DC Hardcover Collected Editions Part 3

[kodave]

Some content changes that may have already been discussed, but better safe than sorry:

BATMAN: WAR GAMES VOL. 2 TP has increased to 636 pages and is now priced at $39.99. The volume now collects Batgirl #56-#57, Batman #632-#634, #643-#644, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #183-#184, Batman: Gotham Knights #57- #58, Catwoman #35-#36, Detective #798-#800, #809-#810, Nightwing #97-#98, Robin #130-#131.

Compared to the previous set of trades, this adds:
Batman #634
Detective Comics #799-800
LOTDK #184
Nightwing #98

Potentially missing: Material from BATMAN ALLIES SECRET FILES 2005 and BATMAN VILLAINS SECRET FILES 2005, but I don’t know if the selections from those issues actually had anything to do with this event, or if DC just added them to pad out the original War Crimes trade.

SUPERMAN: THE GOLDEN AGE OMNIBUS VOL. 1 HC (FEB130227) (2nd printing)

I knew this would be coming. People who jumped on the OOP prices must be kicking themselves. DC is much more reliable on these types of reprints than Marvel is with their Omnibuses.

[TomSlick]

Yeah. I wrote and deleted that a couple times. Ultimately though, I think FC is essential to his Batman run, but I think it would be silly to tell someone interested in FC that first they have to read Morrison's Batman. Definitely makes sense understanding the entire picture, but seems like a lot of work for a better context of a few scenes.

Yeah Batman is not necessary for Final Crisis, it's too much groundwork if your just wanting to get to the point of it all. I would recommend it though as a seperate thread to the story. Now if you are specifically wanting to read his Batman run, then FC is necessary...and then to understand FC there is a whole other set of required reading lol.

Onions.

If you are gonna get Final Crisis, get the expended edition. It collects Final Crisis #1-7, Final Crisis: Submit #1, Final Crisis: Superman Beyond 3-D #1-2, DC Universe Zero, and Batman #682-683.

I haven't read anyother version so i don't know how much of better read this one but it seems even if the whole Morrison Batman run is not essential to Final Crisis, Batman 682-683 are essentials

Batarang is correct. I didn't actually mean the entire Batman run but I should have done a better job clarifying. It was the issues that depicted events touched on in FC.

That said, I'd still recommend reading Morrison's Batman run. For all the crap I sometimes give Morrison, it wasn't a bad run and actually got way better after FC when Dick came over and then Batman Inc started - imo

[mtop2036]

So I just ordered batman cataclysm thinking that was the start of no mans lands, but dosnt contagion come before? Can I still read cataclysm and not be to confused?

And is this the right order for bat events? knighfall,contagion,cataclysm,no mans land? Kinda of confused I think I read that technically contagion takes place after knightfall vol 1

And why is knightfall vol 3 sold out on ist/cgn? You'd think vol 1 would be the first to sell out!

[rtk79]

If you are gonna get Final Crisis, get the expended edition. It collects Final Crisis #1-7, Final Crisis: Submit #1, Final Crisis: Superman Beyond 3-D #1-2, DC Universe Zero, and Batman #682-683.

I haven't read anyother version so i don't know how much of better read this one but it seems even if the whole Morrison Batman run is not essential to Final Crisis, Batman 682-683 are essentials

If price is an issue, I'd stick with the regular edition : Superman Beyond (essential to understanding FC) and Final Crisis Submit are included there as well, the Batman issues are only important if you're into Morrison's Batman run and DC Universe zero doesn't add anything significant (it was an early teaser for several DC storylines).
Final Crisis Resist is very good, but will make little sense if you're not familiar with Greg Rucka's Checkmate series.

[The Lucky One]

So I just ordered batman cataclysm thinking that was the start of no mans lands, but dosnt contagion come before? Can I still read cataclysm and not be to confused?

Yes. Contagion was a standalone crossover (I doubt Cataclysm or No Man's Land had even been dreamt up at the time) about a deadly plague hitting Gotham. It was followed some time later by Legacy, a follow-up about Ra's al Ghul and Bane allying and threatening to unleash a... different version of the same plague, I believe? (I haven't actually read it yet.) After that, another year or so went by and we got Cataclysm, about an earthquake hitting Gotham. That was followed by the stories now collected in "Road to No Man's Land" volume 1 (which mostly collects the "Aftershocks" stories) and the upcoming volume 2 (the actual "Road to No Man's Land" stories).

The stated in-story reason for the No Man's Land is that between the plague and the earthquake, Gotham wasn't worth salvaging, but we don't actually know when the writers and editors dreamed up the concept of NML... it might have been before, during, or after Cataclysm. Either way, if you want to focus purely on the crossovers, I believe it goes Knightfall/Knightquest/KnightsEnd/Prodigal (3 volumes), Contagion, Legacy (to be released later this year), Cataclysm, Road to No Man's Land (2 volumes), No Man's Land (4 volumes in the most recent printing). After that was, I think, Officer Down, then Bruce Wayne: Murderer/Fugitive, and (ugh) War Games, if you plan to keep going.

[TomSlick]

Yes. Contagion was a standalone crossover (I doubt Cataclysm or No Man's Land had even been dreamt up at the time) about a deadly plague hitting Gotham. It was followed some time later by Legacy, a follow-up about Ra's al Ghul and Bane allying and threatening to unleash a... different version of the same plague, I believe? (I haven't actually read it yet.) After that, another year or so went by and we got Cataclysm, about an earthquake hitting Gotham. That was followed by the stories now collected in "Road to No Man's Land" volume 1 (which mostly collects the "Aftershocks" stories) and the upcoming volume 2 (the actual "Road to No Man's Land" stories).

