DC Hardcover Collected Editions Part 3

[SJNeal]

They're reprinting Young Justice!!! Hell Yeah!


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/14...011&pldnSite=1

This is awesome!

I was shocked to see the new volumes of PAD's Supergirl solicited, given his relationship with DC. Obviously TPTB have grown up a bit and realized that just because they're in a tiff with certain creators, doesn't mean there isn't a market for said creators work. Here's hoping we get some 90's Aquaman reprints soon!

[FlashingSabre]

Read the 2 Superman ones from JMS and they were quite bad IMHO, absolutely failed to modernise Superman in any interesting way. Liked the first Batman one although it's more like some crazy dude in a bat suit than anything Batman we knew so far but I had fun with it, haven't read the 2nd one yet. Gary Frank on art is really freaking cool though.
The WW one was an interesting take from Morrison with great Paquette art but I wouldn't say it revolutionised anything.
I have no interest in Teen Titans, heard it's okay. If there would be an omnibus I would buy it but would hesitate a bit because I really disliked JMS's Superman.

Titans was meh. Lemire is pretty bad at team books. Both his X-Men and the second half of his JLU book were downright terrible.

[FlashingSabre]

This is awesome!

I was shocked to see the new volumes of PAD's Supergirl solicited, given his relationship with DC. Obviously TPTB have grown up a bit and realized that just because they're in a tiff with certain creators, doesn't mean there isn't a market for said creators work. Here's hoping we get some 90's Aquaman reprints soon!

They have to reprint it. Its literally the only acclaimed Aquaman material they have left to reprint, aside from Death of a Prince.

[CP1234]

Anybody have any opinions on the DC Archives? Hamilton Books has a number of 'em at around $15 each. I'd love some recommendations, as the only older/SA DC stuff I've really read is Doom Patrol and Legion.

[The Flicker Fade]

Anybody have any opinions on the DC Archives? Hamilton Books has a number of 'em at around $15 each. I'd love some recommendations, as the only older/SA DC stuff I've really read is Doom Patrol and Legion.

You'd have to be more specific. The material they collect is very varied and the time periods range from the 1930s to the early 1980s.

[CP1234]

They've got volumes of All-Star Comics, The Spirit, Kamandi, Sandman, Wonder Woman, LoSH, New Teen Titans, Blackhawks, Sgt. Rock, World's Finest, Flash, Challengers of the Unknown, Metal Men, Plastic Man, Enemy Ace, Seven Soldiers, and JLA. I like older material (I've owned a few Showcase Presents volumes), so I'm willing to try some of it at that price. I do prefer SA to GA though.

I'm also just wondering in general if there are any specific titles that may be a little more well regarded around here.

[Vilynne]

Titans was meh. Lemire is pretty bad at team books. Both his X-Men and the second half of his JLU book were downright terrible.

I think JLU started off solid, and fell of the rails on the Infinitus Saga.

[The Flicker Fade]

They've got volumes of All-Star Comics, The Spirit, Kamandi, Sandman, Wonder Woman, LoSH, New Teen Titans, Blackhawks, Sgt. Rock, World's Finest, Flash, Challengers of the Unknown, Metal Men, Plastic Man, Enemy Ace, Seven Soldiers, and JLA. I like older material (I've owned a few Showcase Presents volumes), so I'm willing to try some of it at that price. I do prefer SA to GA though.

I'm also just wondering in general if there are any specific titles that may be a little more well regarded around here.

Well, here's what I can tell you:

The archives completed the entire run of All Star Comics. This is the series starring the JSA. If you buy all twelve volumes (vol 11 + 0) you can have a complete collection of every story featuring the Justice Society from the golden age. The stories are a mixed bag, but some of the later volumes are considered to be as good or better than the later Justice League stories from the silver age. Since all the restoration is already done, there's a chance these stories might get omnibused at some point.

I know nothing about The Spirit, the character has never interested me.

Kamandi wasn't fully collected in archives, but was fully collected in some Jack Kirby omnibus books (standard size), albeit not completely restored. I would wait for a better collection.

Sandman only got one volume. It's considered slightly more sophisticated than most golden age comics. This is the original conception of the character where he wears a gas mask and not his later Simon/Kirby reinvention as a Batman clone in tights with a sidekick named Sandy. Dian Belmont, in particular, is admired for being the hero's equal rather than a damsel in distress. Still lots of kicking down doors and fighting gangsters who are cracking safes, the hero getting shot in the arm and being tied up before escaping, etc.

