We also see the next volumes in the reprint series of Chuck Dixon's Nightwing and Robin, and also a collection of some immediately-post-Crisis on Infinite Earths Batman stories that I'm pretty excited about. All of this and further indication of how nicely crossovers are being collected in Rebirth, as we see the contents of the next Justice League Rebirth collections.
Let's dip in and take a look.
• Justice League by Giffen and DeMatteis Omnibus Vol. 1 HC
What DC's Fall 2017 solicitations had listed as the Justice League International Omnibus is already solicited this month, for September, as Justice League by Giffen and DeMatteis Omnibus Vol. 1. The contents now outpace the six hardcover/paperback Justice League International collections by about a dozen issues or so; the end of Giffen and DeMatteis's run is now within about twenty issues from the end of this, times two series, America and Europe.
Contents are said to be Justice League #1-6, Justice League International #7-25, Justice League America #26-46, Justice League Europe #1-21, Suicide Squad #13, Justice League International Annual #1-3, Justice League America Annual #4, Justice League Europe Annual #1, and possibly more. (A number of people have pointed out that these are too many issues for a 1,000-page omnibus, so we'll see how the contents shake out.)
Given that DC is now doubling-down on their Justice League International collections, we can perhaps surmise that interest in the Justice League: Breakdowns book was so great as to warrant this bigger collection, and not as it seemed that there was too little interest for that book to make it.
At this point I think it's generally accepted that Keith Giffen and JM DeMatteis's "bwa-ha-ha" era of Justice League is just as intrinsic to the fabric of the DC Universe as the Silver Age incarnation or Grant Morrison's JLA, and a comprehensive volume is welcome if not overdue.
• Absolute Authority Vol. 1 HC
This is new, and maybe a little controversial, re-releasing an Absolute edition with material not included in the original Absolute edition. Adding to the original issues #1-12 now is the Planetary/Authority graphic novel, and also apparently a "new story by Warren Ellis, Bryan Hitch and Paul Neary." Honestly this would enthuse me more if DC had kept up the Authority franchise; I'm still surprised they went with Stormwatch instead of Authority in the New 52, and unfortunately that title didn't work out so well anyway. All of which leads me to feel that Authority's time has somehow passed (though if the story related to current political events, that'd be interesting) and I'm more likely to browse the new material when it's invariably released in a cheaper edition.
• Planetary Book One TP
This is a "new cut" of the Planetary collection ("cut" and "recut" being the word of the day in DC's Fall 2017 solicitations), including about half of the original series (#1-14), a "sneak peak" story, and the same Planetary/Authority graphic novel that's also in the new Absolute Authority collection.
• Aquaman: Kingdom Lost TP
This collection by John Arcudi and Patrick Gleason finishes out the Aquaman series that ran parallel to the end of JLA, finishing with a tie-in to Infinite Crisis. The contents are said to be issues #32-39 and the last collection ended with Arcudi's issue #29, which I guess keeps the latter half of this collection series all Arcudi, but in the interest of completeness I wish they'd throw in issues #30-31 by Marc Guggenheim and Andy Clarke, too.
• Batman: The Caped Crusader Vol. 1 HC
I'm pleased to see this Batman: The Caped Crusader collection, which appears to collect issues of Batman and Detective Comics that followed Crisis on Infinite Earths and Batman: Year One -- that is, issues that aren't super-duper special, but simply reflect a Batman era that's otherwise mostly uncollected, which for a completist like me is really kind of great.
The contents are Detective Comics #575-584 and Batman #413-420. This does include Batman: Year Two, stories from the recent Jason Todd-centric collection Batman: Second Chances, and Batman: Ten Nights of the Beast, so of about 18 issues, about 12 of them are previously collected, but I'd venture a collection of Ten Nights is pretty hard to find these days, and in all these are some classic, often gritty Batman stories. Stories are by Mike Barr, Jo Duffy, Alan Grant, John Wagner, and Jim Starlin, including two Millennium crossover issues. For those following along at home, the issues around Death in the Family would be coming up in the next volume.
