DC Comics in July will be releasing five Facsimile Editions, and each has a story of its own to tell. Check out the links below for the rest!

One of the big ones is 1956’s Showcase #4, which simultaneously introduced the Barry Allen Flash and launched the Silver Age of Comics. It’s also one of the most-requested Facsimiles among readers.

Dig the solicitation info, which will be formally released by DC on Friday:

SHOWCASE #4 FACSIMILE EDITION

Written by ROBERT KANIGHER and JOHN BROOME

Art and cover by CARMINE INFANTINO

Foil variant cover by CARMINE INFANTINO ($6.99 US) Blank sketch cover ($4.99 US)

$3.99 US | 36 pages

ON SALE 7/15/26

Witness the birth of the Silver Age of comics! When a sudden crack of lightning bursts through his lab window, police scientist Barry Allen’s life—and that of the entire DC Universe—is changed forever! Be there as Barry dons the crimson cowl of the Flash for the very first time! Thrill as he creates his signature costume ring! Marvel as he uses his incredible speed to save lives, thwart evil—even break the bonds of time itself—all in this first fast-paced appearance!

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Buncha thoughts:

— Any time we do a story in the vein of 13 DC COMICS FACSIMILE EDITIONS WE’D LIKE TO SEE, Showcase #4 comes up. It’s also one I often forget hasn’t been released because it’s something of a stunner that it took until now to get it done.

— Then again, it’s tough to tell how far out DC plans the Facsimile Edition schedule. It’s something the publisher keeps close to the vest.

— As I mentioned, there are four other DC Facsimile Editions in July that are worth your attention. Links below!

— Actually there are a total of seven DC or DC-related FEs coming that month, when you include the previously announced Avengers/JLA #2, which was delayed from June and is due July 1, and Marvel’s JLA/Avengers #3, due July 22.

— Obligatory Price Comparison: The chances of finding an unslabbed, original Showcase #4 are slim and none and slim left town. Actually, that’s not entirely true: a coverless copy that was restored and given a repro cover sold on eBay for $2,900. On the other hand, a slabbed, 9.6-graded original sold through Heritage Auctions in 2024 for $900,000, including buyer’s premium.

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MORE

— JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #200 Facsimile Edition Gets JULY Release Date. Click here.

— ROBIN DIES AT DAWN: Batman Classic to Be Re-Released as a FACSIMILE EDITION. Click here.

— BATMAN VS. THOR: DC Has a Laugh With 1959 BATMAN #127 FACSIMILE EDITION Release. Click here.

— GREEN LANTERN #49: Hal Jordan Goes Mad in Facsimile Edition Classic. Click here.

DC Comics in July will be re-releasing one of Batfandom’s favorites as a Facsimile Edition–  the classic 1963 issue Batman #156, featuring Robin Dies at Dawn.

Dig the solicitation info, which will be released formally by DC on Friday:

BATMAN #156 FACSIMILE EDITION

Written by BILL FINGER

Art and cover by SHELDON MOLDOFF

Foil variant cover by SHELDON MOLDOFF ($6.99 US) Blank sketch cover ($4.99 US)

$3.99 US | 36 pages

ON SALE 7/8/26

With Batman away on a mysterious mission, Robin must defend Gotham alone— until he meets up with an all-new costumed figure, the doll-sized dynamo who calls himself the Ant-Man! Is this tiny titan friend…or foe? Then, learn the astounding true nature of Batman’s secret mission—how it has unlocked his greatest fear and how he may be powerless to stop that fear from becoming reality when “Robin Dies at Dawn!”

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Buncha thoughts:

— As you can tell from the solicitation copy, this Facsimile has a dual selling point — Robin Dies at Dawn and a Robin team-up with… Ant-Man?! Yep, it’s a tandem release with 1959’s Batman #156, in which the Dynamic Duo battle Thor. (Click here for much more on that.)

— Jim Beard did a wonderful piece on this issue in March for Robin’s anniversary. Definitely check it out.

— Obligatory Price Comparison: An unslabbed, VF- original copy recently sold on eBay for $695.

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MORE

— BATMAN VS. THOR: DC Has a Laugh With 1959 BATMAN #127 FACSIMILE EDITION Release. Click here.

