Next month, DC Comics will be rolling out a series of variant covers based on artist José Luis García-López’s model sheets from the 1982 DC Comics Style Guide. But, it turns out that was just the prelude to a much bigger release. In August, for the first time ever made available to the public, DC will be releasing the entire 1982 DC Comics Style Guide in hardcover.
Working with the New York-based publisher Standards Manual, and Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Producers, the new printing is reproduced from a rare copy of the original. It was originally created by García-López to create a standard look for DC’s superheroes… And it ultimately resulted in hundreds of pages in a 3-ring binder, filled with color swatches, character profiles, and of course art, inked by Dick Giordano.
The goal wasn’t just to standardize the looks of the characters for comics. It was also to get them locked up for lunch boxes, socks, underwear… Wherever DC characters appeared, it would all look the same. As noted in a release provided to Comic Book Club by DC, before this, art talent wasn’t paid extra if their images were picked up. After, President Jenette Kahn updated their policies so that licensees of DC products either needed to use the Style Guide, or pay artists for newly drawn work.
You could probably figure out this part for yourself, but the Style Guide was eventually pushed to the side as the artistic style of the characters evolved. And consequently, many copies were lost or destroyed. This reprinting is taken from a rare, near pristine copy held by Standards Manual. Beyond the aforementioned artists, it includes work from Joe Orlando, Neal Pozner, Mary Yedlin, Paul Levitz, and others.
The 384-page book will be available for pre-order at an early-access price of $90, and begin shipping on August 31, 2024. It will also hit comic stores, bookstores, and more.
