TPBs, HCs, Absolutes, Omnibuses… discuss them all here!
The Trades Thread: Collected Editions
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Bendis’ looks to be on four issues, Lemire on 24. The bigger point for me is he has Sorrentino on art who he tends to work very well with.
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Do I want this?
Love the original, don’t know the Bendis or Lemire stuff.Lemire is fine sight unseen, no worries.
Bendis is all over the place.Wolverine: Old Man Logan Omnibus Vol. 1
944 pgs. – Dec. 15th
Old Man Logan’s adventures in the modern-day Marvel Universe, plus the all-time classic that started it all!
In a world ravaged by super villains, the former Wolverine seeks to live in peace. If only they’d let him. Forced into a cross-country jaunt through villain-ruled lands, Old Man Logan is on a collision course with the worst of them all! Then, on the Battleworld of SECRET WARS, the Wastelands return — and Old Man Logan faces fresh horrors! And when the Marvel Universe is reborn, he somehow wakes up in the present, before the Wasteland — determined to prevent his nightmarish future from coming to pass! High on his hit list: the Hulk! But his mission won’t be an easy one — and as he encounters heroes and villains both familiar and unfamiliar, his greatest adversary may prove to be his own past!
COLLECTING: Wolverine (2003) #66-72, Wolverine: Old Man Logan Giant-Size (2009) #1, Old Man Logan (2015) #1-5, Old Man Logan (2016) #1-24
In my humble (and old) opinion, a 944-page book is not intended for reading, but for taking up space on a shelf while I read the digital version of the story on my iPad.
But that’s me…
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Legion of Super-Heroes by Mark Waid and Barry Kitson Omnibus
1184 pgs. – Dec. 8th
Collects Legion of Super Heroes #1–15; Teen Titans/Legion Special #1; Legion of Super-Heroes: The Teenage Revolution #1; Brave & Bold #1–6; Supergirl & Legion Super-Heroes: Strange Visitor from Another Century #1; Supergirl and The Legion of Super-Heroes #16–36.
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Oh DC, you bastards.
And it’s RRP $150.
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Edelweiss DC to end of December 2026:
https://www.edelweiss.plus/#catalogID=5348986&page=1
Of note, two Vertigo trades in there, End of Life and Ezra Cain. The next round of Absolutes. DC mainline trades too.
Plus some stunningly priced Omnibuses.
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DC gonna be DC.
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Peacemaker Tries Hard
DC may not always make the most of their Black Label line, but it does allow for some fun riffs on superheroes and this is one. There’s relatively few writers willing to poke fun at the genre. There’s Ennis, Ellis, plus DeMatteis, but together, these are a handful of books. Enter Starks and Pugh.
Across six issues they explore, with the same character, more or less, similar ground to the first Peacemaker series. Peacemaker is a stupid, violent, dysfunctional mess, with a bomb in his head, as you do. Then he gets a dog. And the dog gets kidnapped. And then lots of people get beaten up
Pugh has a lot of fun bringing Starks’ absurd tale to life. And they manage to hit that razor balance that this type of comedy requires. Having enjoyed this I’ll be checking out their Vertigo book End of Life later in the year.
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The Power Fantasy Volume 3
Ambiguous stories are hard to pull off, not least as we tend to look for one individual or group to support and define oppositions from there. Gillen succeeds in deploying a cast of interesting characters, but none entirely secure the reader’s backing. That results in a more intellectual story, one that is cooler examination of superpowers, but one that still needs an emotional edge to work.
It’s Wijngaard’s art that supplies that, giving the book’s events scope, scale and, most importantly, that sense of impact and consequence. Although, it did falter a bit in the finale as I had to look up a summary to work out what happened at the end.
Ultimately the book is constructed around the question of whether the world, and all those in it, can be saved from superpowers. This first arc’s answer is it cannot, will the second find a different one? Possibly. Perhaps even a more….ethical one.
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Has anyone here read Batman: Dark Patterns, and if so, can you recommend it or not recommend it.
I read the whole series as it came out and thought it was absolutely great. A more human and slightly more detective-oriented take on Batman, with some dark, creepy stories, great villains, and a nice overarching story arc to connect it all. Plus the art is great. Highly recommended.
