Most attention seems to be on DC’s summer crossovers, such that there’s not that much really groundbreaking in the DC Comics August 2024 trade paperback and hardcover solicitations. Still a month where I’ll be buying plenty, including Speed Force, the Superman '78 sequel, Tini Howard’s first Harley Quinn, Catwoman Vol. 4, Joshua Williamson’s Green Arrow Vol. 2 (the miniseries that just keeps on going), and Alan Scott: The Green Lantern.
A few other items I thought were notable on this list. If you’re looking to break the bank, there’s the Aquaman by Peter David Omnibus, which I was pleased to see stretches beyond just David’s work to things like Phil Jimenez' Tempest miniseries; similarly the John Constantine, Hellblazer by Jamie Delano Omnibus is nicely interspersed with some Swamp Thing issues of that era. The complete Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing even includes Knight Terrors issues; Suicide Squad: Kill Arkham Asylum has a digital code for all the virtual swag you’d have gotten with the original issues. And if my eyes don’t deceive me, American Vampire Book One is $50 for almost the same material you’ll be able to get soon for $9.99, just with a different trim size; I’m curious what you all think of that.
Let’s take a look at the full list.
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Recent DC Comics Trade Solicitations |
• Absolute Batman: Zero Year HC
New Absolute edition collecting Batman #0, #21–27, #29–33, and the Director’s Cut issue, with an introduction by Scott Snyder.
• Alan Scott: The Green Lantern TP
The six-issue miniseries by Tim Sheridan and Cian Tormey, in paperback in September, part of DC’s New Golden Age initiative. Also includes the creative team’s Alan Scott short story from DC Pride: Through the Years.
• American Vampire Book One TP
Collects American Vampire #1–12, which is almost the same as the forthcoming DC Compact Comics edition (said to be issues #1–11). This is $49.99 (!) and the DC Compact Comics edition is $9.99, with the difference being the latter is at a smaller trim size.
• Animal Man by Grant Morrison and Chas Truog Compendium TP
Nice to see the artist getting a credit in this title, too. Collects the first 26 issues of the series plus the origin from Secret Origins #39. That’s the entirety of Grant Morrison’s run (Truog stayed on a few more issues), so the question becomes whether this is “compendium” because it’s a paperback (it’s the same contents as the hardcover Animal Man Omnibus), or if there’s more to come, maybe collecting the subsequent Peter Milligan, Tom Veitch/Steve Dillon, and Jamie Delano/Steve Pugh runs. I did a survey of Morrison’s Animal Man books back in 2007.
• Aquaman by Peter David Omnibus HC
Said to collect Aquaman: Time and Tide #1–4, Aquaman #0–49 and #1,000,000, Aquaman Annual #1–4 (“Year One,” “Legends of the Dead Earth,” “Pulp Heroes,” and “Ghosts”), Tempest #1–4, and a story from Showcase ’96 #1 (Tempest). A few of these are not by Peter David but rather Phil Jimenez and Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning respectively, though I appreciate DC putting them in there for completeness and to bring this collection right up to where Erik Larsen took over.
• Batman & Superman World's Finest: The Silver Age Omnibus Vol. 1 (2024 Edition) HC
New printing, collecting the 1950s Superman #76 and World’s Finest #71–116.
• Batman: The Cult: The Deluxe Edition HC
Deluxe edition of Jim Starlin and Bernie Wrightson’s Batman: The Cult miniseries, pitting Batman against Deacon Blackfire. In the course of summing this up among the DC Fall 2024 catalog, I’ve realized I have a Cult review that I wrote, just didn’t have a slot to run it on the site, and then forgot about — for, like, a decade. Maybe I’ll rectify that when this deluxe edition gets released in October.
• Catwoman Vol. 4: Nine Lives TP
By Tini Howard, following the “Gotham War” crossover with Chip Zdarsky’s Batman and collecting issues #59–68.
• Elseworlds: Batman Vol. 2 (2024 Edition) TP
This one is wholly Doug Moench, Kelley Jones, and company’s “Red Rain” saga, being Batman & Dracula: Red Rain, Batman: Bloodstorm, and Batman: Crimson Mist, in paperback in October.
