DC Comics Bombshells refers to a line of figurines released by DC Collectibles depicting DC Comics superheroines in a retro 1940s look based on designs by Ant Lucia. The line has further expanded to encompass their own comic book series as well as variant covers and various licensed memorabilia.
Initial conception The DC Comics Bombshells franchise began "in spring 2011 at a convention in Chicago where DC Collectibles found Ant Lucia's prints re-imaging DC superheroines as pin-up girls". World War II history, fashion, and air planes were studied to conceive the franchise. DC Comics worked with Udon Entertainment to produce illustrations. In fall 2011, four character designs of Wonder Woman, Stargirl, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn were used to pitch the idea of a nine-inch statue line. DC later asked Ant Lucia to redesign their initial conception of a retro Wonder Woman. Tim Miller was requested to handcraft the sculptures. In 2013, the first sculpture of the franchise, Wonder Woman, was sold in stores.
Ant Lucia, the creator of the sculptures' and variant covers' designs, drew a heavy influence from World War II aesthetics and pin-up models.DC Collectibles A Bombshell of A Journey. DC Comics. January 22, 2015. He juxtaposed past pin up girl designs with current rockabilly culture. The sculptures created a convergence between modern ideologies regarding feminine agency and nostalgia for the golden age of comics. The Bombshells variant covers were able to cultivate a coherent narrative by placing contemporary characters in the past. Ant Lucia details his process on detaching the characters from their current history and the construction of their new placement in World War II era: "In our initial conversations, we brainstorm on who this character is and if they were set in this period, what elements would make up their costume". The sculptures were able to pay homage to acclaimed images in America's 1940s cultural landscape. Wonder Woman's sculpture has noticeable similarities to Rosie the Riveter's famed iconic image. The similarities between the two icons is seen in both of the characters' bandanna pinned back hair and nearly identical color scheme of red, yellow and blue.
The American pop culture references of the sculptures become more tongue-in-cheek in Harley Quinn and the Joker's statue as to better reflect the former's explosive behavior. The Bombshells statue for Harley Quinn depicts her dressed in a World War II nurse's uniform. Harley Quinn is seen dipping a flustered, lipstick-stained Joker in an Sailor's uniform. The sculpture was a humorous rendition of the infamous "Kissing on VJ" photo where a sailor embraces a nurse in a moment of celebration.
DC Collectibles statues
The first statue was released in September 2013 with an initial assortment of twelve statues planned for the line. High interest in the line has meant that the line has continued beyond the initial twelve statues, with releases planned through 2019.Bombshells: An Oral History of the DC Collectibles Line that Exploded in Popularity . Comic Book Resources. October 2, 2015. The DC Collectibles statues have matching "steel plate" bases. The earliest statues were shipped with the nameplates attached to the bases; some statues were shipped as single solid pieces. DC, however, began using separate pieces attached with pegs or magnets due to a high percentage of damaged early statues. Between 2013 and 2016, the statues had Edition Sizes of 5200 (during DC's New 52 era). Beginning with 2017's Katana, the statues currently have Edition Sizes of 5000.
CharacterRelease dateSculptorNotes Supergirl September 2013 Tim Miller Nameplate attached to base Wonder Woman October 2013 Tim Miller Nameplate attached to base Poison Ivy October 2013 Tim Miller First batch: nameplate attached to base; Vines C & D were separate pieces. Second batch: nameplate separate from base; Vines C & D were glued together. Harley Quinn December 2013 Tim Miller Entire statue shipped as single piece Batgirl February 2014 Tim Miller First batch shipped as single piece; second batch shipped with figure, nameplate, and base as separate pieces. Also, second batch does not have "beauty mark" on face. Black Canary June 2014 Sam Greenwell First batch shipped as single piece; second batch shipped with figure, right arm, nameplate, and base as separate pieces. Stargirl August 2014 Tim Miller Nameplate attached to base Zatanna December 2014 Tim Miller Entire statue shipped as single piece Harley Quinn (Holiday Variant) December 2014 Tim Miller In addition to being re-painted with holiday colors, character is holding a large bag instead of a gun in her left hand. First batched shipped as single piece; second batch shipped with figure, nameplate, and base as separate pieces. Hawkgirl February 2015 Tim Miller N/A Mera May 2015 Tim Miller N/A Lois Lane August 2015 Adam Ross N/A Catwoman October 2015 James Marsano N/A Batwoman October 2015 Tim Miller N/A Wonder Woman Holiday Variant November 2015 Tim Miller In addition to being re-painted with holiday colors, character is holding decorative lights instead of chains. Harley Quinn & the Joker First Edition December 2015 Tim Miller Joker is wearing a black sailor suit. Harley Quinn & the Joker Second Edition March 2016 Tim Miller Joker is wearing a purple sailor suit. Harley's hair is tipped with red and black and is wearing black and red socks instead of the white ones in the first edition. Cheetah June 2016 Sam Greenwell N/A Power Girl & Superman August 2016 Jack Mathews N/A Batgirl Halloween Variant September 2016 Tim Miller & Karen Palinko In addition to being re-painted with Halloween colors, Palinko sculpted an entirely new head. The parachute backpack was changed to a coffin. Killer Frost October 2016 Tim Miller N/A Killer Frost (Sparkle Variant) November 2016 Tim Miller Edition Size 500; Local Comic Shop Day Variant available only to physical stores. The hat, skirt, and boots have glitter paint. Bumblebee November 2016 Tim Miller N/A Katana February 2017 Jack Mathews N/A Jesse Quick March 2017 Tim Miller & Karen Palinko Palinko sculpted the face. Raven April 2017 Tim Miller N/A Aquaman June 2017 Jack Mathews N/A Vixen November 2017 Amy Sharpe N/A Starfire January 2018 Jack Mathews N/A Green Lantern Jessica Cruz April 2018 Jack Mathews N/A Joker's Daughter October 2018 Tim Miller Designed by Jim Fletcher instead of Ant Lucia. Batman & Catwoman November 2018 Jack Mathews N/A Harley Quinn (Sepia Variant) February 2019 Tim Miller Re-paint of previously released statue; different decoration on jacket back. Big Barda March 2019 Tim Miller First Bombshells digitally sculpted by Miller (previous statues were sculpted by hand) Batwoman "Away Team" Variant April 2019 Tim Miller Re-paint of previously released statue. Poison Ivy Sepia Variant May 2019 Tim Miller Re-paint of previously released statue. Black Canary Sepia Variant November 2019 Tim Miller Re-paint of previously released statue. Shazam Mary December 2019 Tim Miller N/A Death January 2020 Tim Miller N/A Huntress (Helena Bertinelli) May 2020 Tim Miller N/A
Deluxe statues The Deluxe statues have diorama-style bases instead of the shared "steel plate" bases of the regular statue line. Currently, they have Edition Sizes of 5000 each.
