COLLECTIVE THOUGHTS FOR AUGUST 2015: Box Sets, Box Lunches, Boy Commandos, Crisis, Crime, Horror, Ducks, Barbarians, Mr. Sinn, and Masters of Their Domain… er, Universes! Plus, way too many Earths! Make way for Darwyn-ism!


KC Carlson. Art by Keith Wilson

KC Carlson. Art by Keith Wilson


by KC Carlson

THIS MONTH IN CLASSIC COMIC BOOK COLLECTIONS

Bob Powell’s Complete Jet Powers

Bob Powell’s Complete Jet Powers


Bob Powells Complete Jet Powers (Dark Horse): Finally collected in a deluxe hardcover, the complete adventures of Jet Powers, hero of the cult sci-fi comics by legendary artist Bob Powell (possibly and/or partially written by Gardner Fox). The extremely fit (as well as ruggedly handsome and pure of heart to boot) ”Captain of Science” battles the diabolical Mr. Sinn, while being aided by the beautiful Su Shan (a former servant to Sinn). Collects stories from Jet Powers #1–4 and The American Air Forces. Originally created in 1950, so you can bet the “science” will be wonky and fun! Features an introduction by Steve Rude (Nexus) and an essay by James Vance and John Wooley. And just when you thought that there wasn’t going to be any weirdo titling or numbering issues (like that never happened in the ‘50s!), the first issue of Jet Powers is also known as A-1 Comics #30. 200-page 7” x 10” color hardcover. Available in October.

Boy Commandos by Joe Simon & Jack Kirby Volume 2

Boy Commandos by Joe Simon & Jack Kirby Volume 2


Boy Commandos by Joe Simon & Jack Kirby Volume 2 (DC Comics): Wow, I wondered what happened to this long-awaited volume! (Volume 1 first appeared five years ago.) Classic S&K wartime adventures of the scrappiest kids in comics! In stories from Boy Commandos #3-5, Worlds Finest Comics #10-13, and Detective Comics #74-83 and 85 (all published circa 1943-44), the Boy Commandos must escape enemy kidnappers, encounter a mystical monk looking for items that exemplify modern civilization, set up a pirate radio station behind enemy lines, and stand accused of treason. In its 1940s heyday, the Boy Commandos comic reportedly sold over a million copies a month, making it (at the time) DC’s third largest seller (after Superman and Batman). I’m glad that most of these WWII characters have international origins. If there’s one thing I can’t stand seeing, it’s Americans fighting Americans. 320-page color hardcover. Available in October.

Crisis on Infinite Earths Deluxe Edition

Crisis on Infinite Earths Deluxe Edition


Crisis on Infinite Earths Deluxe Edition (DC Comics): DC’s first stand-alone event series from 1985-86 in a new hardcover edition. Written by Marv Wolfman and illustrated by George Pérez, Dick Giordano, Jerry Ordway, and Mike DeCarlo, it was DC’s first attempt to “fix” its decades-old, confusing continuity. To be fair, nobody’s ever been able to completely fix it, although these days, Crisis is better known for its awesomely epic story. Much admired, beloved, and still discussed 30 years later as both a centerpiece and turning point for the DC Universe. If you haven’t read it, why not? Guaranteed to feature your favorite DC character (from that era). 400-page 7.0625” x 10.875” color hardcover. Available in October.

DC Comics Book & DVD Sets

This month, DC is experimenting with a new book concept — several classic DC comic hardcover collections, accompanied with the corresponding animated film on both Blu-ray and DVD discs. The sets include:

Batman Year One

Batman Year One


Batman Year One: The 144-page book by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli comes with the Batman: Year One discs. The book also includes loads of reproductions of original pencils, script pages, promotional art, unseen Mazzucchelli Batman art, and more.

Batman: Black and White

Batman: Black and White


Batman: Black and White: The 240-page collection of the first Batman: Black and White series (featuring work by Neil Gaiman, Joe Kubert, Frank Miller, Jim Lee, and others) is packaged with the Batman: Gotham Knight animated movie.

The Death of Superman

The Death of Superman


The Death of Superman: The unforgettable 168-page collection (by the entire classic ‘90s Superman crew) comes with the Superman: Doomsday animated movie.

