It was about 15 years ago, on the cusp of Flashpoint and the New 52, that DC Comics cancelled Doom Patrol: Fire Away, what would have been the third and final collection of the late Keith Giffen’s brilliant Doom Patrol revival, rendered moot with DC’s sweeping housecleaning.
Notably, Giffen’s Doom Patrol picked up on threads from his 52 Aftermath: The Four Horsemen, itself a spin-off of DC’s famed 52 weekly series.1 Totally unrelated to Giffen’s Doom Patrol itself, but one way of looking at it is that Giffen’s work with Niles Caulder’s band of misfits spanned the period from when DC was at it’s highest (Infinite Crisis/52) to when DC was at it’s lowest (the just-pre-Flashpoint time), where only a radical relaunch and Hail Mary media blitz could save it. It worked, we’re all still here, and the DC Comics October 2025 trade paperback and hardcover solicitations finally, finally see Doom Patrol by Keith Giffen collected.
When the omnibus was originally solicited, I wondered at the inclusion of DC Comics Presents #52 (numbering coincidental), which appeared to be the first(?) time Giffen drew the Doom Patrol, but not otherwise relevant to the narrative — a welcome but odd artifact. But equally I always wondered about Ambush Bug’s appearance in Giffen’s Doom Patrol, as until then I’d only seen Ambush Bug in a parody miniseries, not as a regular-continuity-ish character — I chalked Ambush Bug’s inclusion up to “because Giffen.” But I see now that DC Comics Presents #52 was also Ambush Bug’s first appearance (created if not written by Giffen), such that Giffen, Ambush Bug, and the Doom Patrol are inextricably linked. It’s been a while, but I’d be curious to see if Giffen’s Doom Patrol series makes any reference thereof.
Otherwise the big titles for the end of the year are Absolute Flash and Absolute Green Lantern, plus the always-well-timed next Batman - Santa Claus book. Superman and Action Comics, the new Aquaman and Nicole Maines' Secret Six and Titans, plus Mark Waid and Chris Samnee’s Batman and Robin: Year One. All in all, a good way to end the year.
I’d be remiss not to also mention DC Finest: Earth’s Other Green Lantern, an almost-timely collection with the first appearance of Guy Gardner. Let’s look at the full list.
Recent DC Comics Trade Solicitations
- • Absolute Flash Vol. 1: Of Two Worlds HC
Issues #1–6 of the Jeff Lemire series, in hardcover and paperback at the end of December.
- • Absolute Green Lantern Vol. 1: Without Fear HC
The first six issues in hardcover and paperback by Al Ewing and Jahnoy Lindsay, coming at the beginning of December.
- • Aquaman Vol. 1: The Dark Tide TP
By Jeremy Adams and John Timms, in paperback in October, collecting issues #1–8 (previously listed as #1–6).
- • Batman - Santa Claus: Silent Knight Returns TP
The five-issue sequel miniseries by Jeff Parker and Lukas Ketner, arriving December 16.
- • Batman & Robin: The Animated Adventures TP
As resident BTAS expert Zach King noted, this seems to be the same as the previous printing of this volume, collecting issues #1–10 by Paul Dini, Ty Templeton, and Rick Burchett. Zach reviewed Batman & Robin Adventures Vol. 1 as part of his look at the Batman: The Animated Series tie-in comic collections.
- • Batman and Robin: Year One HC
In hardcover and paperback in mid-December, the 12-issue miniseries by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee.
- • Batman by Darwyn Cooke Absolute Edition HC
Collects Selina’s Big Score, Catwoman #1–4, Solo #5, stories from Batman: Gotham Knights #23 and #33, Detective Comics #759–762, Harley Quinn Holiday Special #1, Just Imagine Stan Lee with Chris Bachalo Creating Catwoman #1, and Cooke’s first published story from Talent Showcase #19, with essays and extras.
- • Batman: The Demon Trilogy (2025 Edition) HC
New printing of the collection of Batman: Birth of the Demon, Batman: Bride of the Demon, and Batman: Son of the Demon. I offered some thoughts on Son of the Demon once upon a time around Infinite Crisis (some of you were there!).
- • DC Finest: Green Lantern: Earth's Other Green Lantern TP
Picking up from Green Lantern: The Defeat of Green Lantern, these are late 1960s Green Lantern stories, including Green Lantern #40–61 (Guy Gardner debuted in issue #59), Flash #168, Brave and the Bold #69, and Detective Comics #350 (newly added to the solicitation).
- • DC Finest: Superman: The Invisible Luthor TP
Following from the Golden Age DC Finest: Superman: The First Superhero, this is Action Comics #26–40, Superman #6–11, New York World’s Fair Comics #2, World’s Best Comics #1, and World’s Finest Comics #2–3.