New printing of the 13-issue miniseries by Grant Morrison and Chris Weston.
• The Flash by Mark Waid Omnibus Vol. 2 HC
Collects Flash #0 and #92–129, the Annuals #7–9 (“Elseworlds,” “Year One,” and “Legends of the Dead Earth”), Zero Hour: Crisis in Time #4, Impulse #10–11, Flash Plus Nightwing #1, a story from DC Universe Holiday Bash #1 (“Present Tense”), and Who’s Who pages. Storylines here include “Reckless Youth,” “Terminal Velocity,” “Dead Heat,” and “Race Against Time.” This ends just before the Grant Morrison/Mark Millar run; if we’re mapping to the Flash by Mark Waid paperbacks, the next omnibus should pick up with issue #142.
• Green Arrow Vol. 2: Family First TP
Collects Joshua Williamson’s issues #7–12 of what I thought was a miniseries, but apparently it’s still going on? In paperback in September.
• Harley Quinn Vol. 1: Girl in a Crisis TP
Multiversity: Harley Screws Up the DCU must’ve made an impact, as that seems the direction of Tini Howard and Sweeney Boo’s first collection. Issues #28–32 and Knight Terrors: Harley Quinn #1–2, in paperback in September.
• John Constantine, Hellblazer by Jamie Delano Omnibus Vol. 1 HC
Collects John Constantine: Hellblazer issues #1–22, the Annual #1, Swamp Thing #65–77, and Sandman #3. The solicitation suggests those Hellblazer and Swamp Thing issues will be intermixed so you can “experience the series as it was meant to be read,” which I’m very excited about.
• The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing: The Complete Series TP
For the first time in paperback, coming in September, this is Matthew Rosenberg’s complete Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #1–12 and Knight Terrors: The Joker #1–2.
• Legion of Super-Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga TP
This is said to collect Legion of Super-Heroes #287, #290–294, and the Annual #3. The original trade of “Great Darkness” had the same contents (just a part of issue #287), whereas the Great Darkness Saga Deluxe Edition that I reviewed in 2012 collected issues #284–296 and the Annual #1 (I’m confused on this Annual #1 vs. Annual #3 business, if anyone can clarify).
Collects the eight-issue miniseries by John Rozum with Jesus Saiz. As far as these solicitations are concerned, it does not indeed collect the six-issue sequel, Midnight, Mass: Here There Be Monsters, with art by Paul Lee.
In what’s a really kind of astounding crossover, Jennifer Muro, Thomas Krajewski, and Gretel Lusky’s Primer meets what looks to be the original animated Teen Titans group. One wonders why DC’s never tried a comics continuation of that series, a la Justice League Infinity.
Collects the six-issue miniseries by Jarrett Williams and Daniele Di Nicuolo, in paperback in October. Trying to avoid spoilers, I don’t really know what this is, but a miniseries devoted to kid speedsters Wallace West and Avery Ho? Sign me up.
• Suicide Squad: Kill Arkham Asylum TP
In paperback in November, the five-issue prequel to the Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League video game, by John Layman. If I’m not mistaken this comes with a code for all the same (?) in-game extras as came with each individual issue collected here, which is nice for trade-waiters.
• Superman '78: The Metal Curtain TP
Collecting all six issues of the next miniseries by Robert Venditti set in the Christopher Reeve Superman movie-verse. I reviewed the first Superman '78 collection in 2022. Art here is by Gavin Guidry, after Wilfredo Torres in the first one, and I’ll be curious to see the difference in movie-approximate art.
The next in the Teen Titans YA series by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo.
• Wonder Woman by George Pérez Vol. 1 (2024 Edition) TP
New printing collecting issues #1–14 of the post-Crisis George Perez run.
"Collects Joshua Williamson’s issues #7–12 of what I thought was a miniseries, but apparently it’s still going on? In paperback in September."
ReplyDeleteAs I understand it, Williamson's ARROW's basically the same situation as G. Willow Wilson's POISON IVY.