CharacterRelease dateSculptorNotes Harley Quinn Deluxe September 2017 Tim Miller Custom "falling bomb" base Wonder Woman Deluxe July 2018 Chris Dahlberg Custom "destroyed tank" base Batgirl & Supergirl "Celebration" September 2019 Tim Miller Custom battlefield base Harley Quinn Deluxe No. 2 September 2022 Tim Miller Custom "high striker" base; designed by Emanuela Lupacchino
Comic books DC Comics Bombshells Based on the increased interest in the property, a digital-first ongoing series written by Marguerite Bennett and various artists began in July 2015, with a printed comic book following in 12 August.First Look DC Collectibles Newest Bombshells. DC Comics. May 15, 2015.COMICS BOMBSHELLS TAKE COMMAND OF AUGUST The series ran for 100 digital issues, concluding in June 2017 and 33 print issues with the final issue release in August.
In her initial conception for building a narrative out of Ant Lucia's designs, Marguerite Bennett has stated: "We were able to retro-engineer this complete environment that lets them showcase their powers that lets them have good relationships and friendships that they wouldn't have been able to explore in another sphere....Going down to the smallest details that [Ant Lucia] puts into the statues and creating whole backstories for items". Bennett also speaks on her decision to incorporate mainstream canonical backstories of characters in this new world. Bennett explored traditional genres and mediums of the 1940s such as radio shows and propaganda films to provide a realistic history for the Bombshells franchise. Bennett speaks on this decision when she states: "Each of the heroines actually has, essentially, her own genre. Batwoman started off as this cheesy radio adventure reel, Wonder Woman is a war story, Supergirl is a propaganda film, Zatanna is this Hammer horror film, Catwoman is like a noir spy story". Bennett concludes and acknowledges the importance of the decision: "We were able to complete this whole new world that wasn't just one thing because no woman is just one thing. So they each got to have a distinct voice, a distinct personality". The foundation of feminist tones in the comic are seen in the structure of this atypical history as Bennett says: "We wanted to make a principle of the series to have the conceit that in this alternate history World War II the women came first. No heroine is derivative of a male counterpart. They are the heroes".
Title Binding Material collected Publication date ISBNDC Comics Bombshells Volume 1: Enlisted Trade paperback DC Comics Bombshells #1–6 (Digital Chapters #1–18) March 2, 2016DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS VOL. 1: ENLISTED DC Comics Bombshells Volume 2: Allies Trade paperback DC Comics Bombshells #7–12 (Digital Chapters #19–36) July 13, 2016DC COMICS: BOMBSHELLS VOL. 2: ALLIES DC Comics Bombshells Volume 3: Uprising Trade paperback DC Comics Bombshells #13–18 (Digital Chapters #37–54) March 15, 2017DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS VOL. 3: UPRISING DC Comics Bombshells Volume 4: Queens Trade paperback DC Comics Bombshells #19–24 (Digital Chapters #55–72) June 21, 2017DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS VOL. 4: QUEENS DC Comics Bombshells Volume 5: The Death of Illusion Trade paperback DC Comics Bombshells #26-29; Annual #1 (Digital Chapters #76–90) October 11, 2017DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS VOL. 5: THE DEATH OF ILLUSION DC Comics Bombshells Volume 6: War Stories Trade paperback DC Comics Bombshells #25, 30-33 (Digital Chapters #73–75, 91-100) March 28, 2018DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS VOL. 6: WAR STORIES DC Comics Bombshells The Deluxe Edition Book One Hardcover DC Comics Bombshells #1–6 (Digital Chapters #1–18) August 29, 2018DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS: THE DELUXE EDITION BOOK ONE /DC Comics Bombshells The Deluxe Edition Book Two Hardcover DC Comics Bombshells #7–12 (Digital Chapters #19–36) July 31, 2019DC BOMBSHELLS: THE DELUXE EDITION BOOK TWO /
Bombshells United A second digital-first series was launched on 25 August 2017 with the print release following on 6 September. Picking up from the end of the previous Bombshells series, the new series begins in 1943 with the Bombshells now back in America. Each arc focuses on a specific group of characters, with the first storyline introducing the Bombshells versions of Donna Troy and Cassie Sandsmark. The series was cancelled after 38 digital installments and 19 print issues.
The series is collected in trade paperbacks.