age comics for modern-day formats is a monumental task that has been underappreciated by many fans due to the fragile condition of many of these comics, even if they are well-preserved. This was why DC’s Golden Age and Silver Age Archive series were fantastic additions to its roster in the early 2000s and have gone unappreciated since.


The series was a way of focusing on characters like Starman and Hawkwoman in the early days of archival-collected editions, doing its job well. However, these books have been inaccessible for decades. While DC is focusing on its Golden, Silver, and Bronze Age omnibuses in paperback and hardcover formats, these neglect the roots of DC’s initial attempts to keep their early lesser-printed comics in print for readers of all sorts.

The Justice League Pose Together on the Justice League of America 1 Cover

DC Comics

DC Comics follow the adventures of iconic superheroes such as Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and more.

Created by
Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson

Leave a Comment