DC Prestige Plus Format: What it is, how to tell the difference, and how to store it

The Question: The Deaths of Vic Sage #4 variant cover
(Image credit: Andrea Sorrentino (DC/Black Lꦰabel))

A new kind of comic book has been appearing on shelves the past year or so - bigger than a comic book, but smaller than a graphic novel.🅺 It's a new format DC is publishi꧙ng called 'Prestige Plus'.

The 'Prestige Plus' format is something that DC introduced by name in early 2020, and was beta-testing with books like , , and the year prior. It's based on an o💜lder DC format called 'Prestige', which was roughly understood to be a halfway point between a traditional comic book and a graphic novel - with the 'prestige' designation referring to the upscaled nature of the format.

What is DC Prestige Plus?

Prestige Plus

(Image credit: DC/Black Label)

DC's Prestige Plus format is different in size, ꧅cov꧅erstock, and the spine.

Whereas traditional comic books measure 6.625" wide by 10.1875" tall, DC Prestige Plus books are 8.5" by 10.875" - that's nearly two inches wider, and over half an inch taller. Long-time DC fans will remember the regular 'Prestige' format which appeared sporadically from the '80s to the late '10s, which 🐻measured ✅similar to DC Prestige Plus, coming in at 6.525" by 10.1875".

The covers of DC Prestige Plus bo𓆏oks will also feel different - for Prestige Plus titles, DC is using its cardstock paper that you might traditionally only come across with selꦐect variant covers.

Lastly, each DC Prestige Plus book is squarebound, with a spine and the book's title down the side. Square binding is often held in reserve for larger books like graphic novels and colle𒊎ctions, but DC Prestige Plus books ꧑are usually a larger page count than the traditional 20 and 22-page comic books.

How can I determine which books are DC Prestige Plus?

Prestige Plus

(Image credit: DC/Black Label)

If you have it in your hands, you can immediat🔯ely tell a difference by the proportions compared to a traditonal comic book. But if you're ordering online, or pre-ordering throguh your local comic store, you'll need to pay closer attention.

DC notes t𒆙he 'Prestige Plus' format in its solicitation/description of each title, but it can be overlooked if you're not looking for it specifically.

How can I store and protect DC Prestige Plus books?

Prestige Plus

(Image credit: DC/Black Label)

If you try stacking these DC Prestige Plus books with your other 𝔍comics, you'll fin𒆙d they're far different in size than most anything else - and they don't fit in the typical comic book boxes or even bags/boards.

The reason being is DC Prestige Plus books are intended to be treated more as  graphic novels - or graphic novellas, to be specific - and shelve🃏d on your bookshelf alongside your graphic novels and co✅llections.

However if you want to store these as you do your comic books, the major comic book📖 storage companies have larger bags and boards called 'magazine format' - measuring 8.75" by 11.125", give or take.

Likewise, th💦ere are cardboard longboxes manufactured for magazines - which♕ will come in handy for this. They're a little bit harder to come by at your local comic store than the traditional comic book longboxes, but they're out there.

DC's 'Prestige Plus' format extends to digital comics as well, with the size of the image on your screen. Check out our list of the best digital comics readers for Android and iOS devices.

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a jud🐼ge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Ch🍬ris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)