The Collected Editions Blog Fifth Anniversary

 ·  65 comments

The Collected Editions blog celebrated its fifth anniversary yesterday. In lieu of flowers, just one request: please leave a comment on this post!

As Collected Editions completes its fifth year, I'd like to take this opportunity to get a real sense of who's out there. I appreciate all our wonderfully vocal commenters, but I know they're just a small fraction of everyone who stops by each week.

So right now, even if you're reading this by email or wouldn't ordinarily comment, please leave a comment on this post. Just say "hi," plug your own site, or mention your favorite Collected Editions entry or how you found the blog; I think it'll turn into a fun conversation. If you've been reading Collected Editions a long time, even since the beginning, I'm curious about that. If you're inclined to post about, retweet, or otherwise spread the word about this, I appreciate that, too.

[2023 update: Some 13 years later, apparently an error has crept into this post, requiring me to delete the comprehensive list of commenters here from Collected Editions' first five years. Rest assured, you were thanked!]

... and all the anonymous commentors out there -- thank you, thank you, thank you.

Here's to another five years. Let the festivities begin!

Comments ( 65 )

  1. I'm a relatively new reader of this blog, but the posts are always awesome. Love it when Google Reader tells me there's an update to read.

    Happy Birthday!

    Ric
    http://comicbookcoveraday.blogspot.com

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  2. Hi,

    so congratulations on your five years. As a fellow blogger I know how much work that can be.

    It´s a bit weird to be one of the first ones to comment though since I only discovered your blog somwhere around February last year when I added your link to my blogroll on TALES FROM THE KRYPTONIAN.

    http://talesfromthekryptonian.blogspot.com/

    I try to check out your blog at least once a weeki since I will be switching more to trades in the coming months. What I like about the reviews is that not only do they offer some interesting insights ( although there is not much Marvel content now that I think about it ) without spoiling too much it also includes some vital informations that other blogs seem to forget : how many pages, which extras included, covers included, etc.

    They are also nice resources to add to my own reviews as well as being fun to read especially when they differ from my own view.

    So keep on the good work and here´s to five more years !

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  3. Yay, I got a mention!

    First discovered the site a couple of years ago and it's become one of my go-to sites; I tend to stop by at least twice a week.

    The TPB Timeline is an invaluable resource, in my opinion, and the reviews have rarely steered me wrong.

    Keep up the good work!

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  4. Congrats on the 5 years! A sterling effort to support the comic industry to say the least….

    I found the site about 3 years ago trying to put together a reading order for the Infinite Crisis trades….. I wasn’t a big reader back then, but finding the DC timeline has really encouraged me to both look to the past and continue into the future. My spending on TPB’s has increase massively as a result of this to the stage I think I purchase everything that gets added to the timeline….

    I can tell by the love and attention that goes into this blog it’s not going anywhere, so I’m sure it will be here in another five years time…. sure I will be too!

    @DC Comics – these guys need to be added to your promo lists so they get stuff both upfront and without cost. I’m sure the cost of this would be a drop in the ocean compared to the amount of revenue they help generate.

    Keep up the good work everyone

    JED - London, UK

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  5. Hi. I've stopped by a few times over the years, but having reminders from your Twitter feed helps get me over here more often now.

    Happy 5!

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  6. I love that an anonymous commenter was first. That made me smile.

    Cool also to see some of our international readers -- it's been a thrill to hear from readers across the globe.

    Thanks everyone so far; I'll be popping back in throughout the day (and I see I have some deserving sites to add to the blogroll!).

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  7. Hi. Happy birthday!!

    I have never left a comment but I check every single one of your reviews.

    just wanted to say that you are doing a good job.

    So thanks.

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  8. Congratulations on the 5th anniversary of the blog!

    I've been reading your blog for several months now, via Google Reader, and I must say it's been invaluable - Over the past couple of years I've slowly been making the transition from monthlies to collected editions, and this blog has given me much needed insight about what's out there on TPB land.

    This year I've finally made the leap to full-fledged HC and TPB collector, with only one monthly title remaining on my pull list (because the collections have been kinda spotty on that one).

    Best,
    J.

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  9. been reading this site for probably three years or so. Always enjoy it. Though I keep waiting for you to get more on the Marvel Bandwagon.

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  10. Only discovered this blog a couple of months ago and now I can't remember what I did without it! Keep up the great work, it's nice to know that someone still enjoys contemporary superhero comics as much as I do, event overload/reboots/geoff-cons et al!