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Absolute Power
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become less interested or impressed by the big, superhero event stories. Sometimes they can work, sometimes they fall flat. This one? Middling. Art is generally very good, its the story where its weaker.
Part of the problem is it has to cover and recap events from multiple books. The other problem is it has the most indulged, perpetually let off villain in Amanda Waller, who lies to everyone, herself included. If anyone should end up with a bomb in her head, its Waller. She gets some measure of a long overdue come-uppance, but it doesn’t feel equal to the amount of bad crap she did.
Still, the art’s great and as a prelude to Waid’s Justice League Unlimited book it works OK, just don’t pay over the odds for it. Like say a RRP $150 omnibus edition.
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Absolute Superman Volume 2 Son of the Demon
Feels rather appropriate to be reading this epic collection on Superman day. This second volume builds on the first in very clever ways. It acts as a great conclusion to the book’s first arc, while putting the pieces for the next. Best of all it is a very smart examination of Superman as a character.
Superman. Lois and Jimmy. Ra’s and Talia. Sol and Brainiac. Aaron deftly weaves them all in and out of the story. Yet he never does by making Superman other than he should be. Instead it is that factor that makes the story sing, from refusing to slaughter Smith and the Peacemakers, to resisting Brainiac’s coerced manipulation and brainwashing, to refusing to accept Ra’s’ definition of what he deserves.
And Aaron has set the story up in such a way that the reader could understsnd why Superman might go the other way, despite knowing he wouldn’t. This only amplifies the effect.
The art across the eight issues collected is excellent. Sandoval, Giandomenico and Ossio’s styles work well together, further boosted by Arreola’s colours.
Oh, the story also allows for a future prospect of Ra’s crossing paths with You Know Who….
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Absolute Wonder Woman Volume 2 As My Mothers Made Me
I do wonder if an interest in Greek mythology aids Wonder Woman stories. It does this one, as Thompson, Sherman and Bergere continue to serve up an intriguing re-imagining of both superheroes and gods.
The main arc sees Diana enter into and, in her own fashion, exit an ancient labyrinth beneath Area 41. This brings in a couple of new supporting characters. Along with new adversaries, but not necessarily villains.
The second, minor arc acts more as an epilogue / prologue. It also contributes to the running plot across the Absolute line of the world being wrong.
While the stories are good it is the art in both that boosts them further. Sherman is easily one of the best new artists I’ve found. It’s not just imagery but also the panel layouts which tend to be both clear and inventive.
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I actually really like the twists in the Absolute books (Bruce isn’t rich, Kal El came as a teen and works underground). Wonder Woman is the least traditional though, leans a lot into the mythology aspect and I think is my favourite because of that.
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Absolute Batman Volume 2 Abomination
It’s fair to say this arc has one hell of a reputation and, for the most part, lives up to it.
The opening two-parter with Freeze and Matin was wonderfully creepy. Freeze using icebourne pathogens is clever, though for who? He wasn’t doing it for himself. Batman taking a mini-torch to Fries was a great touch too.
The main arc does all manner of moves alongside its re-invention of Bane. The Ark-M site, Batman’s captivity, escape attempts and being beaten by Bane. The origin issue for Bane develops Joker more, while never spelling that out, while packing a unique page turn effect for the end of the story.
While the final fight is suitably bonkers, given how Snyder has built up Bane, it does depend in part as to how much you go with Batman surviving stuff that should kill him because he’s Batman. Applies to some earlier scenes too. Bane’s final fate is very smart too.
The arc does a number of drastic moves like literally transforming Bruce’s inner circlr, but without rendering them all out-right enemies. I do wonder too with that coda page if Snyder will do a Batman-Bane alliance against Joker? Bonkers idea but it’s a bonkers book.
Dragotta and Mann are a great art combination, as Mann’s style is distinct from but also complimentary to Dragotta’s. Who does some very unexpected comedy in unexpected places, like a panel of naked Bruce high kicking an orderly while the panel effectively says “patient was faking it”.
Where does it go from here? Who knows but it’ll be a whole lot of fun to find out.
