A wee bit of history for ya, kids: Back in the early 1970s, DC Comics published 100-page super-spectaculars, which were a gold mine for the avid comics reader. For only 60¢, they featured a brand new story, and a handful of associated reprints. A Justice League might contain a Silver Age JLA story, as well as Golden Age Justice Society tale. For many readers of my generation, it was the best exposure to Golden Age stories.

Now DC has resurrected the format, exclusively to WalMart. I applaud the move, as it reaches new readers who may not have easy access to a comic book store, and presents stories in a robust format – $100 pages with a price point of only $4.99. I say “only” because it’s more than four times the number of pages for less than twice the price.

DC provided the Bin with advance copies of this week’s offerings featuring the lead stories of each, but not the entire 100 pages. As before, I am guessing the balance of the book is reprints. Not a bad idea, as many of the stories from late 1980s and ‘90s aren’t too far removed (continuity-wise) from what’s being published today. DC editorial can choose stand-alone stories that casual readers can enjoy.

In the issue of Justice League we were provided, the lead story stars Wonder Woman, rather than the entire league. According to the cover, other JLAers are featured in the issue, but we weren’t provided with their stories. In the stand-alone story, Wonder Woman battles a raging forest fire in Montana. Afterwards, she receives tragic news which will lead into her next adventure.

It would be easy for DC Comics to skimp on the talent, believing this is merely outreach to lure customers into their local comic book store for the “real” comics. But these ARE real comics, written and drawn by some of the top talent in the business. Clearly, this is a strategic decision aimed t building the audience. It worked for me.