• Daring New Adventures of Supergirl Vol. 2 TP
The second volume of Paul Kupperberg's early 1980s Supergirl series saw the release of the Helen Slater movie, causing the title change from "Daring New Adventures" to just "Supergirl." Indeed the volume includes an Ambush Bug guest-appearance. This is the Supergirl who dies in Crisis on Infinite Earths; indeed she has few appearances after this volume before Crisis.
• Elseworlds: Justice League Vol. 2 TP
The big draw in this volume are three graphic novels by Jean-Mac Lofficier and Randy Lofficier, Superman: Metropolis, Batman: Nosferatu, and Wonder Woman: Blue Amazon, connected and based on classic German movies. Also included is Doug Moench's three-part JLA: Act of God, about the heroes losing their powers, and the famously pulped Elseworlds 80-Page Giant.
• Midnighter: The Complete Wildstorm Series TP
This Midnighter collection has been bopping around DC's solicitations for about a year now, so it's good to see it finally solicited. This is Midnighter #1-20 and the Midnighter: Armageddon special. All of these are collected in other trades, but I imagine fans will like to have them in one place; possibly the only thing this lacks is the Grifter & Midnighter miniseries, also collected on its own.
• Nightwing Vol. 6: To Serve and Protect TP
This new collection of Chuck Dixon's Nightwing series collects the contents of the Big Guns and On the Razor's Edge collections, issues #47-60 plus the Nightwing 80-Page Giant special (the Secret Files and Origins, originally in Big Guns, was moved to the new fourth volume). Issues #51 (a profile of the Tad character) and #53 ("Officer Down," part 5) were previously omitted but have been brought back here.
This marks the end of where this Nightwing series has been collected until issue #101. Dixon would write until issue #70 and then Devin Grayson would take over until issue #117, with a variety of writers after that. Which is to say, hopefully there's more reprint Nightwing volumes to follow, and those should begin to collect Nightwing material that's never been collected before.
• Robin Vol. 4: Turning Point TP
The fourth new collection of Chuck Dixon's Robin collects the Robin/Huntress stories from Showcase '94 #5-6 and Robin #0 and #6-13 (issue #6 crossed over with Showcase '94). This is, admittedly, an issue of "Knightquest," two parts of "Knightsend," two Zero Hour tie-in issues, and three parts of Prodigal. That's wonky, to be sure (it smoothes out a little after that but there's plenty other events on the horizon), but Dixon has subplots that move laterally through his issues, so I maintain there's some value in reading the issues this way.
• Wonder Woman 100 Project TP
Via Jason Waters on Facebook: "The 'Wonder Woman 100' project is brought to you by the Hero Initiative, a non-profit that raises money for the veterans of the comic book industry who fall on hard times. I've been a fundraiser for them for over a decade. Visit www.heroinitiative.org for more info. This is the second DC Comics book we've done."
A covers collection wouldn't usually be for me, but I thought it was interesting this solicitation included "NOTE: There will be ONLY ONE PRINTING OF THIS BOOK EVER! Order yours today!" They're upfront about it, at least.
• DC Universe: Rebirth Omnibus Expanded Edition HC
As we discussed the other day, this is the DC Universe: Rebirth Omnibus all over again, just now with Batwoman: Rebirth, Justice League America: Rebirth and its associated specials, the DC Rebirth Holiday Special, and variably I've heard Super Sons #1 is in there, though the solicitation doesn't say it.
This is fine enough; the manner in which some of these are the first part of stories and some of these are self-contained makes for an uncertain reading experience, and had I bought this omnibus just a year ago only for it to be re-released a year later with just seven more issues in it, I might be annoyed, but good that DC's making it complete-er. But I do wonder why not just a Vol. 2, maybe with Justice League vs. Suicide Squad or some other integral part of the Rebirth story; if DC decides to release more Rebirth specials, how much more can they add to this book before it's time to start a new one?
