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DC’s controversial Walmart program is not fading away…it’s expanding! Starting next month, THE FLASH and SWAMP THING will join the first four titles, with their own 100 page giants. All the new issues shoul dbe on shelves by February 17.

In addition, two of the four launch titles will be retitled and given new #1s. Teen Titans will become TITANS, and Justice League will become…WONDER WOMAN! Oh yeah! Superman and Batman continue as before.

All of the titles include a new 12 page lead stories and serialized reprints of classic DCU stories. Although the program was heavily criticized by comics market retailers when it was announced last June, it seems to have become only part of the background chatter of discontent and not the death knell to the DM that some predicted. And it also seems to be a success, as its expansion would indicate.

Indeed, “DC has been incredibly successful in attracting new readers through its relationship with Walmart,” said Nancy Spears, VP, Mass Book, Digital Sales and Trade Marketing. “These two titles are the perfect extensions to the Walmart line, given the popularity of The Flash tv show and the sales success seen from last October’s SWAMP THING HALLOWEEN HORROR Special.”

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As for content, SWAMP THING 100 Page Giant debuts with “Desert of Ash,” by Tim Seeley (NIGHTWING, GREEN LANTERNS), and Mike Perkins (GREEN LANTERNS, THE CURSE OF BRIMSTONE ANNUAL) and finds Swampy and Briar facing off against pyromaniac Char Man. Issues #2 and 3 Seeley continues as writer, while Joëlle Jones joins him for “Bog of Blood,” which introduces a terrifying swamp stalker.

Back-up stories include sturdy New 52 era material: Jeff Lemire, Travel Foreman and Dan Green’s “The Hunt,” from ANIMAL MAN; “Raise Dem Bones,” from the New 52 SWAMP THING by Scott Snyder and Yanick Paquette; and “Death in a Small Town,” featuring Detective Chimp and Shadowpact.

I said Detective Chimp! Seems perfect for the mass market, really.

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The new material for THE FLASH 100-Page Giant #1is a 12 part saga by Gail Simone (BIRDS OF PREY, SECRET SIX, PLASTIC MAN)  and artist Clayton Henry (BLACK LIGHTNING: COLD DEAD HANDS). In “Glass Houses,” Barry Allen takes on Mirror Master. Classic material includes the New 52 Flash by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato; Adam Strange from way back in 2004 by Andy Diggle and Pasqual Ferry; and the New 52 “rebirth” of Shazam, from Geoff Johns and Gary Frank.

The renamed Wonder Woman and Titans books will continue their new material by Amanda Conner/Jimmy Palmiotti/Tom Derenick/Chad Hardin and Dan Jurgen/Scot Eaton/Wayne Faucher respectively.

As you might expect from the name, these 100 page giants are 100 pages long, and sell for $4.99 each, and can be found at more than 3000 Walmarts nationwide.

9 COMMENTS

  1. “In addition, two of the four launch titles will be retitled and given new #1s. Teen Titans will become TITANS, and Justice League will become…WONDER WOMAN!”

    Uh, if they have new titles and new #1s why aren’t they new books instead of retitled old books?

  2. I imagine since the two titles are continuing with their ongoing new stories (and likely the same mix of reprints) , that they really are new brandings with the associated issue #1. Hopefully they will get back to a more regular release schedule. Will there be any new issues in January before these issues show up in February? Is #6 the last Justice League one or will there be a #7 before the switch? Also, I’ve noticed they are no longer keeping older issues on the shelves, so what is available at any given time is the current issue. Any new readers who want to catch up on the ongoing new stories don’t have an easy way to do so. Maybe they should start offering the previous issues on the DC Universe service? Definitely will add The Flash to my pickup, especially with Gail Simone doing it.

  3. Yeah, Titans and Wonder Woman are starting with #1’s, so they aren’t really retitlings of the Teen Titans and JL titles, even as they pick up the new serials and some of the reprints carried in the titles that they are replacing. That Justice League isn’t being reprinted in Wonder Woman, the title that is ostensibly replacing it, even makes me wonder if something’s getting garbled somewhere and Justice League Giant isn’t getting cancelled at all.

    Also, on the Swamp Thing title — I suppose that starting it with the first issues of the New 52 versions of Swamp Thing and Animal Man makes a certain amount of sense, especially with their crossover in their second year, Animal Man was nevertheless a continuation of the pre-Vertigo Morrison version of the Baker Family, so I think that a lot of the nuance in that version is lost by dropping the readers right into the middle of the story

  4. Here in Massachusetts we seem to be running into distribution problems. I hit two different Walmarts, and could not find issue 6 of the current title quartet. Plenty of copies of issue 5, but no 6. Very strange.

  5. It looks like Titans might be dropping the Super-Sons. It’s a tiny cover reproduced here, but it looks like instead, the bottom line of copy reads an adventure of Hawk & Dove.

  6. My bad — just saw a clearer copy of the cover — Hawk & Dove are guest-starring in a Titans story. Maybe it’s the one Gail Simone & Rob Liefeld did together?

  7. I’ll buy The Flash and Swamp Thing. The new Wonder Woman does nothing for me. The Swamp Thing Halloween special was sooooooo good. I missed Swamp Thing and am glad that he is back.

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