How do you want DC to collect Before Watchmen?

DC only announced the individual issues two days ago, but let's not be silly. Of course I'm going there.

This summer, DC Comics will release seven Before Watchmen miniseries of 4 to 6 issues each, plus an epilogue and a single Crimson Corsair issue, equaling thirty-six issues by my count.

As the rumors swirled about this prior to the announcement, I was neither terribly disappointed (DC is a company that has to make money and if they think people'll buy them, it's incumbent upon them to make them) nor terribly enthused (I went this long without more Watchmen and I hadn't been yearning for more).

Now that DC has announced the creative teams however, I'm more enthusiastic -- there's worse ways to while away an afternoon than with a Brian Azzarello/Lee Bermejo book, or an Azzarello/J. G. Jones book, or a Darwyn Cooke book, or Cooke and Amanda Conner, or J. Michael Straczynski and Adam Hughes, or Straczynski and Andy and Joe Kubert. But in collected format, to be sure.

DC will release an Absolute edition of Beyond Watchmen. I'll say it again: DC will release an Absolute edition of Beyond Watchmen. Believe you me, DC will release an Absolute Beyond Watchmen, and it'll look dandy sitting on the shelf next to your original Absolute Watchmen.

I'd venture that DC would release Absolute Beyond Watchmen by Christmas of this year, except DC has been slow of late in release Absolute editions of their books (see Absolute Identity Crisis and Absolute Sinestro Corps War years after the originals).

Rather, given that Before Watchmen is thirty-six issues, I bet you'll see a two-volume deluxe-size hardcover set in time for Christmas, as DC's opening salvo. After that, regular size paperback versions of the same, maybe in summer 2013. Figure the Absolute Beyond Watchmen will be out maybe Christmas 2013.

And some time in 2014, look out for the single-volume hardcover Beyond Watchmen Omnibus ...

DC's not going to let any of their trade formats pass Beyond Watchmen by. Don't you doubt it.

Watchmen resources on Collected Editions:
* Watchmen: The Absolute Edition review

* Beginner's Guide to Watchmen and What to Read Next

How do you want to read Beyond Watchmen? (You don't, I know, I know, smartie. But if you did ...)