Comments on: Scott's Classic Comics Corner: DC Special and Not-So-Special

By: Greg Geren

Greg Geren — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 21:17:15 +0000

I think the DC SPECIAL SERIES book was a rotating Annual for various titles, as well as a reprint mechanism for the Wein / Wrightson Swamp Thing. One issue would have the first two Swamp Thing stories, the next few would have Giant-Sized stories featuring one of the regular books like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Secret Society, then another Swamp Thing reprinting the next 2 stories in sequence. Then at the end, it did a couple of Tabloids, like a Fortress of Solitude special, and even some Digest-sized reprints. GCD has the covers and details at http://comics.org/covers.lasso?SeriesID=2377 .

By: vincepower

vincepower — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:57:24 +0000

For us in the UK, these giant-size anthologies were a godsend and a bit of a wonder.
We had little chance of finding many of the original stories at all in the days before e-bay, let alone at a price.

Much as I loved the original material being produced, right from the first 80-page Giants it was the 1940's Batman and All-Star heroes, early Kane GL (and Rex the Wonder Dog), Infantino Flash etc etc that enthralled when found in these issues.

In retrospect that was probably what kept me collecting all those years

Cheers!

By: felgekarp

felgekarp — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:31:23 +0000

No mention of super-heroes battle super-gorillas? There was a long period where the only comics I bought were Specials and 80 and 100 page giants so I've got a fairly decent collection of them.

By: stephen cade

stephen cade — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 05:36:59 +0000

I have that JSA issue--it's a good one.
I don't care much for the current JSA--but I do enjoy reprints of the old stories & the updates, etc in books like the revived All Star Comics of the 70's, the DC Special, All Star Squadron, Infinity Inc, etc.
So when I saw a used copy of that DC Special years ago in a comic shop, I had to get it--and it was fairly cheap too. So even better.

By: R. J. Sterling

R. J. Sterling — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 04:53:11 +0000

I had some of the tabloid-sized too. That "LSH" issue was boss.

By: Dave Lane

Dave Lane — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 02:21:21 +0000

I have the two Green Lantern issues of DC Special with Mike Grell covers and some pretty cool John Broome/Gil Kane goodness inside. As for DC Special Series, suedenim's theory about how regular titles just didn't do double sized issues makes sense for DC at that time; I remember Paul Levitz commented that the last chapter of The Great Darkness Saga in Legion of Super Heroes was the 1st time DC ever did an all new double sized issue that wasn't an anniversary issue. SSOSV was certainly nowhere near an anniversary issue so DC Super Series was the only option available. Also, those issues did not have issue #s on the cover. One more goofy thing about DC Special series was the it was never the same format: some issues (like the SSOSV) was double sized, others (like the Batman Spectacular) were 80 page Dollar Comics, others (like the LSH's Lightning Lad/Saturn Girl wedding issue) were tabloid size and I believe other issue were digests.

By: Dan Bailey

Dan Bailey — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:31:54 +0000

Some of my most fondly remembered comics from childhood, especially the Infantino, Kubert, horror (#s 4 & 11) & first two Strange Sports Stories (#s 7 & 9) issues.

By: Paxton Holley

Paxton Holley — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:13:13 +0000

I really enjoyed this look at a little known comic series. I remember this series well along with the 100 page specials and the Secret Origins (which were some of my favorite stories). Thanks for the recap. I'm looking forward to more little seen books in the future.

Love the blog. Always great material. Thanks.

Pax

By: suedenim

suedenim — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:46:50 +0000

Confusingly, DC also had a series called "DC Special Series" (distinct from plain old "DC Special"). It seems like these books must have been the places for "experimental" material, answering questions like "So, would a Dollar Comic sell?" or "Any signs of life in this Binky property, or should we just bury him forever?" While trying to collect cheap back issues of Secret Society of Super-Villains, I came across the irritating discovery that an SSOSV storyline is continued in an issue of DC Special Series (and then continued back in the regularly scheduled SSOSV title.) I've been trying to figure out *why* they did that exactly without much success. All I can come up with is that it (like most issues of DC Special Series) was "double sized," and at the time, "upsizing" a regularly scheduled monthly comic was Just Not Done, for whatever reason. But unless you were looking *really* closely at the time, the DC Special Series issue would've looked just like another issue of SSOSV on the stands. Nowadays the only point seems to be irritating collectors, but there must have been *some* rationale for it back in the day.

By: R. J. Sterling

R. J. Sterling — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:43:25 +0000

And, dude! The 100-Page Super-Spectaculars from 1972-1974? Man oh man. I came kind of late for the 80-Page Giants but I caught those.

By: R. J. Sterling

R. J. Sterling — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:39:19 +0000

I remember a really nice Green Lantern theme reprint issue from like 1975. Of course I'm sure I bought others. Those were the days.