Dynamite Launches Compact Edition Line With Pathfinder: Dark Waters Rising Reprint

Dynamite Entertainment announced a new Compact Edition line of small-format reprints, launching with Pathfinder: Dark Waters Rising, the 2012 series that holds the distinction of being the first comic ever based on the Pathfinder tabletop roleplaying game. The 5.5-by-8.5-inch volume arrives in June 2026 at $9.99 from US retailers.

The Compact Edition collects issues #1-6 of Dynamite's original Pathfinder run and packs 224 pages into that slim format. Beyond the core story, the volume includes a bonus 10-page tale titled "The Last Mosswood Goblin" and over 30 pages of worldbuilding material designed to both deepen the reading experience and serve as a practical resource for players sitting down at the table. That's a substantial amount of RPG-adjacent content for a single-digit price point.

Writer Jim Zub and artist Andrew Huerta created the original 2012 series. Zub, who also wrote Conan and Skullkicker, leads the narrative across all six collected issues. Dave Dorman provides the new cover art for the Compact Edition specifically. The original collection had already seen a hardcover release back in 2013, and a Pathfinder paperback omnibus is separately reported to be in the works.

Dynamite framed the line as a curated program targeting new readers and accessibility, describing it as "offering some of the most revered storylines by fans and critics in an unbeatably affordable format." The format itself draws obvious comparisons to DC's Compact Comics line, which pioneered the same digest-sized, sub-$10 approach to collected editions. Bleeding Cool noted directly that Dynamite was following a format DC established, pointing out that Pathfinder already moves well at Barnes & Noble and game stores, making it a natural candidate to anchor the new line.

Dynamite also announced that Vampirella Archives Vol. 6 will receive a paperback release in the same June window, reprinting Warren Publishing's Vampirella magazine issues #36-42, originally published from 1974 to 1975. That volume marks the conclusion of writer Flaxman Loew's run on the magazine and features art from Jose Gonzalez, Leopold Sanchez, Jose Ortiz, Archie Goodwin, and Esteban Maroto, with additional contributions from Doug Moench, Martin Pasko, Steve Skeates, and several others.

For Pathfinder fans specifically, the Compact Edition represents the most accessible entry point the comics line has ever had. Getting the complete original run, plus supplemental TTRPG material, for under $10 makes Dark Waters Rising a straightforward pickup whether you've read it before or missed it entirely the first time around.