Highlights for this month also include the deluxe Action Comics #1000; two "New Age of Heroes" collections, Damage and Silencer; the Impulse omnibus; the first volume of James Robinson's Wonder Woman; and an unexpected collection of Judd Winick's Titans.
Here we go ...
• Action Comics #1000: The Deluxe Edition HC
Solicited one month later, but arriving in September, is the deluxe edition of Action Comics #1000. In addition to the issue itself, this has Paul Levitz and Neal Adams' "The Game" story from Action Comics: 80 Years of Superman
• All-Star Batman Vol. 3: The First Ally TP
Paperback of the (excellent) hardcover, collecting the final issues, #10-14.
• Bane: Conquest TP
Collects the twelve-issue miniseries by Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan. Will Bane be able to trade his new mouth-hole mask for his better, cooler non-mouth-hole original mask? A nice touch of serendipity that this arrives at the same time as the new Knightfall books, though I haven't heard much buzz about this book's quality.
• Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 7: Batmen Eternal TP
Collects issues #975-981. This is James Tynion's last collection of this book ... sniff ... I think I've got something in my eye ...
• Batman: Knightfall Vol. 1: The 25th Anniversary Edition TP
Happily, the beginning of a reprint of the recent Batman: Knightfall omnibuses in paperback form, this is one half of "Knightfall" proper, Batman #492-497 and Detective Comics #659-663.
Also included (via the omnibus) is Batman Villains Secret Files and Origins #1, which was published about five years after "Knightfall" but included the story "How Bane Infiltrated Wayne Manor" by Chuck Dixon and "Ed Barreto" (I think this is the late Eduardo Barreto of Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography). In the Secret Files, these are presented as "lost" unpublished pages, framed on storyboards, though I think that's just a gimmick. I'm curious, if someone has the omnibus, whether they're presented like that in these volumes or just as normal pages.
• Batman: Knightfall Vol. 2: The 25th Anniversary Edition TP
Collects Detective Comics #664-666, Showcase ’93 #7-8, Batman #498-500 and Batman: Shadow of the Bat #16-18, the second half of "Knightfall."
• Batman: Knightquest: The Crusade Vol. 1 TP
Continuing the Knightfall Omnibus paperbacks, this collects half of the Azrael half of "Knightquest," Detective Comics #667-670, Robin #1-2, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #19-20, Batman #501-504, and Catwoman #6-7.
• Batman: Prelude to Knightfall TP
This collects Vengeance of Bane #1, Batman #484-491, and Detective Comics #654-658. What we're really waiting to see, maybe in next month's solicitations, is whether the final "Prodigal" book will also have the "Troika" storyline, collected for the first time in the Knightfall omnibuses, or whether those issues will be omitted.
• Batman: Preludes to the Wedding TP
Collects the one-shot specials spinning out of Tom King's Batman Vol. 7: Robin vs. Ra’s Al Ghul, Nightwing vs. Hush #1, Batgirl vs. The Riddler, Red Hood vs. Anarky and Harley Quinn vs. The Joker
• Batman: The Court of Owls Saga: The Essential Edition TP
Collects issues #1-11, so both the New 52 Batman Vol. 1: Court of Owls and Batman Vol. 2: City of Owls collections together. I'll be curious to see the trade dress on these new DC "Essential Editions."
• Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (DC Modern Classics Edition) HC
Two new collections series starting this month, "DC Modern Classics" and "DC Essential Editions." The Modern Classics are hardcover with slipcase, like this one; the Essential Editions are paperbacks usually spanning multiple individual trade collections.
• Batman: The Gates of Gotham Deluxe Edition HC
Once upon a time it seemed like Scott Snyder and company had a certain grand plan for the history of Gotham that I think never quite totally emerged, though we saw parts in Night of the Owls and etc. To that end I've thought Gates of Gotham never quite got its due (consider the last issue arrived on the eve of the New 52 relaunch) and so this deluxe collection is a nice surprise, a chance to consider the story on its own merits.