Justice League Origin

Justice League Origin


Justice League Origin: The most current 192-page origin of the Justice League (by Geoff Johns, Jim Lee, and Scott Williams) is packaged with the animated movie Justice League: War.

JLA: Earth 2

JLA: Earth 2


JLA: Earth 2: The original 144-page graphic novel by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely is packaged with the Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths animated movie.

Wonder Woman: Gods and Mortals

Wonder Woman: Gods and Mortals


Wonder Woman: Gods and Mortals, the classic 192-page collection of Wonder Woman #1-7 by George Perez, Len Wein, Greg Potter, and Bruce Patterson is accompanied with the corresponding Wonder Woman animated film.

Plus, if you want all six, DC is also offering an amazing slipcase set of all six collections, with a substantial savings over buying them all individually.

Mad's Original Idiots: Wally Wood

Mad’s Original Idiots: Wally Wood


MADs Original Idiots (DC Comics/MAD): Finding yet another way to repackage the classic material from the original MAD four-color comic book from the Golden Age of Comics, you can now purchase new color softcover collections spotlighting three of the best artists from the “Usual Gang of Idiots” — Jack Davis, Wally Wood, and Will Elder. Our pal Bob Greenberger is taking a detailed look at all three collections, right darn soon, here at the Westfield Blog. (He’s also spotlighting the insanely inspired (and now back in print) Nextwave collection by Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen. And won’t DC be thrilled that I’m plugging a Marvel project in the middle of a DC item. Aw, chill out, DC! You’re in La-La Land now!)

Like all of the comic/animated movie sets above, all of these MAD collections will be available in September — just in time to completely distract you from going back to school! Yay! Just like comics did when I was going to school — back in the days before digital comic readers and electric lights!

MARVEL EPIC COLLECTIONS

Incredible Hulk Epic Collection: Ghosts of the Past

Incredible Hulk Epic Collection: Ghosts of the Past


Incredible Hulk Epic Collection: Ghosts of the Past (Marvel): Volume 19 in the Incredible Hulk Epic Collections. Guest-Starring Dumb Magician, Fish-Man, and Shiny-Face! Yes, the Defenders have returned! Meanwhile, the showdown with the Leader and the U-Foes leaves somebody dead, and the Hulk is put in charge of the Pantheon! Plus, the Juggernaut, the Avengers, and Doc Samson. (One of those things is not like the others.) Collecting Incredible Hulk (1968) #397-406 and Annual #18-19 and material from Namor the Sub-Mariner Annual #2, Silver Surfer Annual #5, Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme Annual #2, and Marvel Holiday Special #2.0. Written by Peter David, Ron Marz, Roy Thomas, and more. Art by Dale Keown, Jan Duursema, Chris Bachalo, Gary Frank, Kevin Maguire, James Fry, Tom Morgan, MC Wyman. and more. Cover by Frank. 480-page remastered color hardcover. Available in September.

Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: Rise of the Sith Volume 1

Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: Rise of the Sith Volume 1


Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: Rise of the Sith Volume 1 (Marvel): The road to Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace begins here! While trying to prevent a war, young Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn has a close encounter with the Dark Side! And Mace Windu’s Jedi Knights clash with the Yinchorri — a race more deadly than they ever imagined! Collects Star Wars: Jedi: The Dark Side #1-5, Star Wars: Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan: The Aurorient Express #1-2, Star Wars: Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan: Last Stand on Ord Mantell #1-3, and Star Wars: Jedi Council: Acts of War #1-4 — plus material from Star Wars (1998) #4-6 and Star Wars Tales #1, #3-5, #7, #9-10, #13-14, and #24. Written by Scott Allie, Mike Kennedy, Ryder Windham, Randy Stradley, Jan Strnad, Jason Hall, Dean Motter, Jim Woodring, Rob Williams, and more. Art by Mahmud Asrar, Lucas Marangon, Ramon Bachs, Davide Fabbri, John Nadeau, Jesus Saiz, Robert Teranishi, Cully Hamner, and more. Cover by Fabbri. 488-page remastered color softcover. Available in August.