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  11. Congradulations, I have been visting your site on a regular basis for several years since I switched from Floppies to all Trades. I spend at least $500 a month on trades so your reviews have become a big part of my decision making process.

    Thanks and I hope this site lives for many more years.

    Steve Kempton

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  12. Congrats! Love the site.

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  13. Hey,just wanted to say how much I love the site. I look up almost every trade I buy on here first before purchasing it.
    I'd like to thank you for the reviews,and DC Comics would like to thank you for introducing me to titles I never would have been interested in on my own!

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  14. Congratulations on five years!

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  15. Congratulations!

    I found this site a couple of years ago via Robot 6, I believe. In their daily morning news section, they listed you for posting a roundup of DC's collections to be due later in the year/next year, and I had to check your site out because I love collecting trades as much as I love comics. And then I absolutely had to add it to my RSS feed. :)

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  16. I have been reading comics for only about a year and a half. I started with and will never go to any other format but collected tpbs. This site has been a great assistance and pleasure in my nubile hobby. The reviews have pointed me to new books I might have ignored otherwise. Most importantly your timeline assisted with the hardest trial to anyone interested in comics: Where to Start.
    Enjoy what you do. Congrats on 5 years. Keep it up.

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  17. Congrats, Collected Editions! Here's to my favorite comic blog!

    I wouldn't be getting anywhere on my timeline without you :D

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  18. Congratulations on reaching the big five, CE - looking forward to the next five.

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  19. Happy Anniversary Collected Editions!

    I found your blog from a Google search for Infinite Crisis reading order. I had not read comics before really and wanted to start reading at Infinite Crisis. I'm very much a collector so I was thrilled to see you listed EVERY trade from that period.

    So the argument could definitely be made that Collected Editions got me into comics.

    I've had your site in my RSS reader ever since I discovered it. As I have told you before, you should be on DC's payroll, I have given them a lot of money, all because of your reviews.

    I hope you continue to enjoy working on this site for a long time!

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  20. Great site, your recommendations are always right on the money and I have bought many TPB's solely on your reviews.

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  21. Thanks CEB for all the effort to keep this up for so long. 5 years is forever in internet-time.

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  22. I discovered this site by looking for a post-Infinite Crisis reading order (I had already found crisis2crisis.com for reading up to that point). I was happy to find the DC TPB Timeline, as I was trying to get caught-up to modern continuity via trade paperbacks. My original intent was to use the TPBs to bring myself up to speed and then switch over to monthlies, but I discovered that I preferred reading a storyline in a single book, without the chapters being a month apart. I was happy to see that there are strong TPB communities out there such as this one, and I still rely on the DC Timeline to guide me in my TPB purchases.

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  23. Congrats! Here's to five more.

    -Eric Trautmann

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  24. Congratulations! This site is a brilliant resource for collection news.

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  25. Couple people started reading comics with this blog or got hooked on trades here? Don't know if I should be grateful for trade-supporters or apologize to your wallets!

    Special hello to Twitter-friend batmansgirl, who had a heck of a time leaving a comment here.

    And if you're reading this, be sure also today to visit the Hunger Site, where all it takes is one of your clicks to give food to the hungry.

    The timeline is a work in progress, and I'm trying to increase our coverage of Marvel trades with my wonderful guest writers. Any other suggestions for ways to improve the site?

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  26. 5 Years! Way to go :) I seriously cannot believe I've been coming here that long. I do take suggestions from the posts here and have acquired new outlooks on some of my favorite trades.
    I love being able to contribute as well as that has helped me in my journey of media studies. So cheers!

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  27. Congratulations on the anniversary! I enjoy the site a great deal.

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  28. Wow, very generous of you to include me despite my very low number of comments. Thank you, sir!

    I do want to say that I appreciate your positive attitude in general on this blog. With so much of the hyper-negativity and "everything sucks" in the comics blogosphere, I think an attitude like yours is needed. Thanks again!

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  29. Happy Birthday!!

    I discovered this blog a couple of months ago, I was looking for information on some trade I wanted to buy but wasn't sure of what was its content, and one of the first results in Google was this blog. And since I'm from Barcelona, Spain, I usually try to get as much information as I can before spending my hardly-earned money in some book that is not worth it (the last book I decided to buy thanks to your review was REBELS: Coming of Starro).

    We also have DC and Marvel editions here, but they are usually released from 9 to 12 months later than in the US, so I just buy the American TPBs instead of waiting for sooo long (just so you can get an idea, Secret Invasion just finished a couple of months ago).