— Long-Awaited SHOWCASE #4 Leads DC’s THREE Facsimile Editions in JULY. Click here.

— JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #200 Facsimile Edition Gets JULY Release Date. Click here.

— GREEN LANTERN #49: Hal Jordan Goes Mad in Facsimile Edition Classic. Click here.

I gotta tell you, I really dig that DC this year has been having a lot of fun with its Facsimile Edition line.

Usually, FEs are reserved for landmark issues or anniversaries (like others coming in July), as well as marketing tie-ins for new comics series or TV shows or movies.

Well, this particular issue – one of three DC is publishing in July – is more in line with the publisher’s wacky April lineup of memeworthy reprints: 1959’s Batman #127, featuring the Caped Crusader squaring off against the Mighty Thor — nearly three years before Stan Lee and Jack Kirby introduced their Thunder God in 1962’s Journey Into Mystery #83.

Dig the solicitation info, which will be officially released by DC later Friday:

BATMAN #127 FACSIMILE EDITION

Written by JERRY COLEMAN and BILL FINGER

Art by DICK SPRANG and SHELDON MOLDOFF

Cover by CURT SWAN

Foil variant cover by CURT SWAN ($6.99 US) Blank sketch cover ($4.99 US)

$3.99 US | 36 pages

ON SALE 7/1/26

Have Batman and Robin found themselves battling the mythical Thor? It sure looks that way, and when this God of Thunder tries to put the hammer down on the Dynamic Duo, he may prove more than a match for the mighty masked marvels! Not enough excitement for you? How about a look at how Bruce Wayne’s life might have been in a world where crime didn’t claim the lives of his parents—and the astounding adventure of Batman and Robin’s newest super-powered ally, Alfred Pennyworth, the Eagle!

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Buncha thoughts: 

— DC’s also having a good ol’ time with another July Batman Facsimile Edition release: 1963’s Batman #156, which features Robin teaming up with… Ant-Man?! The ish, however, is much better known for its cover story — Robin Dies at Dawn! Click here for more on that FE.

— If DC wants to tweak Marvel again, they should also trot out 1964’s Batman #167 (above) — in which the Dynamic Duo battle an international criminal cabal called… Hydra. That was less than a year before Stan and Jack introduced the House of Ideas’ version. (Read a lot more about Batman #167 here.)

— There are four other DC Comics Facsimile Editions coming in July, not including the already known Avengers/JLA #2 and JLA/Avengers #3. Links below!

— Obligatory Price Comparison: An unslabbed, FN/VF copy of an original recently sold on eBay for about $430.

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MORE

— ROBIN DIES AT DAWN: Batman Classic to Be Re-Released as a FACSIMILE EDITION. Click here.

— Long-Awaited SHOWCASE #4 Leads DC’s THREE Facsimile Editions in JULY. Click here.

— JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #200 Facsimile Edition Gets JULY Release Date. Click here.

— GREEN LANTERN #49: Hal Jordan Goes Mad in Facsimile Edition Classic. Click here.

In February, we reported that DC would be releasing the beloved 1981 Justice League of America #200 as a Facsimile Edition, Now we have a date:

Dig the solicitation info, which will be released formally by DC on Friday:

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #200 FACSIMILE EDITION

Written by GERRY CONWAY

Art by GEORGE PEREZ, BRETT BREEDING, PAT BRODERICK, JIM APARO,

DICK GIORDANO, GIL KANE, CARMINE INFANTINO, BRIAN BOLLAND, and JOE KUBERT

Cover by GEORGE PEREZ

Foil variant cover by GEORGE PEREZ ($19.99 US)

Black Canary Super Powers cover by JASON GEYER and ALEX SAVIUK ($14.99 US)

$14.99 US | 76 pages

ON SALE 7/22/26

In this special anniversary adventure, the seven founding members of the League are pitted against the team’s later additions when a sinister plan put into motion by the Justice League’s very first case at last comes to fruition. An all-star cast of talent brings old and new Leaguers together in this astounding oversize epic!

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Buncha thoughts:

— This is your EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK at the previously announced Black Canary Super Powers cover by Jason “ToyOtter” Geyer and Alex Saviuk.

