By Todd Allen
Yesterday, DC announced their book line-up (HC/TPB) for Spring 2013. OK, you’re expecting a regular slate of New 52 collections. But what else is in there and does anything indicate a new series is in the works? This time out, not that much. Shazam and the Metal Men being the odd things popping up. Plenty of pre-movie Superman, though. You can follow the link or I can save you a little time. Here are the highlights:
Hard Time Vol. 2: Sixteen TP
Writer: Steve Gerber
Artist: Brian Hurtt
Collects: Hard Time #7-12
$14.99 US, 144 pg
I seriously doubt Hard Time is coming back, but this was an under-appreciated series from the late Steve Gerber. A sort of meditation on the post-Columbine justice system with some super powers thrown in on the side. It deserves to be in print.
Showcase Presents: Justice League of America Vol. 6 TP
Writers: Len Wein, Felton Marcus, Dennis O’Neil, Cary Bates, Elliot S. Maggin, Gerry Conway and Martin Pasko
Artists: Dick Dillin, Dick Giordano, Frank McLaughlin
Collects: Justice League of America #107-132
$19.99 US, 528 pg
Always nice to see the Showcase line going strong. Vol. 7 should contained Steve Engleharts highly influential, yet oddly unheralded run, probably most notable for introducing the robotic Manhunters into the Green Lantern mythology.
Superman: The Man of Steel Vol. 7 TP
Writers: John Byrne and Jerry Ordway
Artists: John Byrne, Jerry Ordway, Keith Williams, Leonard Starr, Karl Kesel and John Beatty
Collects: SUPERMAN #13-15, ACTION COMICS #596-597 and ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #436-438
$19.99 US, 192 pg
That’s right, Vol. 7. Byrne wasn’t on Superman that long chronologically, but doing three books at once, he cranked out a lot of material in that time. Say, is there a Superman film coming out in ’13?
Batman/Deathblow Deluxe Edition HC
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artists: Lee Bermejo and Tim Bradstreet
Collects: Batman/Deathblow: after the fire #1-3
$22.99 US, 168 pg
Now there’s a blast from the past (2002). I believe that’s the first Azzarello / Bermejo collaboration. Before Luthor. Before they sold a gazillion copies of Joker. Probably should have been back in print earlier. It may or may not mean Deathblow’s getting more prominent in ’13.
Green Arrow: Salvation TP
Writers: J.T. Krul and Jason Patrick
Artists: Diogenes Neves and Agustin Padilla
Collects: Green Arrow #8-15
$16.99 US, 192 pg
A television show will unearth some more pre-relaunch material.
Showcase Presents: Sgt. Rock Vol. 4 TP
Writer: Robert Kanigher
Artists: Joe Kubert, Russ Heath and Jack Abel
Collects: OUR ARMY AT WAR #181-216
$19.99 US, 520 pg
Showcase keeps marching on.
Superman: For Tomorrow TP
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artists: Jim Lee, Scott Williams, Richard Friend, Sandra Hope and others
Collects: SUPERMAN #204-215 and the JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA SPECIAL #1
$19.99 US, 320 pg
Azzarello and Lee? Yeah, probably better get this in one volume before the movie comes out.
Superman Vs. Shazam! TP
Writers: Gerry Conway, Roy Thomas, Paul Kupperberg, Julius Schwartz and Joey Cavalieri
Artists: Rich Buckler, Dick Giordano, John Calnan and Gil Kane
Collects: ALL-NEW COLLECTORS’ EDITION C-58, DC COMICS PRESENTS #33-34 and 49 and DC COMICS PRESENTS ANNUAL #3
$19.99 US, 192 pg
Now this one is an interesting choice. The treasury edition from the ’70s and some early ’80s team-ups to add some pages to it. Was there demand for this I wasn’t seeing? Is Shazam getting spun off from Justice League or getting some other-media treatment?
Day of Judgment TP
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artists: Matt Smith, Steve Mitchell, Chris Jones, John McCrea and others
Collects: DAY OF JUDGMENT #1-5 and a story from DAY OF JUDGMENT SECRET FILES #1
$14.99 US, 160 pg
A 1999 crossover event, probably best known for binding the then-deceased Hal Jordan with The Spectre. This one is WAY out of continuity right now.
