10 Collected Issues for the Comic Fan
The holidays are here, and if you are looking for some great buys for the comic fanatic in your life, here is my Top 10 List of Collected Hardcovers. Hardcovers like these tend to be rather expensive, so fans may not be able to afford these items as part of their regular buying habit.
If you are thinking of buying one of these for the good boy or girl on your list, here are two suggestions:
1) check with the person first, they may already have the collection
2) buy from Amazon, as there are some pretty good discounts on these titles.
The Top Ten after the jump
10 – Absolute Kingdom Come ($47.25 reg. $75.00)
One of the better limited issue series to come out of DC, Kingdom Come tells the tale of a future DC Universe where old school heroes must battle irresponsible newcomers for the fate of the planet. All new painted images by artist Alex Ross are superb, while the annotations of the entire series, give you the clues and hidden treats for the reader.
09 – Absolute Dark Knight ($62.99 reg. $99.99)
The Dark Knight Returns is the book that got me back into comics as a rabid fan. The Dark Knight Strikes again was not as good art wise, but did continue the story for those who were hooked on the first. A true fan of Frank Miller’s vision of Batman can now get both runs collected in DC’s Absolute line. This edition includes a new introduction by Frank Miller, a new cover and slipcase art. Bonus material features an excerpt from Miller’s original plot for Dark Knight Returns #4, sketchbook and more.
08 – Absolute Crisis on Infinite Earths ($99.00)
If you want to figure out what all the hubbub over Infinite Crisis and 52 are, then you best read the story that attempted to fix continuity errors and multiple Earths throughout the DCU. Marv Wolfman’s Crisis of Infinite Earths gets the Absolute treatment that includes all the glorious destruction of Earth Prime, Earth-X, and the infinite other Earths floating out there in the multi-verse, but a 96 page compendium that details the years-long making of.
07 – Lost Girls ($47.25 reg. $75.00)
This is a pornographic tale of an imaginary meeting between Dorothy, from the Wizard of Oz, Wendy, from Peter Pan, and Alice from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The three meet in a Swiss hotel and tell of their sexual exploits told in graphic detail on every page. NOT FOR CHILDREN OR THOSE WHO ARE EASILY OFFENDED.
06 – 1001 Nights of Snowfall ($13.59 reg. $19.99)
The smallest hardcover in the list, 1001 Nights of Snowfall is set in the early early days, long before the current Fables run takes place. Snow White travels to Arabia to seek aid from the Arabian fables, but is captured by a local sultan who wants to marry then kill her. In order to escape, Snow White plays Scheherazade, telling him fantastic tales that are sometimes scary, sometimes dark, but all great. Willingham hits a homerun with a hardcover that should be in the collection of every Fables fan.
05 – Fantastic Four Omnibus Volume 1 ($49.80 reg. $99.99)
Who wouldn’t want to have the first family of comics in their collection? Stan Lee and Jack Kirby spun the tale of the Fantastic Four and how they were able to overcome the near impossible. The first 30 issues are collected here that feature the first appearance of Doctor Doom, the Fantastic Four v. Sub-Mariner, the Skrulls, and the Thing fighting the Hulk. Unfortunately, this collection does not include the appearance of the Silver Surfer in the Coming of Galactus! Storyline as that didn’t start until issue #48.
04 – Popeye Volume 1: I Yam What I Yam ($19.77 reg. $29.95)
As a kid, Popeye was a regular morning ritual. From the original black and white shorts to the Saturday morning shows, the one eyed sailor kept me rolling on the floor in laughter. Volume one collects the Thimble Theatre comic strips from 1928-1930. Popeye doesn’t make an appearance in the very beginning of this collection, but he is there. Fantagraphics has done a great job of collecting the Segar strips in this oversized edition.
03 – Uncanny X-Men Omnibus ($75.00 reg. $99.99)
With the recent death of Dave Cockrum, many might be interested in seeing the genius collaboration with Chris Claremont and John Byrne that helped redefine the X-Men to the powerhouse team they are today. This Omnibus collects the first five years of the Uncanny X-men (Uncanny X-Men #94-131, Giant-Size X-Men #1, and Annual #3).
02 – Absolute Sandman Volume 1 ($62.37 reg. $99.99)
If you are just now getting into comics, then you missed all the great titles that came out in the 90s. One of the most talked about, acclaimed and award winning series is Sandman by Neil Gaiman, also given the Absolute treatment. Sandman blends “modern myth and dark fantasy in which contemporary fiction, historical drama and legend are seamlessly interwoven.”
01 – Absolute DC: The New Frontier ($47.25 reg. $75.00)
I didn’t read the original Cooke run, but have been absolutely blown away with the Absolute edition. This hardcover includes the entire series plus annotations, which break down a lot of the references throughout the collection. Promotional art and new pages to help fill out the story as well as other new content are included in this collection.
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1 Comment
Wow… Those are some spendy books. I don’t think I have friends who get a present that expensive. I may not have CHILDREN who get a present that expensive… But excellent choices all.