• Batman: The Golden Age Vol. 5 TP
Detective Comics #113-131, Batman #36-44, and World's Finest Comics #23-32.
• Batman/Catwoman: The Wedding Album: The Deluxe Edition HC
It's funny because I remember the Green Arrow/Black Canary: The Wedding Album collection. DC should retroactively do one of these for Superman and Lois. Collects the otherwise-collected Batman #24, #44, and #50, plus the retailer variant covers from issue #50, wedding dress designs by Joëlle Jones, and the script to issue #44.
• Before Watchmen Omnibus HC
This seems somewhat obvious, in retrospect -- an omnibus edition of the Before Watchmen books. Includes Before Watchmen: Comedian #1-6, Before Watchmen: Rorschach #1-4, Before Watchmen: Minutemen #1-6, Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre #1-4, Before Watchmen: Nite Owl #1-4, Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan #1-4, Before Watchmen: Moloch #1-2, Before Watchmen: Ozymandias #1-6, Before Watchmen: Crimson Corsair #1, and Before Watchmen: Dollar Bill #1
• Damage Vol. 1: Out of Control TP
Collects issues #1-6 of the "New Age of Heroes" series spinning out of Dark Nights: Metal.
• Dark Knight III: The Master Race TP
The nine-issue miniseries and mini-comic tie-ins in paperback.
• Flash Vol. 7: Perfect Storm TP
Collects issues #39-45 by Joshua Williamson. The next trade will be the "Flash War" storyline.
• Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps Vol. 6: Zod's Will TP
Collects issues #37-41, which see the Corps face off with General Zod. I have enjoyed DC's use of Zod in non-Superman settings, e.g. in Suicide Squad, and I expect Robert Venditti will write him well too. I expect there's just one more collection of Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps to come, though it'll be a nine-issue trade.
• House of Mystery: The Bronze Age Omnibus Vol. 1 HC
Issues #174-200. If I'm not mistaken, much of this has only been reprinted in black-and-white Showcase Presents volumes.
• Impulse by Mark Waid and Humberto Ramos Omnibus HC
If there was ever a really good use for an omnibus, it's 768 pages collecting Mark Waid's whole run on Impulse (issues #1-27), Flash #108-111, and the Secret Origins 80-Page Giant. For those playing along at home, we get an Underworld Unleashed tie-in issue plus the Impulse parts of the Flash "Dead Heat" crossover. Hopefully this sells well enough that DC decides to continue into the other writers' material.
Given seven-plus seasons, can the Flash TV show ever help but one day introduce Bart Allen? No, they can't.
• Injustice: Gods Among Us Year One Deluxe Edition Book One HC
Collects issues #1-12 with a new introduction by Tom Taylor.
• Justice League of America Vol. 5: Deadly Fable TP
Collects issues #22-29, the final collection of this series. I thought this book would last a lot longer but it does seem some of the public, magnanimous principles of Steve Orlando's League are carrying over to the new "Hall of Justice" League.
• Justice League Vol. 7: Justice Lost TP
Collects issues #39-43, also the end of this iteration of the Justice League title.
• Justice League: No Justice TP
Pretty darn impressive that DC is soliciting the
• Nightwing Vol. 6: The Untouchable TP
Collects issues #35-41 by Sam Humphries, between Tim Seeley's and Benjamin Percy's runs.
• Scooby Apocalypse Vol. 4 TP
Issues #19-25
• Silencer Vol. 1: Code of Honor TP
Issues #1-6 by Dan Abnett with John Romita.
• Super Sons Vol. 3: Parent Trap TP
Collects issues #13-16 and Annual #1, the final issues of Peter Tomasi's series.
• Titans Book One: Together Forever TP
I definitely think Judd Winick's DC Comics work deserves more recognition than it gets, and the idea of DC collecting some of the old adult Titans Titans comics is great, but I really wish they'd have started with Devin Grayson's quite enjoyable The Titans series (starting really with JLA/Titans: The Technis Imperative) before going to this. Both of these series had their problems -- Grayson's book, later by Jay Faerber, gets embroiled in the annoying DEO Orphans, while Winick's book, later by Eric Wallace, becomes a dark villains' title -- but the start of Grayson's book had the better spirit of the adult Titans.