    For me Collected Editions has been of great help when I was doubtful about a TPB, and for that I'm grateful.

    Long live Collected Editions!!

    Pedro,

    Barcelona, Spain.

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  30. Happy fifth birthday!

    I've been here for about 3 years, give or take. I truly enjoy reading and occasionally writing for this site. Best of luck

    Bob

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  31. Congratulations! I discovered the site probably a little over a year ago, when I was looking for a reading order for DC collected editions. Since then, I've read each new review and a good deal of ones written before I became a subscriber. Keep up the great work!

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  32. Congratulations. I swing by this site every week or so, especially when I'm on the fence over buying a trade. I became a DC fan a couple years ago, and in my attempts to get caught up this was a great resource.

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  33. Congrats on five years

    Fritz and the gang from tor.com

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  34. Congrats on making it to year number #5, and here's to many more.

    I had personally gotten out of comics (mostly single issues) back around 2002~2003, but the trades and reviews of trades by Collected Editions brought me back in.... especially the reviews of Green Lantern trades.

    Congrats again!

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  35. Hi everyone, I just wanted to thank CE for helping me find the right reading order for my trades, particularly in the modern comic world where one spin off could be an expensive mistake to purchase, whereas others are not to be missed!

    Quick question for you guys...

    I've just read JLA When worlds collide and there's plenty of reference to Hal and Ollie starting their own team? I'm a huge GA fan, so can you guys tell me in which title does this idea start?

    Big thanks to all at CE,

    weaver33

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  36. Keep up the great work Chris!

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  37. Continued thanks to everyone chiming in here; it's been so much fun hearing from the Collected Editions community today.

    I must mention Eric Trautmann, who's always been generous answering questions. Gosh I miss Checkmate; here's hoping you can use those characters again soon.

    And who knew there were visitors from Tor? Great science-fiction and fantasy site, connected with a great book publisher.

    Also worth a special mention are Derek, Bob, Chris, and everyone else who's written a guest post for the site -- much obliged!

    Love that there's a timeline question here. @weaver33, that conversation is a reference to JLA: Cry for Justice by James Robinson, available for pre-order in collected format (what else?) right now.

    Back later. Thanks all (and visit the Hunger Site, where it costs nothing and all you have to do is click to help feed the hungry).

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  38. Congratulations, you've always been a bookmark to check out for anything to do with comics.

    Here's to five more.

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  39. Much love and a Happy Birthday to Collected Editions!

    I found this site through matches and his blog "Iceberg Lounge" what seems like... man, a long time ago. There don't seem to be many trade paperback review sites around and I was just starting my own reviewing blog at the time, so it was interesting to compare and contrast my own thoughts with others. Besides which, I found this place and matches "Iceberg Lounge" to be overly fair reviewers, which appeals to me as it feels like you don't see that much in comics fandom.

    I've checked up on both blogs daily ever since; often feeling like chiming in on reviews.

    Keep up the good work, CE; I enjoy it and here's to five more years.

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  40. Happy anniversary, mate! Can't believe it's been five years. It's always nice to have a site that's dedicated to wait-for-trade readers like us. Here's to another five more!

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  41. I'm a big DC fan and check your blog daily. Hope you keep it going strong for years to come! Congrats on the anniversary!

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  42. I love getting the reviews in my email box and look forward to another 5 years! Thanks for the entertainment.

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  43. dl316bh, Iceberg Lounge is a site I enjoy, too; also reminds me a blog I read when Collected Editions first started was Mark Fossen's Focused Totality, no longer being updated. Mark, if you're still out there, stop by and say hello.

    Jeffrey, did you comment here early on under just the name "Jeffrey?" Seems like you've been here a long time, too!

    Today's been a blast; thanks everyone so much for stopping by. I'm out until tomorrow, when I'll be back with a review of Titans: Old Friends; I know lots of people have opinions on that one, and I'm eager to hear your thoughts. If you've arrive on this post in the next few days, don't hesitate to still chime in; it's been great to hear from everyone -- longtime commenters, new ones, the email subscribers, and more -- and I hope additional visitors get in touch.

    Thank you, thank you, thank you -- we'll do this again in five years. Take care!

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  44. Great site, great articles, keep it up!

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  45. Haha, yeah, that was me. I was still in uni at the time, in Australia. Time really does seem to fly.

    And yes, Focused Totality was a pretty good blog when it was around.

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  46. Happy anniversary!

    Love the DC Comics Trade Paperback Timeline. Pls. keep it updated!

    How about a Marvel Comics Trade Paperback Timeline?

