Just when we thought solicitations for a handful of DC Comics trade solicitations was a big deal, the DC Source blog proceeded to drop a slew of Spring 2013 collection details on our doorsteps.Now I know Night of the Owls this and "zero issues" that, but hold on, because there's a couple collections we've just got to get to first ...
Collected Favorites
Legion Worlds TPThat DC released a hardcover of Legion Lost, the excellent Legion miniseries by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, was pretty cool, but I'd read that mini. What is even cooler -- if it makes it to publication -- is this collection of specials that came out after Legion Lost, showing what was happening to the rest of the Legion during the Lost period.
Collects: LEGION WORLDS #1-6
All of this is a little academic since this refers to the "reboot" post-Zero Hour/pre-Infinite Crisis Legion, distinctly no longer in existence, but these are well-regarded stories and it's nice to have them collected.
Though -- I believe Legion Worlds ends on an uncertain note, like Legion Lost, and the real "Legion reunion" doesn't happen until the Abnett/Lanning The Legion series that followed. I wouldn't mind seeing DC stick a couple issues from that into this volume; or otherwise, maybe a Legion collection will follow.
Remember -- pre-ordering is your friend! If you want to actually hold this collection in your hands like I do, this book must be pre-ordered. The Legion Lost paperback was cancelled due to low pre-orders; I am sure this book is in danger of the same fate.
The New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 3 HCGood news here, though I can tell you straight off that the contents of this book as listed are not correct. The good news is that this book picks up right from where the New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 2 left off, and continues through to the previously-released Terror of Trigon collection, so we gain a bit here and don't lose anything that hadn't been published before.
Collects: TALES OF THE TEEN TITANS #45-61 and 66-67, THE NEW TEEN TITANS #38, THE NEW TEEN TITANS #1-6 and SECRET ORIGINS ANNUAL #3
However, I'd betcha the contents are actually Tales of the New Teen Titans #45-58 and New Teen Titans (second series) #1-6 or #1-9, since Titans (first series) #59-68 is actually the same content at Titans second series #1-9. Unless there's some pin-ups or something to be included, chances are these contents will change.
Day of Judgment TPDay of Judgment is by most accounts a rough crossover -- not unreadable, just slow and rather dense. It also, however, represents a significant moment when then-new DC Comics writer Geoff Johns first penned the (albeit deceased) Green Lantern Hal Jordan. Thus for a while we collectors have felt this would probably not be a great collection, but a series worthy of being collected -- and here it is. Between this and Legion Worlds, there's not much still left on my "wish DC would collect" list. (OK, there's still a lot on that list.)
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artists: Matt Smith, Steve Mitchell, Chris Jones, John McCrea and others
Collects: DAY OF JUDGMENT #1-5 and a story from DAY OF JUDGMENT SECRET FILES #1
$14.99 US, 160 pg
Not insignificantly, Day of Judgment also features a heavy presence by Golden Age (and now Earth 2 resident) Green Lantern Alan Scott ...
Impulse Vol. 1: Runs in the Family TPThis'll brighten anyone's day. Maybe because of the character's renewed presence in Young Justice, it looks like DC intends to release a couple volumes of the wonderful Impulse series, which was as close as you could get at the time to a DC Comics sitcom. This book skips Impulse #7, which wasn't written by Mark Waid, and Impulse #11, part of the Flash "Dead Heat" crossover collected elsewhere; it does, however, include the Underworld Unleashed tie-in issue. One more volume that goes to about issue #26 would collect all the Mark Waid issues; the stories in the first volume are good, but the second volume will be even better. (Pre-orders. Your friend. Get it?)
Collects: IMPULSE #1-6, 8-9 and 12-13
The Shade TPCall me a cynic, but I don't necessarily believe this series had all the sales problems that were claimed, and I'm disappointed to see this in trade paperback, not in hardcover to sit next to my Starman omnibuses. I'll still get it, mind you, but disappointed.
Collects: THE SHADE #1-12
Night of the Owls, Collected
Batman: The Night of the Owls HCA number of eagle-eyed Collected Editions readers have pointed out that the writer and credits for these books don't necessarily match the contents, and that there's certain series -- Nightwing and Catwoman, for two -- strangely not represented. If you don't know by now, these solicitations are early, incomplete, and subject to change; I wouldn't stress too much about one or two items that don't add up here and there.
Collects: BATMAN ANNUAL #1, DETECTIVE COMICS #9, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #9, BATWING #9, BATMAN AND ROBIN #9, RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #9, BIRDS OF PREY #9, BATGIRL #9 and ALL-STAR WESTERN #9
$29.99 US, 360 pg
Batman Vol. 2: The City of Owls HC
Collects: BATMAN #8-12
$24.99 US, 192 pg
All-Star Western Vol. 2: The War of Lords and Owls TP
Collects: All-Star Western #7-13
Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 2: Scare Tactics HC
Collects: Detective Comics #8-12
Batgirl Vol. 2: Knightfall Descends HC
Collects: Batgirl #7-12
Batwing Vol. 2: In the Shadow of the Ancients TP
Collects: BATWING #7-12
Birds of Prey Vol. 2: Your Kiss Might Kill TP
Collects: BIRDS OF PREY #8-13
Catwoman Vol. 2: Dollhouse TP
Collects: CATWOMAN #7-12
What this does show us, however, is that the "Night of the Owls" crossover is going to be collected as such -- one Batman-specific collection, and one collection of all (or most) of the tie-in issues.