Impulse Vol. 1: Runs in the Family TP
Writer: Mark Waid
Artists: Humberto Ramos, Wayne Faucher and Brad Vancata
Collects: IMPULSE #1-6, 8-9 and 12-13
$19.99 US, 240 pg
A mid-90s series that was a fan favorite. Yes, Mark Waid really has written for just about everybody.
Marshal Law: The Deluxe Edition HC
Writer: Pat Mills
Artist: Kevin O’Neill
Collects: Marshal Law #1-6, Marshal Law: FEAR AND LOATHING, Marshal Law TAKES MANHATTAN, Marshal Law: KINGDOM OF THE BLIND, Marshal Law: THE HATEFUL DEAD, Marshal Law: SUPER BABYLON and Marshal Law: SECRET TRIBUNAL #1-2
$49.99 US, 480 pg
Now here’s an expensive treat. Think Judge Dredd with super heroes as the satirical target and you’re in the ball park here. This was not originally published by DC. Marshal Law was at Epic, Toxic and Dark Horse. You might want to look this one up if you’ve never heard of it.
Metal Men Archives Vol. 2 HC
Writer: Robert Kanigher
Artists: Ross Andru and Mike Esposito
Collects: METAL MEN #6-20
$74.99 US, 304 pg
And the DC Archives are still with us. $75 for 304 pages? Well… possibly a niche market.
Showcase Presents: Superman Family Vol. 4 TP
Writers: Otto Binder, Robert Bernstein, Jerry Siegel, Leo Dorfman
Artists: Curt Swan, Stan Kaye, John Forte, Sheldon Moldoff, Al Plastino and Kurt Schaffenberger
Collects: SUPERMAN’S PAL JIMMY OLSEN #45-53 and SUPERMAN’S GIRL FRIEND LOIS LANE #17-26
$19.99 US, 520 pg
A Showcase each month and that Superman moving is coming up, speaking of which…
Superman: Reign of Doomsday TP
Writers: Paul Cornell, Damon Lindeloff, Paul Dini, Geoff Johns, David Goyer, Richard Donner, Derek Hoffman and Brian Stelfreeze
Artists: Pete Woods, Jesus Merino, Kenneth Rocafort, Rags Morales, Dan Jurgens, Ardian Syaf, Gary Frank, Jamal Igle, Ryan Sook, R.B. Saf, Brian Stelfreeze and Matt Camp
Collects: ACTION COMICS #900-904
$16.99 US, 200 pgSuperman: The Death and Return of Superman Omnibus HC
Writers: Louise Simonson, Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, Dennis Janke, Roger Stern, Karl Kesel, Gerard Jones and William Messner-Loebs
Artists: Jon Bogdanove, Dennis Janke, Brett Breeding, Pete Berardi, Joe Rubinstein, Dennis Janke, Tom Grummett, Doug Hazlewood, Jackson Guice, Denis Rodier, Rick Burchett, M.D. Bright, Romeo Tanghal, Walter Simonson, Mike Machlan, Curt Swan and Trevor Scott
Collects: SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #17-26, SUPERMAN #73-82, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #496-505, ACTION COMICS #683-691, JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #69, SUPERMAN: THE LEGACY OF SUPERMAN #1 and GREEN LANTERN #46
$99.99 US, 954 pgSuperman vs. Zod TP
Writers: Robert Bernstein, Cary Bates, Geoff Johns, Richard Donner and Steve Gerber
Artists: George Papp, Curt Swan, Tex Blaisdell, Alex Saviuk, Vince Colletta, Pablo Marcos, Rags Morales, Mark Farmer, Tony Daniel, Rick Veitch and Bob Smith
Collects: ADVENTURE COMICS #283, ACTION COMICS #473 and 548-549, DC COMICS PRESENTS #97 and ACTION COMICS ANNUAL #10
$12.99 US, 144 pg
Get some titles out for that Superman movie. Yes, Zod is the villain. Please note: DC Comics Presents #97 is the follow-up to Steve Gerber and Gene Colan’s Phantom Zone mini-series. Yes, DC — you still have time to get a proper reprint of that on the schedule. I know someone over there wants to. No time like the present.