• Deathstroke Vol. 2: The Gospel of Slade TP
Collects issues #6-11 of the Christopher Priest series. The next collection was just solicited as issues #12-17, but given that "Lazarus Contract" starts with issue #19, we might expect that'll be #12-18 instead.
• Flash Vol. 3: Rogues Reloaded TP
Collects issues #14-20, ending just before the Batman crossover "The Button."
• Flash: The Rebirth Collection Deluxe Edition Book One HC
The solicitation says this collects the Rebirth special and issues #1-12, but the second paperback collection goes to issue #13, so most likely this will, too.
• Gotham Academy: Second Semester Vol. 1 TP
Collects issues #1-3 and #5-8 of the second series. Issue #4, with guest artist Jon Lam, is scheduled to be in the next collection.
• Harley Quinn by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti Omnibus Vol. 1 HC
The solicitation for the first Harley Quinn omnibus basically match what DC released the other day -- Harley Quinn #0-16, , Harley Quinn: Futures End #1, Harley Quinn Invades San Diego Comic Con #1, Harley Quinn Annual #1, Harley Quinn Holiday Special #1, Harley Quinn Valentines Day Special #1, and Harley Quinn & Power Girl #1-6 -- except for the Harley Quinn Director's Cut #0 and the story from Secret Origins #4. Complete as this is, I'd be surprised if those weren't in here.
• Injustice Ground Zero Vol. 1 HC
Collects issues #1-6 of the new series. I thought I understood that this was a re-telling of the previous Injustice series from Harley's perspective, but if it's a new story bridging Injustice and Injustice 2, that makes me more interested.
• Justice League by Geoff Johns Box Set Vol. 1
I find these box sets -- previously for Snyder and Capullo's Batman -- pretty attractive, with uniform trade dress for the books. This has the first three Justice League volumes -- Origin, Villain's Journey, and Throne of Atlantis -- collecting Justice League #1-17 and Aquaman #15-16.
• Justice League Vol. 3: Timeless TP
The previous volume collected Justice League #6-11 and this one picks up with issues #14-19, so indeed it skips the Justice League vs. Suicide Squad issues collected elsewhere.
• Justice League: The Rebirth Collection Deluxe Edition Book One HC
Collects the Rebirth special and issues #1-11, which matches what we already know.
• Midnighter & Apollo TP
The six issue miniseries by Steve Orlando and Fernando Blanco.
• Mother Panic Vol. 1: A Work in Progress TP
• Shade, The Changing Girl Vol. 1: Earth Girl Made Easy TP
Each collect the first six issues of the Young Animal series.
• Wonder Woman by Greg Rucka Vol. 2 TP
The second of what must now be three Wonder Woman by Greg Rucka volumes collects issues #206-217, which are the former Eyes of the Gorgon and Land of the Dead collections (missing is Flash #219, which should hopefully be included). Plenty of room in the next volume to completely collect the "Sacrifice" crossover with the Superman titles.
A whole bunch of books solicited lately! Pick one -- ONE -- book that you could purchase; what would it be?
I'm definitely picking up Wonder Woman by Rucka. Missed these the first time around and am enjoying v1 at the moment. Will probably pick up the Midnighter collection.
ReplyDeleteHighly recommend Midnighter and Apollo - read it in floppy format and it's just a ton of fun.
I re-read some of Rucka's original Wonder Woman in preparation for the Rebirth volume, and I was pleased with how well it held up. Some great stuff; glad you're enjoying it.
DeleteI don't think that Nightwing trade will reach #60, because too little pages and Our World's At War is missing.
ReplyDeleteHow to collect Bat-events in individual series, round #whichever.
Robin #7 - fine
Robin #8 - middle of Knightsend, minimum subplots, I'd skip it, but okay
Robin #9 - fine
Robin #10 - fine
Robin #0 - fine
Robin #11 - cliffhanger ending, could use two or three pages from Batman #513 to solve it, or recap, is there really a reason not to do it?
