Ask Collected Editions #4: Which Batman: Under the Red Hood edition to choose?

It's time for another in our "Ask Collected Editions" series! This question comes from Collected Editions reader Tom, who's wondering about the multiple editions of a popular Batman story.

As always, if you have a question for "Ask Collected Editions," send an email to the Yahoo account or post it on the Collected Editions Facebook wall, and your question could be used in a future segment.

Tom writes:

Three months back, DC re-solicited Batman: Under the Hood, Vol. 1 for $9.99, which I guess has been out of print. Then in this most recent Previews DC solicited Batman: Under the Red Hood, which collects volume 1 and 2 together, for $29.99. I pre-ordered Vol. 1 three months ago, but now I am contemplating canceling my order and ordering the larger Under the Red Hood instead. You see, Batman: Under the Hood Vol. 2 is really hard to find, and used copies are expensive. If I knew with certainty that DC was going to re-solicit Vol. 2 sometime in the near future, I would not cancel my order because it would be cheaper and form factor does not matter to me too much. But, there is no guarantee that they will re-solicit Vol. 2 any time soon. The safe play would be to cancel the order and buy the combined trade, but it would be more expensive (assuming that Vol. 2 would still sell for $9.99 when re-solicited).

So, I guess my question is: what do you think the chances are that DC will re-solicit Vol. 2? In your opinion, should I play the odds, or go for the sure thing? And, lastly, why would they solicit Vol. 1 three months before they solicit a trade that combines the two volumes? That's just maddening!

Anyway, thank you for your time. I love your blog!

Great question, Tom, and thank you. As pleased as I am that DC is releasing a combined edition of Under the Red Hood, the multiple volumes can be confusing -- not to mention that some of the solicitations for these books list differing contents, though rest assured Vols. 1 and 2 equal the combined edition.

To your first question: I can't say definitively that DC won't release another printing of Batman: Under the Red Hood Vol. 2, but I haven't seen it in the DC Comics collected editions solicitations through the end of 2011. They might possibly rush-solicit a volume, but there's a better likelihood that if we're going to see this, it won't be until 2012. So for one thing, you probably have to consider how long you have to wait until you want to read Vol. 2.

In my opinion, I think you should go for the new edition. You could keep searching for Vol. 2, certainly, and I imagine the astute Collected Editions readers can even find a low-cost copy for you. I very, very much like reading a whole story in one volume, however; I don't want to read the beginning of a story in one book and the end in another. It's a convenience factor, and also a matter of not being taken out of the story by changing books -- I wish DC would re-release more of their two-volume sets in one book, really -- Superman: The Black Ring, Superman: Grounded, and Wonder Woman: Odyssey, to name a couple recent examples.

Why did DC re-solicit Vol. 1 just three months before the new collection, and at an exceptionally lower price? I'm sure that had to do with ye old Batman: Under the Red Hood direct-to-DVD movie that came out not too long ago. DC might've just solicited the new collected volume on it's own, but since it's got the steeper price tag, I imagine a cheap re-release of Under the Hood Vol. 1 functions as a better impulse buy than the larger book.

(Read the Collected Editions reviews of Batman: Under the Hood Vol. 1 and Batman: Under the Red Hood Vol. 2.)

Hope that helps! Remember, if you have a question, don't hesitate to drop me a line, and your question could be featured next time in "Ask Collected Editions." Thanks!