DC Hardcover Collected Editions Part 3

[Rincewind]

I have the whole run of Sandman gobs from way back in the day with the newsprint quality paper. I was thinking this is a series I might want to upgrade. What’s generally considered the best way to read that now? Is it the absolute edition? (And yes, I did see the poll, lol)

Depends on your own preferences. There are 3 options.

1. If you're a fan of the art, like oversized editions, and don't mind the price, then the Absolute Editions are the best option.
2. If you want just a few volumes for the whole series, then the omnibus format is best.
3. If omnibus format is too bulky/thick, then the Deluxe editions are high quality, but not as thick.

[nx01a]

I'm thinking of getting the Sandman omnis for myself at xmas. I find them aesthetically pleasing in that faux leather bound tome look. That's why I bought Absolute Planetary: it looks like the classy book it is!

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

April 2023 Oversized Collected Editions Solicitations:

ABSOLUTE PREACHER VOL. 1 (2023 EDITION)
Written by GARTH ENNIS
Art by STEVE DILLON
Cover by GLENN FABRY
$150.00 US | 736 pages | 8 1/8" x 12 1/4" | Hardcover | ISBN: 978-1-77952-334-1
ON SALE 8/8/23
Offered again! A masterpiece of violence, depravity, love, and redemption, writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon’s Preacher follows Reverend Jesse Custer on his epic quest to track down an absent God and force Him to answer for the sufferings of His creation. This first of three deluxe slipcase volumes collects issues #1-26 of the series and features an introduction by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg—executive producers of the Preacher TV adaptation—plus Ennis’s complete script for issue #11, a special gallery of pinup and promotional art, and highlights from Preacher’s infamous Gone to Texas letters column.

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

ABSOLUTE SANDMAN OVERTURE (2023 EDITION)
Written by NEIL GAIMAN
Art and cover by J.H. WILLIAMS III
$150.00 US | 416 pages | 8 1/8" x 12 1/4" | Hardcover | ISBN: 978-1-77952-352-5
ON SALE 8/22/23
Offered again! In 2013, New York Times bestselling author and master of modern fantasy Neil Gaiman returned to the world of the Dreaming for his first full-length tale of the Sandman in nearly 20 years. Ranging across the universe and through realms unbound by time and space, the stunning prequel to the original Sandman saga was sumptuously illustrated by critically acclaimed artist J.H. Williams III and colorist Dave Stewart over six enthralling issues.
This definitive collector’s edition of the landmark series features a foreword by Gaiman, behind-the-scenes retrospectives and a special sketchbook section from Williams, a never-before-seen artist’s edition of the story showcasing Williams’s original artwork for each page, and Gaiman’s complete script for issue #1.

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

ABSOLUTE V FOR VENDETTA (2023 EDITION)
Written by ALAN MOORE
Art and cover by DAVID LLOYD
$125 US | 384 pages | 8 1/8" x 12 1/4" | Hardcover | ISBN: 978-1-77952-339-6
ON SALE 8/15/23
Offered again! A frightening tale of the loss of freedom and identity in a chillingly believable totalitarian world, V for Vendetta stands as one of the highest achievements of the comics medium and a defining work for creators Alan Moore and David Lloyd. This Absolute edition collects the original 10-issue series in its entirety, including all of the never-before-reprinted “bridging” pages—newly colored by David Lloyd for this edition—that ran between the issues’ story pages, plus loads of other behind-the-scenes extras.

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

WONDER WOMAN HISTORIA: THE AMAZONS OHC
Written by KELLY SUE DeCONNICK
Art and cover by PHIL JIMENEZ, GENE HA, and NICOLA SCOTT
$29.99 US | 232 pages | 8 1/2" x 10 7/8" | Hardcover | ISBN: 978-1-77952-349-5
ON SALE 6/6/23
Featuring a brand-new cover by all three series artists!
Millennia ago, Queen Hera and the goddesses of the Olympian pantheon grew greatly dissatisfied with their male counterparts…and far from their sight, they put a plan into action. A new society was born, one never before seen on Earth, capable of wondrous and terrible things…but their existence could not stay secret for long. When a despairing woman named Hippolyta crossed the Amazons’ path, a series of events was set in motion that would lead to an outright war across heaven and Earth—and the creation of Earth’s greatest guardian! Legendary talents Kelly Sue DeConnick, Phil Jimenez, Gene Ha, and Nicola Scott unleash a critically lauded and Eisner Award-winning reading experience the likes of which you’ve never seen, with unbelievably sumptuous art and a story that will haunt you.
Collects Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons #1-3.

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

TOM STRONG COMPENDIUM TPB
Written by ALAN MOORE, LEAH MOORE, ED BRUBAKER, and others
Art by CHRIS SPROUSE, AL GORDON, KARL STORY, and others
Cover by ALEX ROSS
$59.99 US | 952 pages | 6 5/8" x 10 3/16" | Softcover | ISBN: 978-1-77952-172-9
ON SALE 5/16/23
Watchmen writer Alan Moore and Legionnaires artist Chris Sprouse pay tribute to the pulp heroes of the Golden Age of comics in this adventure-filled collection chronicling the exploits of science hero Tom Strong! Together with his family and an entourage of eccentric sidekicks, Tom protects Millennium City from the villainous Paul Saveen and other bizarre threats to the universe. Collects Tom Strong #1-36.

[PossumGrease]

Tom Strong Compendium! Excellent.

[ER Prest]

I've been waiting forever for some type of complete Tom Strong collection, especially since the oversized hardcovers from years ago left the last 12 issues out. In for that and Historia for sure.

[Optimus]

Depends on your own preferences. There are 3 options.

1. If you're a fan of the art, like oversized editions, and don't mind the price, then the Absolute Editions are the best option.
2. If you want just a few volumes for the whole series, then the omnibus format is best.
3. If omnibus format is too bulky/thick, then the Deluxe editions are high quality, but not as thick.

Thanks. Yeah, I went with the Absolutes. I ordered The 5 numbered volumes plus Death. Since Overture JUST got a re-release I'll hold off on that till Christmas most likely.

Instock trades had volumes 1, 2 and 5 for $50-57 each, wheras I had to pay $72 for volume 4 and I had to order volume 3 for CGN.com. I know this likely means I'll have some minor logo differences on the spine, but I think I can live with that. It seemed a little much to pay $75+ more just to have logo consistency, and even if I did, who's to say the site doesn't send me an old volume anyway and only updated the listing?

So worst case is that it could look something like this:

Sandman.jpg

[Happenstance]

I see Omar was on his live stream today talking about his recent discussions with DC and confirming that omnis will not be going away and they have plans to continue both new releases and reprints.

[MagpieMad]

Thanks for the update. I like Omar and enjoy his channel, but don't have the time to watch a two hour live stream every week.

[Captain Craig]

Thanks for the update. I like Omar and enjoy his channel, but don't have the time to watch a two hour live stream every week.

Same here. He needs to chunk up material and title it by subject or create an Index in order to jump around the video.
Two hours is insane. The last few years I've had to chunk up movies(at home) cause I rarely get that kind of time in large chunks unless I explicitly plan and then I'm at the movie theater.

[nx01a]

A very nice gentleman in the comments usually gives timestamps of the major talking points of Omar's livestreams.

[nx01a]

So worst case is that it could look something like this:
Sandman.jpg

Considering the different iconography on each volume, having a different DC logo on each seems fitting somehow.