Robin #12 - fine
Robin #13 - very not fine. JLI Omnibus? Needs Suicide Squad issue, because it's a two-part story. Wonder Woman trade? Needs Flash issue, because it's a two-part story. Why exactly Robin trade doesn't need Detective Comics #781, if it also is a two-part story, although disguised as Prodigal parts 11 and 12? This is almost literally the same thing.
Justice League America 46 is part 1 of the Captain Glory arc "Glory Days," so including it in this JLI omnibus doesn't make sense.
ReplyDeleteI don't like omnibuses, I find them really unwieldy to read and I can't take them with me, so it's annoying that the omnibus includes material not already in the six trades and which will probably never now be published in a convenient, smaller book.
I don't know about "never"; DC's custom these days has been to publish a large omnibus and then chop it up into smaller paperbacks (Wonder Woman by Perez, New Teen Titans, etc.).
DeleteWe now know, per Previews product changes' page, that the JLI Omnibus is only Justice League #1-#6, Justice League International #7-#25, Justice League America #26-#30, Justice League International Annual #1-#3, Justice League Europe #1-#6.
DeleteWhat's left : 30 JLA issues and 2 annuals, 30 JLE issues and 2 Annuals, the Mister Miracle Special, the Huntress Special, 9 JL Quarterlys... anything more ?
So, three volumes in total ?
Marvel: http://www.cbr.com/marvel-comics-solicitations-for-june-2017/
ReplyDelete*Thor by Walter Simonson Omnibus HC--Do I even need to say it at this point? Go pre-order this now before it goes out of print again!
*Hulk: World War Hulk Omnibus HC--June is part of the big "Thor: Ragnarok" prep season, so there's a lot of Thor and Hulk material getting collected. World War Hulk is one of the character's best stories (if not as fully iconic as Simonson's Thor) and this gathers a solid chunk of material.
*Muppet Babies Omnibus HC--You have no idea how much willpower it's taking for me to not go out and order this. Muppet Babies is a major foundation of my childhood, and while I've never read the Star Comics run, the pull of nostalgia is incredibly strong here.
*The Monsters ABCs HC--This is a cute art book concept similar to the collections of the hip-hop covers, plus some additional classic Kirby monster material. It would've been nice to see some of the more recent stories collected here like the Fin Fang Four miniseries.
*Black Eyed Peas: Masters of the Sun-The Zombie Chronicles TPB--I don't know what's more unlikely, that this comic exists, that it's coming out in 2017, or that co-writer "Benjamin Jackendoff" is a real name. The solicit text itself is kind of mindboggling. I may have to check this out just for the weirdness factor, plus Damion Scott is a solid artist so it should at least look good.
*Color Your Own Marvel Masters TPB--Sadly there's no indication that Jim Steranko is one of the artists available to color over. Still, getting a chance to fiddle with solid Kirby and Ditko black-and-white lineart is kind of fun. Plus, to indulge in some Silver Age comics humor, you can approach it as a Vince Colletta simulator.
*USAvengers Vol 1: American Intelligence Mechanics TPB--The newest iteration of Al Ewing's Avengers is even stronger than before. He deserves all the support he can get.
*Spider-Man: Webspinners The Complete Collection TPB--It's never too early to collect material in preparation for Spider-Man: Homecoming, and this anthology series has never had a full collection until now, and while I wouldn't pay $40 fot it, I'm sure there are Spidey completionists cheering at the news of this trade's existence.
*Captain America and the Avengers: The Complete Collection TPB--For a brief time, Captain America had his own version of Marvel Team-Up which used his title's old numbering. If you want some short arcs and light reading this should be fun.