— To read much more about this outright classic, click here.

— There are four other DC Comics Facsimile Editions coming in July, not including the already known Avengers/JLA #2 and JLA/Avengers #3. Links below!

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MORE

— Long-Awaited SHOWCASE #4 Leads DC’s THREE Facsimile Editions in JULY. Click here.

— GREEN LANTERN #49: Hal Jordan Goes Mad in Facsimile Edition Classic. Click here.

— ROBIN DIES AT DAWN: Batman Classic to Be Re-Released as a FACSIMILE EDITION. Click here.

— BATMAN VS. THOR: DC Has a Laugh With 1959 BATMAN #127 FACSIMILE EDITION Release. Click here.

The HBO show Lanterns is due to arrive on the small screen this summer and DC Comics is riding shotgun by rereleasing most of the 1993-94 story arc Emerald Twilight as Facsimile Editions, starting in July.

Dig the solicitation info, which will be released officially by DC on Friday:

GREEN LANTERN #49 FACSIMILE EDITION

Written by RON MARZ

Art by FRED HAYNES

Cover by DARRYL BANKS

Foil variant cover by DARRYL BANKS ($6.99 US) Blank sketch cover ($4.99 US)

$3.99 US | 36 pages

ON SALE 7/8/26

It’s the beginning of the end for Green Lantern Hal Jordan, as the smoldering crater that was once Coast City leaves him with nothing but ashes, grief…and not nearly enough power to undo such tragedy. But such power does exist, held within the Central Power Battery on Oa by the Guardians themselves and protected by a Corps made up of the finest heroes in the known universe. If they will not part with it willingly, then Hal Jordan will take it in “Emerald Twilight,” part 2!

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Buncha thoughts:

— The storyline started in Green Lantern #48, but DC is only reprinting Parts 2 and 3. I do not know why. They sometimes only release parts of stories as Facsimile Editions.

— While on the surface Lanterns appears to be about a couple of Hard-Travelin’ Heroes, there’s been a lot of buzz that the show will borrow from Emerald Twilight. This certainly lends credence to that.

— We knew Issue #50 was coming when we broke the news in February that there would be a Super Powers variant cover for it.

— There are four other DC Comics Facsimile Editions coming in July, not including the already known Avengers/JLA #2 and JLA/Avengers #3. Links below!

— Obligatory Price Comparison: An unslabbed, original Green Lantern #49 in excellent shape recently sold on eBay for $31. (A complete Emerald Twilight set went for $62.50, though you can find it for less.)

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MORE

— Long-Awaited SHOWCASE #4 Leads DC’s THREE Facsimile Editions in JULY. Click here.

— JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #200 Facsimile Edition Gets JULY Release Date. Click here.

— ROBIN DIES AT DAWN: Batman Classic to Be Re-Released as a FACSIMILE EDITION. Click here.

— BATMAN VS. THOR: DC Has a Laugh With 1959 BATMAN #127 FACSIMILE EDITION Release. Click here.

Archie Comics in July will be trotting out another classic in its Facsimile Edition line celebrating the company’s 85th birthday: Little Archie #1, which was released 70 years ago, on July 17, 1956.

Dig the solicitation info, which will be formally released by Archie later in April:

LITTLE ARCHIE #1: FACSIMILE EDITION

We’re travelling back in time 70 years ago to the first-ever appearance of Archie’s younger self! This issue, from 1956, introduces the world to Little Archie and all the adventures he and his li’l friends get into! Written and drawn by the legendary Bob Bolling, who’s entering the Eisner Hall of Fame this year! You won’t want to miss out on the piece of Archie Comics history in LITTLE ARCHIE #1, faithfully reprinted in a full-facsimile edition!

Script: Bob Bolling
Art: Bob Bolling
Main Cover: Bob Bolling
Variant Cover: Erin Hunting
Foil Variant Cover: Bob Bolling
On Sale Date: 7/22

32-page, full color comic
$4.99 (REG) / $7.99 (FOIL)

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Buncha thoughts:

— I have to admit that I was a bit surprised to see this. Not from Archie’s perspective, but my own. (When I got this info, I went “Oh, yeah. Of course!” For whatever reason, Little Archie never quite registered with me in the same way as other titles from the publisher. So I think it’ll be kinda fun to pick this one up.

