How to Identify a DC Comics (collected editions: TPB / HC / Omnibus / Absolute / Archive) First Edition

How to identify a first printing

• Indicia/copyright page carries the publisher block ('Copyright © [year] DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.'), ISBN, and a printing statement: a first printing states 'First Printing', often with no later dates, or a single publication line.
• Modern DC collected editions use a descending number line in the indicia ('10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'); the lowest number present is the printing, so '1' present indicates a first printing.
• Reprints add a printing-history line or update the number line by dropping the '1'; first printings have only the original date and the full number line ending in 1.
• Direct-vs-newsstand is not relevant to the ISBN book editions; it applies only to the original floppy issues being collected.

Notable points & cautions

• Watchmen is the canonical example of DC reprint-printing tracking: the collected edition has gone through 20-plus printings (the GCD documents a Twenty-Fourth Printing), each explicitly stated in the indicia, while the 1987 first printing carries the original single-printing indicia and a number line ending in 1.
• Absolute Editions and Archive Editions are premium oversized lines, usually single or few printings, with an edition statement; printing is still verified via indicia.
• Vertigo collected editions (1993-2020) carry Vertigo branding but follow the same DC indicia/number-line convention; post-2020 mature material moved to Black Label.
• DC Finest and DC Compact Comics are recent value-reprint lines; edition/printing is identified by indicia date and number line.
• For the original floppy issues: a first printing has no printing statement; reprints are marked (for example 'Second Printing') on cover or indicia. This matters for original-issue collecting, not the book collections.

Imprints

First editions also appear under: DC Omnibus, Absolute Edition, DC Archive Editions, DC Finest, DC Compact Comics, Deluxe Edition, Black Label (collected), Vertigo (collected, 1993-2020). Each generally follows the house convention above.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my DC Comics (collected editions: TPB / HC / Omnibus / Absolute / Archive) book is a first edition?

Check the copyright page. Indicia/copyright page carries the publisher block ('Copyright © [year] DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.'), ISBN, and a printing statement: a first printing states 'First Printing', often with no later dates, or a single publication line. Modern DC collected editions use a descending number line in the indicia ('10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'); the lowest number present is the printing, so '1' present indicates a first printing.

Does DC Comics (collected editions: TPB / HC / Omnibus / Absolute / Archive) use a number line?

Modern DC collected editions use a descending number line in the indicia ('10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'); the lowest number present is the printing, so '1' present indicates a first printing.

Is a book-club edition a DC Comics (collected editions: TPB / HC / Omnibus / Absolute / Archive) first edition?

No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Watchmen is the canonical example of DC reprint-printing tracking: the collected edition has gone through 20-plus printings (the GCD documents a Twenty-Fourth Printing), each explicitly stated in the indicia, while the 1987 first printing carries the original single-printing indicia and a number line ending in 1.

What era does this cover?

This covers DC Comics (collected editions: TPB / HC / Omnibus / Absolute / Archive) (collected-edition program: 1980s-present (Archive Editions since 1989; Absolute since 2005; Omnibus line from the mid-to-late 2000s)). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.