Wednesday Comics, Superboy, Final Crisis and Batman RIP paperbacks solicited

The DC Comics trade paperback solicitations for 2010 keep rolling out, with these new graphic novels for the upcoming summer. Some interesting first release hardcovers and paperbacks, but also some significant second run paperbacks as well.

* Wednesday Comics HC

DC Comics announced the Wednesday Comics collection earlier this month, and it's now available for pre-order. At $50, cheaper than many Absolute editions, this 11 x 17 volume collects all 12 issues of the weekly series, reorganized to read by character.

* Superboy: The Redemption

Perhaps my favorite item on this list, DC collects Geoff Johns and Francis Manapul's first six issues on Adventure Comics in hardcover format. I've heard nothing but good things about this story ... and it's Superboy (!) ... and it's written by Geoff Johns. I'm counting the days.

* Gotham Central Book 3: On the Freak Beat

The next Gotham Central hardcover collection. The first hardcover collected the first two Gotham Central trade paperbacks, In the Line of Duty and Half a Life, and the second included the trade paperback Unresolved Targets plus some previously uncollected issues. That second volume had twelve issues; this third volume could include the trade paperback The Quick and the Dead plus the previously uncollected issues #26 and 27 at eight issues total, with one more Gotham Central hardcover to follow.

* JSA vs. Kobra
* The Shield Vol. 1: Kicking Down the Door

After Checkmate, Eric Trautmann became one of my new favorite writers (Sterling Gates is in that circle, too). I'm super-excited for this upcoming paperback, which I see as essentially a spin-off of some of my favorite Checkmate storylines. Also solicited is the first volume of Trautmann's Shield series, including the introductory Red Circle special by J. Michael Straczynski.

* Batgirl Vol. 1: Batgirl Rising

I have high hopes that this Batgirl will become the DC Universe's next, lasting Batgirl. The first two storylines, about six issues long, could comprise this first trade.

* Superman: New Krypton Vol. 4

Listed as a paperback, but price-wise, and given that the first three of these were hardcover, I expect this is hardcover as well. Probably collects most, if not all, of the final issues of the Superman: World of Krypton miniseries.

* Wonder Woman: Warkiller

DC previously solicited Wonder Woman: Rise of the Olympian as a hardcover and paperback to be released on the same day, but now it appears only the hardcover will be available. With Warkiller, the series switches to paperback only; not a great sign for a series that DC's trying to set as a foundation of the DC Universe.

* Atomic Knights

John Broome and Murphy Anderson created the Atomic Knights in 1960; this hardcover collects their early stories. Interesting that DC is collecting these without any sort of header (DC Classics Library, etc.); it remains to be seen if this is the start of a new set of classic collections.

* Titans Vol. 3: Fractured

This trade collects the one-shot "Day in the Life" stories that followed the Deathtrap crossover, including a Blackest Night prelude and a Starfire issue in the aftermath of Final Crisis. Likely includes issues #14-22.

* Justice Society of America: The Bad Seed

Even as I'm gearing up to buy a deluxe edition of Bill Willingham's Fables, I have severe reservations about his ongoing run on Justice Society; we'll see. The series is now being released in paperback only. Collects at least issues #29-33, leading up to the JSA All-Stars spin-off series.

* Doom Patrol Vol. 1: We Who Are About to Die

* Red Tornado: Family Reunion

Paperbacks - if you've really been waiting for the trade, your wait is over; Final Crisis and Batman RIP are on their way in paperback, along with a couple ancilliary volumes:

* Final Crisis

* Batman R.I.P.

* Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?

* Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow

* Superman: New Krypton Vol. 1: Birth

* Green Lantern: Rage of the Red Lanterns

Make your preferences known -- what's on your to-buy list?