DC Comics insert previews were 16-page

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

stories inserted into issues of existing

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

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 bac ...

'' #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 (character), Blade, and DC Comi ...

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 (c ...

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 ''Dial H for Hero'' is a comic book feature published by DC Comics about a magical dial that enables an ordinary person to become a superhero for a short time, such as an hour, by selecting the letters H-E-R-O in order. Each time it is used, the ...

" feature and for ''

Night Force ''Night Force'' is the name of three comic book series published by American company DC Comics. The first series, written by Marv Wolfman and illustrated by Gene Colan, debuted in a special insert in ''The New Teen Titans'' #21 (July 1982). The se ...

'' 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. He was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics and possibly bes ...

, newly arrived at the company from

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

, 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 s ...

'', a revival of the

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

; ''

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 depicte ...

'', a new

Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

character; a revitalization of ''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...

'' 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 animals in fiction, talking animal superheroes called the Zoo Crew. The characters first appeared in a 16-page DC Comics insert previews, special insert ...

'' 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 fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

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 a reprint miniseries in 1988, two original miniseries in 1991 and 1999, and was revived as an ongoing anthology ...

'' 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 Mike W. Barr (born May 30, 1952) is an American writer of comic books, mystery novels, and science fiction novels. Barr has written for every one of the first four incarnations of ''Star Trek: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Tr ...

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 (DC Comics character), Sp ...

, 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 to 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 w ...

and

Gary Cohn Gary David Cohn (born August 27, 1960) is an American businessman and philanthropist who served as the 11th director of the National Economic Council and chief economic advisor to President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2018. He managed the administ ...

was represented in the previews with ''

Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld (Amy Winston) is a superheroine published in American comic books created by DC Comics. Created by writers Dan Mishkin, Gary Cohn (comics), Gary Cohn and artist Ernie Colón, she debuted in ''Legion of Super-Heroes' ...

'' 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 A ...

'' 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 In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

the following month. The '' Atari Force'' preview in January 1983 served as a prequel to the ongoing series launched a year later. '' M.A.S.K.'' was an animated series and a

Kenner Products Kenner Products, known simply as Kenner, was an American toy brand owned by Hasbro. Kenner Products began as a toy company founded in 1946, going on to produce several highly recognizable toys and merchandise lines including action figures for t ...

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

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'' is a line (comics), line of black-and-white paperback books that were 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 incl ...

: 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

Issues

Collected editions

See also

References

Notes

External links