— Notice that there will be variants. They weren’t yet available at the time we published this, so keep an eye out.

— Obligatory Price Comparison: An unslabbed, beat-up original recently sold on eBay for $99.

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MORE

— ARCHIE’s 1965 Debut as PUREHEART THE POWERFUL to Get Facsimile Edition. Click here.

— ARCHIE Reaches Back to JAWSMANIA for New Facsimile Edition. Click here.

This was gonna happen: DC will release Jorge Jimenez’s pin-up from Superman/Spider-Man #1’s lead story as a variant cover for the issue’s second printing in May.

Dig this:

The pin-up is an homage to the back cover of 1976’s Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man that was was pencilled by Ross Andru (with redraws on Superman by Neal Adams) and inked by Dick Giordano.

DC in a recent social-media post showed the Jimenez image when touting variant covers — except it wasn’t part of the first-printing wave. So it was reasonable to conclude it would arrive for the inevitable second printing, and here we are.

There are three other second-printing covers DC unveiled this week, including the main one by Dan Mora, a foil variant by Gabriele Dell’Otto, and one by Yasmine Putri.

Mora

Dell’Otto

Putri

The second printing of Superman/Spider-Man #1 is due May 27. Marvel’s Spider-Man/Superman #1 is due April 22.

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MORE

— The TOP 13 DC/MARVEL Crossovers — RANKED. Click here.

— SUPERMAN/SPIDER-MAN #1: DC Goes BRONZE AGE in NEW WAVE of Superb Variant Covers. Click here.

This week for RETRO HOT PICKS, Scott and I are selecting comics that came out the week of April 15, 1961.

Last time for RETRO HOT PICKS, it was the week of April 8, 1982. Click here to check it out.

(Keep in mind that comics came out on multiple days, so these are the issues that went on sale between April 12 and April 18.)

So, let’s set the scene: Not a good week for the ol’ U.S. of A. Amid high Cold War tensions, the Russians schooled us in the Space Race and the Kennedy administration backed an invasion of Cuba that backfired spectacularly.

Let’s take it chronologically:

On April 12, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man launched into outer space. He made one orbit around the Earth before re-entry. Like everything in the USSR, the mission was cloaked in secrecy and not announced until Gagarin was already in orbit.

Two days later, Gagarin received a hero’s welcome at Vnukovo airport, where he was met by Soviet dignitaries, and along the 10-mile route to Moscow’s Red Square. It was televised throughout the USSR and Eastern Europe.

While Gagarin and the Russians’ achievement was admired, it stoked fears the Soviet Union was besting the U.S. in space, particularly after Sputnik in 1957. Perhaps the most unhappy was American astronaut Alan Shepard, who seethed over the news. Shepard was supposed to be the first man in space but his mission was delayed six times.

Meanwhile, eight days before the launch, final plans for the U.S.-supported invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs were signed off on by President Kennedy. The initial stages of the invasion began April 15, when eight bombers attacked Cuban airfields. Two days later, thousands of troops made up of Cuban exiles, with CIA and Navy support, unleashed an amphibious assault at the Bay and a second location, with paratroopers dropped at four other spots.

The results were catastrophic: The Cubans retaliated in force and by the end of the day, one invading ship was beached and another sunk. Other vessels were forced to retreat to international waters, and four B-26 bombers had been shot down, with the invaders under fire. On April 18, the Cubans continued their advances, despite attacks by B-26s that utilized napalm, machine guns and bombs.

Cuban counterattack

And then, on April 19, it was over. By early evening, invading ground forces had surrendered or made a run for it in the swamps. Cuba took nearly 1,200 invaders prisoner and essentially held them for ransom, releasing the last of them at the end of 1962 — in exchange for $53,000,000 in food and medicine.

(Years later, it was revealed the Soviet Union had learned some of the details of the invasion in advance. The CIA knew about it — and still went ahead with the mission.)

IN OTHER NEWS

— The trial of Nazi Adolf Eichmann, accused of more than 6 million murders in the Holocaust, had begun in Jersualem.

