DC Trade Solicitations for January 2018 - Batman: Knightfall Omnibus Vol. 3: Knightquest, Superman: The Oz Effect Deluxe, Aquaman and Young Justice by Peter David, Nightwing Vol. 7 by Chuck Dixon, DC Meets Looney Tunes

Mostly books we already knew about in DC Comics's January 2018 hardcover and trade paperback solicitations, but DC is certainly starting 2018 off right. Most notably on this list is surely the Batman: Knightfall Omnibus Vol. 3: Knightsend, which collects both the complete end of "Knightfall" plus the "Prodigal" storyline and for the first time ever, the "Troika" four-parter that introduced Batman's new costume of the era.

But right behind the Knightfall omnibus are plenty more great books: the Superman: Action Comics: The Oz Effect deluxe hardcover with lenticular jacket, the first collection of Peter David's Aquaman run and the second never-collected volume of David's Young Justice, a more-complete second volume of Batman: Legacy, immediate-post-Crisis Green Lantern Corps with a Legends tie-in, and more of Chuck Dixon's Nightwing, plus books around the Rebirth Titans: Lazarus Contract event, Jack Kirby 100, and more.

A whole bunch of books to be excited about here. Let's take a look.

• Aquaman by Peter David Book One TP

This collection of the Zero Hour-era hook-handed Aquaman series by Peter David was originally solicited with the introductory Time and Tide miniseries and issues #0-10; now it's through issue 8. You've still got appearances by Superboy and Lobo (this is a 1990s book in all its glory), but you'll have to wait till next time for Green Lantern Kyle Rayner and an Underworld Unleashed tie-in.

• Batman and the Outsiders Vol. 2 HC

A second full-color collection of Mike W. Barr's Batman and the Outsiders series from the 1980s, with art by both Jim Aparo and Alan Davis, collecting issues #13-23 and Annual #1. The next collection should be able to get through issue #32, after which the book became Adventures of the Outsiders. With issues #20-23, this series now collects more Outsiders issues than the black-and-white Showcase Presents.

• Batman: Knightfall Omnibus Vol. 3: Knightsend HC

It's very exciting that DC is finally collecting every issue of the Batman: Knightfall saga. The contents here haven't changed from the original solicitation, which not only finishes out "Knightquest" and "Knightsend," but also includes the aftermath stories, "Prodigal," and the "Troika" story that debuted Batman's new costume. This is a great three-volume set, complete at long last. (Hat tip to Bob on Facebook for noting that three missing Legends of the Dark Knight issues have been added to Batman: Knightfall Omnibus Vol. 2: Knightquest).

Collects Batman #509-510 and #512-515, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #29-30 and #32-35, Detective Comics #676-677 and #679-682, Robin #8-9 and #11-14, Catwoman #12-13, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #62-63, Showcase ’94 #10, Nightwing: Alfred’s Return #1, and Batman: Vengeance of Bane #2.

• Batman: Legacy Vol. 2 TP

Along with the three, complete Batman: Knightfall volumes, DC is doing a nice job re-collecting Batman: Legacy, starting with a lot of the previously-uncollected (or partially-collected) lead-in material. The story finishes out with this volume; the solicitation says the contents are Batman #534, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #54, Detective Comics #701-702, and Robin #32-33, plus the related miniseries Batman: Bane of the Demon #1-4. Also listed is Batman: The Vengeance of Bane #1, which is probably a misprint (that story preceded Knightfall and is included in those collections) and should be the Batman: Bane special. Missing from both these and the previous solicitations for this book is Catwoman #36, which is a labeled Legacy tie-in and I hope won't be omitted.

• Batman: Super Powers TP

As mentioned before, a collection of Batman Confidential #50-54 by Arrow's Marc Guggenheim; the story involves Batman and a Chinese Justice League. For those playing along at home, the 54-issue Confidential has issues #1-35 and #44-48 already collected, with Batman: Ghosts by Sam Keith collecting issues #40-43 next year. That leaves issues #36-39 by Royal McGraw and issue #49 by James Patrick uncollected.

