Have you ever wanted to pick up a piece of Gotham? Perhaps a pressed flower from Poison Ivy’s garden or a chemical vial from Axis Chemicals? Or maybe a Batarang lodged in the bricks of Crime Alley?
Well, now’s your chance to grab a unique piece of Batman’s city. In fact, DC Comics’ collectible digital project is the closest thing to getting your hands on something no one else has from not just Gotham but the whole of the DC Multiverse.
At the end of May 2022, DC fully entered the multiverse of digital tokens with the beta launch of its NFT marketplace. It’s a marketplace that lets fans buy and sell unique DC digital collectibles from exclusive collections that promise to impact comic book stories.
No need to boot up the Batcomputer just yet — here’s the low-down on the DC NFT collection and how you can get involved.
What are NFTs?
NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, first appeared in the mid-2010s, but it’s become increasingly difficult to get away from them over the past two years. NFTs can technically relate to anything digital, but they’re most popularly connected with art. If you’ve heard of an NFT artwork, that’s a digital piece published as a unique unit of data on blockchain. Blockchain is a digital ledger that captures the unique identity of any asset, whether it’s a music album or Bored Ape Yacht Club. An owner knows their NFT is the only one in existence because blockchain proves it.
NFTs are closely linked to cryptocurrency — they have the same underlying blockchain technology, and crypto tokens are used to mint or publish an NFT. Most commonly, NFTs are minted using Ethereum (ETH), but there’s one crucial difference between NFTs and crypto tokens like ETH. The non-fungible part of the name means NFTs are unique. There may be three Jokers, but the collectors of DC NFTs will own a one-of-a-kind item.
NFTs aren’t just the talk of Gotham. Many companies, media properties, and sports teams are joining this digital revolution. In the comic world, DC and rival Marvel made their big push into the space in late summer of 2021.
It’s worth noting that NFTs, like the broader cryptocurrency and decentralized finance markets, are extremely new, which means they’re highly volatile. While NFT sales exploded in 2021, reaching a jaw-dropping peak of $12.5 billion in the first quarter of 2022, sales dropped to $3.4 billion six months later. That means trading NFTs is hugely speculative. Still, as the market fluctuates, DC is just one brand that sees it as a way to let fans own a part of their legend and take their first steps into Web3 — the decentralized, token-based internet of the future.
Introducing FanDome NFTs
Like any good comic event, there was a prologue to DC’s NFT marketplace.
DC offered NFTs to fans who signed up for 2021’s DC FanDome — the fan convention that was the publisher’s premier online event to release the latest information on multimedia projects during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021 attendees were allocated codes to mint one of 15 NFT collectibles celebrating 50 years of DC cover art. Their design was based on storage devices, retro and futuristic, and the covers featured iconic characters like Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and Harley Quinn. As DC said at the time, that was only the beginning.
The FanDome collection was supported by Palm, a sustainable blockchain ecosystem involved in projects as high profile as Damien Hirst’s The Currency. Palm’s stated intention is to provide NFT tech as flexible as artists are creative. It is tech that they say is “Dedicated to creating a sustainable future for digital fandoms.” and that’s led them to form high-profile partnerships with brands, including Major League Baseball. Following FanDome, Palm partnered with DC to launch their broader digital initiative.
What is the DC Comics Marketplace?
The DC Comics Marketplace launched with the Bat Cowl Collection and the fantastic slogan: “Heed the call. Join a faction.”
DC offered collectibles that tie into the events of comics, promising a two-year journey into the DC Universe, with exclusive benefits and interaction with future storylines.
The launch Bat Cowl collection offered up to 200,000 unique 3D Bat Cowls NFTs, available for a pre-sale period to previous attendees of FanDome, then accessible through trades on the DC Marketplace.
What do you get with DC NFTs?
Fans who minted a Bat Cowl received a unique cowl NFT, distinguished by various traits, including material, lighting effect, and background, with regularly updating features. They also gained access to Bat Faction HQ and Snapchat AR lenses. Particularly intriguing was the integrated storytelling, where cowl owners were promised a chance to influence future comics. One vote saw NFT owners choose the cover for Batman: The Legacy Cowl #1.
How can you get involved in DC NFTs?
The Bat Cowl collection was just the start. DC has a regular schedule of new NFT launches planned. At each launch, fans can build their DC NFT collection by purchasing them with credit or debit cards or existing account credit balances. Payment via cryptocurrency wallets is expected soon.
DC NFT collections launched so far include:
- GCDK Sigil Collection
- The Harley Quinn Freakin Awesome Boxes of Mayhem
- the Harley Quinn Charm Offensive
- DC FanDome 2021 Collection
- The Batman Collection
An interesting new collection arrived in October 2022. The DC Collectible Comics Collection is a series of NFT-minted legacy and minted DC comics that include a fully readable digital version. The first release was unsurprisingly the man of Steel’s iconic first appearance in his own title, 1939’s Superman #1. In its original first edition paper form, that’s the most expensive comic on the planet, but early adopters in fall 2022 could pick up an NFT version from $9.99. This comic collection is constantly growing, with Poison Ivy covers launching in January 2023.
Once an NFT has been purchased, fans can trade their NFTs on the official DC NFT Marketplace Beta. Beta means the marketplace is evolving, with new features being rolled out while it’s live. The mechanics are familiar from eBay or even trading card trading.
To sell an NFT, fans must sign in, verify their identity, and list their item at a target price. Fans looking to buy just need to sign in, browse the listings and make a purchase.
Of course, this is a free market involving limited quantities of unique commodities. Once a launch sells out, the marketplace is the only place fans can grab a copy, and the sellers know that. Resale prices range from $4.00 to $9,999,999,999 — an asking price that would make it the most expensive NFT ever sold and would probably make Bruce Wayne think twice.
It’s a unique opportunity to purchase a digital slice of the DC multiverse. However, every fan should use the detective skills of the Dark Knight to explore the collections and decide if this part of the comic book giant is for them.