— On April 17, construction began on the Space Needle in Seattle.

— A committee of the American Standards Association on April 14 approved the standard size for shipping containers used worldwide, with dimensions of 8 feet high, 8 feet wide, and in units of 10 feet, 20 feet, 30 feet and 40 feet.

Awards season back then took all of five days:

— On April 12, Ray Charles took home four Grammy Awards, for Georgia on My Mind, Let the Good Times Roll and the album The Genius of Ray Charles. Other big winners included Percy Faith for Theme From A Summer Place, Bob Newhart, and Ella Fitzgerald.

— On April 16, Becket won Best Play and Bye Bye Birdie won Best Musical at the Tony Awards.

— On April 17, The Apartment won Best Picture, for which Billy Wilder won Best Director, at the Oscars. Burt Lancaster won Best Actor for Elmer Gantry and Elizabeth Taylor won Best Actress for BUtterfield 8.

Exodus, starring Paul Newman, was No. 1 at the box office, with other hits including The Absent-Minded Professor, starring Fred MacMurray, and The Alamo, starring John Wayne.

Wagon Train was followed by Gunsmoke in the Nielsens. Americans also tuned in to Bob Hope’s latest special, The Garry Moore Show — with rising star Carol Burnett — and The Andy Griffith Show.

The Marcels’ Blue Moon topped the singles chart, with Elvis Presley’s Surrender, Chubby Checker’s Pony Time, and Del Shannon’s Runaway getting plenty of airplay.

Battling it out on the LP charts were Presley… and Lawrence Welk! The King’s G.I. Blues and Welk’s Calcutta! were both big-selling albums, with two completely different audiences. The Exodus soundtrack and the original Broadway cast recording of Camelot were also very popular. (Ernest Gold’s Exodus theme was also a Grammy winner.)

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Dan Greenfield, editor, 13th Dimension

Challengers of the Unknown #20, DC. Who ya got? Giant Rocky or Whale Guy With Arms and Legs? Also, if you follow the beachline to the left and keep going past the outcropping, you’ll find the Statue of Liberty half buried in the sand.

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Strange Tales #86, Tales of Suspense #19, Tales to Astonish #21, Marvel. Whale Guy With Arms and Legs has nothing on this trio of Jack Kirby/Dick Ayers monsters. Everything would change for Marvel in about four months and these three titles would be completely transformed in the aftermath. That Tales to Astonish there is one of my fave Kirby monster covers. It’s swell!

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World’s Finest Comics #118, DC. Then again, none of them can compete with Fat Hairy Beak Guy and His Fat Hairy Beak Guy utility belt. Miss Arrowette appears in a Green Arrow backup, by the way.

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High School Confidential Diary #8, Charlton. I know Don Draper was a philanderer but trolling Ossining High School’s library?

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Scott Tipton, contributor-at-large, 13th Dimension

Adventures Into the Unknown #125, ACG. “Invisible”? To quote the great Inigo Montoya, “I do not think that word means what you think it means.”

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Unusual Tales #29, Charlton. This series followed up its less successful predecessor, Tales of Mild Interest.

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Batman #140, DC. Alien Batman and Robin and Batwoman?! SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!

Dan adds: What Scott’s not telling you is that the villains of the story are the Yellow Sweater Gang! For real! SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY TOO!

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The Flash #121, DC. Are there any Flash villains that look more “Carmine-Infantino-y” than the Trickster? I’m inclined to think not.

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MORE

— RETRO HOT PICKS! On Sale The Week of April 8 — in 1982! Click here.

— RETRO HOT PICKS! On Sale The Week of April 1 — in 1950! Click here.

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Comics sources: Mike’s Amazing World of Comics and the Grand Comics Database.

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UPDATED 4/14/26: The late Sheldon Moldoff was born 106 years ago, on April 14, 1920. Perfect time to reprint this piece from his birthdate in 2023. Dig it! — Dan

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By PETER BOSCH

The late Sheldon “Shelly” Moldoff had an amazing career in comics — drawing Hawkman in the Golden Age, as well the first Kid Eternity story, Moon Girl for EC, and much more. But he is best known now for being Bob Kane’s ghost artist on Batman stories for many years.