Marvel Masterworks: Amazing Spider-Man Volume 17

Marvel Masterworks: Amazing Spider-Man Volume 17


Marvel Masterworks: Amazing Spider-Man Volume 17 (Marvel): J. Jonah Jameson is sure that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Doctor Faustus thinks they’re both crazy. The Punisher is back in town, as is the Molten Man. And that’s just the warmup for the return of the Green Goblin in the conclusion of Len Wein’s celebrated Amazing Spider-Man run! When the Goblin strikes, all bets are off. Plus, a team-up with the original Nova, Rocket Racer’s first appearance (double-Guide!), and an Annual story with more spiders than men! Collects Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #169-180 and Annual #11, Nova (1976) #12, and material from Marvel Treasury Edition #14. Written by Len Wein with Archie Goodwin, Bill Mantlo, and Marv Wolfman. Art by Ross Andru with Don Perlin. Cover by Andru. 288-page remastered color hardcover. Available in December.

Also Available:

Crime Does Not Pay Archives: Volume 10

Crime Does Not Pay Archives: Volume 10


Crime Does Not Pay Archives: Volume 10 (Dark Horse): Collects every uncensored page from Crime Does Not Pay issues #58 to #61 (including all prose pieces and fan pages)! Packed with timeless true-crime tales by artists George Tuska, Fred Guardineer, Dan Barry, Charles Biro, Jack Cole, Bob Fujitani, and others! Foreword by Jeff Jensen (Green River Killer, Tomorrowland). 280-page 7” x 10” color hardcover. Available in October.

The EC Archives: The Haunt of Fear Volume 2

The EC Archives: The Haunt of Fear Volume 2


The EC Archives: The Haunt of Fear Volume 2 (Dark Horse): This hotly anticipated second volume — collecting EC Comics classic The Haunt of Fear #7–12 — is sure to chill you to the core! Featuring art from the celebrated talents of Johnny Craig, Graham Ingels, Jack Davis, Jack Kamen, George Roussos, Ed Smalle, Al Feldstein, Marie Severin, and Joe Orlando! Includes all the original ads, text pieces, and letters. 216-page 8 3/16″ x 11” color hardcover. Available in October.

Eerie Archives Volume 20

Eerie Archives Volume 20


Eerie Archives Volume 20 (Dark Horse): The Rook returns, the interlocking “Fallen Angels” stories show how supernatural justice comes to a big city, and the adventures of Mac Tavish: Hero of Zodiac V and Abelmar Jones: Supernatural Ghetto Detective continue! Plus bipedal shark creatures, tattooed assassins, cursed family trees, and time-travel disasters! Sounds like Memorial Day at Westfield! 264-page 8″ x 11” color hardcover. Available in October.

The Golden Helmet Starring Walt Disney’s Donald Duck

The Golden Helmet Starring Walt Disney’s Donald Duck


The Golden Helmet Starring Walt Disneys Donald Duck (Fantagraphics): One of Carl Barks’ best stories ever, presented in this special kid-friendly format. Donald Duck discovers an ancient map and triggers a race to recover a fabulous Viking artifact that will give its owner full legal title — to all of North America! Plus: Three more bonus tales guest-starring Daisy Duck, Gyro Gearloose, Gladstone Gander, and of course, Huey, Dewey, and Louie! All stories written and drawn by Carl Barks. 128-page 7.5” x 5.5” color softcover.

Lone Wolf and Cub Omnibus Volume 10

Lone Wolf and Cub Omnibus Volume 10


Lone Wolf and Cub Omnibus Volume 10 (Dark Horse): The acclaimed classic by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima. As torrential rains pound Edo, Yagyū Retsudō’s forces race to find Ōgami Ittō before a boatload of explosives reaches him and provides the means to destroy the Yagyū, once and for all! 696-page 5″ x 7” B&W softcover. Available in October.

Savage Sword of Conan Volume 20

Savage Sword of Conan Volume 20


Savage Sword of Conan Volume 20 (Dark Horse): Inheriting the captaincy of a Barachan pirate ship, Conan and his crew are captured and imprisoned in a Kushite dungeon with no seeming avenue of escape. That is, until Conan makes a pact with a mysterious prisoner — Imhotep, the Ravager of Worlds, one of Conan’s deadliest enemies! Collects Conan stories from Marvel’s The Savage Sword of Conan the Barbarian #202–212, by Roy Thomas, John Buscema, Rafael Kayanan, Ernie Chan, and E. R. Cruz, with cover by George Pratt. 592-page 7” x 10” B&W softcover. Available in October.

