Another one, just in terms of surprise, is the Mister Miracle by Steve Englehart and Steve Gerber collection. Due probably in no small part to the upcoming New Gods movie, it's cool to see DC releasing further Fourth World adventures — not just the classic stuff, but the ways in which other authors continued the saga and integrated the New Gods into the DC Universe proper.
Other than that, most of my picks are just for regular series; over the summer, it's seemed like DC's release of regular-series trades has shrunk to a trickle, so I'm excited to see a selection of "read right away" books on this list. For me, those include Peter Tomasi's Detective Comics Vol. 2 and Tom King's Batman Vol. 11; Marc Andreyko's Supergirl Vol. 2; Grant Morrison's The Green Lantern Vol. 2; the hardcover collection of Teen Titans/Deathstroke: The Terminus Agenda; Robert Venditti's Hawkman Vol. 2, and the first Dial H for HERO collection. Those of you who were collecting the Rebirth Deluxe Editions will probably be happy with Justice League by Scott Snyder Deluxe Edition Book One, too (though no guarantees on matching spine designs!).
Check out all of this month's offerings below.
• Absolute Swamp Thing by Alan Moore Vol. 2 HC
Collects Swamp Thing (nee Saga of the Swamp Thing) issues #35-50, being the Saga of the Swamp Thing Vol. 3 and Saga of the Swamp Thing Vol. 4 collections. Includes the first appearance of John Constantine, a Crisis on Infinite Earths tie-in, and a significant event in the life of Zatara.
Note the solicitation names this Absolute Edition as coming out of DC Black Label.
• Aquaman Vol. 1: Unspoken Water TP
Paperback of the start of Kelly Sue DeConnick's run, issues #43-47, with art by Robson Rocha.
• Aquaman Vol. 2: Amnesty HC
Issues #48-52 by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Robson Rocha, in hardcover.
• Batgirl Vol. 6: Old Enemies TP
Issues #30-36 by new team of Mairghread Scott and Paul Pelletier.The previous volume came out in May and this one's scheduled for December; feels like a long time.
• Batman Vol. 11: The Fall and the Fallen TP
Issues #70-74 and Batman Secret Files #2 by Tom King, due now in December (previously listed as January).
• Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 2: Arkham Knight HC
Detective Comics #1001-1005, the annual #2, and a story from Detective Comics #1000 by Peter Tomasi and Doug Mahnke. Tomasi's first Detective Comics volume was not what I expected; I'm eager for the "real start" here.
• Black Orchid New Edition TP
Apparently a Black Label release, according to the solicitation, of of Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean's four-issue pre-Sandman miniseries.
• Blackhawk: Blood & Iron HC
Collecting the three-issue 1988 miniseries by Howard Chaykin that reimagined the team in World War II, following the end of their originally numbered series in 1984, alsong with stories from Action Comics Weekly #601-608, #615-622, and #628-635 (by Mike Grell among others), and Secret Origins #45, all of which followed the miniseries continuity.
• DC Poster Portfolio by Joshua Middleton TP
Well-deserved; I am not usually one for variant covers, but Middleton's work always catches my eye, especially what he's done on Aquaman and Batgirl.
• Dial H for Hero Vol. 1: Enter the Heroverse TP
Issues #1-6 from Brian Michael Bendis' Wonder Comics imprint, by Sam Humphries.
• Famous First Edition: New Fun #1 HC
Hardcover of DC's first comic, black and white and tabloid size (10.5 x 15.125), with essays by Roy Thomas and Nicky Wheeler-Nicholson, grand-daughter of Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, founder of National Allied Publications (precursor to DC).
• Female Furies TP
Cecil Castellucci's six-issue modern take on the Female Furies, with Adriana Melo, plus Jack Kirby's Mister Miracle #9, inspiration for the story.
• The Green Lantern Vol. 2: The Day the Stars Fell HC
Issues #7-12 in hardcover by Grant Morrison and Liam Sharp. This is the end of the first volume of Morrison's Green Lantern saga, before the three-issue Green Lantern: Blackstars miniseries by Morrison and Xermanico.
• The Green Lantern Vol. 1: Intergalactic Lawman TP
Paperback of issues #1-6 by Grant Morrison and Liam Sharp.
• Green Lantern: Rebirth Deluxe Edition HC
Deluxe-size edition of the six-issue Geoff Johns miniseries plus material from Green Lantern Secret Files and Origins #1.
• Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey TP
Ahead of the movie, collects Detective Comics #831 (Harley Quinn story by Paul Dini), Nightwing/Huntress #2, Gotham Central #6 ("Half a Life," part one), Batman #567 (first appearance of Cassandra Cain, during "No Man's Land"), Catwoman #16 (from the 2002 series by Ed Brubaker, the end of "Relentless" and a significant Catwoman/Black Mask story) and a story from Showcase ’96 #3 (Birds of Prey story with Black Canary, Oracle, and Lois Lane).
• Hawkman Vol. 2: Deathbringer TP
Second collection by Robert Venditti and Bryan Hitch, issues #7-12.
• Injustice 2 Vol. 6 TP
Issues #31-36 and Annual #2, the final collection of the series. Bring on Injustice vs. DCeased!
• Justice League by Scott Snyder Deluxe Edition Book One HC
Demonstrating that the "Rebirth Deluxe" hardcovers are not gone, just changed, this is issues #1-12 of the "New Justice" series, the "Totality" and "Graveyard of the Gods" trades plus the two "Drowned Earth" one-shots.
• Mister Miracle by Steve Englehart and Steve Gerber HC
Issues #19-25, The Brave and the Bold #112, #128, and #138, and DC Comics Presents #12. This title picked up the numbering from the Kirby run but started after a three-year hiatus. Brave and the Bold are Batman team-ups; DC Comics Presents has Superman.
• Pearl Vol. 2 TP
Issues #7-12 by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos.
• Promethea Deluxe Edition Book Two HC
Issues #13-24 by Alan Moore and J. H. Williams, in deluxe size with sketches, variant covers, and other bonus material.
• Super Friends: Saturday Morning Comics Vol. 1 HC
The original Super Friends cartoon tie-in comics, Super Friends #1-26, plus the promo Aquateers Meet the Super Friends #1, and stories from Limited Collectors’ Edition #C41 and #C-46, y E. Nelson Bridwell and others.
• Supergirl Vol. 2: Sins of the Circle TP
Issues #27-33 (previous solicitation said to #32) by Marc Andreyko, spinning off from Brian Michael Bendis' Superman series, with an appearance by the Omega Men.
• Superman: For Tomorrow: 15th Anniversary Deluxe Edition HC
Deluxe edition of the Brian Azzarello/Jim Lee arc from the early 2000s. I believe this is the first time all 12 issues have been collected together in one volume in hardcover outside of the Absolute edition (and a paperback compendium).
• Superman: Secret Origin Deluxe Edition HC
Deluxe hardcover edition of the post-Infinite Crisis series by Doomsday Clock's Geoff Johns and Gary Frank.
• Superman/Batman Omnibus Vol. 1 HC
Issues #1-43, which goes way past the Jeph Loeb run to stories by Mark Verheiden, Alan Burnett and Dustin Nguyen, and Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, plus Superman/Batman Annual #1-2, and stories from Superman/Batman: Secret Files #1. Includes the fall of Luthor as president and the return of Supergirl Kara Zor-El.
• Swamp Thing: The Bronze Age Vol. 2 TP
Following Len Wein's initial run, this collects David Michelinie's Swamp Thing #14-24, the end of the first series, plus appearances in Brave and the Bold #122 and #176 (both with Batman), DC Comics Presents #8 (with Superman and Solomon Grundy), and Challengers of the Unknown #81-87 (or is it #82-87?). Also includes art from the unpublished Swamp Thing #25, victim of the DC Implosion, in which Swamp Thing was meant to have teamed up with Hawkman.
• Teen Titans/Deathstroke: The Terminus Agenda HC
The new-new Teen Titans/Deathstroke crossover by Christopher Priest and Adam Glass, collecting Deathstroke #41-43 and Teen Titans #28-30.
• Watchmen Companion HC
DC previously solicited and cancelled a Road to Watchmen: The Question & Blue Beetle collection; none of what was going to be in there will be in here, but this seems in a somewhat similar spirit. Includes Watchmen: Watching the Watchmen and Watchmen: Taking out the Trash game modules, along with the Watchmen Sourcebook, part of the 1990s DC Heroes role-playing game, as well as pages from Who’s Who in the DC Universe featuring the Watchmen and Minutemen characters, The Question #17 with Rorschach coming to Vic Sage in a dream, and the first appearance of the Watchmen cast in print in a promotional page from DC Spotlight #1 from 1985.
