DC Hardcover Collected Editions Part 3

[borntohula]

I just saw this, Batman Noir: The Dark Knight Strikes Again.

https://www.amazon.com/Batman-Noir-K...+strikes+again

While I hold this book in higher regards than most (I actually think it has a place inbetween Returns and Master Race for starters), I'm not so sure how much market there is for it as a deluxe sized book that's black and white.

If DC wants it in rotation, perhaps it better if it's included as an extra to DKR?

[awayne83]

Does the rebirth deluxe have a dust jacket. Saw a photo and couldn't tell, plus it's so thin

[ER Prest]

Skip the early Superman and anything Lobdell. Haven't read Johns, but... I understand its just decent. I hear Paks run is pretty fun. At least at first. No surprise, Superman got caught in a hurricane of crossovers. And no, they're not that Great, even decent. I really liked Soule, but his S/WW did nothing for me. Felt wasted mainly.

Second this. The Lobdell stuff is garbage. I did hear really good things about Snyder and Lee's Superman Unchained, but i havent gotten a chance to pick it up.

Thanks good to know. What about the Supergirl and Superboy comic? Worth it?

Superman Unchained was pretty good. Kinda fizzed out at the end like most Snyder stories go, but Lee's art was pretty great.

[Ivan P91]

Second this. The Lobdell stuff is garbage.

I third this. I personally like the first couple volumes of N52 Superman (the Perez and Jurgens stuff). Lobdell though... ugh. Bland, usually over-convoluted, lots of crossovers with other titles he wrote, and very repetitive writing. I should make a drinking game for every time someone says "I don't know who you are or what you're doing, but..." as I swear it's said in every single issue of his that I've read. After that, I sorta kinda liked the Johns and Yang issues, but the biggest downside is JRJR's art. His 80's stuff is amazing, and the state of his current art is already well-voiced, so all I'll say is his current style simply does not fit a title like Superman. Once he left, I quite enjoyed the remainder of the run, which is in the Return to Glory collection. So overall, I guess it's a pretty average series with a lot of clunkers in the middle when Lobdell took over.

Thanks good to know. What about the Supergirl and Superboy comic? Worth it?

Superboy started off ok, but then also got drawn into lots of crossovers. From memory I enjoyed the first collection (which is like, only 6 issues or so), and it's downhill from there. I'd put it on par with Lobdell's Teen Titans... alright at first and then it falls off the rails and is mostly terrible.

[Vilynne]

Thanks good to know. What about the Supergirl and Superboy comic? Worth it?

Superman Unchained was pretty good. Kinda fizzed out at the end like most Snyder stories go, but Lee's art was pretty great.

I just want to also Mention, that the current Lobdell stuff is actually really good. Picked up the Outlaws and was blown away at how good it was!

If memory serves, Superboy was a massive mess. Some good issues towards the end, bit ultimately forgettable.

Supergirl I really dug. Sterling Gates returns to write a fub Kara, who's a little too angry, but I enjoy the world built around her. Her outfit is a little off setting, but the character at least felt more natural, a teen, angry and bitter about her world being destroyed, and the many people trying to use her. like Superman, she was caught in many crossovers, most bad (H'el on Earth) some decent (Red Lanterns), and had some unresolved plot lines, that was some of the best features of the story (Silver Banshee). The series ended with an arc by K.Perkins (currently writing Superwoman) about Kara heading to a Hogwarts like to school to help her potential and training. Was a lot of fun, if not Rushed, but her series got axed, so its understandable. There's also a really fun two issues where Powergirl and her meet.

[Dick Grayson]

I just want to also Mention, that the current Lobdell stuff is actually really good. Picked up the Outlaws and was blown away at how good it was!

If memory serves, Superboy was a massive mess. Some good issues towards the end, bit ultimately forgettable.

Supergirl I really dug. Sterling Gates returns to write a fub Kara, who's a little too angry, but I enjoy the world built around her. Her outfit is a little off setting, but the character at least felt more natural, a teen, angry and bitter about her world being destroyed, and the many people trying to use her. like Superman, she was caught in many crossovers, most bad (H'el on Earth) some decent (Red Lanterns), and had some unresolved plot lines, that was some of the best features of the story (Silver Banshee). The series ended with an arc by K.Perkins (currently writing Superwoman) about Kara heading to a Hogwarts like to school to help her potential and training. Was a lot of fun, if not Rushed, but her series got axed, so its understandable. There's also a really fun two issues where Powergirl and her meet.