It seems like most of the tie-in issues will also be collected in their own individual series collections, too. Which leaves a problem. If the Batman annual is also collected in the individual Batman volume, probably many of us can pass up the Night of the Owls hardcover altogether in favor of the individual books and City of Owls. If not, that means a trade-waiter could potentially pay for the Night of the Owls hardcover just for the annual, which would be a sorry state indeed.
(The Batgirl solicit suggests that the paperback of volume one will contain issues #1-13 and #0, and the second hardcover will have issue #7-12. There's a misprint somewhere there, I'm sure; probably the second volume has #7-12, the contents of the first paperback are the same as the first hardcover, and the zero issue will be in the third collection as with most of the other books.)
Other Crossovers in the New 52
The Culling: Rise of the Ravagers TPDespite a handful of guest-appearances, the first round of DC New 52 collections were all self-contained; the first issues of the individual series and that was it. The DC New 52 volume twos take a different tack.
Collects: LEGION LOST #8-9, SUPERBOY #8-9, TEEN TITANS #8-9 and TEEN TITANS ANNUAL #1
Blue Beetle Vol. 2: Blue Diamond TP
Collects: BLUE BEETLE #7-12 and GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS #9
Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. Vol. 2: Son of Satan's Ring TP
Collects: Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #8-11 and MEN OF WAR #8
I, Vampire Vol. 2: Rise of the Vampires TP
Collects: I, VAMPIRE #7-12 and JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #7-8
Justice League International Vol. 2: Breakdown TP
Collects: Justice League International #7-12, THE FURY OF FIRESTORM: THE NUCLEAR MEN #9 and Justice League International [Annual] #1
Suicide Squad Vol. 2: Basilisk Rising TP
Collects: Suicide Squad #8-12 and RESURRECTION MAN #9
Red Lanterns Vol. 2: The Death of the Red Lanterns TP
Collects: RED LANTERNS #8-13 and STORMWATCH #9
Stormwatch Vol. 2: Enemies of Earth TP
Collects: STORMWATCH #7-12 and RED LANTERNS #10
Animal Man Vol. 2: Animal Vs. Man TP
Collects: ANIMAL MAN #7-11 and ANIMAL MAN ANNUAL #1
Swamp Thing Vol. 2: Family Tree TP
Collects: SWAMP THING #8-12 and ANIMAL MAN #12
The Culling collection is probably the best way to go about collecting the "Young Justice" crossover; this follows from the end of all three of those series' first collections, and allows each one to pick up with issue #10 in volume two.
Blue Beetle's got New Guardians, Justice League International's got Firestorm, Frankenstein's got Men of War, I, Vampire has Justice League Dark, and Suicide Squad has Resurrection Man. Hopefully this doesn't discount a final Resurrection Man collection; Stormwatch and Red Lanterns reciprocate their crossover issues, so maybe that will be the DC New 52's new collections norm. On the other hand, the Animal Man collection stops before it's Swamp Thing crossover issue, and that issue is found in Swamp Thing, so it could also be either-or.
Elsewhere in the DC New 52
Batwoman Vol. 2: To Drown the World HCAgain, looks like most series will include their zero issues with their third collections, not their second. Some exceptions are Voodoo, which ends with this volume, and World's Finest, whose zero issue comes in the middle of its first story arc. I'm surprised the first Earth 2 volume doesn't also contain its zero issue, unless that story is stand-alone enough to move to the next collection.
Collects: BATWOMAN #6-11
Dial H Vol. 1: Into You TP
Collects: DIAL H #1-7
Earth 2 Vol. 1: The Gathering TP
Collects: EARTH 2 #1-6
G.I. Combat Vol. 1: The War That Time Forgot TP
Collects: G.I. COMBAT #1-6
Green Arrow Vol. 2: Triple Treat TP
Collects: GREEN ARROW #7-12
Green Lantern Vol. 2: Revenge of the Black Hand HC
Collects: GREEN LANTERN #7-12 and GREEN LANTERN ANNUAL #1
Justice League Vol. 2: The Villain's Journey HC
Collects: Justice League #7-12
$24.99 US, 176 pg
Voodoo Vol. 2: The Killer In Me TP
Collects: VOODOO #7-12 and 0
Wonder Woman Vol. 2: Guts HC
Collects: Wonder Woman #7-12
Worlds’ Finest Vol. 1: The Lost Daughters of Earth 2 TP
Collects: WORLDS’ FINEST #0-5
Green Arrow: Triple Treat just sounds icky. That they're calling Wonder Woman "Guts," after first volume Blood, however, is hilarious.
