Dollar Comics was a line of

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 ...

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 ...

publications issued from 1977 to 1983 and revived in 2019. The 1977-1983 line included the titles '' The Superman Family'', ''

House of Mystery ''The House of Mystery'' is the name of several horror comics, horror, fantasy comics, fantasy, and mystery fiction, mystery comics anthology, comics anthologies published by DC Comics. It had a companion series, ''The House of Secrets (DC Comi ...

'', ''

G.I. Combat ''G.I. Combat'' is an American comics anthology featuring war comics, war stories. It was published from 1952 until 1956 by Quality Comics, followed by DC Comics until its final issue in 1987. In 2012 it was briefly revived. Publication histor ...

'', ''

World's Finest Comics ''World's Finest Comics'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1941 to 1986. The series was initially titled ''World's Best Comics'' for its first issue; issue #2 (Summer 1941) switched to the more familiar name. Michael ...

'', ''

Batman Family ''Batman Family'' is an American comic book anthology series published by DC Comics which ran from 1975 to 1978, primarily featuring stories starring supporting characters to the superhero Batman. An eight-issue miniseries called ''Batman: Famil ...

'', and ''

Adventure Comics ''Adventure Comics'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1938 to 1983 and revived from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues (472 of those after the title changed from ''New Adventure Comics''), ...

''; as well as the series of specials with the umbrella title of ''

DC Special Series ''DC Special Series'' was an umbrella title for one-shots and special issues published by DC Comics between 1977 and 1981. Each issue featured a different character and was often in a different format than the issue before it. ''DC Special Serie ...

''. The 1977-1983 Dollar Comics were notable for costing $1, having 64 pages, and being advertising-free. The 2019 revival consists of full-issue one-shot reprints of key DC issues.

History

1977-1983

According to then-DC publisher

Jenette Kahn Jenette Kahn (; born May 16, 1947) is an American comic book editor and executive. She joined DC Comics in 1976 as publisher, and five years later was promoted to president. In 1989, she stepped down as publisher and assumed the title of editor ...

, comics' price-per-page value had been declining since the "

Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during wh ...

". When superhero comics debuted in the late 1930s, they featured 64 pages of art for 10¢. As the decades passed, comparable publications like ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' and ''

Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

'' raised their prices, while comics stayed at 10 cents and reduced their page-count. Finally in December, 1961,

National Periodical Publications National Comics Publications (NCP; later known as National Periodical Publications Inc. or simply National) was an American comic book publishing company. It was the direct predecessor of modern-day DC Comics. History The corporation was origin ...

/DC raised its price to 12¢, a 20% increase.Kahn, Jenette. "And Now... Still Another Message of Untold Importance from our Prolific Publisher!!" ''Superman'' #310 (April 1977). Comparable magazines, in contrast, were by then 3.5-to-5 times their original price. By 1977, even though the typical price of a comic book was 35¢, it still lagged far behind its magazine competition, thus decreasing its appeal for newsvendors (which at that point — before the generalized 1980s shift to

direct market The direct market is the dominant distribution and retail network for American comic books. The concept of the direct market was created in the 1970s by Phil Seuling. The network currently consists of: * three major comic distributors: ** Luna ...

distribution — was still the dominant retailing location for comics). Thus, the idea for Dollar Comics was born. Writing for the Silver Bullet Comic Books website, John Wells detailed Dollar Comics' history: Most Dollar Comics titles began as traditional format books and expanded to the Dollar Comic format. ''All-Out War'' and ''Time Warp'' were short lived series which were published entirely as Dollar Comics. Several anniversary issues such as ''

Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/Comic anthology, magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as Detective Comics Inc., which later merged into National ...

'' #500 and ''

The Flash The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...

'' #300 were also in the format as were the DC annuals for 1982 and 1983.

1977-1983 Dollar Comics titles

* ''

'' #500 * ''

'' #459-466 * '' All-Out War'' #1-6 * ''

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 ...

Annual'' #1-2 * ''

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

Annual'' #8 * ''

'' #17-20 * ''

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 ...

Annual'' #1-2 * ''

'' #1, 5, 9, 11, 13, 15-17, 20-22 * ''

Detective Comics ''Detective Comics'' (later retitled as ''Batman Detective Comics'') is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is ...

'' #481-495 * ''

'' #300 * ''

'' #201-259 * ''

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...

'' #150 * ''

'' #251-259 * ''

Justice League of America The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in '' The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived t ...

Annual'' #1 * ''Legion of Super-Heroes Annual'' #1-2 * ''

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 ...

Annual'' #1-2 * '' The Saga of the Swamp Thing Annual'' #1 * '' Sgt. Rock Annual'' #2-3 * ''

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

Annual'' #9 * '' The Superman Family'' #182-222 * ''

Superman III ''Superman III'' is a 1983 superhero film directed by Richard Lester from a screenplay by David Newman and Leslie Newman based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the third installment in the ''Superman'' film series and the sequel to ''S ...

