DC Special Series

Sunday, March 1, 2015

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 Series was published in four different formats: Dollar Comics, 48 page giants, digests, and treasury editions. Neither the umbrella title nor the numbering system appear on the cover; the title "DC Special Series" appeared only on the first page in the indicia. Most issues featured new material, but eight issues were reprints of previously published material.

Publication history

DC Special Series was preceded by the theme-based reprint title DC Special, which ceased publication the month before DC Special Series debuted. The first issue included "The Dead on Arrival Conspiracy", a Batman vs. Kobra story by Martin Pasko, Michael Netzer (Nasser), and Joe Rubinstein originally scheduled for the unpublished Kobra #8.

DC Special Series started out as a biweekly title in 1977 until Spring 1978, when it became quarterly. The series went on hiatus after the Fall 1978 issue and was revived in Summer 1979. Two stories originally scheduled to appear in DC Special Series were split apart and published in other titles due to the DC Implosion.

The final three issues were in the over-sized treasury format. Issue #25 was a tie-in to the Superman II film and #26 featured "Secrets of Superman's Fortress" by Roy Thomas, Ross Andru, and Romeo Tanghal. The last issue was a DC-Marvel crossover between Batman and the Hulk.

The issues

Collected editions

Secret Society of Super Villains Vol. 2 includes DC Special Series #6, 328 pages, May 2012, ISBN 978-1401231101
The Flash: The Greatest Stories Ever Told includes "Beyond the Super-Speed Barrier" from DC Special Series #11, 208 pages, August 2007, ISBN 978-1401213725
Legends of the Dark Knight - Marshall Rogers includes "Death Strikes at Midnight and Three" from DC Special Series #15, 496 pages, November 2011, ISBN 978-1401232276
The Complete Frank Miller Batman includes "Wanted: Santa Claus -- Dead or Alive!" from DC Special Series #21, 312 pages, December 1989, Longmeadow Press, ISBN 978-0681409699
Superman: The Secrets of the Fortress of Solitude includes DC Special Series #26, 200 pages, May 2012, ISBN 978-1401234232
The Marvel/DC Collection: Crossover Classics Volume 1 includes DC Special Series #27, 320 pages, June 1997, ISBN 978-0871358585