DC Trade Solicitations for October 2012 -- and Crisis on Multiple Earths Vol. 6

 ·  15 comments

We thought this day would never arrive ... but there's a crisis coming.

Crisis on Multiple Earths Vol. 6, that is.

Yesterday DC Comics released their October 2012 solicitations -- always fun, but no great surprises within (quick run-down: Blackhawks Vol. 1: The Great Leap Forward, Blue Beetle Vol. 1: Metamorphosis, Captain Atom Vol. 1: Evolution, DC Comics — The New 52 Zero Omnibus, DC Universe Presents Vol. 1: Deadman/Challengers of the Unknown, Green Lantern: Sector 2814 Vol. 1, Just Imagine Stan Lee Creating The DC Universe Omnibus, Red Hood and The Outlaws Vol. 1: Redemption). Something did just pop up on the schedule for March 2013, however, that bears some discussion.

The Crisis on Multiple Earths trade series collects the Silver Age team-ups between the Earth-1 Justice League and the Earth-2 Justice Society, stemming from some rather simplistic (by modern standards) team-ups of the 1960s to significant pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths events like the deaths of Mr. Terrific and Red Tornado, the return of the Seven Soldiers, Black Canary's move from Earth-2 to Earth-1, and appearances by the New Gods, the Legion of Super-Heroes, and the Captain Marvel family.

The first volume came out in 2002, and the second, third, and fourth volumes followed every year, plus some "Team-Up" books that collected meetings between individual Earth-1 and Earth-2 characters.

Then Crisis on Multiple Earths hit the skids. Volume 5 was solicited for 2007, but then never came out, and for a while we here at Collected Editions thought the series was dead. Murmurs of volume 5 emerged again in 2009, and finally, the book came out in 2010.

Comic Coverage has a fantastic series of articles on the various JLA/JSA team-ups, and there's also more information on the DC Crisis Wikipedia page about the contents of these collections. To put a too-fine point on it, volumes 1-5 collected up to Justice League #185 from 1980, which was a JLA/JSA/New Gods story, and then stopped.

And now, two years later, it looks like we'll have another Crisis on Multiple Earths volume next year.

Usually the Crisis books have collected just two or three story arcs. That would suggest Crisis on Multiple Earths Volume 6 might include Justice League #195-197, #207-209 (with All-Star Squadron #14-15), and #219-220. I'm not sure the first two stories have much significance, but the last is the one where, through a series of twists and turns, we learn the Earth-1 Black Canary is actually the daughter of the Earth-2 Black Canary, not the same character, ironing out some continuity issues that were later changed by Crisis on Infinite Earths anyway.

At the same time, there's really only one more major JLA/JSA team-up of the era after that, and that's Justice League 231-232, which also cameos the Monitor and Harbinger from Crisis on Infinite Earths -- a lead-in, if you will. Twelve issues is more than these collections usually include, but I would love to see DC go for broke and finally, finally, finish this series, a good eleven years after the first volume emerged.

How cool a nice, well-bound hardcover omnibus of all the JLA/JSA team-ups from the six volumes of Crisis on Multiple Earths would be is another conversation entirely ...

What are you buying from DC's October 2012 solicitations? What are you still waiting for them to collect?

Comments ( 15 )

  1. ...and then we'll get the long awaited Absolute Crisis On Infinite Earths: The Crossovers, right?

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  2. I've wanted to read the 'Just Imagine' Stan Lee books for a while, but copies seem to be like gold dust here in th UK, so will be looking at that.

    In the next 52 books, I've heard a few conflicting reports on the Red Hood series -ranging from worst of the reboot to one of the best, so hope to check that out too.

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  3. I was thinking you might like this one, Chris. :) Yeah, that Crisis Crossovers book would be cool -- they could do it in an omnibus like the zero issues, even. At some point I'd have been skeptical we'd ever see the Crisis Crossovers book, but what with Crisis Vol. 6, Day of Judgment, Legion Worlds and others, DC seems to be knocking out all the "most requesteds" lately.

