Superhero 6 min read
Watchmen
Written by Alan Moore · 1987
4.8
Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons deconstruct the superhero myth in the only graphic novel on TIME's list of the 100 best novels ever written.
Format Spotlight
DC Compact Comics: The Affordable Way Into DC's Best Stories
In June 2024, DC launched a line of full-color paperbacks at 5.5"×8.5" — closer to a manga or mass-market novel than a traditional comic trade — priced at just $9.99. The idea was simple: make DC's best stories as easy to pick up as any paperback on a bookstore shelf. It worked far better than anyone expected. Four of 2024's ten best-selling graphic novels, period, came from this one line, and by mid-2025 six of the top ten monthly bestsellers were Compact Comics editions.
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Already Covered on Codex Briefs
Superhero 8 min read
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Written by Frank Miller · 1986
4.3
A retired, aging Batman returns to a dystopian Gotham and ends in a legendary clash with Superman in Frank Miller's 1986 masterpiece.
Superhero 8 min read
Batman: The Long Halloween
Written by Jeph Loeb · 1996
4.6
A holiday-killing mystery pushes Batman, Gordon, and Harvey Dent to the edge in the story Christopher Nolan called an epic tragedy.
Superhero 7 min read
Batman: White Knight
Written by Sean Murphy · 2017
4.5
The Joker is cured of his madness and turns his sharpest weapon — public opinion — against Batman in Sean Murphy's acclaimed reinvention.
Superhero 8 min read
Batman: Hush
Written by Jeph Loeb · 2002
4.5
A mystery villain manipulates nearly every member of Batman's rogues gallery in one of the best-selling Batman stories ever told.
Superhero 7 min read
Batman, Vol. 1: The Court of Owls
Written by Scott Snyder · 2011
4.6
Batman discovers a secret society that has secretly ruled Gotham for centuries, in the story that launched Scott Snyder's acclaimed run.
Crime & Noir 8 min read
Gotham Central
Written by Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka · 2002
4.3
The detectives of Gotham's Major Crimes Unit investigate murders with barely any help from Batman, in the Eisner-winning "Half a Life" arc.
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More Titles in the Collection
2024
All-Star Superman Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely Widely considered the definitive Superman story, told across his final months.
Far Sector N.K. Jemisin & Jamal Campbell A Green Lantern sci-fi murder mystery set on the far side of the universe.
Wonder Woman: Earth One Grant Morrison & Yanick Paquette A standalone reimagining of Diana's origin, outside main DC continuity.
Harley Quinn & the Gotham City Sirens Various Harley, Poison Ivy, and Catwoman team up on the wrong side of Gotham.
Joker Brian Azzarello & Lee Bermejo A street-level crime story following the Joker's release from Arkham.
American Vampire: Book One Scott Snyder & Rafael Albuquerque A vampire horror saga spanning the American frontier to 1920s Hollywood.
Catwoman: Trail of the Catwoman Ed Brubaker, Darwyn Cooke & Cameron Stewart A detective is hired to find Catwoman after she vanishes.
DCeased Tom Taylor & Trevor Hairsine A techno-organic virus turns Earth's heroes into monsters.
2025
Kingdom Come Mark Waid & Alex Ross A painted, near-future epic about an aging generation of superheroes.
Static: Season One Vita Ayala, Reginald Hudlin & Nikolas Draper-Ivey A teenager with electromagnetic powers becomes a hero in Milestone's Dakota City.
Batwoman: Elegy Greg Rucka & J.H. Williams III Kate Kane's origin as Batwoman, visually one of the most acclaimed Batman-family books ever drawn.
Superman: Birthright Mark Waid & Leinil Francis Yu A modern retelling of Superman's origin and first year in Metropolis.
The Authority: Relentless Warren Ellis & Bryan Hitch A team of god-level heroes takes a far more aggressive approach to global threats.
Superman/Batman, Vol. 1 Jeph Loeb & Ed McGuinness DC's two flagship heroes team up — 2025's biggest-selling month, timed to the Superman film.
2026
Nightwing: Leaping into the Light Tom Taylor & Bruno Redondo Dick Grayson takes on a new mission and a new villain in Blüdhaven.
The Flash: Rebirth Geoff Johns & Francis Manapul Barry Allen returns to the DC Universe after decades trapped in the Speed Force.
Green Arrow: Year One Andy Diggle & Jock Oliver Queen's transformation from playboy to archer, stranded on a deserted island.
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight Brian Augustyn & Mike Mignola A Victorian-era Batman hunts Jack the Ripper through gaslit Gotham.
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow Tom King & Bilquis Evely Kara Zor-El escorts a young girl across the galaxy to avenge her father.
Batgirl of Burnside Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher & Babs Tarr Barbara Gordon relocates to a hip new Gotham neighborhood in a lighter, younger take.
Superman: Red Son Mark Millar & Dave Johnson An alternate history where Superman's rocket lands in Soviet Ukraine instead of Kansas.
DC continues to add titles to this line regularly — this list reflects what's been announced as of August 2026.