- • DC Finest: Wonder Woman: Introducing Wonder Woman TP
Wonder Woman’s Golden Age debut, including All-Star Comics #8, Sensation Comics #1–18, Wonder Woman #1–4, and Comic Cavalcade #1–2.
- • DC vs. Vampires: World War V Vol. 2 TP
Issues #7–12 by Matthew Rosenberg, Otto Schmidt, and company, in December.
- • Doom Patrol by Keith Giffen and Matthew Clark Omnibus HC
Of Doom Patrol: We Who Are About to Die, I wrote, “Giffen’s Doom Patrol … is so edgy, so dynamic, and takes such great pains to acknowledge existing DC Comics history while forging new ground, as to put other such premieres completely to shame,” and I called the second collection, Doom Patrol: Brotherhood, “Nothing short of brilliant.” And then, in the lead up to Flashpoint and the New 52, DC cancelled the final collection, Doom Patrol: Fire Away.
That was 14 years ago. Suddenly, 14 years later, and this moody, gripping, funny series finally gets collected in full. It’s just a terrible shame Giffen isn’t around to see it. Included is the 2009 Doom Patrol #1–22 plus earlier appearances – DC Comics Presents #52 (Doom Patrol pencilled by Giffen, plus Ambush Bug’s first appearance), Teen Titans (2003) #32 and #34–37 (by Geoff Johns), Brave and the Bold #8 (by Mark Waid), Secret Six #3–4 from Gail Simone’s original miniseries, and #30 from the series itself, and 52 Aftermath: The Four Horsemen #1–6, Giffen’s lead-in series of sorts, which I reviewed in 2010.
- • Hitman by Garth Ennis and John McCrea Omnibus Vol. 2 HC
Listed as Black Label, this collects Hitman #34–60 and #1,000,000, Hitman/JLA #1–2, Hitman/Lobo: That Stupid Bastich #1, All-Star Section Eight #1–6, and Sixpack/Dogwelder: Hard-Travelin’ Heroz #1–6, plus stories from Convergence: Harley Quinn #2, Superman 80-Page Giant #1, and DC: The Doomed and the Damned #1, plus apparently a new 12-page story.
- • Secret Six TP
In December, the six-issue miniseries by Nicole Maines, Stephen Segovia, and company, spinning off of Absolute Power.
- • Superman Vol. 5: Love and Mercy TP
In December, Superman #24–27 and the Superman: Lex Luthor Special #1 by Joshua Williamson.
- • Superman: Action Comics: Superstars Vol. 2 TP
Coming in November and collecting Action Comics #1082–1086. These are arcs by John Ridley and G. Willow Wilson, concluding “Superstars” ahead of Mark Waid’s new run.
- • Titans Vol. 4: Terminated TP
Coming in November, issues #22–27 by John Layman.
- • We3: DC Compact Comics Edition TP
The three-issue miniseries by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely in Compact Comics format.
- • Wonder Woman: Spirit of Truth (2026 Edition) HC
Hardcover reprint of the large-size illustrated prose story by Paul Dini and Alex Ross.
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I don’t have to explain 52 vs. the New 52 to this audience, do I? ↩︎
Looking good! I've seen that "Animated Adventures" trade mentioned as a "Target exclusive," which would fit with their earlier exclusive reprint of the first Batman Adventures trade. Still, anything that gets these books out there -- and drums up support for a "Gotham Adventures" collection...
ReplyDeleteI was a little disappointed to see that "DC Finest: Guy Gardner" is actually just mainline Green Lantern, but equally pleased to see that this volume continues past where the "Silver Age" trade collections stopped (at #48). One wonders if a DC Finest for Guy might be in the works, but DC might still be cold to reprinting more than a few issues by Gerard Jones.
But the headline is that Doom Patrol omnibus. Do we think it might include the Metal Men back-ups? Or do we wait in hope for a DC Finest: Metal Men book?
Not that Matthew Clark drew every issue of Giffen's Doom Patrol, but given that he didn't draw the Metal Men backups, I'm doubtful (but hopeful!). I still think someone could do a wacky animated or live action or hybrid Metal Men movie some day, and then collections would rain down from the heavens (or something).
DeleteI was going to say it was a kind of slow month for me, but both Absolute books, both Superman books, Aquaman, and Secret Six for me. Really hoping Nicole Maines puts Dreamer in Checkmate next. I'm grabbing all the Absolute books blind because the creative teams are dope, I hope they're all up to the hype
ReplyDeleteI'm about done with Williamson's 4th Superman volume and can't wait for the 5th. Just a great run so far.
Yeah, it's a nice couple of reads for December. January will be good, too, with the new History of DCU, though what I've seen of the schedule so far is less gripping in the rest of early 2026 (but it's early yet to know, too).
DeleteI'd be happy to see Maines do Checkmate, though I've got my eye on that new Cheshire/Cheetah book by Rucka. It has that "unexpected characters showing up in weird places" vibe that reminds me of what Rucka did on Checkmate ...