As the statement came up from the source that DC has announced their new publishing initiative called "Compact Comics" approximately two months ago. They have started with a plan that the range of some of their popular comic book titles are scaling to a portable 5.5″ x 8.5″ and going with just $9.99 dollars for each book.
But seriously I have to say, this is pretty smart & bold moves that DC has ever came up with since their struggling with poor comic sells for last 4 years. The size of their book just is one inch taller than the average manga volume. The new line is avoiding the complexity of being unhandy traditional graphic novels, which are typically printed around the size of a paper magazine that cannot be fold.
The relief is, these small books contain the entirety of their story arcs, instead of the multi-volume format of trade paperbacks or even the average manga series. Unlike most manga, each volume will remain with fully colored but printed on a paper stock slightly less glossy than the average $20+ dollar graphic novel.
With the size has been reduced, you can easily carry all 12 issues of Alan Moore’s Watchmen with you everywhere you go. DC has currently released three books with their compact format which are Watchmen, Batman: The Court Of Owls Saga and All Star Superman.
Sales data statistically shows that DC's Compact Line has already become a success and It's now even competing with some of the most popular mangas:
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| Icv2 sales data of Adult Graphic Novel (June 2024) |
Surprising enough that is a needle mover for the company as they've made into top 20 with the ranking of 18th as best selling adult graphic novel because it was difficult for Marvel or DC comics to compete with Manga. Because their sales especially DC comics sales were pretty down as fans are leaving the American comics and going after Japanese Manga. This one smart decision is now building a hopeful future for comic books which was considered as a dying medium in many countries including the U.S.
Things are changing, booming and the more books in the way with this format. Here is the releasing date:
Wonder Woman: Earth One by Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette - August 6
Batman: Hush by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee - August 6
Joker by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo - September 3
Harley Quinn & Gotham City Sirens by Paul Dini - September 3
American Vampire by Scott Snyder & Rafael Albuquerque - September 3
Catwoman: Trail of the Catwoman by Darwyn Cooke & Ed Brubaker - October 1
Kingdom Come by Mark Waid & Alex Ross - May 6, 2025
Static Season One by Vita Ayala and Nicolas Draper Ivy - May 25, 2025
If the volumes sell well, perhaps DC will be less sqeamish about reviving its extensive backlog of out-of-print titles.