DC Comics announces return to sales amidst pandemic

After halting sales for just about a month’s time in the midst of the global coronavirus pandemic, DC Comics is ready to announce its return.

Hit the signal

It’s been a tumultuous few weeks, and that’s an understatement. With the coronavirus pandemic still encircling much of the globe, almost everything has ground to a halt as governments try to stem the tide and wait out infections.

Of course, that has also meant the end of almost all business activity. That includes the comics industry, which was already on the ropes. Though we’ve not covered it here at BG, the industry has seen sales sliding overall. And now it has been hit with a series of layoffs in the wake of the publishing pause. But even with all of that, it’s not quite dead yet.

And if you are a specifically DC Comics fan who’s been awaiting something new, this is your week. Or more precisely, next week is your week. That’s because DC has announced that it’s revving up the presses once again.

The publisher has chatted with some 2000 stores in the US, and found that many of them were pursuing solutions to be able to get books to their customers even during quarantine. More than likely that’d mean shipping, but that’s better than nothing.

This week’s announcement also includes a new slate of books that are set to hit stores. The books below are coming up for sale on Wednesday, April 28th. You’ll notice it’s a somewhat abridged spread, but there are still some big names to be found, especially if you’ve missed some recent issues.

April 28th

• Batman #89 (3rd Printing)
  • Featuring the first appearance of Punchline!
• Daphne Byrne #4
  • Daphne gains a new ally as she continues to wrestle with the malevolent forces within her.
• The Dreaming #20
  • The unbelievable finale to Si Spurrier and Bilquis Evely’s epic tale from the Sandman Universe!
• Nightwing #70 (2nd Printing)
  • The Clown Prince of Crime comes to Ric Grayson and Bludhaven in this prelude to The Joker War!
• Batman GIANT #4
  • Classic stories from the world of The Dark Knight, plus an all-new chapter of the original story “Concrete Jungle,” by Mark Russell (Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles) and Ryan Benjamin!

Along with the above, DC has also announced its plans for May 5th, and the 12th. Those near-future dates include a much better looking selection of tiles, complete with big books like Justice League and Flash.

In all, those dates will offer:

May 5th

• Batman and the Outsiders #12
• DC Super Stars #17 (Facsimile Edition)
• The Flash #753
• The Green Lantern Season Two #3
• Hawkman #23
• House of Whispers #20
• Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity #4

May 12th

• Harley Quinn #72
• Justice League #44
• Justice League Odyssey #20
• Lois Lane #10
• Metal Men #6

So where and how can you buy any of this?

DC has combined forces with Comic Shop Locator for a special listing service, one that includes all of the stores that will be retailing. As of right now though, it’s a little… off. NY-based markers (for example) on the interactive map are showing shops in Pennsylvania and Florida.

That’s definitely not going to help too many fans, so maybe give DC a few days to get the whole thing sorted before you start phoning stores. Remember, sales don’t start till next week anyway, so you have time.

Cross your fingers, because this should be a viable tool to find stores that are ready (in some way) to deliver DC Comics. If you want to bookmark it for future reference, you’ll find the service here. And if you’d like to read through the full details, hit the link below.

Source: DC Comics