DC’s efforts to address the effects of the coronavirus crisis on the comic book Direct Market continues.
The publisher announced Monday the immediate expansion of their DC Digital First publishing program, announcing that under the daily, “robust” new program, “comic book readers will have more variety of content and immediate access to stories that have never been available on digital platforms.”
The first titles will feature the digital debut of stories having previously been exclusive to their DC Giants anthology line.
“Comic book fans want more access to content than ever before,” said Jim Lee, DC Chief Creative Officer and Publisher in a press release. “This strategy is intended to get daily content to fans immediately, and also to ensure that when comic shops open back up for business, they will have new content and product that their customers will want. In the meantime, we will have properly stoked and protected the demand for comics, keeping fans interested in our characters and stories.”
The first week of DC Digital First titles include Superman: The Man of Tomorrow by Robert Venditti, Paul Pelletier, Drew Hennessy, and Adriano Lucas; Batman: Gotham Nights featuring a story by Sal Giunta, Brad Meltzer, Jim Lee, Scott Williams, and Alex Sinclair with a second story by Larry Hama, Mirko Colak, and John Kalisz; Wonder Woman: Agent of Peace by Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, Inaki Miranda, and Hi-Fi; Aquaman: Deep Dives by Steve Orlando, Daniel Sampere, Juan Albarran, and Adriano Lucas; Flash: Fastest Man Alive by Gail Simone, Clayton Henry, and Marcelo Maiolo; DC Super Hero Girls: Infinite Frenemies by Amanda Deibert and Erich Owen; and Swamp Thing: New Roots by Mark Russell, Marco Santucci, and John Kalisz.
“I really want to stress that regularly scheduled and solicited print comics, traditionally available on Wednesdays, will continue to be available day-and-date digitally on Tuesdays moving forward,” added Lee. “On the other hand, DC Digital First comics will be released seven days a week, with a strikingly different trade dress that will distinguish these titles from physical versions.”
Previous DC Digital First titles include Injustice: Gods Among Us, DC Comics: Bombshells, and the new Batman: The Adventures Continue series.