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Batman: Dark Patterns
Wow, this lived up to its reputation for being excellent and then some.
Set early in Batman’s life, the series is a set of four short stories, each three parts. They also, unlike other stories, focus more on the detective aspect of Batman. The stories use the more glamourous aspects, the gadgets, the cape, even the batmobile in very limited ways.
The book’s one weakness is its final arc, which serves to connect the set. I’m not sure the sense of connection adds much to the series. If anything the forgotten and overlooked of Gotham is ever bit as strong a theme across the chapters.
While the three part structure of each story ensures a swift pace, it’s Sherman’s inventive art that both brings it to life and gives the series a unique feel and visual identity. Which the colours and lettering build on further. It’s all very carefully, skilfully executed.
Should there be a sequel? If there was, I wouldn’t say no to it. Gordon, Sereika and Batman play well off each other and Gotham has more than enough other mysteries to supply.
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Tales from Lands Unknown: Uri Tupka and the Gods
This series feels like it is for Mignola what Ragnarok is for Simonson, a series where he spin stories, write and draw them and have a whole lot of fun doing it. Unlike the first volume which was a collection of short stories, this is instead a single narrative, told over seven chapters.
The story is Uri reminding his king of the rules and receiving the usual response, being dubbed a heretic after evading death. He then legs it, wherein various adventures ensue. It is one of those stories where you can read it in very relaxed fashion because, from the very first page to the last, it’s very clear that Mignola knows what he is doing, all you have to do is read.
Finally, there is one last subtlety that is very smart. You could, if you wanted to, is too see this as unofficial Hellboy / BPRD sequel, there’s a way to read certain lines as such. Yet if you do not, your decision has no impact on the book. Talking of, it’s not cheap but the quality of the production values make it worth it. Onto the next book, Uri Tupka and the Devils!
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Omega Men OHC
Would superhero comics be better if Tom King had had more therapy in lieu of writing superheroes? Hard to say. I find King’s work variable. Sometimes it’s excellent. Other times terrible, sometimes interesting. His Batman run pings between all three. This one? Falls into the interesting.
It also does a couple of other things. One is it reminds that King is an uneasy fit to superheroes. The other is this reads like a Black Label book years before the imprint existed and it’s probably better to engage with it on that basis.
Especially given the ending, which is odd but not for the reasons that might be expected. The twist of what happened to the various characters, particularly Kalista, isn’t a surprise. The oddity is both the US military running space operations and that every planet is doomed go the way of Krypyon, without the stellarium the Citadel was flogging, for which they depopulated a planet.
Overall I’m not sure what to make of it. It’s a very King story, albeit from a time when it wasn’t known what that was. It has some interesting ideas, some good sequences, but in service of a cynical plot. There are places where it feels like a US 2000AD.
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I actually really like the twists in the Absolute books (Bruce isn’t rich, Kal El came as a teen and works underground). Wonder Woman is the least traditional though, leans a lot into the mythology aspect and I think is my favourite because of that.
I’ve only read the first trade of Absolute Bats, Supes, and WW, but judging from that, I’d also say that Wonder Woman is simply the best written book of those.
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The Adventures of Lumen N. Volume 1
It’ll be nothing short of tragic if Robinson and Hester are unable to continue this story, as this opening series is a delight to read. Excellently paced, with a good cast of characters set amid the turn of the 19th century in 1901, all depicted with superb, flowing art.
And if all that doesn’t sell it, how about an elephant, in golden armour, packing a pair of gatling guns, while taking on proto-Nazis active decades too early.
It’s biggest success is in Lumen herself, who works well in the lead role, and our intro to the fantastical world she is thrust into. Capable but not flawless, skilled but not too much so as to block any growth or development. And very much gains the reader’s backing, as you want her to succeed.
With this, Los Mortoros and Welcome to the Maynard, three very distinct series, Robinson and his artistic collaborators are on a roll. Hope it continues.
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Sisterhood: A Hyde Street Story
The entire fraternity / sorority concept really needs to be burnt to the ground, staked, it ashes bombed for good measure and then nuked from orbit. Just to be sure. But the black comedy potential in it? Infinite. And it is that which Zchut and Leiz go to town on, while also sticking friendship under the microscope.