The Man of Steel Connection
Superman vs. Zod TPI actually liked Superman Returns, I'll admit it, and I'm excited for a new Superman movie of Dark Knight proportions. If it nets us a couple months of Superman collections like this one, all the better.
Collects: ADVENTURE COMICS #283, ACTION COMICS #473 and 548-549, DC COMICS PRESENTS #97 and ACTION COMICS ANNUAL #10
Superman: Last Son of Krypton TPThis is an interesting kind of Superman by Geoff Johns Omnibus, if you want to look at it that way. The book collects Superman: Last Son, Superman: Brainiac, and the beginning of Superman: New Krypton. It's a great couple of stories, especially Brainiac, though I'm struggling to figure DC's intentions with this one. Brainiac and the New Krypton special are related (originally collected together, even), but Last Son is not related -- at least, not until much later in the "New Krypton" storyline. Last Son has Zod in it, hence the tie to Man of Steel, but Brainiac/New Krypton doesn't (yet). Stick a "volume one" on this one and it makes much more sense; otherwise I'm puzzled.
Collects: ACTION COMICS #844-846, 851 and 866-870, ACTION COMICS ANNUAL #11 and SUPERMAN: NEW KRYPTON SPECIAL #1
Superman: The Man of Steel Vol. 7 TPHere's a good one -- the next Byrne-era collection of Superman titles. We saw the last of these back in 2008(!), and I'd all but figured DC had decided to stop with these (and I'm half-disappointed, because I'd love for them to switch these over to omnibus format). As it is, this will be a strange collection, almost two-thirds filled with Millennium crossover issues that are only going to appeal to the most ardent of fans. The first post-Crisis Brainiac appears here, but his visage is a far cry from what most fans know of the character.
Collects: SUPERMAN #13-15, ACTION COMICS #596-597 and ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #436-438
(Enter my stock wonder here whether DC will ever reprint Superman #21-22 and etc., "The Supergirl Saga," not too far from the issues above, in which Superman kills an alternate-universe's General Zod and the Phantom Zone criminals. This book, along with a good essay by John Byrne or the series editor Mike Carlin, would be fascinating.)
Superman Vs. Shazam! TPThis leads one to wonder if there's a new Shazam series on the way, though the age of the material collected here doesn't interest me in the book.
Collects: ALL-NEW COLLECTORS’ EDITION C-58, DC COMICS PRESENTS #33-34 and 49 and DC COMICS PRESENTS ANNUAL #3
Superman: The Death and Return of Superman Omnibus HCThe existing Death of Superman omnibus has been a sore spot for fans for a while, since it includes an ugly "sticker" (advertising the Superman: Doomsday animated movie) that's actually printed on the book. This volume contains almost the exact same items as the previous edition, except it also has the Legacy of Superman special (which, I know off the top of my head, contains a variety of stories including one about Sinbad, the hero of Middle Eastern descent that was to appear in a Superman: Grounded issue by Chris Roberson until DC pulled it. Now you know).
Collects: SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #17-26, SUPERMAN #73-82, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #496-505, ACTION COMICS #683-691, JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #69, SUPERMAN: THE LEGACY OF SUPERMAN #1 and GREEN LANTERN #46
Superman: For Tomorrow TPThe Justice League Special collected here is a bit of a misdirect. The special itself is a collection given away with action figures or such, which included Brad Meltzer's initial Justice League issue plus a number of origin tales, including the Brian Azzarello/Jim Lee Superman origin that originally appeared in the Absolute Superman For Tomorrow. So really what this includes is the full contents of the Absolute.
Collects: SUPERMAN #204-215 and the JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA SPECIAL #1
Last But Not Least ...
DC Universe Secret Origins TPThis collection of a bunch of recent 80-Page Giant specials, which themselves collected various origin stories mostly from DC's Silver Age, will no doubt appeal to someone, though I'm about as stymied why DC would muddy the waters with this while most fans are trying to figure out the New 52, as I am about that Superman by Geoff Johns omnibus ....
Collects: SECRET ORIGINS #1, MORE SECRET ORIGINS #1, EVEN MORE SECRET ORIGINS #1 and WEIRD SECRET ORIGINS #1
Whew! That's a lot of trades!
A scheduling note: Next week, we'll have the Collected Editions review of Stormwatch: The Dark Side that was unfortunately delayed this week. Then, we'll have a guest reviewer triple-play -- three Marvel reviews, one each from three of our distinguished guest reviewers.
And then ... fireworks won't be the only thing exploding July 4th week, when we present the Collected Editions review of Catwoman: The Game and Batman: Earth One. That'll kick off our second month of DC New 52 reviews -- mark your calendars!
You've seen all that DC has to offer for their Spring 2013 collections -- what's on your buying list?
0 nhận xét:
Đăng nhận xét