We did just get Titans: Total Chaos and now this because of the Titans TV series, so let's keep hoping for a classic "Titans Hunt" collection.
• Titans Vol. 4: Titans Apart TP
Collects the last issues of Titans before the new post-"No Justice" team arrives, issues #19-22 and Annual #2. I applaud DC for keeping the same numbering on this title, Teen Titans, and the soon-to-return Supergirl.
• United States of Murder Inc. Vol. 1: Truth TP
Issues #1-5 by Brian Michael Bendis.
• Watchmen (DC Modern Classics Edition) HC
Another DC Modern Classics hardcover edition with slipcase.
• Wonder Woman Vol. 6: Children of the Gods TP
The first collection of James Robinson's run, collecting issues #31-37.
Brian Michael Bendis's creator-owned books -- are these something I should get in to?
Is No Justice really hardcover? The link days TP.
ReplyDeleteMy bad -- paperback. But I would expect we'll see a deluxe edition at some point. That could explain the quick turnaround, too -- that this is the quick hit paperback and the hardcover with bells and whistles will come later.
Delete"Pretty darn impressive that DC is soliciting the hardcover before the series is even done, and that it's coming out four months from now."
ReplyDeleteIsn't this just four (weekly) issues though? Three of which are already out now, as well as the few pages from DC Nation #0, so that collection doesn't seem so quick to me. In fact the price for the floppies is basically the same as getting the collected edition which is a bummer.
"Brian Michael Bendis's creator-owned books -- are these something I should get in to?"
I thought Scarlet volume 1 was solid, although I did not care for where it went in volume 2. I'll still check out the eventual third one.
Tangent but have you ever posted any pictures of your collected edition library anywhere? I would love to see what you've got going on there -- I can only imagine the shelf porn. Thanks
Very pleased about the Waid Impulse collection. In retrospect the best overall Flash material Waid put out.
ReplyDeleteWeird to me that there is an Impulse by Mark Waid Omnibus... but no FLASH by Mark Waid Omnibus!
ReplyDeleteIt'd be kind of cool if in a year or so we start getting Impulse by Waid tpb collections and a Flash by Waid omni.
DeleteI feel like there would have to be several Waid omnis (Johns had three after all) and that would take too long to roll out so long after the TPBs. Plus it's easier to jump between his various runs with trades.
DeleteI expect they'd finish the Flash by Mark Waid paperbacks before going to hardcover. And it's a little unusual to go paperback then hardcover; I tend to think if there was going to be a Flash/Waid omnibus, it'd already have happened.
DeleteI generally love Bendis's creator-owned books, especially Scarlet and United States of Murder Inc., but the delays were absurd when he was at Marvel. Now that he's writing just two ongoing monthly super-hero books, I hope Pearl and Scarlet will come out on time, and that both Powers and USoM come back once Oeming is done with Cave Carson.
ReplyDeleteI only know Bendis through his creator owned stuff, and I really like everything I've read. I liked Torso a lot.
ReplyDeleteRe: Bendis' creator owned works: It's a very mixed bag. United States of Murder Inc is good. Volume 1 of Scarlet is very good. Didn't care for Vol 2. Brilliant you can miss. Powers is a lot of fun early on but gets weird the longer you go. Torso and Fire are so bad that I'd be surprised if DC even bothered to reprint them, best left forgotten. I have fond memories of Jinx and Goldfish, though in fairness, I haven't read them in 15 years so...
ReplyDeleteI know the Knightfall 25th Anniv TPBs & Knightquest TPBs are collecting issues that were in the Omnibi but does anyone know if the Knightfall Prelude TPB has been previousl collected in the Omnibi or anywhere else?
ReplyDeleteThe contents of the Prelude to Knightfall TPB are in the first omnibus, too.
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