Movie Special'' #1 * '' Time Warp'' #1-5 * '' The Unexpected'' #189-195 * '' The Warlord Annual'' #1-2 * ''

'' #244-282

2019-

In 2019, DC revived the ''Dollar Comics'' line as a weekly series of one-shot reprints of key issues priced at $1, beginning with ''Detective Comics'' #854 -- the first comic to feature a solo adventure of the modern

Batwoman Batwoman is a name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, depicted as female counterparts and allies of Batman similarly to Batgirl. The original version of the character, Kathy Kane (eventually given t ...

.Arrant, Chris
"DC's Dollar Comics Format Returns After 30+ Years", Newsarama (June 14, 2019).
Accessed September 2, 2019.

2019 revival issues

Title is followed by scheduled or actual publication date: * ''Dollar Comics:

#854'' (September 4, 2019) * ''Dollar Comics:

#608'' (September 11, 2019) * ''Dollar Comics:

Harley Quinn Harley Quinn (Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, PhD) is a fictional American character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for ''Batman: The Animated Series'' as a henchwoman for the ...

(Volume 2) #1'' (September 18, 2019) * ''Dollar Comics:

Crisis on Infinite Earths ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is a 1985 to 1986 American comic book fictional crossover, crossover series published by DC Comics. Written by Marv Wolfman and penciller, pencilled by George Pérez, it was first released as a 12-issue limited ser ...

#1'' (September 25, 2019) * ''Dollar Comics:

The Joker The Joker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson, the character first appeared in the debut issue of the comic book ''Batman (comic book), Batman'' on ...

#1'' (October 2, 2019) * ''Dollar Comics:

Watchmen ''Watchmen'' is a comic book Limited series (comics), limited series by the British creative team of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins (comics), John Higgins. It was published monthly by DC Comics in 1986 and 19 ...

#1'' (October 9, 2019) * ''Dollar Comics: Batman #497'' (October 16, 2019) * ''Dollar Comics:

Swamp Thing Swamp Thing is a superhero and antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several different incarnations throughout his publication. The ch ...

#1'' (October 23, 2019) * ''Dollar Comics:

(Volume 2) #75'' (October 30, 2019) * ''Dollar Comics: Flashpoint (Volume 2) #1'' (November 6, 2019) * ''Dollar Comics:

Blackest Night "Blackest Night" is a 2009–10 American comic book Fictional crossover, crossover storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous central miniseries, written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Ivan Reis, along with a number of tie-in i ...

#1'' (November 13, 2019) * ''Dollar Comics:

Lex Luthor Alexander "Lex" Joseph Luthor () is a supervillain in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the character first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (published on February 22, 1940, with a cover d ...

: Man of Steel #1'' (November 20, 2019) * ''Dollar Comics:

Infinite Crisis "Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, ...

#1'' (November 27, 2019) * ''Dollar Comics:

Birds of Prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...

#1'' (December 4, 2019) * ''Dollar Comics: Tales of the Teen Titans Annual #3'' (December 11, 2019) * ''Dollar Comics: The Flash (Volume 2) #164'' (December 11, 2019) * ''Dollar Comics: Batman #613'' (January 1, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics:

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 ...

#197'' (January 8, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics:

The Batman Adventures ''The Batman Adventures'' is a DC Comics comic book series featuring Batman, set in the universe of Batman: The Animated Series and its successors. Overview ''The Batman Adventures'' was created to tie-in with the '' Batman: The Animated Series' ...

#12'' (January 15, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: Batman/The Huntress: Cry for Blood #1'' (January 22, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: Detective Comics #554'' (January 29, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: Batman #386'' (February 5, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1'' (February 5, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: Batman #567'' (February 12, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: Green Lantern: Rebirth #1'' (February 12, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: The Flash: Rebirth #1'' (February 19, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: The New Teen Titans #2'' (February 19, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics:

Amethyst Amethyst is a Violet (color), violet variety of quartz. The name comes from the Koine Greek from - , "not" and (Ancient Greek) / (Modern Greek), "intoxicate", a reference to the belief that the stone protected its owner from Alcohol into ...

#1'' (February 26, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: Flash #1'' (February 26, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: JLA: Year One #1'' (March 4, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: Swamp Thing #57'' (March 4, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: Batman #428'' (March 11, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: Robin #1'' (March 11, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: Justice League (1987) #1'' (March 18, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: JLA #1'' (March 18, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: Justice League (2011) #1'' (March 25, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: Justice League of America #1'' (March 25, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: Batman (2013) #13'' (April 1, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: Green Lantern #1'' (April 1, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: Batman #663'' (April 8, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: Catwoman (2002) #1'' (April 8, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: Catwoman (2011) #1'' (April 15, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: Checkmate #1'' (April 22, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: Detective Comics #826'' (April 29, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: Batman #450'' (April 29, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #1'' (May 6, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: DARK NIGHTS: METAL #1'' (May 13, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: MANHUNTER #1'' (May 13, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: Green Lantern #29'' (May 20, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: Wonder Woman #212'' (May 20, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: Wonder Woman #206'' (May 27, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: Legion of Super-Heroes #1 (1989)'' (June 10, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: Saga of the Swamp Thing #1'' (June 27, 2020) * ''Dollar Comics: Sandman #23'' (Nov 17, 2020)

References

{{reflist DC Comics titles Comics formats