BIG BOOKS

Absolute Green Lantern/Green Arrow

Absolute Green Lantern/Green Arrow


Absolute Green Lantern/Green Arrow (DC Comics): Well, it’s about time. One of DC Comics’ all-time classics, as produced by Dennis O’Neil, Neal Adams, and Dick Giordano with Eliot S. Maggin and others. Features the classic team-ups in which Green Lantern and Green Arrow confronted menaces including racism, poverty, and drug abuse! (As well as heartbreaking cancellation!) And at this huge size, all those really tiny ink lines are going to look awesome! Collects stories from Green Lantern/Green Arrow #76-87 and 89, plus material from The Flash #217-219 and 226. 368-page 8.25” x 12.5” color hardcover. Available in December — and since it’s mostly green, it will look great under the tree!

Graphic Ink: The DC Comics Art of Darwyn Cooke

Graphic Ink: The DC Comics Art of Darwyn Cooke


Graphic Ink: The DC Comics Art of Darwyn Cooke (DC Comics): Detailed information on this much-anticipated new art book featuring Darwyn Cooke’s work for DC Comics (beginning with the long-forgotten 1985 Talent Showcase #19) is hard to come by at this time, but I’m suspecting that it will be under the direct supervision of DC’s award-winning Art Director Mark Chiarello, who’s usually involved with DC’s best projects. Cooke’s work from Batman: Gotham Knights, Legion Worlds, JSA All-Stars, Jonah Hex, and other projects will be represented, as well as a large gallery of Cooke’s DC covers — and hopefully a full gallery of his recent (and excellent) “sideways” variant covers. I’ll have more to say about this later (as soon as I get more details), as it’s my Pick-of-the-Month project. 400-page 8.625” x 11.625” color hardcover. Available in October.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Mini-Comic Collection

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Mini-Comic Collection


He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Mini-Comic Collection (Dark Horse): The toy juggernaut Masters of the Universe and its subsequent action figure lines featured memorable pack-in mini-comics for children across the world. This oversized hardcover collection features sixty-eight US releases, including all mini-comics from the 80s Masters of the Universe line, the 80s Princess of Power line, and the 80s and 90s He-Man line, plus an introduction to the mini-comics in the current Masters of the Universe Classics toy line. Featuring interviews with the original comic creators — including Mini-Tim Seeley, Mini-Steven Grant, Mini-Phil White, Mini-Robert Kirkman, Mini-Bruce Timm, Mini-Mark Texeira, Mini-Larry Houston, and mini, mini-more! 1,232-page 6″ x 9” color hardcover. Available in October — one of the longest months of the year. Go figure.

The Multiversity Deluxe Edition

The Multiversity Deluxe Edition


The Multiversity Deluxe Edition (DC Comics): All of Grant Morrison’s mad ramblings about the minutia of the DC Universe (or quite possibly the origins of our universe — who can really tell?) collected in one massive hardcover. (Which I’m told is not legally binding if used as a murder weapon. Good to know…) If you haven’t already, you will meet all these weirdoes in this complete collection of Multiversity: the Vampire League of Earth-43, the Justice Riders of Earth-18, Superdemon, Doc Fate, the Super-Sons of Superman and Batman, the rampaging Retaliators of Earth-8, the Atomic Knights of Justice, Dino-Cop, Sister Miracle, Lady Quark, and the latest, greatest Super Hero of Earth-Prime: YOU! Plus, (and don’t tell anybody this… ), if you accidentally read this book upside-down and backwards, it tells all-different stories! Genius! 448-page 7.0625” x 10.875” (we measured it) color hardcover. Available in October. (Or at least what we perceive to be October. Your flumbrage may vary.)

NEXT WEEK: A box lunch dinner party hosted by Tarzan, and guests include the Incredible Hulk, Mary Perkins, P. Craig Russell, Donald Duck, Usagi Yojimbo, Johnny Hazard, Sal Buscema, and the Walking Dead. And YOU! (You are so lucky! I have to clean up after the Hulk…)

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KC CARLSON: Hey, has anyone seen the Marvel Universe lately? Darn, I think I left it in my pants pocket when I did the laundry last week. Oops.

WESTFIELD COMICS is not responsible for the stupid things that KC says. Especially that thing that really irritated you. I blame society.