    Gareth, is your interest in Just Imagine Stan Lee because it's Stan Lee? I have a hard time seeing how this book will do well, but maybe it's just not for me. And ditto on Red Hood -- I like these characters and I tend to take a long-view of controversy, as you know, so I'm curious to get into this one also.

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  4. Didn't the recent Showcase Presents All-Star Squadron just come out WITHOUT the JLA crossover issues? I wonder if the A-SS issues will be here. They should also collect the final final story from 1985 that had the crossover between Infinity Inc and JLA.

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  5. Reprinting the five-part JLA/All-Star Squadron story with the three JLA parts and without the two All-Star parts, even as they just did so in Showcase Presents, would be ridiculous in Crisis on Multiple Earths given that the point is to show the crossovers. Here's hoping one doesn't have to buy both books to get the full story.

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  6. @CE - The Stan Lee collection is purely a curiosity to see how Stan would write DC characters. I’m not expecting it to be life changing, or even particularly good. And I agree that I can’t see it selling big numbers – out of (ANY) continuity one shots from ten years ago doesn’t scream blockbuster :)

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  7. Is incredible how even another Crisis on Multiple Earths volume and several other books and Omnibuses come out but "JSA Omnibus by Robinson/Goyer/Johns" is not even in talks.

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  8. Very cool to see the Crisis collection. Other than that there's nothing surprising here.

    What I'm waiting for is a second volume of Brubaker's Catwoman series. I know there are older collections but those seem to be largely out of print. I'm reading and loving Trail of the Catwoman now but as far as I can tell there aren't currently any plans to continue collecting that series, even though it is labeled "Volume 1."

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  9. Wow. Of course, I'll really believe it when it ships, but still. The JLA/ASS crossover is my absolute favorite DC Bronze Age story.

    Also, there was one more crossover, between the Detroit League and Infinity Incorporated (in both books) that came out during the Crisis. An even more dispensable story than the other one [which has some historical significance as one of Kurt Busiek's first writing efforts]. Still not enough to make up a Volume 7 unless you beef it up, maybe with DCCP Annual #1 and some other things that might have been in CME:The Team-Ups V3 and onward...

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  10. I second the continuation of the new Brubaker Catwoman trades, Dijon; I'd like to see these collect all of Brubaker's run, up to War Games.

    Jeff, I won't hope for more Crisis on Multiple Earths books after volume 6 -- getting to six was tough enough! Those stories you describe would make a great collection, but I'm going to be satisfied if the collection goes right up to Crisis on Infinite Earths, and anything else will just be a pleasant surprise.

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  11. Yes, I strongly doubt there will be even talk of a V7; even a Team-Ups 3 would be more likely than that.

    Those stories could see print again, though, in a Kurt Busiek DC Classics Library thing and that Crisis Crossovers Omnibus that we're all wanting, I suppose...

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  12. Since I have become interested in custom binding of my comics, I have been trying to collect all of the Multiple Earth Team-Up issues from over the years to put into a nice custom set. I am glad they are finally doing this issue.

    It would be nice to see another Crisis on Multiple Earths: Team-Up Volume. There are countless Earth One & Two Flash stories out of print. Same with Green Lantern.

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  13. Evan MeadowJuly 10, 2012

    Most people are calling this the last JLA/JSA trade because like you said, there's only two crossovers left and they're all of what combined maybe six issues at the most? Cause they'll include the last crossover with Infinity Inc during the Crisis.

    I say just put everything together in one last book.

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  14. I'm just annoyed they've cancelled T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents Vol 2. What with REBELS and Doom Patrol - everything i want to read they cancel!

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  15. I would love to see reprinted somewhere the DC Comics Presents Annual (#1?) where Earth 1 and Earth 2 Superman team up with Earth 3 Luthor (his 1st appearance, I think) vs. Ultra-Man. Its one of my absolute favorite stories. Not sure what it would be collected with. A Tales of the Multiverse volume, maybe, along with the Earth2 Superman/Lois wedding. There are Batman versions too -- the two Batmen from the last issue of the original Brave and the Bold, and the Earth-2 Batman/Catwoman hook-up a few issues before that. Add in the Earth 1 Batman team-up with Earth-2 Robin and Huntress and you have a nice multiverse Superman/Batman trade.

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