Sterling Gates never wrote Kara in the New 52. He wrote the TV show tie-in series recently but that's been all since the series was rebooted with the New 52 (his run ended when the DCU became the New 52.) Would be hard for him to "return" if he had never left! He did write or co-write some other New 52 series (Vibe, Hawk & Dove, maybe others I'm forgetting.)

But I share your assessment of the series Not the greatest series, but not horrible, and the Perkins issues showed a lot of potential, would've liked to have seen more of that, actually.

[Vilynne]

Sterling Gates never wrote Kara in the New 52. He wrote the TV show tie-in series recently but that's been all since the series was rebooted with the New 52 (his run ended when the DCU became the New 52.) Would be hard for him to "return" if he had never left! He did write or co-write some other New 52 series (Vibe, Hawk & Dove, maybe others I'm forgetting.)

But I share your assessment of the series Not the greatest series, but not horrible, and the Perkins issues showed a lot of potential, would've liked to have seen more of that, actually.

Ah yes. My mistake, time to eat crow! Perkins was still growing as a writer in comics. Excited to read her Superwoman.

[Lake Nowhere]

Does the rebirth deluxe have a dust jacket. Saw a photo and couldn't tell, plus it's so thin

No it doesn't. I kind of prefer this actually, as it's always the first thing to get damaged in shipping.

[Lake Nowhere]

I just saw this, Batman Noir: The Dark Knight Strikes Again.

https://www.amazon.com/Batman-Noir-K...+strikes+again

While I hold this book in higher regards than most (I actually think it has a place inbetween Returns and Master Race for starters), I'm not so sure how much market there is for it as a deluxe sized book that's black and white.

If DC wants it in rotation, perhaps it better if it's included as an extra to DKR?

I'd still revisit DKSA before Master Race, I think. Master Race is a technically better product, but I prefer the absolute bat$#!t mess that is Dark Knight Strikes Again over the safe nostalgia-bait of Master Race.

DKSA might actually benefit from the Noir treatment, as Varley's terrible digital coloring was always the most jarring part of the book. I think she learned Photoshop a week before the deadline.

[drd]

I'd still revisit DKSA before Master Race, I think. Master Race is a technically better product, but I prefer the absolute bat$#!t mess that is Dark Knight Strikes Again over the safe nostalgia-bait of Master Race.

DKSA might actually benefit from the Noir treatment, as Varley's terrible digital coloring was always the most jarring part of the book. I think she learned Photoshop a week before the deadline.

You might get a kick out of this then, the author comes to much the same conclusion as you, and attempts to fix some of the colouring. It's still not great, but it's head and shoulders better than the colouring it was shipped with.

https://harveyjames.tumblr.com/post/...is-good-but-it

[Lake Nowhere]

You might get a kick out of this then, the author comes to much the same conclusion as you, and attempts to fix some of the colouring. It's still not great, but it's head and shoulders better than the colouring it was shipped with.

https://harveyjames.tumblr.com/post/...is-good-but-it

Wow, very interesting! Thanks for that.

Even Master Race, which did everything it could to try and capture so many aspects of the original series, dropped the ball on the coloring. It's your standard modern gleamy-shine digital coloring.
It's not bad, and it's a lot better than the coloring in DKSA, but it has none of the personality of Varley's hand-painted 80's stuff. Her contribution is the one part of Dark Knight Returns that never gets the credit it deserves.

[borntohula]

I'd still revisit DKSA before Master Race, I think. Master Race is a technically better product, but I prefer the absolute bat$#!t mess that is Dark Knight Strikes Again over the safe nostalgia-bait of Master Race.

DKSA might actually benefit from the Noir treatment, as Varley's terrible digital coloring was always the most jarring part of the book. I think she learned Photoshop a week before the deadline.

I really like all three. Returns, Strikes again and Master race. Strikes again since it's as you say, it's insane. On a meta level Returns was Frank Miller's loosing it over getting mugged, Strikes again was his mindset when 9/11 happened. Master Race surviving cancer.