• Cave Carson Vol. 2: Every Me, Every You TP

Collects issues #7-12 ahead of the apparent Young Animal relaunch.

• Challengers of the Unknown HC

Hardcover collection of the 1991 eight-issue miniseries by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, just in time for the Challengers' role in Dark Nights: Metal.

• DC Meets Looney Tunes TP

Collects Batman/Elmer Fudd, Jonah Hex/Yosemite Sam, Legion of Superheroes/Bugs Bunny, Lobo/Road Runner, Martian Manhunter/Marvin the Martian, and Wonder Woman/Tasmanian Devil, plus the Superman/Bug Bunny four-issue miniseries from 2000 by Mark Evanier and Joe Staton.

• DC Universe by Neil Gaiman TP

Previously released as a deluxe hardcover, this is a paperback of the same, with Batman #686 and Detective Comics #853 ("Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?"), Secret Origins #36 (Poison Ivy) and the Special #1 (Riddler), Green Lantern/Superman: Legend of the Green Flame, and Wednesday Comics #1-12 (Metamorpho, with Mike Allred). The deluxe edition also had a story from Solo (Deadman) and Batman: Black and White, which might just have been left off the solicitation.

• Elseworlds: Superman Vol. 1 TP

DC keeps trying this one but it never quite makes it to print. This is supposed to collect Superman: Speeding Bullet, Superman: Kal, Superman: Distant Fires, Superman: A Nation Divided, Superman, Inc., and Superman: War of the Worlds.

Absent here, that had been solicited earlier, are Kamandi: At Earth’s End #1-6 and Superman: At Earth’s End, Superman: Kal, Superman/Batman: Doom Link, and Superman/Wonder Woman: Whom Gods Destroy #1-4. Of all of these, Speeding Bullets (where Clark Kent grows up to become Batman) is the one I remember most fondly, so I'm glad it's still in there.

• Green Lantern Corps: Beware Their Power Vol. 1 HC

It's a curious solicitation for this book that does not offer any context for why these stories are being reprinted at this time, just a plot summary: "Guy Gardner rejoins the Green Lanterns of Earth, Kilowog leads the battle against the Rocket Red Brigade, while Hector Hammond and Star Sapphire join forces to try and kill Hal Jordan. Plus: a night out on the town leads to ruined romances and nightmare visions."

What this is, is what the Silver Age Green Lantern title became after Crisis on Infinite Earths (Green Lantern itself would be relaunched after the Emerald Dawn miniseries). This book follows immediately from the Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Vol. 3 book, and begins as a matter of fact with Corps's Legends crossover. Issues #207-215 go to shortly before the series's Millennium crossover; if we can get a second collection, it should finish the series with issue #224.

The Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Annual #2 collected here has the "Tygers" story by Alan Moore that formed the basis for some of Geoff Johns's Green Lantern stories.

• Jack Kirby 100 TP

Collects the 100th birthday Jack Kirby specials: New Gods by Shane Davis and Walt Simonson; Newsboy Legion and Boy Commandos by Howard Chaykin; Sandman by Dan Jurgens and Jon Bogdanove (I had no idea this was the creative team for this book!) and Steve Orlando and Rick Leonardi; Manhunter by Dan DiDio, Keith Giffen, Mark Buckingham, Sam Humphries, and Steve Rude, and Darkseid by Mark Evanier, Scott Kolins, Paul Levitz, and Phil Hester.

• Justice League Vol. 5: Legacy TP

Collects issues #26-31, the end of Bryan Hitch's run.

• Legends of Tomorrow: The Atom TP

A Legends of Tomorrow (TV) themed book, not to be confused with the recent Legends of Tomorrow DC miniseries by the same name. Collects Showcase #34 is Ray Palmer's first appearance; Secret Origins #29 is his post-Crisis origin; Atom Special #1 is one of a couple 1990s stories by Tom Peyer (too bad not also the second special); Giant-Size Atom continues Jeff Lemire's story from Adventure Comics (so you'd think those backups would be here too), and then there's the Justice League of America: The Atom: Rebirth special, which is of course about Ryan Cjoi and not Ray Palmer. Still remains to be seen if there'll be a Black Canary or Vixen or Firestorm collection next.

