There's a conversation that you can probably skip about how fans would like to see Final Crisis collected, going on over at the DC Comics Message Boards. The trolls take over pretty quick -- at least six of the replies suggest collecting Final Crisis in some sort of trash receptacle, with a bunch of other responses shushing the previous replies.
I'm curious about this, though, and I've been watching my sources lately for some hint of how Final Crisis might be collected; with all of Countdown to Final Crisis now solicited in collected format, Final Crisis can't be far behind. And as Collected Comics Library reported, Dan DiDio said at SDCC that Final Crisis and its spin-offs will be collected "in the order that makes the most sense to everybody."
Of course, making something make sense to everybody tends, I believe, to make it make sense to nobody. My guess is that DiDio meant "everybody," as in DC Comics and not everybody as in "you and me," otherwise we'd have a mess on our hands.
Here's what I think we can expect:
* Final Crisis Companion -- the one-shots Last Will and Testament, Rage of the Red Lanterns, Requiem, Resist, and Submit
* Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds - on its own, or with Action Comics #864 ("Batman and the Legion of Super-Heroes")
* Final Crisis: Rogues Revenge - on its own
* Final Crisis: Revelations - on its own
The only ones I can't figure out are Final Crisis: Superman Beyond and DC Universe #0. Superman Beyond is just two issues, too large to go in the Final Crisis collection and too small to be collected on its own. Ditto DCU #0; I'm not sure DC wants to put a non-Grant Morrison/JG Jones tale in the Final Crisis collection, but maybe so.
Either way, I think we can expect deluxe format hardcovers all around.
How would you like to see Final Crisis collected?
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I haven't read all the spin-off material, being a wait for the trade guy also, but I think it would make sense to put Rage of the Red Lanterns in with a Green Lantern trade. I heard it doesn't really tie into Final Crisis much. Am I wrong?
I would really like to see a deluxe format for Final Crisis itself, as I think that an oversized hardcover would be good for the story. Not as the first collection, but as a large hardcover collecting the main mini, Superman Beyond, and possibly DCU 0.
As far as trade collections right now, I think Superman Beyond would work fine within the Final Crisis proper collected edition.
The rest of the material would be assorted accordingly, and (I hope) in a manner that would fit the material. The Johns work collected separately, and then down the line, as part of a greater deluxe edition with even more material.
I'd take Rage of the Red Lanterns out and put Superman Beyond in its place. As Geoff said, Rage sounds like it would work better in a GL book. And I won't be surprised if DCU #0 is never collected. It's just too awkward to slip into any FC book.
And a deluxe edition of Final Crisis would be pretty sweet.
I suspect that, given that it is also Morrison-penned, Dc Universe 0 will wind up in the Final Crisis collection.
Superman Beyond is going to be a tricky one, but may wind up bundled with the Legion collection, on the grounds that they're both Superman stories...
I agree, and think we'll see FC: Rage of the Red lanterns as part of the GL trades/hardcovers and not in the FC collections.
I think that Beyond will probably show up in the main book, simply for the reason that they're going to want to put the 3-D glasses in the most 'deluxe' of the various books if nothing else...
I'd have been strongly tempted to put DC Universe #0 at the end of the last Countdown to Final Crisis trade. That was the original plan and would balance out the issues per trade, but it may be too late for that plan...
Rage of the Red Lanterns in a Green Lantern collection and Superman Beyond within Final Crisis? Makes sense.
If I remember correctly, Final Crisis breaks between two issues (no spoilers, please); maybe Superman Beyond would fit in there.
The tricky thing seems to be that placement of DCU #0. Did it have one distinct plot? Maybe they'll split it up amongst respective trades like the DC Infinite Holiday special.
Thanks for the mention!
I would think that Final Crisis proper will get the Hardcover while all others will be in trade. The Superman issues are the real questions for me - will they be in 3-D or get flushed out into regular format? Or Both? And if so will glasses ship with the collection?
Final Crisis (Trade)
Final Crisis #1
Final Crisis : Requiem #1
Final Crisis #2
Final Crisis #3
Final Crisis : Superman Beyond (It's esentially FC 3.5)
Final Crisis: Revelations #2 (The cliffhanger has the ALE)
Final Crisis: Resist/Submit would go here, but DC has pushed them back to being out about the same time as FC #4.
Final Crisis #4
- I'm not usre if there are any ones-shots that fit after here.
Final Crisis #5
Final Crisis #6
Final Crisis : Superman Beyond #2 - plays a part in the last issue of FC.
Final Crisis #7
That would be one overpriced HC/TBP unless you split it into 2 volumes.
Final Crisis Minis:
Lo3w:
FC: Legion of Three Worlds #1
FC Legion of Three Worlds #2
FC: Legion of Three Worlds #3
FC: Legion of Three Worlds #4
FC: Legion of Three Worlds #5
Tales of the Sinestro Corps - Superman-Prime one shot.
FC: Rogues Revenge:
FC: RR #1
FC RR #2
FC: RR #3
Flash The Fastest Man Alive #13
The Issues included in Goeff Johns Flash Run (The Rogues, Vol.2)
to make up 6 or more issues.
It just occurred to me that DCU #0 could end up in the collected edition of Flash: Rebirth, considering who the narrator is. (Spoiler!)
Also, DC didn't seem to have a problem putting 3D glasses in the Last Son collection, so I don't think a deluxe book is a requirement for 3D treatment.
I have to disagree with chrisccl. I think we'll be seeing a crapload of Final Crisis-related hardcovers coming out. A Johns/Perez book will definitely be hardcovered. So will Johns's return to the Flash Rogues. Greg Rucka will probably get hardcovered as well. The FC one-shots, assuming that they're collected together, has an outside chance of being a softcover, but DC didn't have a problem charging 30 bucks for a hardcover Tales of the Sinestro Corps, so I doubt it.
Quite the long list, earthm, some of which have already been collected elsewhere. But that's comrehensive, and gives a good sense of where everything fits.
That's something I'd like to see, and that I think DC missed with both Infinite Crisis and Sinestro Corps War -- some sense of in what order things are supposed to be read, especially among many different trades. I guess they don't want to give people the sense they have to buy everything (even if they do), but it'd be helpful.
My guess is most, if not all, hardcovers too.