Marvel Essentials, DC Showcase

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

Well, I just got hold of my copy of Essential Howard The Duck, and I'm pretty happy with it. Like Shoegaze said, this is a comic you can lug around with you, read anywhere and generally get the most out of without getting paranoid about damaging a 'collector's item'. I'm a little skeptical about the glue used in the binding - I suspect that given time, individual pages may come loose. But we'll see.

Anyway, I'd only read a few Howard comics previously, towards the end of Gerber's time on the comics (I have the issue where he ran out of ideas and did an illustrated essay instead tucked away somewhere) but I've always enjoyed the charcter and it's great to have nearly all the classic material in one volume. Most of the art translates really well in b&w, especially Gene Colan's work.

DC seems to be trying a new way to re-issue their back catalogue, now. They've just released something called Batman Chronicles: Vol. 1, which is the first volume in a full-colour trade paperback series that intends to compile every Batman story ever written (although I reckon that's a Sisyphean task, until DC finally shuts shop) in chronological order. The next release planned in the Chronicles series is Superman. If these catch on, they could be a good affordable alternative to the archival editions, with colour. Here's hoping they do, and that Marvel tries something similar too!

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

I'm afraid I'm not at all happy with the quality of Marvel's Essentials. My Dr. Strange Essentials Vol. 1 started falling apart less than halfway through.

DC's Showcase is really very well produced though. I have the Superman showcase as well, and the binding seems really sturdy. When it comes to classic Marvel fare, I'd recommend being very selective about what you want, and sticking to the pricier Archive editions.

 

[hypocriticHarkonnen]

um, question, is an Infinite Crisis compilation already out?

 

[Shoegaze99]

um, question, is an Infinite Crisis compilation already out?

You're unlikely to get a DC Showcase release of Infinite Crisis for, oh, 30 years or so. Likely not ever.

A trade paperback release, on the other hand, will probably follow 9 to 12 months after the series is complete, based on DC's past trends.

 

[Harpo]

.... They've just released something called Batman Chronicles: Vol. 1, which is the first volume in a full-colour trade paperback series that intends to compile every Batman story ever written (although I reckon that's a Sisyphean task, until DC finally shuts shop) in chronological order.....