Death and Return of Superman is a pretty major story that got enough mainstream media play back in the day to stick in people’s minds. Might as well have the last appearance of Doomsday come out, too.
Wonder Woman: The Amazon Princess Archives Vol. 1 HC
Writer: Robert Kanigher
Artists: Ross Andru and Mike Esposito
Collects: WONDER WOMAN #98-110
$74.99 US, 352 pg
You might think #98 is a strange place to start an archive series. Come to find out, #98 (from 1958) is where Wonder Woman was revamped for the Silver Age.
Adventures of Superman: Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez HC
Writers: Gerry Conway, Martin Pasko, Elliot Maggin, David Michelinie, Jack C. Harris, Len Wein and Roy Thomas
Artists: Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Dan Adkins, Vince Colletta, Bob Oksner, Frank Springer, Steve Mitchell, Joe Giella and Dick Giordano
Collects: SUPERMAN #294, 301-302, 307-309 and 347, ALL-NEW COLLECTORS’ EDITION C-54 and DC COMICS PRESENTS #1-4, 17, 20, 24 and 31
$39.99 US, 360 pg
Looks like a nice, entry-level anthology of 70s/80s material for a general audience that might be seeing a movie in June ’13.
Batman: Illustrated by Neal Adams Vol. 2 TP
Writers: Bob Haney, Dennis O’Neil, Mike Friedrich, Frank Robbins, Len Wein and Marv Wolfman
Artists: Neal Adams and Dick Giordano
Collects: BATMAN #217, 220-222, 224-227 and 229-231, THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #86, 88-90, 93 and 95, DETECTIVE COMICS #394-411 and WORLD’S FINEST #199-200 and 202.
$24.99 US, 236 pg
The TPB edition. I didn’t realize Marv Wolfman did DC work with Adams. Early, early Marv Wolfman.
The Flash Chronicles Vol. 4 TP
Writers: John Broome
Artists: Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella
Collects: THE FLASH #119-124
$14.99 US, 160 pg
The “Chronicles” line is still around.
Jack Kirby Omnibus Vol. 2 HC
Writers: Jack Kirby, Joe Simon, Dennis O’Neil, Michael Fleischer, Steve Sherman, Martin Pasko, Bob Rozakis, Joey Cavalieri and Paul Kupperberg
Artists: Jack Kirby, Joe Simon, Bruno Premiani, George Roussos, Mort Meskin, John Prentice, Bill Draut, Bob McCarty, Leonard Starr, Wally Wood, Mike Royer, D. Bruce Berry, Pablo Marcos, Alex Toth, Greg Theakston, Adrian Gonzales, Alan Kupperberg and Bill Wray
Collects: BLACK MAGIC #1-9, 1ST ISSUE SPECIAL #1, 5 and 6, RICHARD DRAGON: KUNG FU FIGHTER #3, THE SANDMAN #1-6, KOBRA #1, DC COMICS PRESENTS #84, SUPER POWERS #1-5 and SUPER POWERS VOL. 2 #1-6
$39.99 US, 624 pg
Now there’s an eclectic collection. I think DC is serious about getting Kirby’s library in print.
Legion Worlds TP
Writers: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Artists: Yvel Guichet, Oivier Coipel, Dexter Vines, Enrique Breccia, Paul Rivoche, Rick Burchett, Darwyn Cooke, Duncan Rouleau, Jaime Hernandez, Rick Leonardi, Al Williamson, Steve Dillon, Klaus Janson, John Stanisci, Jamie Tolagson, Kilian Plunkett, Mike McKone and Marlo Alquiza
Collects: LEGION WORLDS #1-6
$19.99 US, 240 pg
Legion from 2001. All Legion stories get reprinted eventually.
The New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 3 GC
Writers: Marv Wolfman and George Pérez
Artists: George Pérez, Mike DeCarlo, Steve Rude, Al Gordon, Carmine Infantino, Rich Buckler, Bob Smith, Dick Giordano, Ron Randall, Chuck Patton, Romeo Tanghal, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez and Dan Jurgens
Collects: TALES OF THE TEEN TITANS #45-61 and 66-67, THE NEW TEEN TITANS #38, THE NEW TEEN TITANS #1-6 and SECRET ORIGINS ANNUAL #3
$75.00 US, 792 pg
Wrapping up the original Perez run and “interim” sequence while the newsstand was waiting for reprints of the Direct Market edition to kick in.