Of course, this is a Hyde Street story, set in Ghost Machine’s horror corner so you know it isn’t going to end well. Neither for the main story, or their earlier, separate one-shot collaboration Devour. In each the road taken is that of very sharp black comedy, with edged social observations to match.
In Sisterhood a psychopathic sorority kills one of its would-be members then covers it up. No one views their self as a bad person of course, while justifying the horrors they first endured to join, then inflicted on others. Everyone is lying, to their self and everyone else.
Another line of thought in both is how social expectations warp women’s self-perception, which can set off a cycle of harm to self and, over the years and generations, to others. Karma is undoubtedly a psychopath but she was also pushed to be so by her mother. In Devour, a story of the ultimate weight loss drug, it plays out across multiple generations, as the women believe themselves fat while looking skeletal.
I hadn’t come across either writer or artist previously, but after their excellent work here I’m going have to keep an eye out for both Zchut and Leiz. Each in their own is good but together they create something special, as great collaborations tend to do.
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I’d also say that Wonder Woman is simply the best written book of those
I really like that. I’m honestly enjoying them all, but this feels fresh, intriguing (plus more bigger words).
The premise? Well, how the fuck did that come about?
I figured the Azzarello run was as edgy as they could get, but this is touching both the dark and the light, smartly to boot, and wow!The art fits just right.
In another world (wrong fit) and I may nitpick, here it works for me very well.Well done!
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The Bat-Man: Second Knight
This is a fun sequel that again uses the era and its recent history to spin an intriguing tale. This time Batman is up against Scarecrow and Executioner, with some unexpected aid from Superman. Perkins art is again excellent, especially in the square format.
While Jurgens does a good Superman, especially in the conversation about the looming war and how much he can or should do about, his version of Lois is lacking. Her first solution to everything is threats of physical assault, Jurgens might have been going for sass but he landed on psycho. Still, that’s a minor flaw in a good book. Will there be a third series? Given how this ends, perhaps not.
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Uncanny X-Men Omnibus 4
Wolverine and Kitty Pryde 1-6, Uncanny X-Men 189-193, Uncanny X-Men Annual 8, X-Men and Alpha Flight 1-2, Marvel Fanfare 40
For 40 plus year old comics, the Uncanny X-men issues in this part of the omnibus have a very sharp edge, as hatred towards mutants rises and the dark future of Days of Future Past remains far from dismissed.
First though the mini series sees Kitty tangling with the Yakuza, before being ensnared by Logan’s sensei, Ogun. It’s a clever story and shows how she acquired the ninja abilities seen in later stories. It’s also smartly woven into the main book’s ongoing plots.
Of greatest interest to me is how Claremont resists the tendency to reset the status quo. Storm remains depowered, Cyclops is in Alaska, Nightcrawler feels in over his head in a leadership role, Kitty and Peter have stuff to sort out. In the way both events like Secret Wars and the various minis form part of part of the story, with the parallel New Mutants running, Claremont is operating the way Marvel will go on to do for decades hence.
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Uncanny X-Men Omnibus 5
Uncanny X-Men 194-205, New Mutants Special Edition 1 and Uncanny X-Men Annual 9
Absurd as it sounds, this was published 2019. The first omnibus was 2006. 13 years to get these five omnibuses!
Unfortunately, while this set of issues was overall good, it’s the first time where I felt some weaknesses crept in. At the same time Claremont had to weave in Secret Wars II. Storm is perhaps the best example of this, she’d left to find where she should be without her powers, found it then was back with the X-Men. Similarly the stories with BWS on art aimed high but I don’t think they realised their ambition. Nor did the Asgard crossover work that well for me.
What did work very well was the centrepiece of the collection, Uncanny X-Men 200. Magneto on trial, while mysterious attacks, later shown to be Fenris’ work, Strucker’s vile spawn, frame the X-men. Up to this point there has been a steadily increasing tide of anti-mutant hatred, embodied by Nimrod and demonstrated by Xavier slowly dying from injuries sustained in the assault on him. It’s in Paris the X-men witness a massive demonstration… backing them. Magneto’s trial is inconclusive, but Xavier is taken by the Starjammers to save him and he asks Magneto to look after the X-men.