• Mother Panic Vol. 2: Under Her Skin TP

Collects issues #7-12 of Mother Panic, also ahead of the Young Animal soft relaunch.

• Nightwing Vol. 7: Shrike TP

This collects to the end of what classic Nightwing issues were collected before, with issues #54-60 (most of the On the Razor's Edge). The next collection will finally start collecting un-collected regular series material. There is here the previously-uncollected Nightwing: Our Worlds at War special.

• Superman: Action Comics – The Oz Effect: The Deluxe Edition HC

We discussed the Superman: Action Comics: The Oz Effect collection previously, but now we know it will indeed by in deluxe format like Batman/Flash: The Button. This almost guarantees, if we didn't already expect so, that Doomsday Clock will see a deluxe hardcover collection as well.

• Superman: Action Comics – The Rebirth Deluxe Edition Book Two HC

Collects Action Comics #967-984, which is the third and fourth trade paperbacks, plus the Action issues of Superman Reborn (parts 2 and 4). This goes right up to Oz Effect.

• Superman: President Luthor New Edition TP

As mentioned before, for some reason DC thinks a collection of stories about businessman Lex Luthor becoming president might be of interest right now. A previous collection of these stories came out in 2003 (part of a nice series of collections of the Jeph Loeb et al run); most of the issues solicited for this collection map the previous one except for Action Comics #773, though Lex only appears at the end of that issue. The better thing is that this collection includes James D. Hudnall, Eduardo Barreto, and Adam Kubert's prestige format one-shot Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography, which I still think is one of the greatest post-Crisis Lex Luthor stories ever told, a really atmospheric thriller in which a journalist could reveal Lex Luthor's secrets, if he stay alive long enough.

• Superman: The Many Worlds of Krypton TP

Collects Superman #233, #236, #238, #240, #248, #257 & #266, Superman Family #182, World of Krypton (1979) #1-3, and World of Krypton (1987) #1-4. Paul Kupperberg writes and Howard Chaykin draws the earlier miniseries; John Byrne and Mike Mignola did the latter.

• Teen Titans by Geoff Johns Book Two TP

Heckuva longevity on Geoff Johns's Teen Titans run that DC is still releasing new editions over ten years after the issues came out. This collects material from the third paperback, Beast Boys and Girls, and part of the fourth, The Future is Now, issues #13-19 plus Johns's Beast Boy miniseries and the Teen Titans/Legion special. Also the solicitation says Legends of the DCU 80-Page Giant #1, but I'm sure it's the Beast Boy story from #2 also by Johns and Ben Raab.

• Teen Titans Vol. 2: The Rise of Aqualad TP

Collects issues #6-7, #9-11, #13, and #14. The first break is Lazarus Contract and the second is Dark Nights: Metal. I imagine I'll have to read at least Lazarus Contract in the middle of this; I can't imaging #9-11 won't hold some spoilers.

• Titans Vol. 3: A Judas Among Us TP

Collects issues #12-18 following Lazarus Contract.

• Young Justice Book Two TP

The second new collection of Peter David's Young Justice series. The previous solicitation said this was issues #8-18, but this one says #8-17 (pumping the breaks a little earlier before the Sins of Youth event). As a happy trade-off, however, this newly includes the Young Justice 80-Page Giant, Young Justice in No Man's Land, pages from the Young Justice Secret Files, and the two crossover issues with David's Supergirl #36-37. (Somebody's still using the plot of a Young Justice cartoon tie-in comic issue for the description of this one, however.) All the regular-series issues here are previously uncollected.

So pick one ... Batman: Knightfall Omnibus Vol. 3: Knightsend? Young Justice Book Two? DC Meets Looney Tunes? What's the one book from this list you'd take to a desert island?