It WAS initially meant to be a 6 issue limited series. But after the strong sales and response to the kickoff, DC extended its run to a 12 issue maxi-series. By the time it reached issue #6, DC had extended its run indefinitely.
I still need to get caught up (I'm about a year behind on both DC and Marvel thanks to the WGA Strikes last year and being busy with the fallout here in SoCal). But the opening of his run reminded me both of his FLASH and Geoff Johns' GREEN LANTERN: REBIRTH (embracing the legacy and roster while cleaning up some of the long-term baggage).
Got it; that makes sense. A Green Arrow ongoing really seemed kind of inevitable anyway.
DeleteYeah, a relaunch was always inevitable.
DeleteI initially thought this original limited series was going to be the prelude to a relaunch (much like GREEN LANTERN: REBIRTH was for Johns' run). I was surprised it wasn't originally.
Given the post-pandemic headaches for the publishing market, it's possible DC was uncertain about whether Ollie could sustain a monthly book (as it had been almost half a decade since the end of the DC Rebirth volume).
A limited series that could double as a stealth pilot (one that could kick in if sales were hopeful) does kinda make sense from a post-pandemic publishing standpoint.
The Cult, Green Arrow, and Speed Force for me for sure. The Peter David Aquaman omnibus gets both more tempting and more daunting whenever I look at the contents - that'll be a BIG book.
ReplyDeleteThe Alan Scott tpb is something I might have gotten a year ago if I thought any of this JSA stuff was going anywhere, but I can't really care at this point. I mean, I'll get it if the reviews are overwhelming or something, but it's not a blind buy.
Yeah, the new JSA run losing steam (before I've even started reading it) is a real disappointment.
DeleteYeah, I had mixed feelings about Johns coming back to JSA.
DeleteOn the one hand, obviously, he and David Goyer and James Robinson were responsible for bringing the team into the 21st Century. And after a decade of neglect since the New 52, I'm all for polishing up the IP and giving them badly needed focus across the board. Johns knows the team and I trust the IP in his hands.
But at the same time, Johns co-wrote/wrote the team for a decade; he had his time with them (far longer than most creative runs). Even before he exited for Image, it was clear his tenure at DC was nearing its end. If the JSA is going to continue to remain part of the 2020s-era DC, then new creators HAVE to gain experience and be given the chance to take on the IP instead of them being locked up with high profile creators.
And while Johns' opening mystery was interesting (as was it and Stargirl telling the same story from 2 different angles), I just kinda lost interest last summer (though I do want to read Alan Scott and to see Tim Sheridan tackle Alan Scott's revised LGBT history).
> If the JSA is going to continue to remain part of the 2020s-era DC, then new creators HAVE to gain experience and be given the chance to take on the IP instead of them being locked up with high profile creators.
DeleteThis is a really excellent way to put it. I feel the same about Tom Taylor on Nightwing — granted Taylor doesn't have the long history with the character that Johns does with the JSA, but I feel if a writer has a really definitive run without leaving the character at some status quo that another writer can pick up, trouble ensues. Mark Waid and Johns on Flash and Chuck Dixon and Gail Simone on Birds of Prey were two successful handoffs, but I fear it doesn't always work that way.
The Legion of Super Heroes Annual 3 is titled the Curse, sort of an Epilogue to the Great Darkness Saga and so was included in the original trade of which this looks like a reprint of.
ReplyDeleteThe Great Darkness Saga Deluxe Edition, meanwhile, started out as a Paul Levitz Legion (his 2nd run) book and hence includes Annual 1. The collection that follows, starting off with issue 297, titled 'The Curse Deluxe Edition' includes Annual 2 as well as 3.
There's one more sequel to the story, although printed two years after Annual 3 The Curse, in 1986 to be specific. Titled 'Child of Light and Darkness', this is Annual 2 of the rebooted Legion and also features Levitz, Swan and Giffen. Unfortunately, it remains uncollected to this date.
*That's* right. I forgot about The Curse, which explains why the deluxe version lacks contents from the non-deluxe version — because they went into the second subsequent deluxe collection.
Delete