Tales of the Batman: Archie Goodwin HC
Writers: Archie Goodwin and James Robinson
Artists: Walter Simonson, Alex Toth, Scott Hampton, Jim Aparo, Sal Amendola, Dick Giordano, Howard Chaykin, Dan Jurgens, Gene Ha, Jose Muñoz, Gary Gianni, Marshall Rogers, Bob Wiacek and John Cebollero
Collects: DETECTIVE COMICS #437-443, DETECTIVE COMICS ANNUAL #3, SHOWCASE ’95 #11, BATMAN BLACK AND WHITE #1 and 4, BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #132-136, and BATMAN: NIGHT CRIES
$39.99 US, 480 pg
It’s really hard to go wrong with Archie Goodwin. Take a good look at that artist line-up. Top notch.
How about the Alan Moore Omnibus with his Wildstorm work? Isn’t that new?
I am not the audience for the New 52. However, I am the audience for most of these. Approaching movie or not, it’s good to see so much fun, classic Superman material kept in print. Overall, sign me up for Marshal Law: The Deluxe Edition (fantastic stuff, it will be great to have in one complete edition), Superman: The Death and Return of Superman Omnibus (love those stories), The New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 3 (the first two are wonderful) and Tales of the Batman: Archie Goodwin (a chance to have Walt Simonson’s Manhunter/Batman in hardcover? Sign me up!).
If I can’t get good new stories from DC, I’ll happily enjoy the old stuff.
Rhetorical question: Why is it that some of these reprints (like the Archie Goodwin and Jose Luis Garcia Lopez) sound a heck of a lot more interesting than anything coming out of the New 52?
Because the Nu52 is mostly not very good, as one would expect from the current leadership at DC.
Picked up “Hard Time” on ComiXology some time ago, and I recommend it extremely highly. Perhaps it sold well enough there to warrant a new print volume. On that note, DC, will you frikking get the frikking second series digitized already?
Is “Superman: For Tomorrow” really 12 issues for $20? Doubtful.
“Legion from 2001. All Legion stories get reprinted eventually.”
This actually follows directly on the recent “DC Comics Presents: Legion of the Damned” and the “Legion Lost” TP reprints, so there is a logic to it.
The archives and the chronicles for me!
Still waiting for the Flash issues by Waid to be collected.
With Impulse getting a trade, there is hope.
Yeah DC, get those Waid Flash trades out! He’s as high profile as Morrison, Johns, or Millar has ever been. An excellent run in an excellent series for the ONE TRUE FLASH! :D
Those Mike Baron issues could use a collection as well.
“All Legion stories get reprinted eventually.”
Except what really truly deserves reprinting: the Giffen-Biernbaums’ run (known as v4), which was the most sophisticated sci-fi ever committed to print under DCU. Current direction wishes it would simply vanish to never be remembered again. And second-rate material (like Legion Worlds) gets reprinted.
Would still love to see collections for Tomahawk, Rip Hunter Time Master and Sea Devils (in color).
@Mycroft – Waid’s run on Flash is my all time favorite (well, up to #118 anyway!). Great characters like Impulse, Max, Jesse Quick and John Fox!! Amazing artists like Ringo and Jimenez!! And 5-6 part major arcs where things actually happened!! – take note nu52 DC!!!!
Superman: For Tomorrow TP
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artists: Jim Lee, Scott Williams, Richard Friend, Sandra Hope and others
Collects: SUPERMAN #204-215 and the JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA SPECIAL #1
$19.99 US, 320 pg
This was a slow ass story. I dont think I’ve even read it a 2nd time, guess I should try it again. Whats the JLA special??? Never heard of it??? – And with no other writer of artist mentioned is it by the same team???
Still no ‘mazing Man trade?
When are we going to get a trade of Cary Bates “SUPERMAN THE LAST FAMILY OF KRYPTON” from 2010??
This was a great story but they didn’t even do 2nd prints for the issues.
How about new printings for the “BOOKS OF MAGIC” series?
Do yourselves a favor and get HARD TIME, it was an amazing title, worthy of more attention IMO.