In the issues that follow there is a good deal of justified suspicion of this by the X-men, and doubt in the idea from Magneto. But they have to work together to deal with the Beyonder.
Like with Uncanny X-Men 150, what the 200th issue does is not without precedent. There were careful bricks laid down paving the way to it. Even so, Claremont still had to pull the trigger on it and he did. It’s going to be interesting seeing how this plays out.
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Like with Uncanny X-Men 150, what the 200th issue does is not without precedent.
I didn’t come onto Uncanny X-Men until much later. While I started around Gambit’s first appearance, I got back issues to 244.
The Claremont era of the X-Men titles was truly groundbreaking. It not only defined an era of comics, but it also influenced the medium for decades to follow. Due to the nature of the industry today, we will never see a run like that, or many others, again at the Big Two.
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Yeah, so much of what Claremont does is how Marvel would come to operate.
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Also, Claremont’s Wolverine is far more mortal than the version since Civil War, where you can nuke him and he won’t even feel it. Claremont’s version is technically unkillable, but he can be hurt and, if hit hard enough, incapacitated for a time.
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Batman / Wonder Woman: Truth
Set after Hush, this is more or less a chase story of the leads pursuing the stolen lasso of truth, as it goes from Catwoman to Harley Quinn to Joker. The story’s OK but it’s a book bought far more for Cheung’s art which is superb. There’s some great moments along the way too, like Wonder Woman holding Catwoman by the scruff of her neck. Loeb’s dual narration device, used first in Batman / Superman is effective here too.
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I bought a physical trade today! The new Evan Dorkin compilation from dark horse that has all of Dork, Milk and Cheese and the Eltingville Comics Club stories. I have the Dork hardback dark horse put out a few years ago and the old Slave Labour Milk and Cheese trade from back in the day, and had been meaning to get the other two hardcovers and never got around to it. So sod it, another book with the David Byrne with Alzheimer’s strip
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So sod it, another book with the David Byrne with Alzheimer’s strip
You probably forgot you owned it already.
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First three of King’s Wonder Woman are on amazon unlimited now, so I’m reading them.
They’re pretty damn great.
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The new Evan Dorkin compilation from dark horse
Love it, absolutely!
And not complaining.
JustWith the tight nature of some of those single pages, this is very much deserving of a massive oversized edition.
I would pre-order two copies day one.
Boom! Comic Porn…Just saying. I should be happy with this, as today is better than yesterday.
Who knows what it took to make this happen.2 users thanked author for this post.
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New Mutants Omnibus 1
Marvel Team-up 100, Marvel GN 4: The New Mutants, New Mutants 1-13
Class is now in session, having previously addressed demagogues and hatemongers in the Uncanny X-men, we will now turn to tech bros… wait, these are +40 year old comics, so billionaire industrialists building Sentinels will have to do instead.
Save for technological developments since, it is uncanny just how much of Claremont’s social is applicable to a time far removed from its writing. DaCosta’s father has more money than he knows what to do with or could spend yet it is not enough. But when asked why he needs more, he has no answer.
While the intro issues are good, especially the GN tale, it’s those 13 issues where Claremont’s usual flow of plots come to the fore. First doing a three part Brood tale that shows what was going on at the mansion while the X-men were in space. Then a shift to a longer, more rolling story across the next 10 issues.
Art across the set is good too. The way these issues sync up with Uncanny X-men is very smart and demonstrates that reading these two omnibuses was the right next step.
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The new Evan Dorkin compilation from dark horse
Love it, absolutely!
And not complaining.
JustWith the tight nature of some of those single pages, this is very much deserving of a massive oversized edition.
I would pre-order two copies day one.
Boom! Comic Porn…Just saying. I should be happy with this, as today is better than yesterday.
Who knows what it took to make this happen.There are oversized hardcovers of Dork and Milk and Cheese sitting on my shelves. they are Ace.
Dork’s 20 quid here: https://www.cgc-emporium.com/products/apr190312-dork-hc
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