The stated in-story reason for the No Man's Land is that between the plague and the earthquake, Gotham wasn't worth salvaging, but we don't actually know when the writers and editors dreamed up the concept of NML... it might have been before, during, or after Cataclysm. Either way, if you want to focus purely on the crossovers, I believe it goes Knightfall/Knightquest/KnightsEnd/Prodigal (3 volumes), Contagion, Legacy (to be released later this year), Cataclysm, Road to No Man's Land (2 volumes), No Man's Land (4 volumes in the most recent printing). After that was, I think, Officer Down, then Bruce Wayne: Murderer/Fugitive, and (ugh) War Games, if you plan to keep going.

Talk about. Walk down memory lane. Yes this all appears to be correct. I really liked road to and no mans land.

[mtop2036]

Yes. Contagion was a standalone crossover (I doubt Cataclysm or No Man's Land had even been dreamt up at the time) about a deadly plague hitting Gotham. It was followed some time later by Legacy, a follow-up about Ra's al Ghul and Bane allying and threatening to unleash a... different version of the same plague, I believe? (I haven't actually read it yet.) After that, another year or so went by and we got Cataclysm, about an earthquake hitting Gotham. That was followed by the stories now collected in "Road to No Man's Land" volume 1 (which mostly collects the "Aftershocks" stories) and the upcoming volume 2 (the actual "Road to No Man's Land" stories).

The stated in-story reason for the No Man's Land is that between the plague and the earthquake, Gotham wasn't worth salvaging, but we don't actually know when the writers and editors dreamed up the concept of NML... it might have been before, during, or after Cataclysm. Either way, if you want to focus purely on the crossovers, I believe it goes Knightfall/Knightquest/KnightsEnd/Prodigal (3 volumes), Contagion, Legacy (to be released later this year), Cataclysm, Road to No Man's Land (2 volumes), No Man's Land (4 volumes in the most recent printing). After that was, I think, Officer Down, then Bruce Wayne: Murderer/Fugitive, and (ugh) War Games, if you plan to keep going.

Awesome thanks for all of that. I completely forgot about road to no mans land and probably would of skipped it!

[mtop2036]

So are there issues inbetween cataclysm and road to no mans land and no mans land? If so are they collected in one or 2 collections?

[kodave]

So are there issues inbetween cataclysm and road to no mans land and no mans land? If so are they collected in one or 2 collections?

If you're going by the new editions, it's a straight shot from Cataclysm to Road 1-2 to No Man's Land 1-4.

[mtop2036]

If you're going by the new editions, it's a straight shot from Cataclysm to Road 1-2 to No Man's Land 1-4.

Good to hear!

[Balakin]

If price is an issue, I'd stick with the regular edition : Superman Beyond (essential to understanding FC) and Final Crisis Submit are included there as well, the Batman issues are only important if you're into Morrison's Batman run and DC Universe zero doesn't add anything significant (it was an early teaser for several DC storylines).
Final Crisis Resist is very good, but will make little sense if you're not familiar with Greg Rucka's Checkmate series.

I disagree about Batman. They included those 2 issues in the RIP trade and hc and they make little sense if you are not familiar with FC. But when you read FC without those Batman issues you won't see Batman for like 5 issues then he only appears for his big finale.

[Pete Wisdom]

Compared to the previous set of trades, this adds:
Batman #634
Detective Comics #799-800
LOTDK #184
Nightwing #98

Detective Comics #799, LOTDK #184 and Nightwing #98 are first three parts of War Games Act 3, and I'm pretty sure that they are in the old trade. It's just, even after over 10 years, every site lists the wrong contents, because solicitation was wrong. It's either hilarious or really sad.

[Dick Grayson]

Detective Comics #799, LOTDK #184 and Nightwing #98 are first three parts of War Games Act 3, and I'm pretty sure that they are in the old trade. It's just, even after over 10 years, every site lists the wrong contents, because solicitation was wrong. It's either hilarious or really sad.

According to comicbookdb and Mike's Amazing World of DC, you are correct, Pete:
http://comicbookdb.com/issue.php?ID=41978
http://www.dcindexes.com/features/gu...pb&tpbid=35476

[kodave]

Detective Comics #799, LOTDK #184 and Nightwing #98 are first three parts of War Games Act 3, and I'm pretty sure that they are in the old trade. It's just, even after over 10 years, every site lists the wrong contents, because solicitation was wrong. It's either hilarious or really sad.

Yeah you're correct. I looked at the indicia of Act 3 and it does have those Tec, LOTDK and Nightwing issues in there.

So I guess the new edition just adds Batman #634 and 'Tec #800.

Though it would be kind of humorous if that was also a misprint and the new trades collected nothing new!

But 634 is a War Games epilogue issue and 800 references the events of War Games but is actually also the first chapter of the City of Crime arc, which has its own trade.

Flipping through the War Crimes trade, it does look like the two Secret Files and Origins pieces are relevant to the story, so it would be kind of bad if DC left those out of the new trade. But like with many DC products I guess we'll never know until the book is in someone's hands.

[Pertl]

Hi everybody,

I'm wondering about DC never collecting Flash: Rebirth or Flashpoint in OHC and would like to hear your opinions.
Rebirth and Flashpoint itself may be a little bit short for an Absolute, but I guess they would be OK for a Deluxe (we have seen smaller Deluxes in the past). Yes, GL Rebirth was also only 6 issues, but I think this was not so well received and DC is aiming for bigger Absolutes now. Another possibility would be to collect everything from Rebirth to Flashpoint in a single collection, but I think this unlikely.
On the other hand, Flashpoint with all the tie- ins would likely be to much for an Omnibus and would be like Doom Patrol or Invisibles regarding page count.

So, are there any suggestions how to best collect these (if at all)? Cheers!