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  47. Bruce ColemanFebruary 25, 2010

    Congratulations! I've been an avid reader of this blog now for the past eight months - it convinced me to drop all of my floppy lists and go completely trade! One of the best decisions I ever made! Thanks for keeping me up to date daily!

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  48. Congratulations!

    CollectedEditions has been a HUGE inspiration to me and I absolutely LOVE the reviews. You guys have set the trade reviewing bar pretty high.

    Here's to many man years to come!

    John (acomibookblog.com)

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  49. Congrats! I rely on you for reviews since I dropped monthlies last year and your DC Timeline has been an invaluable aid in organizing my collection. Here's to many more years of Collected Editions!

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  50. Hooray! Happy Belated 5th Birthday Collected Editions Blog! I've been ghosting this for a while, so I was shocked that I got my name mentioned by... name after only 2 posts.

    Anyways this blog has helped me pick out good collections and gotten me into genres I never thought I'd be into (Green Lantern is now one of my favorites, and I never thought I'd like the police procedural/Space Opera stuff!).

    So, once again... HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

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  51. Congrats on 5 years! Been reading for about 2. Excellent work!

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  52. I'm late to the party (it's been a hell of a week) but wanted to be sure to offer you a hearty congratulations on the 5th anniversary of Collected Editions!

    Collected Editions is right up my alley. As someone who stopped collecting comics in college, trade paperbacks were an easy way to catch up on (then) current storylines and favorites from my childhood. Today, collected editions are the only way I collect and your blog is a great resource.

    What I like most about The Collected Editions Blog is everything you bring to it--thoughtful reviews, previews of what's to come and even some comics discussion. And I'll chime in more often with my own thoughts and comments.

    Congrats!!

    Jered

    Twitter: @jeredgold

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  53. Can't believe how late I am (the firewall at my workplace doesn't let me post comments here, and I kept forgetting to visit this blog at home), but I want to congratulate you for five years of intelligent reviews and invaluable information on TPBs and HCs.

    In fact, I originally found this blog by searching for info on a DC collection that had become available for pre-order on Amazon but hadn't been solicited yet. I think it was The Flash: Emergency Stop. Then I spent almost an entire afternoon reading your reviews.

    As someone who still reads monthly comics but likes to replace them with collected editions, I'm always interested in the perspective of someone who gets to read these stories in one sitting and isn't subject to waiting months for a chapter because of a late writer or a slow artist.

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  54. Got a new url but still same old me.

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  55. ComicReaderDudeFebruary 27, 2010

    Was out of town this week so couldn't join the party in progress, but congrats! I read this site everyday and comment when I have something useful to add. Keep up the great work!

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  56. Hey, thanks to everyone who's stopped by in the last few days -- much obliged! Among shout outs: John at the Comic Book Blog, love your design; we should talk sometime.

    And to everyone who's posted here who's been reading a while, but this is your first comment, hope you'll stop by again. If there's anything I can do to make it easier/better to leave a comment, just let me know.

    Marvel fans should check out the timeline created by pal Loki (Hey, Loki, you need to update the links to my timeline!), but there's also a rumor I'm working on something to help the Marvel fans ...

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  57. I've gotten into trades and hardcovers about a year ago, and at about the same time my local comics store started putting out trades in a discount box. This blog has been a big help toward sorting out different arcs and continuities, and getting a sense of what series need sniffing out.

    Here's to five more years! :)

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  58. Congrats! You're the best comic reviewer out there, period, here's to another year and many more!

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  59. Shucks, I don't know that I'd go that far, but I appreciate it (and all your links to the site!).

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  60. Do you know what I like best about your blog? That I believe you give fair reviews. You're not overly critical, even if you don't like everything. I can't stand reading the comments on articles over at comicbookresources.com because they're so negative! In fact, some of the articles over there (like "The Buy Pile" I think it's called) are just "this is crap, that is crap" and it makes me wonder why that person even buys comics, let alone writes articles about them! When I come here, there are discussions about what's not working, but still in general things are very positive, and THAT is the biggest reason I keep coming back!

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  61. Collected Editions is one of the websites I go to about every other day! I love this website so much! This website has changed the way I read and buy comics. I used to buy the individual issues but due to ever increasing costs of individual books, ever broadening stories arcs, and the time required to get the individual issues I have recently switched to trades. This website is unquestionably my greatest resource for me when it comes trades I am going to buy (my dream is all of the ones listed above!!!). Thank you so much for all of your amazing work. Keep it up!!!

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