Comic books are difficult to get into if you don’t know what you are doing.

This is largely because many of the publishers out there have been around for decades, making it hard to know where to start. Marvel and DC, in particular have been around for almost a century so that makes it even harder.

All that said, DC and Valiant have taken positive steps to republishing their back catalogs in recent months. Each publisher has had a unique approach but both work well as a means to dive into each world.

DC has begun its DC Compact Comics line, which is smaller collected editions based on story arcs. The size is smaller than a standard trade paperback but bigger than a manga volume, making it perfect to take on the go. The price is also great, sitting at $9.99.

Some of the stories included in this line are Far Sector, Batman: The Court of Owls, Watchmen, and All-Star Superman. DC has more scheduled through the end of the year. There are still some glaring absences but this is a new line.

Valiant is taking a different approach that is still focused on accessibility. Rather than collecting stories, Valiant is collecting a large amount of issues into collected editions focused on the origins of a character.

The modern Valiant universe is only 12 years old but many of the original issues and trade paperbacks are hard to find. Offering character-based collected editions for $24.99 provides an in-depth way to catch up.

Valiant, through Alien Books, is releasing two editions a month through the end of the year. This includes characters such as X-O Manowar, Faith, Rai, Ninjak, The Valiant, and many others.

Both DC and Valiant are taking different approaches into opening up their backlog to physical books, but both are fantastic methods at a fairly reasonable price.

Anything that helps more people get into comic books is a big positive in my eye and both these publishers are off to great starts. Whether they continue will depend on how well sales are on these initial editions.

Now that just leaves room for other publishers to follow suit. That’s not to say others aren’t doing similar approaches, but rather than DC and Valiant are doing it better.

Marvel does have its Mighty Marvel Masterworks line that focuses on the origins of many of its heroes in a more kid-friendly format, which is great. Personally, I’d like to see a more story-based reprint strategy similar to DC would be a good approach.

Image Comics is another one that could benefit from this, particularly from its early days. The publisher is rereleasing Spawn but is doing so in smaller collections for higher prices. There are other Image titles getting reprints such as Savage Dragon and Witchblade, but they follow similar formats.

Now, many publishers utilize a digital medium to offer access to backlogs. This includes Marvel Unlimited, DC Universe Infinite, and Comixology. These are great for catching up on a large amount of issues.

That said, I believe comics should be experienced as close to their original format as possible. What DC and Valiant are doing offers that opportunity for fans all for a reasonable price.

As the debates swirl around video game preservation, there should be focus placed on the comic industry to do likewise. Fortunately, DC and Valiant are leading the charge.

What about you? Would you like to see more comic publisher make their backlogs more available? What method would you prefer? Let us know in the comments below or head over to our Discord channel to join the conversation.

Featured Image: DC (via Comic Book Club)

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