# DC Special

DC Special was a comic book anthology series published by DC Comics originally from 1968 to 1971; it resumed publication from 1975 to 1977. For the most part, DC Special was a theme-based reprint title, mostly focusing on stories from DC's Golden Age; at the end of its run it published a few original stories.

## Publication history

DC Special began publication with an issue focusing on the work of artist Carmine Infantino and cover dated October–December 1968. Some of the themes the title covered were special issues devoted to individual artists such as Infantino and Joe Kubert, strange sports stories, origins of super-villains, and stories of historical literary adventure characters such as Robin Hood and The Three Musketeers. Issue #4 featured many supernatural characters and writer Mark Hanerfeld and artist Bill Draut crafted the first appearance of Abel, who later became (along with his brother Cain) a major character in Neil Gaiman's The Sandman. The series was cancelled with issue #15 (November–December 1971).
The book was revived four years later and continued the numbering of the original series. The final three issues featured all-new stories. Issue #27 was a book-length Captain Comet and Tommy Tomorrow story by Bob Rozakis and Rich Buckler. Artist Don Newton began his career at DC Comics with an Aquaman story in DC Special #28 (July 1977). That same issue introduced the Quakemaster, an enemy of the Batman co-created by writer Bob Rozakis and artist John Calnan. Paul Levitz and Joe Staton finished the series with a Justice Society of America story which revealed the team's origin.
With DC Special's cancellation following issue #29 (Aug.–Sept. 1977), DC immediately begin publishing the umbrella one-shot title DC Special Series, which lasted until Fall 1981.

## The issues

| Issue | Title | Date | Notes |
| 1 | All-Infantino Issue | Fall 1968 | Reprints The Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog #29, The Brave and the Bold #45, Detective Comics #327, The Flash #148, and Mystery in Space #57 |
| 2 | Top Teen Favorites | Winter 1969 | Reprints Everything Happens to Harvey #4 |
| 3 | All-Girl Issue | Spring 1969 | Reprints stories from Action Comics #304, Green Lantern #16, and Strange Adventures #18. Also includes previously unpublished Black Canary and Wonder Woman stories. |
| 4 | 13 Shock-Ending Stories | July–Sept. 1969 | Original framing story followed by reprints from House of Mystery #2, 5, 15, 19, 26, 30, 62–63, 68; Sensation Comics #114; and Tales of the Unexpected #1, 16–17. First appearance of Abel (of Cain and Abel). |
| 5 | The Secret Lives of Joe Kubert | Fall 1969 | Reprints stories from The Brave and the Bold #18, 35; Our Army at War #113; and Showcase #2 |
| 6 | The Wild Frontier! | Winter 1970 | Reprints stories from Detective Comics #178; Frontier Fighters #4, 6; The Legends of Daniel Boone #1; and World's Finest Comics #69 |
| 7 | Strangest Sports Stories Ever Told! | Spring 1970 | Reprints stories from The Brave and the Bold #45–46, 48–49; and Mystery in Space #39 |
| 8 | Wanted! The World's Most Dangerous Villains | Summer 1970 | Reprints stories from The Brave and the Bold #36, The Flash #130, Green Lantern #7, and World's Finest Comics #129 |
| 9 | Strangest Sports Stories Ever Told! | Fall 1970 | Reprints stories from The Brave and the Bold #45–48 |
| 10 | Stop!... You Can't Beat The Law! | Jan.–Feb. 1971 | Reprints stories from Gang Busters #33, 40, 58, 61, 65; and Showcase #1, 5 |
| 11 | Beware... The Monsters Are Here! | March–April 1971 | Reprints House of Mystery #70, 85, 97, 113, 116, and 175 |
| 12 | The Viking Prince | May–June 1971 | Also featuring the Silent Knight, Robin Hood, and the Golden Gladiator. Reprints The Brave and the Bold #1, 5, 9, and 16 |
| 13 | Strangest Sports Stories Ever Told! | July–Aug. 1971 | Reprints The Brave and the Bold #47, 49; Mystery in Space #7, 9; and Strange Adventures #94, 125 |
| 14 | Wanted! The World's Most Dangerous Villains! | Sept.–Oct. 1971 | Reprints The Flash #140, Superman #47, and World's Finest Comics #55 |
| 15 | Plastic Man | Nov.–Dec. 1971 | Reprints Plastic Man #17, 25-26; and Police Comics #1, 13 |
| 16 | Super-Heroes Battle Super-Gorillas | Spring 1975 | Reprints Detective Comics #339, The Flash #127, Superman #138, and Wonder Woman #170 |
| 17 | Presents Green Lantern | Summer 1975 | Reprints Green Lantern #2, 6, and 26 |
| 18 | Presents... Earth Shaking Stories | Oct.–Nov. 1975 | Reprints Action Comics #342, Captain Marvel Adventures #122, and Green Lantern #43 |
| 19 | War Against the Giants | Dec. 1975–Jan. 1976 | Reprints Action Comics #343, Green Lantern #53, Strange Adventures #28, and Wonder Woman #106 |
| 20 | Green Lantern | Feb.–March 1976 | Reprints Green Lantern #2, 8, and 30 |
| 21 | Super-Heroes' War Against the Monsters | April–May 1976 | Reprints Action Comics #326, Green Lantern #3, Marvel Family #7, and Star Spangled War Stories #132 |
| 22 | The 3 Musketeers and Robin Hood | June–July 1976 | Reprints The Brave and the Bold #6, and Robin Hood Tales #14 |
| 23 | The 3 Musketeers and Robin Hood | Aug.–Sept. 1976 | Reprints The Brave and the Bold #9, and Robin Hood Tales #7 |
| 24 | The 3 Musketeers and Robin Hood | Oct.–Nov. 1976 | Reprints The Brave and the Bold #11 and 15 |
| 25 | The 3 Musketeers and Robin Hood | Dec. 1976–Jan. 1977 | Reprints The Brave and the Bold #7-8, and 15 |
| 26 | Enemy Ace | Feb.–March 1977 | Reprints Our Army at War #151, and Star Spangled War Stories #143 |
| 27 | Danger: Dinosaurs at Large! | April–May 1977 | Original Captain Comet and Tommy Tomorrow story |
| 28 | Earth Shattering Disasters | June–July 1977 | Original stories featuring Batman, Aquaman, and the Legion of Super-Heroes |
| 29 | The Untold Origin of the Justice Society | Aug.–Sept. 1977 | Original story about the Justice Society of America |

## Collected editions

* Black Canary Archives includes the Black Canary story from DC Special #3, 224 pages, December 2000, ISBN 978-1563897344
* Secret Society of Super Villains Vol. 2 includes DC Special #27, 328 pages, May 2012, ISBN 978-1401231101
* Legion of Super-Heroes Archive Vol. 13 includes the Legion of Super-Heroes story from DC Special #28, 240 pages, May 2012, ISBN 978-1401234393
* Justice Society Vol. 1 includes DC Special #29, 224 pages, August 2006, ISBN 1-4012-0970-X
* Showcase Presents: All-Star Comics Vol. 1 includes DC Special #29, 448 pages, September 2011, ISBN 978-1401233037