It should be collected / It should be in print

nah, considerably more, but it was well worth it.

Eerie/Creepy. Maybe the first few Vampirella issues, but just for prurience's sake.

There are a few stories/serials from the Skywald horror mags that I'd like to see again -- they had a rough energy. I remember "The Saga of the Victims" and "The Human Gargoyles" being pretty intense.

Dude, Dark Horse has been doling out big hardcover collections of Eerie and Creepy for a little while now. Your wish is granted.

!!!

shows how much attention I pay! Thanks for the info.

Don't get too excited; they are HELLA PRICEY: $50 for a hardbound collection of five issues.

o_O

guh! I can't afford that.

That's why god invented petty theft, my friend.

Heh...yeah, only Creepy #21 and Eerie #86 have turned up so far.

33 a pop on amazon if you can handle that kinda scratch

Does anyone know what's the deal with that Marshal Law omnibus? I think it was originally supposed to come out last year, but now the Top Shelf page for it only has a text saying it's "a 2011 release". How can it take so long to release one book? Surely Top Shelf had secured the rights to ML from the previous publishers before announcing the book?

On a positive note, I just bought the TPB that reprints the first Human Target mini and the Human Target graphic novel by Milligan, and was glad to notice that the back of the book said it was vol. 1, which I assume means more reprints will follow. Hopefully Vertigo will finally reprint the whole ongoing series that followed the graphic novel, as it's one of the best comics of the 00s.

More reprints have followed, I believe (a vol 2, at least).

When they announced, Top Shelf hadn't secured rights to every single piece of split-copyright ML, so maybe they're actually managing to get more of them. It's probably also a really difficult task to source reproducible art for the vast majority of it, so if they're scanning from printed copies, that could take a few years in itself. Also [and especially as the book is likely to be a total brick in inventory and not shift much past the first order and reorder cycle, once people who've not read it before cotton on to how steeply diminishing returns make 80% of the book surplus to requirements, IMO, IANAL], a 512 page deluxe oversized full-colour hardcover requires a giant wodge of cash to print, and they might a) not have it to hand, and b) be waiting for a better economic climate to try and earn it back once they outlay it.

There are two earlier TPBs that collect the first half the Human Target ongoing series, but the second half remains uncollected. This new reprint only came out like a month or two ago, I don't think it's been followed by any more books yet, but hopefully they'll end up collecting all of HT eventually. The new collection is sold on the strength of the new Human Target TV series, though from what I've gathered it doesn't have much to do with Milligan's HT, except for the basic concept. So I'm not sure if the cross-marketing will actually have much effect on its sales, but I do hope enough comic fans (like myself) who missed the series during its initial run will now realize how great it is.

As for Marshal Law, I see your point, but if Top Shelf feels the omnibus will be hard to sell, why not test the waters by releasing ML as a few separate TPBs before printing the hardcover book?

Is the omnibus going to be all of Marshall Law? Given that the first book is brilliant and the rest are, eh, not so brilliant, maybe the non-availability of the ombnibus is a blessing in disguise.

What does IANAL mean?

"I am not a lawyer"

The new collection is sold on the strength of the new Human Target TV

Did this thing get any ratings at all? I was complete uninterested in it after watching a couple episodes. In any case, it doesn't bode well for the comics if they're banking on the success of the show. I notoriously think the guy who was the main actor in it is a charisma black hole, though.

A problem also for reprinting something like Marshall Law is also that the back issues are not that hard to find and not worth much either. I pretty much got all of them off of ebay for like ten bucks. It's cool that it would be compiled, as it was WAY ahead of the curve considering when it came out.

There was a Human Target with a "2" on the spine next to the new one with a "1" on the spine when I bought the latter - must have been an old one. They did still have the Final Cut TPB for $33 next to the reprint of it for $19.

As for Marshal Law, I see your point, but if Top Shelf feels the omnibus will be hard to sell, why not test the waters by releasing ML as a few separate TPBs before printing the hardcover book?

a) because that would cut down even further on the sales of the omnibus
b) because the last separate reprint TPB of the original mini is still in print, so it would be completely fucking retarded to do another one?

I hope with Marshal Law they are doing what they did with Alec - take the time they need, use as much original art as possible, get the artist to approve every step and it'll come out when it's ready. Kevin O'Neill isn't quick these days, and I'm sure LoEG is the priority project right now, so Marshal Law touch ups and approvals are a pretty low priority.

I'm just happy they're doing it; my trade is pretty beat up and I'd love a more archival collection. Same with the Bacchus collections that have been pushed back - do it right and whenever it comes out it'll be appreciated.

oh wait and c) because that would cut even further into their immediate cashflow!

Original 80s New Mutants, please! Please!

How far along is Essential Fantastic Four? The John Byrne and Walt Simonson runs seem like must-haves to me, but I basically have no clue where the title was in the 70s and if it's worth slogging through.

I think some of the 80s New Mutants have been recently collected, or at least I saw a TPB of it in the local comic store. But if you're talking about collecting the full Claremont run, yeah, that probably hasn't been done.