Somehow, I think the colouring fits DKSA. But I totally get what you say.

I've only seen a couple of images from Dark Knight Returns "Noir", and if I remember correctly it kept a couple of grays in. Perhaps that'll be the case for Strikes again as well. I'm interested in seeing how it'll look nonetheless

Her contribution is the one part of Dark Knight Returns that never gets the credit it deserves.

Miller has said people found it funny that Varley got credited for the colouring of DKR. Little did they know.

[awayne83]

No it doesn't. I kind of prefer this actually, as it's always the first thing to get damaged in shipping.

Thanks. I've been collecting rebirth thru the ohcs and am deciding whether the rebirth omni is worth it. The rebirth issues have been included for the titles I'm following.

[ER Prest]

Skip the early Superman and anything Lobdell. Haven't read Johns, but... I understand its just decent. I hear Paks run is pretty fun. At least at first. No surprise, Superman got caught in a hurricane of crossovers. And no, they're not that Great, even decent. I really liked Soule, but his S/WW did nothing for me. Felt wasted mainly.

Second this. The Lobdell stuff is garbage. I did hear really good things about Snyder and Lee's Superman Unchained, but i havent gotten a chance to pick it up.

I third this. I personally like the first couple volumes of N52 Superman (the Perez and Jurgens stuff). Lobdell though... ugh. Bland, usually over-convoluted, lots of crossovers with other titles he wrote, and very repetitive writing. I should make a drinking game for every time someone says "I don't know who you are or what you're doing, but..." as I swear it's said in every single issue of his that I've read. After that, I sorta kinda liked the Johns and Yang issues, but the biggest downside is JRJR's art. His 80's stuff is amazing, and the state of his current art is already well-voiced, so all I'll say is his current style simply does not fit a title like Superman. Once he left, I quite enjoyed the remainder of the run, which is in the Return to Glory collection. So overall, I guess it's a pretty average series with a lot of clunkers in the middle when Lobdell took over.



Superboy started off ok, but then also got drawn into lots of crossovers. From memory I enjoyed the first collection (which is like, only 6 issues or so), and it's downhill from there. I'd put it on par with Lobdell's Teen Titans... alright at first and then it falls off the rails and is mostly terrible.

I just want to also Mention, that the current Lobdell stuff is actually really good. Picked up the Outlaws and was blown away at how good it was!

If memory serves, Superboy was a massive mess. Some good issues towards the end, bit ultimately forgettable.

Supergirl I really dug. Sterling Gates returns to write a fub Kara, who's a little too angry, but I enjoy the world built around her. Her outfit is a little off setting, but the character at least felt more natural, a teen, angry and bitter about her world being destroyed, and the many people trying to use her. like Superman, she was caught in many crossovers, most bad (H'el on Earth) some decent (Red Lanterns), and had some unresolved plot lines, that was some of the best features of the story (Silver Banshee). The series ended with an arc by K.Perkins (currently writing Superwoman) about Kara heading to a Hogwarts like to school to help her potential and training. Was a lot of fun, if not Rushed, but her series got axed, so its understandable. There's also a really fun two issues where Powergirl and her meet.

Sterling Gates never wrote Kara in the New 52. He wrote the TV show tie-in series recently but that's been all since the series was rebooted with the New 52 (his run ended when the DCU became the New 52.) Would be hard for him to "return" if he had never left! He did write or co-write some other New 52 series (Vibe, Hawk & Dove, maybe others I'm forgetting.)

But I share your assessment of the series Not the greatest series, but not horrible, and the Perkins issues showed a lot of potential, would've liked to have seen more of that, actually.

Ah yes. My mistake, time to eat crow! Perkins was still growing as a writer in comics. Excited to read her Superwoman.

Thanks for the input everyone, and yes, the Gates/Igle Supergirl issues(Pre N52) were great. Maybe I'll see if my library has some of these that I'm not to sure about before I buy

[Vilynne]

Thanks for the input everyone, and yes, the Gates/Igle Supergirl issues(Pre N52) were great. Maybe I'll see if my library has some of these that I'm not to sure about before I buy

I'm still digging my way through those issues myself. I love me some Supergirl.