What Collected Edition are you reading now?

[MRP]

Hellboy Omnibus Vol. 1

-M

[Captain Craig]

I finished up reading the 90s series of Hellstrom: Prince of Lies. It is two separate volumes.
One a TPB collecting the first 11 issues by the initial creative team of Rafael Nieves and Michael Bair.
The other is the Omnibus collecting the Warren Ellis and Leonardo Manco run that is issues 12-21.
HS.jpg HS_Omni.jpg

I enjoyed both halves first of all, let me say that. Clearly the book was not retaining well but the PTB must've liked the concept and wanted to try a turnaround by bringing in Ellis.
I liked what Nieves was doing. His story arc has Daimon, Patsy and Gargoyle(Isaac Christians) as the main cast. He has Dr. Strange pop in early, issue #2 to let Daimon know he's being kept up on. Gabriel Rosetti, the Demon Hunter frequents the book as well. I was unfamiliar with him until now but did some digging and he had been around in the 80s at least. The arc is about the rising Satanistic churces popping up. Daimon takes this up cause he was being impersonated by a demon, which Gabriel was onto yada yada yada. Gabriel has no love for Daimon but they strike up an uneasy truce. Patsy is essentially a comatose extra cause she has gone insane. She lies around and drools while Isaac tends to her, Defenders team loyalty at play here. Daimon manages to kill his father, become ruler of Hell oh, and Patsy dies just has his run ends at issue #11

Ellis picks up with a few month time jump. This allows him to establish his own new status quo while paying some lip service to the prior 11 issues. He does go back a few issues later and do a recap story. Daimon now has a new steady named Jaine Cutter, another new to me character, Isaac is still around and Stana is lurking in the background. Gabriel is at a low point, crisis of faith going on and moved in with Daimon. There are battles with Angel assassins. A two parter where an actual Angel possess a human, which conflicts Daimon to some degree. All in all the series wraps quickly as Warren explains in the letters column. He re-wrote the final issue a few times to try and include wrap ups but admits he couldn't get all plot threads in. One of those I assume was going to be the resurrection of Patsy, hints had been dropped of her echo speaking from the afterlife. So when this series ends, Hellcat is still dead. I'm unsure where she returns and if the creator who brought her back even much acknowledges her demise.
The Omni then skips to the 4 issue Doctor Druid mini also penned by Ellis. He pops Daimon in for a cameo during the run twice to let Anthony Ludgate aka Druid know he's being watched by him. A bit of a role reversal since Doctor Strange is watching Daimon. Druid gets a power up through a near death situation then due to his own Gies stupidly dies himself.
So Druid is dead when I'm done with the main book. I assume Druid has also been resurrected but I honestly don't know. Also has Jaine Cutter ever popped back up I wonder. Time permitting I'll look into the wiki.

The Extras in the book are quite fascinating. There is a nearly complete Satana issue #1 that Ellis was asked to do but it never came to full realization. Brother Voodoo was involved in issue #1 and the art was great. It for sure falls into the "oh what could've been" category even if it was only a three issue mini.

Overall I grade the is series, Hellstrom; Prince of Lies thru Druid highly for its era.
Grade: B

[ARkadelphia]

War of Kings: Warriors

[Spike-X]

Over the previous weekend I read Superman: Space Age by Mark Russell and Mike Allred, and Do A Powerbomb by Daniel Warren Johnson.

[Johnny Thunders!]

Twilight Man: Rod Serling and the Birth of Television. Rod Serling was a genius and this is a great book.

[Spike-X]

I read all of Descender by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen this week (mostly yesterday because i was deep in it). Pretty damn good story, and amazing art.

I know Ascender comes next, but I might just leave it there for a while.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

The Blue Flame
The Witches of WW2
20th Century Men
BPRD omnibus volume 5

[Chubistian]

Fantastic Four Visionaries John Byrne from the 3rd to the 6th volume

[MRP]

Hal Foster's Prince Valiant Vol. 1 (1937-1938) from Fantagraphics.

-M

[JT221]

Shaman's Tears, by Mike Grell.

[captchuck]

Green Lantern Archives #4 1963-64. Gardner Fox, John Broome and Gil Kane.

[CaptainEurope]

Marvel Decades: The 70s- Legion of Monsters

[JT221]

Batman/Spawn: The Deluxe Edition

81B+csZtz0L.jpg

[JPAR]

The complete life and times of Scrooge McDuck 1 & 2

[JT221]

The complete life and times of Scrooge McDuck 1 & 2

Those are wonderful!