• Wonder Woman: The War of the Gods Omnibus HC
The scope of the War of the Gods story is really astounding; if at one point inter-title crossovers seemed an annoyance given the number of titles they interrupted, almost 30 years later the amount of characters this touched makes for a glorious historical document.
Collected here we have George Perez's War of the Gods#1-4 and Wonder Woman #58-62, Louise Simonson and Jon Bogdanove's Superman: Man of Steel #3 (the solicitation says #58 but that's not right; this predates "Death of Superman"), John Ostrander's Hawkworld #15 and #16, Starman #38 (Will Payton), L.E.G.I.O.N. ’91 #31 (with Captain Marvel vs. Lobo), Hawk and Dove #28 (final issue before Armageddon 2001, Captain Atom #56 and #57 (also by Ostrander, also final issues before Armageddon 2001), Doctor Fate #32 and #33 (Inza Nelson, and by William Messner-Loebs), Flash #55 (also by William Messner-Loebs), Justice League Europe #31, Batman #470 (Maxie Zeus, Alan Grant, and Norm Breyfogle), Suicide Squad #58 (Black Adam, Ostrander, Kim Yale, and a guy who looks like Grant Morrison), Demon #17 (Grant), and New Teen Titans #81 (Marv Wolfman, toward the end of "Titans Hunt").
At one point DC solicited a Legends book like this, but it never came out. We have however seen the similar Crisis on Infinite Earths Companion volumes. Again, what a great way to look at DC's history by seeing all the tie-ins to event crossovers. Hopefully this book is successful; I'd like to see Legends, Armageddon 2001, Eclipso: The Darkness Within, and Bloodlines get similar treatments.
Will War of the Gods win the war for your shelf? Leave a comment and let me know what's on your buy list.
the Blackhawk book sounds neat. too bad it is so pricey, and too bad I already have a complete run of Action Comics Weekly-- the price isn't worth it for the four extra issues I would get.
ReplyDeleteAlana Moore's Swamp Thing Absolute Vol 2 is a must get, I'm glad DC is continuing the Deluxe HC collections even if I'm not a fan of Snyder's Justice League. I wish they would continue Deluxe HCs of Williamson's Flash. As cool as the idea of Absolute editions of Alan Moore's Swamp Thing is I can't help but think one or two Omnibi would be a better format.
ReplyDeleteIs this the first time they've reprinted any of the role playing game "Sourcebooks"? I remember having the Justice League one as a kid and thinking it was really cool.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure it is - these have been out of print since about 1990. I don't generally like to support DC's attempts to mine the Watchmen IP, but this is very tempting indeed, not least because they were created with the cooperation and approval of Moore.
DeleteWhen did they solicited the Legends omni?
ReplyDeleteSupergirl is the only thing I'll be picking up from this month. There is some stuff (e.g. GL by Morrison) that I'll be getting when it gets released in a different format (omnibus; btw, the Batman omnibii are just amazing), and a couple things I might pick up much later (I think I should read Priest's run on Deathstroke at some point, but I'm in no hurry and there might be an omni some day)
ReplyDeleteLikewise regarding Morrison's GL; knowing he's intending the series as standalone "seasons" is practically a guarantee that it'll get the Deluxe or Absolute treatment per-season down the road.
DeletePriest's Deathstroke has been such a treat - I've been buying it in single issues since the start of Rebirth, and it's actually worked wonderfully in that format with its atypical structure which doesn't at all seem to be "written for the trade". The pacing feels more like if HBO did a Deathstroke series, with each issue comprising what could've been a standalone episode script. It should make for a great Omnibus or two someday, and I hope the series has a good long life to it.
-Mike
Observation/question: I'm pretty sure Morrison's GL volume 2 also includes the recent annual. It should, right? The collection is slated as being 30 dollars which would require a higher page count.
ReplyDeleteThe solicitation says it will include the annual, and the page count is 208.
DeleteI miss the Robin trades.
ReplyDeleteI almost want to pull the trigger on the Superman/Batman omni....the only thing that stops me is the generic description "stories from Superman/Batman: Secret Files #1" . I'm really hoping Geoff John's lead story from that issue is included as it has NEVER been included in any collection. It serves as a prelude to Public Enemies and features early work from Ivan Reis. This alone seems like a no brainer, but perhaps because the art style is so dramatically different from Ed McGuinness they've always chosen to exclude it.
ReplyDeleteSince it's announcement, I've been trying to find more conclusive evidence it's included but no such luck.