As for the Byrne and Simonson FF: both of them have been collected in the "Fantastic Four Visionaries" series of TPBs, which is better than Essential FF since it has the original colours (nice paper too). I think the "Visionaries" series has by now collected the entire Byrne and Simonson runs, so you should check them out.

Oooh! Sounds great. Thanks, Tuomas.

between the end of the kirby issues (102) and the first john byrne issue, the ff is mostly a wasteland, apart from some really gd roy thomas issues round abt nos 165-190 that haven't been reprinted in the essential vols yet

I couldn't be arsed reading more than about an issue of EFF vol 5 beyond Kirby's departure, which doesn't bode well for the 70s run.

Roy Thomas comics have not aged well.

Don't be harshin' on Roy! Especially his work on the Savage Sword fo Conan - still ace. And though he wrote like 50 pages of text for each All-Star Squadron I still love them. His 70s "contemporary" stuff is pretty much dreck though.

Like any of those dudes that wrote hundreds of comics, the best stuff Roy Thomas did is still pretty good. I think his Conan is pretty good, even if quite a bit of it is adapted stories (by Howard and others). I think Thomas is really the guy that 'made' the Avengers too, as really I don't think the book is gets really good until he becomes the regular writer.

It's the same with Denny O'Neil or say Marv Wolfman or Doug Moench etc. pretty much most of those dudes that wrote like six long boxes of comics.

bump

ZOONIVERSE

I wish Pigeon Press would reprint the Kramers Ergots before 6, but there are tons of plausible reasons why not (niche interest at best, cost of production, maybe some legal issues from when Buenaventura went under, maybe intended to be limited, etc). Same with earlier issues of Acme Novelty Library- I was able to round up 18-20 (18.5 inclusive) after realizing that at this pace I'd be well into my thirties before Rusty Brown or Building Stories books come out. Other "art comics" (gag) stuff: Teratoid Heights, Jimbo in Purgatory, Dal Tokyo, probably some others I'm forgetting.

Superhero-wise, now that Flex Mentallo is happening I'm not sure what to complain about anymore (except for those recent books that go OOP inexplicably quickly before I can pick them up, like the second Morrison JLA hardcover or the third? Fourth? Ennis Punisher MAX hc).

OH WAIT forgot: Steranko Nick Fury, now that the Agent of SHIELD trade is OOP and the Who Is Scorpio trade is super-OOP and supposedly one of the worst reproduction jobs ever.

Forks' suggestion for a complete Seth Fisher book would be fantastic- I reread Big In Japan last night, and his work only gets better with age. It's not hard to get, but it is out of print. And over on the DC side, his Vertigo Pop Tokyo and Batman: Snow are still available, but it'd be nice to roll up Snow with Green Lantern: Willworld and Flash: Time Flies in a big oversized format.

Milligan, yes- his X-Force/X-Statix run, Skreemer, Skin, Rogan Gosh, Batman horror work, but most of all Enigma.

I"m sure Milligan's Marvel x-work may be "out of print" but I suspect it's pretty easy to find. As is, weirdly, SKREEMER. Everything else Milligan-wise: YES.

If you're near a Borders, that stuff is getting remaindered QUICK. I can find some recent shiny shiny shiny JLA omnibuses at nearby used bookstores at a super-swell discount.

Ooh, I do have a Borders nearby- I'll have to drop in and see what damage I can do. I still have fond memories of their massive Criterion liquidation sale a little over a year ago.

Most of the X-Force stuff is pretty easy to find (and the Dead Girl mini is still in print), but X-Statix vs the Avengers is pretty hard to get.

Milligan, yes- his X-Force/X-Statix run, Skreemer, Skin, Rogan Gosh, Batman horror work, but most of all Enigma.

Enigma's out of print?! That's pretty crazy, I thought it was one of most critically acclaimed Vertigo series of all time.

Superhero-wise, now that Flex Mentallo is happening I'm not sure what to complain about anymore

Suicide Squad! The current Secret Six clearly owes it a lot, and DC even collected the (somewhat disappointing) new SS mini Ostrander did a couple of years ago, but the original 80s series has never been collected in any form. I have no idea why.

Wasn't there a contract/author compensation issue that made it difficult for DC to reprint stuff from that particular period?

A lot more Ostrander and Milligan comics should be in trade. A Suicide Squad collection is always being promised, but then put back by DC.

Enigma has been out of print for a while. There have been some collections of Milligan works recently which is promising, but there's a lot more to go - I'd add GIRL to the list above.

There's still an awful lot of 80s and early 90s Batman stuff that deserves some trading. Practically nothing from the Conway/Colon/Newton era, no Barr/Davis or Grant/Breyfogle collections, Milligan's short run, Dixon's Robin etc. While the latest Kevin Smith atrocity gets a hardbound special edition, yeesh.

