There have been more than six years since the two American classics joined forces to create the Converse DC Comics collection that was to become a hit among sneakers and comics fans alike. There have been years when superheroes such as Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman or The Joker have found their way into our hearts once again. With an already huge fan base, DC Comics came up with various ways to satisfy the growing demand, with movies, cartoons and various accessories featuring their bellowed characters.
Making shoes displaying comics artwork came as a logical move and they found the perfect partner in Converse, the shoe manufacturer that has been around for decades, also known as “America’s Original Sport’s Company”. Looking back at what the two companies have came up with these years it is safe to say that Converse upper canvas proved to be the best place for DC Comics superheroes to unleash their magic. All this happened while another iconic footwear company, Vans, has started a collaboration with Marvel, the other major comics brand.
In the fall of 2010 the idea of this collaboration started to materialize, with designs created to celebrate DC Comics 75th Anniversary. This special occasion praised decades of historic superheroes and villains embraced by the American public at first thru comics magazines and slowly winning the hearts of the entire world with movies that put a mark our childhood, a time when we all liked to identify with Superman, Batman or The Joker. It was the time when an iconic classic sneaker came together with its comics counterpart. As with the other collabs the brand preferred to use the classic Chuck Taylors even if other styles like the Street were released along the way.
2018
In 2018 the first two issues released on February are new versions of the Wonder Woman and the Batman hi tops dedicated to the DC Rebirth, the 2016 relaunch of the monthly superhero comic books that lasted until late 2017. The sneakers have the DC Rebirth Volume 1 written in white letters along the heel tab of the 2 pairs.
2017
In 2017 the Converse DC Comics collection started with the release of the Converse Flash, along with the omnipresent The Joker. Both new designs kept the same shades from the year before, with The Joker sneaker showing the villain at his messy desk on the inside of the shoe. The beginning of April marked the release of a new version of the Converse Wonder Woman sneaker, once again featuring the hi top Chuck Taylor. Later that month a new version of the beloved Harley Quinn joined the collection. The surprise of the collection in 2017 is the release in July of the Converse Batgirl , last featured in a 2012 series.
In 2017 Converse also extended their collaboration with Warner Bros and created the Converse Looney Tunes collection. This year Nike, now the Converse parent company has been starting carrying the DC Comics on their main website, giving them more exposure. Check out the link below for purchase options and more pictures of the 2017 collection.
To celebrate the release of the new Justice League movie Converse released a new sneaker in early October featuring the superheroes from the movie in a print from the actual movie. It was for the first time since the collection began where the comics artworks have been replaced with pictures of the actual actors, including Gal Gadot and Ben Affleck. This predominantly gray and black sneaker is surely a fresh breath for this collection.
2016
The Converse DC Comics collection showed no signs of slowing down, having two new styles to drop in January 2016, having the Harley Quinn and Flash taking centerstage once again. If we had Harley Quinn recently in 2014, Flash makes a rare appearance after the 2011 edition. The Hi Top Chuck Taylors are once again preferred to depict these comics characters and their environment. Also, for the first time since the collection was launched the “Trinity” cartoon series was celebrated with a sneaker featuring the three superheroes: Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, all depicted on the same shoe in action. The summertime brought us more versions of the Converse Wonder Woman and Superman but also two new additions to the collection. For the first time The Penguin and Green Arrow have been featured, both on their own hi top Chuck Taylor, giving a fresh breath to the six year collaboration. The collection this year competed with Vans Nintendo release, another themed series from Converse’s competitor.
On September 30th 2016 Converse issued a special “Batman Collection” featuring two hi top Chuck Taylor 70’s sneakers, a first for this collection. With this new release the brand celebrated 30 years since Frank Miller’s landmark comic book “Dark Knight Returns” was first issued. Both sneakers featured an ice outsole with visible comics artwork while the leather version having embossed Batman motifs throughout. Having the Chuck Taylor 70’s sneakers as part of the Converse DC Comics collection marked the first premium edition of the series, also being the most expensive, with a $114-$124 price range.
