DC Comics announces new 100-page giant comics for Walmart
DC Comics looks to reach new readers with four massive new 100-page comics to be sold monthly at Walmart.
Once upon a time comic books were sold everywhere, and DC Comics looks to recreate that magical time with the release of four new monthly titles in a giant 100-page format that will be sold exclusively at Walmart. The new books will feature reprinted stories and all-new adventures from some of DC Comics’ hottest writers.
The four titles announced are Superman Giant, Batman Giant, Justice League of America Giant and Teen Titans Giant. They will all be released on July 1, but then they will move to a staggered release schedule with Superman and Justice League released the first week of the month and Batman and Teen Titans released the third week of each month. These 100-page books will retail for $4.99, which is an incredible bargain considering what’s inside.
Each book will feature a brand-new original story each month along with three stories that have been carefully selected from the past 20 years. Fans of the current run of DC Comics stories will be thrilled to discover that these books will feature some of the hottest writers working on new heroes.
Cover, Batman 100-Page GIANT, available July 1. Art by Jim Lee. Photo: DC Comics
Starting with the third issue of the new Walmart giants, Brian Michael Bendis (Man of Steel) will work on a Batman story, Tom King (Batman) will work on Superman and Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner (Harley Quinn) will bring a new Wonder Woman story to life in Justice League Giant. All three stories will be year-long arcs, giving the writers time to develop some amazing stories.
Given that comic books have largely been relegated to local comic shops over the past several years, there’s an opportunity to reach new audiences – and existing audiences – by expanding to a store with lots of regular traffic. Dan DiDio, DC Comics publisher, is thrilled with the move: “We are extraordinarily excited about working with Walmart to expand the reach of our books. These new monthly books combine new and accessible stories with reprints of classic comic series. It’s a great way for new readers to get into comics and follow the characters they’re grown to love in TV and film.”
In a similar move, video game retailer – and now purveyor of pop culture memorabilia – GameStop has started placing comic books in their stores on a trial basis. The idea is that so many of the games and merchandise is based on comics that it makes sense to also sell the comics.
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The new line of giant comic books will hit the racks at Walmart on July 1.