*Deadpool Classic Vol. 18: Deadpool vs. Marvel TPB--I've reviewed or personally read the majority of this trade with the exception of Deadpool vs. Thanos (which I've heard is pretty solid). The headliner is the superlative Hawkeye vs. Deadpool but the others are all great.
*Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born TPB--With a Dark Tower movie actually happening this summer (it's practically the movie equivalent of Guns n Roses' Chinese Democracy), it's worth looking into this adaptation, especially with Peter David and Jae Lee as the creative team.
If I could only choose one - gotta be JLA - Giffen. Though I too hate the Omnibi format, I worry that if I don't buy it, we'll never get Vol. 2 or never get the full series in better smaller trades. Gotta buy it.
ReplyDeleteThat's the spirit! But I really wouldn't be surprised if DC chops this one up into paperbacks later.
DeleteAs much as I've been waiting for a Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League omnibus, if I could only pick one of these collections, I'd go with Wonder Woman by Greg Rucka Vol. 2, because I love that run that much, and I missed out on the first time it got collected.
ReplyDeleteAbout Aquaman: Kingdom Lost, issues #30-31 were collected in the previous volume, To Serve and Protect. Between these post-Sub Diego collections and the upcoming Waterbearer Vol. 2, all that will be left to finish collecting the 2003 Aquaman series is one or two TPBs covering the whole Sword of Atlantis period (#40-57). As I recall, only the first 6 of those issues ever got collected.
Thanks; I hadn't caught that #30-31 were in To Serve and Protect. I'm rooting for one more Sword of Atlantis collection, exactly the issues you mentioned.
DeleteI wonder why the Batman Caped Crusader is being printed in HC. Since it is Batman, I think it will be safe but I could see it going the way of the Superman Man of Tomorrow HC. People will go for big Omnibus editions but I am not sure that smaller HC editions of old material is that in demand.
ReplyDeleteAfter some hesitation, I am sold on the JLI omnibus. I think whenthe dust settles it will cover just the material already released in tpb. I hope for a volume two that will finish the classic run.
I am in for the SA Supergirl, 80's Supergirl, Rucka Wonder Woman, Injustice Ground zero, and Epic Collection Capt America.
The Simonson Thor omnibus is a pass just because I bought the trades of this just a few years ago and they are beautiful. No need to double dip.
I agree, hardcover's a little odd on that Batman book, and especially because it dovetails with Batman: Second CHances, which is paperback. "Because Batman" might be the answer, and surely these stories deserve snazzy packaging, but yes, I hope it doesn't hurt the chances either.
DeleteNow that more and more omnibuses are being republished as trades, they're reverting back to their original purpose as collectible pieces rather than essential collections. I'm quite all right with that.
DeleteThe Wonder Woman 100 book is also a for me.
ReplyDeleteI might buy the JLI Omnibus since I only own 1-4 and this collects 1-5 (I'm expecting the previous Vol. 6 will be collected later). Although Suicide squad #13 isn't mentioned on Amazon. I'm actually currently rereading these and they're a welcome change from some of the more gritty stuff that came out back then.
ReplyDeleteMidnighter & Apollo is something that I really want to read.
And it's strange that Wonder Woman by Greg Rucka Vol. 2 doesn't include the flash issue. But with DC their record of correctly publishing TPB contents you never know.
I like Batman: The Caped Crusader Vol. 1 for stories that I'm missing, but there are a few other gaps that I want to fill first. But maybe by June this has moved up on my to buy list.
And I'm buying all the Bat-related reprint books atm, so it's always good to see the next Volumes appear on the list.
Perhaps I misunderstood, but I thought Injustice: Ground Zero was not so much a "new" story, but rather an adaptation of the first video game's Story Mode, told from Harley's perspective (for some reason).
ReplyDeleteThat's what I though, too, but the solicitation talks about bridging the gap between Injustice and Injustice 2. Maybe the solicitation is wrong.
DeleteThe one I most want is the JLA Giffen but I'm going to wait to see if it has more then the first 6 collections, since I already own them.
ReplyDelete