Wonder Woman I wouldn't buy. There are omnibuses and paperbacks that collect the material better coming soon.

Legion of Superheroes is one of my most favorite series ever. Period. If you like retro-futurism (retro now, anyway), a vision of the future full of ray guns and rocketships and domes on alien asteroids, and also full of (now) hilariously super-square Kennedy era sensibilities and gender roles, you need this in your life. The characters are all called things like Lightning Lad and Cosmic Boy and Shadow Lass and Karate Kid(!) and there's like 25 of them. The legion also has ongoing continuity, which was rare for DC in the silver age. Know that the archives for LoSH were very popular and several are severely out of print (5, 8, 12, 13), with #8 going for $200 on the secondary market, so you may not be able to complete the set anytime soon. But also it looks like they won't be getting recollected in another format anytime soon, so if you do invest, it's probably a safe investment. Also, Legion is fucking glorious, did I say that?

New Teen Titans is one of the best comic series ever. Desert island I-can-only-bring-one-book-forever material. But buy the paperbacks. They're cheaper and collect more. There were only four archives released.

Don't know anything about Blackhawks. Don't care about cheesy fighter pilot comics from a half century ago.

Don't know anything about Sgt. Rock. 1960s comics about WWII. Nazis are bad, ya know?

World's Finest. Buy the omnibus.

Flash. Buy the omnibus or the new paperbacks.

Challengers of the Unknown. It's Kirby stuff, but got nowhere near fully collected. A bunch of high adventure stories starring four guys who'll do anything because they think they should already be dead. It's like the A-Team, but probably with more science and spaceships. But that's just me guessing.

Metal Men. Nothing annoys me more in my comic books than when the Metal Men show up. Did you know Mercury is the only metal that's liquid at room temperature? It's not even true! Even for the silver age, this was considered more of a "young readers" series. Maybe you can stand it though, I don't know.

Plastic Man is from the golden age, and is really highly regarded for the art and the creativity. He's basically a looney tunes character though. I could never stand him, so I never read this.

Enemy Ace is more fighter pilots, except this time he's a German. A tragic noble warrior archetype, he hates Nazis but loves his country more, so finds himself in the unfortunate position of fighting for them. Probably more interesting than the other war comics of the era, but also probably not by much.

Seven Soldiers is a golden age series, a JSA knock-off starring a whole bunch of characters you've never heard of plus Green Arrow. Considered far inferior to All Star and a pretty tedious read. I haven't been able to bring myself to buy them despite some interest in what early Green Arrow was like.

JLA. Get the omnibuses! Silver age JLA is completely collected and Bronze Age is coming soon!



Hope that helps!

[CP1234]

Flicker Fade, that was very helpful, thanks! I may pick up one or two of the All-Star volumes. Glad to see another Legion fan as well, I've read a lot of the old stuff in the Showcase volumes. I actually have everything from the Levitz 1984 relaunch until the end of Giffen's 5YL custom bound as hardcovers!

[Vilynne]

That was an excellent post FF. Do more like this!

[Johnny Thunders!]

The Legion are terrific and I would argue they develop charcter better than most Justice League stories from the same era. The Spirit is must read. There are inexpensive trades that provide nice intros. The art is innovative and highly influential. 8 page noir stories that hit the spot. And Sgt. Rock is great, short brutal stories about War. I wish Jonah Hex and Rock would get reprinted in nice Omnibus collections.

[AJpyro]

They're reprinting Young Justice!!! Hell Yeah!


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/14...011&pldnSite=1

About time.

[FlashingSabre]

I think JLU started off solid, and fell of the rails on the Infinitus Saga.

I have the exact same opinion. And I'm a huge Legion fan, so you have to screw up pretty big to get me not to like a Legion story. They literally had no reason to be there. That whole story was completely pointless.

[DCJdog]

I just was to say thanks for someone mentioning Hamilton Books. I did not even know about this online store. I just got one omnibus and four TPB's for $60 shipped. They are all DC and ones that I was really wanting to read. Thanks!

[FlashingSabre]

I just was to say thanks for someone mentioning Hamilton Books. I did not even know about this online store. I just got one omnibus and four TPB's for $60 shipped. They are all DC and ones that I was really wanting to read. Thanks!

I got the DC1M Omni and the Sinestro Corps Absolute for thirty bucks each, and the Hawkman Omni for 25. And a ton of 5 dollar trades. Its a great little known site.