Jan Strnad/Dennis Fujitake's Dalgoda

Wasn't there a contract/author compensation issue that made it difficult for DC to reprint stuff from that particular period?

yeah, they keep flip-flopping between Showcase B&W Suicide Squad and garish shiny-paged six-issue collections, without ever managing to make it to press

(niche interest at best, cost of production

yeah this would definitely be an issue with Kramers, esp esp esp given post-Buenaventura cashflow - also remember they DID reprint #4 in the same flexi format as 5 and 6

Same with earlier issues of Acme Novelty Library-

this is an 'intended to be limited' issue. if only he'd just let D&Q publish them instead of self-publishing one imagines the situation could change though.

Oh, not AT Borders - their stuff is still straight-up retail, or at least as long as they can keep afloat. I meant at used bookstores - I've noticed there's a preponderance of very new items, the AX manga comp., JLA omnibuses, etc. at my local Half-Price books which happens to be near Borders.

"DC is also goofball for not getting out a big collection of 80s Green Lantern editing together the best stuff of the Len Wein/Dave Gibbons stuff with the later run by Steve Englehart and Joe Staton. Pretty much Johns reset on the book is basically taking it to the status quo of the Englehart run which brought the Corps to the front with Kilowog and made Guy Gardiner a popular character."

DC has compliled a bunch of these Green Lantern since my post.

DC does have a hard cover Gene Colan Batman collection getting ready to come out.

It is kind of a shame that more of those good John Ostrander DC comics are not in print. I guess he was good at selling side property comics in his prime, DC never put him on one of the big characters. I think those Suicide Squad and Spectre books would be good in black and white anyway, as Luke McDonnell and Tom Mandrake had pretty stark styles that would work in that format. Color is good, but the big thing is people being able to read the stories, which is what works. Then again, I pretty much love that big phone book format. If nothing else, DC should do a Deadshots Greatest Hits trade and put the mini-series and a couple of the good stand alone issues with Floyd out. I think that would sell to some Batman fans. Deadshot was cool, but Ostrander made him one of my favorite comic characters.

The entire run of Suicide Squad can be picked up at every comic convention ever for like 50 cents an issue. It's fascinatingly 80s edgy/racist

Eh? I don't remember any racism in it that would've stood out... What do you mean?

lots of dodgy dusky fellows from made-up middle eastern countries, up to no good. if it's like every other 80s DC comic.

Well yeah, but like you say it wasn't any different in other mainstream comics (or movies) at the time, and unlike many others writers Ostrander balanced it by introducing likable Middle Eastern characters as well, so I don't see SS as a particularly notable example of 80s racism.

I seem to remember it being a lot "grittier" than other DC titles, so maybe that's why the dusky fellows stood out, as opposed to in JLI, where there was some kind of cake-having-and-eating meta-commentary on the use of those cliches. Anyway, nothing to get steamed about compared to the opening five minutes of To Live and Die in LA.

Oh yeah, another perennial request: SOLO!

Copied this from the other thread, because this one is better suited for it:

Apparently DC has decided to cancel the second TPB of Ostrander's Suicide Squad, even though they'd announced the publication date for December and you could preorder it an all. I guess this means SS will never be collected, all we got was a small taste of what could have been in the form of the first collection.

Also, the publication date for the Flex Mentallo hardcover book has been moved again, now it should come out in March. The collection was first announced in January 2011, I don't understand how it can take over a year for them to publish one book of material they already had in their hands to begin with.

And like someone said above, looks like there won't be any new Shade the Changing Man TPBs either, since the last came out in 2010. Let's just hope they at least manage to get the full run of Milligan's Human Target collected this time, they're one measly book away from doing that.

Meanwhile, while cancelling all this TPBs that would probably have the shelf life of years, they think it's a wise decision to reboot their supehero universe and publish 52 new titles for the dwindling single issue market. I just don't get it.

I'd assume illegal sharing on the net would be a smaller problem for comic publishers than music or movie companies, since reading comics on the computer is never gonna compare with reading them on paper. But with decisions like this it feels like DC is almost encouraging piratism, as it's pretty much the only way to get a hold of this stuff. (Unless you by chance manage to find someone willing to sell their collection for a reasonable price on Ebay.)

A real pity if that's true - I was under the impression the first SS trade sold pretty well?

I don't really understand the current Batman trades being released with the focus on different artists. I mean, it's cool to read early 80s storylines where Killer Croc was introduced and all, but why base them on artists and not writers?

I am looking forward to the Chase collection (the short-lived series by D. Curtis Johnson, plus introduction story in Batman and then later appearances) as I love that character; no doubt this was released to coincide with her appearance in Batwoman.

So, with volume 8 of the Suicide Squad TPBs coming out this May, DC has *finally* collected the entire Ostrander/Yale run, only 17 years after it finished. Too bad they've never managed the same with Milligan's Shade or Human Target, nor does it seem like they ever will.

― Tuomas, 7. tammikuuta 2019 16:53

This one did actually come out, so they did manage to collect the entire run, and the Ostrander/Yale Deadshot mini too. Now if they would only do the same with Ostranders' runs on Firestorm, Spectre, or the Martian Manhunter. Or with those Milligans books, etc.