Earlier this week DC Comics announced their new publishing expansion program dubbed “DC’s Digital First”. The DC DIGITAL FIRST publishing program, is the home of some of DC’s bestselling titles, like Injustice: Gods Among Us, DC Comics: Bombshells, the new Batman: The Adventures Continue, and many more fan-favorite comics.
Under the 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.
“Comic book fans want more access to content than ever before,” said Jim Lee, DC Chief Creative Officer and Publisher. “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 includes 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. These series are new to DC Digital First, having previously been exclusive to DC Giants.
“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.”
In addition, this past Monday DC Comics launched DC ESSENTIAL READS, a free digital promotion providing first issues of some of the most iconic graphic novels and collected editions in the DC library. Available until June 8th on a variety of digital platforms, DC ESSENTIAL READS titles include Watchmen #1 by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, Batman #608 by Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee, Scott Williams, and Alex Sinclair, The Sandman #1 by Neil Gaiman and Sam Kieth, Dark Nights: Metal #1 by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, Doomsday Clock #1 by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank, Crisis on Infinite Earths #1 by Marv Wolfman and George Perez, Mister Miracle #1 by Tom King and Mitch Gerads, and more.
Covers for DC Digital First – Week 1:
A look ahead at DC Digital First Week 2:
- Monday: Superman: The Man of Tomorrow #2
- “Against the Odds” by Rob Venditti, Paul Pelletier, Drew Hennessy, Adriano Lucas, and Clayton Cowles
- Someone is running bets on Superman’s exploits throughout Metropolis and putting ordinary citizens in harm’s way. Can Superman locate this villainous gambler in time or will the house take all?!
- “Against the Odds” by Rob Venditti, Paul Pelletier, Drew Hennessy, Adriano Lucas, and Clayton Cowles
- Tuesday: Batman: Gotham Nights #2
- “Bad Actors” by Michael Grey, Ryan Benjamin, Richard Friend, Alex Sinclair and Troy Peteri
- It’s a mad dash as Batman races to stop a murderous plan—but when the villain is revealed to be in two places at once, and the victim turns out to be not so innocent, Batman must make the ultimate choice in a fight against Clayface.
- “Bad Actors” by Michael Grey, Ryan Benjamin, Richard Friend, Alex Sinclair and Troy Peteri
- Wednesday: Wonder Woman: Agent of Peace #2
- “The Curse of K2” by Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner, Daniel Sampere, Juan Albarran, Hi-Fi and Travis Lanham
- Wonder Woman must rescue Lois Lane on an expedition to the treacherous mountain K2! Lois is hot on the trail of a missing group of female climbers who are hoping to conquer the peak. But what dangers lurk in k2’s snow-covered caverns—and can Princess Diana keep the Daily Planet’s intrepid reporter safe?
- “The Curse of K2” by Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner, Daniel Sampere, Juan Albarran, Hi-Fi and Travis Lanham
- Thursday: Aquaman: Deep Dives #2
- “Sea Devils” by Michael Grey, Aaron Lopresti, Matt Ryan, Hi-Fi and Wes Abbott
- Aquaman and the Sea Devils team up to stop a group of polluters—and a radioactive creature from the deep!
- “Sea Devils” by Michael Grey, Aaron Lopresti, Matt Ryan, Hi-Fi and Wes Abbott
- Friday: Flash: Fastest Man Alive #2
- “Run Like There’s No Tomorrow” by Gail Simone, Clayton Henry, Marcelo Maiolo, and Rob Leigh
- A time-traveling soldier arrives in Central City and her mission is to kill the Fastest Man Alive! But what is it that the Flash did (or will do) to destroy her world—and is there a way he can prevent it without dying?
- “Run Like There’s No Tomorrow” by Gail Simone, Clayton Henry, Marcelo Maiolo, and Rob Leigh
- Saturday: DC Super Hero Girls: Infinite Frenemies #2
- “Panicked at the Disco” by Amanda Deibert, Erich Owen, and Gabriela Downie
- It’s time for the greatest teenage tradition of them all: the school formal! But when Livewire attacks and sets everyone’s toes a-tapping, the girls will have to put on their dancing shoes to save the day!
- “Panicked at the Disco” by Amanda Deibert, Erich Owen, and Gabriela Downie
- Sunday: Swamp Thing: New Roots #2
- “Everything Eats, Everything Dies!” by Mark Russell, Marco Santucci, John Kalisz, and Dave Sharpe
- Swamp Thing scours the bayou when an old friend goes missing, but all the while, an unexpected enemy is coming for Swamp Thing himself…
- “Everything Eats, Everything Dies!” by Mark Russell, Marco Santucci, John Kalisz, and Dave Sharpe
DC DIGITAL FIRST comics and DC ESSENTIAL READS free issues will all be available from participating digital retailers, including ReadDC.com, Comixology, Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and more.
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