2015
In Spring 2015, as we expected the tradition continues with the release of new styles but also the reintroduction of the Wonder Woman that was sold out before Christmas. Along with the usual new Superman and Batman styles , the collection this year brought back two characters we haven’t seen in a while: The Riddler and Catwoman. With a good balance of superheroes and villains, we can say that this Converse DC Comics collection is probably the best so far. The Converse Chuck Taylor Hi Top Sneakers were used for all styles and the artwork itself is quite sublime. For the 2014 fall season Converse doubled down on their popular characters Wonder Woman, Superman and Batman with new styles, while re-introducing the Joker and Harley Quinn released late in 2014 , the two being some of the best ever in this series. That same year Vans released the Disney collection, one that reach out to about the same market segment and thus giving it some needed competition.
2014
The collection in the fall of 2014 included artwork by renowned DC Comics artists Andy Kubert, Jim Lee, Jock (Mark Simpson), and Kenneth Rocafort. It marks years of collaboration between DC Comics and Converse. Which iconic characters are illustrated on the popular sneakers this time? They feature another great designs of the Joker, Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and the Justice League. The Joker and Batman share more than the same comics in this collection: they share the same illustrator, Jock! These sneakers feature a detailed and dark drawing of the Joker made of bats and laughter (ha ha’s). His name is scribbled in red on the lining and on the tongue of the sneakers.
Overall the 2014 collection seems to have a more elaborate design, an artwork that was carefully crafted to illustrate the superheroes and their surroundings. Later in the year two more pairs were released, with the Joker getting another sneaker with spectacular design and the other, dedicated to the Harley Quinn, by popular demand. Along with the Wonder Woman edition released earlier in the year these two seem to be the big hits of this collection, followed very close by the Batman sneaker, sold out by Christmas. That same year we have been delighted by another themed collection coming from Vans this time, the Star Wars series.
2013
By early 2013, with the release of the Converse Japan US Originator collection, it become clear that is will become a yearly event, something to look forward to. This early 2013 collection featured a mix of Converse Chuck Taylors, Jack Purcell and Skidgrip slip-ons with artwork having an emphasis on patterns, especially logos of the superheroes. Some thought the design was a bit lazy but this was a nice change to the previous models, making it stand out among what was released previously. To keep the tradition going later in the year, more pieces were added with the 2013 fall collection that featured the usual ”suspects”; The Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman and the Joker. Converse Chuck Taylors were the preferred style once again.
2012
In the 2012 fans already demanded for more and two more styles were added to the collection. Wonder Woman was featured on a low Converse All Star Chuck Taylors with a spectacular artwork that made it a huge hit. One of the scariest Batman’s enemies, Killer Crock was featured on the second style released in that spring. The design is a combination of lime and forest green scaly halftone featured across most of the shoe with bits of paint splattered across the top. Later that year another Converse DC Comics collection was released in time for the holidays. By this time the Converse Comics frenzy was in full throttle, with various custom-made designed Chuck Taylors but also the one released in store that featured even more characters. The 2012 fall/winter collection featured the usual superheroes like Superman, Batman or the Joker but also others were included for the first time like Aquaman, Batgirl , Thundercats, Bane and Poison Ivi. The demand was there and Converse did not hesitate to deliver.
2011
In the spring of 2011 Converse and DC Comics released five artwork Chuck Taylor All Star sneakers featuring Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and The Joker accompanied by other villains. The special touch to this collection is that the illustrations are designed up in vintage comic-book style, a perfect start up for this collection and a favourite for the old-time fans of comics and Converse alike. Also to notice is the combination of comics artwork on three of the sneakers with Batman, Superman and the Joker in action on their adventures and the symbols on the other two pairs with Superman’s logo on a plain navy canvas and Wonder Woman’s attire pattern with white stars on blue background.Following the enormous success this first collection has enjoyed, the Converse DC Comics collection returned with a holiday collection the same year. Who would disagree that these marvels would make a great gift? Both hi top and low sneakers were released this time featuring Batman, Superman, and, for the first time, Flash. The designs this time were bold and colourful, made especially for the hardcore fans, the ones who could pull these off with ease.
With so many collections released so far it seems like there is so much more to come- we can expect new Converse DC Comics sneakers coming up soon once again, to celebrate the characters that awake the heroes in many of us. This collaboration is meant to put a mark on both brand’s legacy and take it to new heights. It is by far the longest collaboration that resulted in some one of the kind Converse special editions. If unsure about the size you need you can check out this size chart here.