For his birthday (he was born April 14, 1920), here is a Bat-tery of 13 trivia details about Moldoff’s time in Gotham — which was far more impactful than he’s usually given credit for.

(All of the below were pencilled and inked by Moldoff, unless noted.)

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1. He drew the Batman family pin-up for the back cover of Batman Annual #2 (Winter, 1961):

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2. Moldoff did backgrounds and lettering for Kane while he was still a teenager, including these two famous pages from Detective Comics #33 (Nov. 1939):

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3. He did hundreds of covers for Batman, including this classic — Detective Comics #235 (Sept. 1956):

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4. Moldoff co-created (with writer Dave Wood) the villainous Mr. Zero, later known as Mr. Freeze, in Batman #121 (Feb. 1959). Charles Paris did the inks:

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5. He designed the look of Batwoman, Bat-Mite, and Ace, the Bat-Hound (gathered here on the cover of Batman #133, August 1960):

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6. Bat-Girl, introduced here in Batman #139 (Apr. 1961), was also designed by Moldoff:

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7. Batman #156 (June 1963) may well be the most memorable Bat-cover of the entire Silver Age. Charles Paris inks:

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8. In Detective Comics #328 (June 1964), Moldoff drew the “death of Alfred” story, with Joe Giella inking. Bill Finger, script:

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9. Batman #171 (May 1965) had Moldoff drawing the first Silver Age appearance of the Riddler. Joe Giella inks and Gardner Fox script:

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10. Batman #181 (June 1966) featured Moldoff drawing the debut of Poison Ivy. Joe Giella inks, and Robert Kanigher script:

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11. Moldoff was the first artist on the Batman With Robin the Boy Wonder daily and Sunday newspaper strip that started in 1966:

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12. Moldoff took several Mr. District Attorney covers he drew and reworked them for Detective Comics:

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13. Sheldon Moldoff and Sheldon Mayer were two different people. While Moldoff did draw Batman as Bat-Baby (Batman #147, May 1962), he was not the creator and artist of Sugar and Spike:

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MORE

— 13 COVERS: A SHELDON MOLDOFF Birthday Celebration: HAWKMAN. Click here.

— 13 COVERS: A SHELDON MOLDOFF Birthday Celebration: DETECTIVE COMICS. Click here.

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13th Dimension contributor-at-large PETER BOSCH’s first book, American TV Comic Books: 1940s-1980s – From the Small Screen to the Printed Page, has just been published by TwoMorrows. He has written articles and conducted celebrity interviews for various magazines and newspapers. Peter lives in Hollywood.

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UPDATED 4/13/26: We first pubbed this in March 2021 but you know what? It still hasn’t happened. So join our renewed cry for FOOM! And click here for our similar clarion call for an Amazing World of DC Comics omnibus. Dig it. — Dan

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I’ve been on an official fanzine kick lately — you know, the ones Marvel and DC put out in the ’70s.

Gotta tell you though: It ain’t cheap. For example, Marvel’s FOOM — aka Friends of Ol’ Marvel — ran 22 issues and a healthy number of those will cost you well into three figures. That adds up.

So how about a FOOM omnibus, Marvel? Seriously, how cool would that be? Reading these mags is like a guided tour of the Bronze Age and a nice, catchall set would be a boon to longtime fans and collectors.

I mean, if we can get Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe omnibi and re-releases of black-light posters, why not this?

Anyway, while we wait for something that may never happen, dig this 13 COVERS gallery. (And yes, you can look forward to 13 Amazing World of DC Comics covers, too!)

By the way, not all of these covers have readily available artist credits, so some of these are presented without them.

Groovy.

Arnold Sawyer

John Byrne pencils, Joe Sinnott inks

John Romita

Gene Colan

Marie Severin

Dave Cockrum

Rich Buckler pencils, Sinnott inks

John Buscema pencils, P. Craig Russell inks

Romita pencils, Mike Esposito inks

Jim Starlin

George Perez pencils, Sinnott inks

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MORE

— THEY’RE BACK! Classic MARVEL Black Light Posters Revived for 2021. Click here.

— OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE: DELUXE EDITION to Get Omnibus Collection. Click here.