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One study in contrasts this month are the Batman: Endgame collections, which seem to nicely collect the main and tertiary stories in two trades with no overlaps, versus the Green Lantern: Godhead trades, which seem to collect certain parts in a special collection that otherwise overlaps with other books. More on that down below:
• Batman Vol. 7: Endgame HC
• Joker: Endgame HC
The final post-Convergence collection of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Batman, collecting issues #35-40. I love long creator runs, and I'm thrilled that every time there seems to be a jumping-off point, i.e. Convergence, Snyder and Capullo keep on going. I hope Snyder's shooting for 100 issues, at least.
As with Death of the Family, the Joker collection includes the Endgame tie-in issues (backups from Batman #35-39, Batman Annual #3, Gotham Academy: Endgame, Batgirl: Endgame, Detective Comics: Endgame and Arkham Manor: Endgame. Some of the Bat-titles used Death of the Family better than others, but in all I kind of tire of these constant interruptions to the Bat-titles, and I don't mind at all that they went with specials this time instead. It also doesn't seem like any of the material here is being reprinted elsewhere, which I also like; I don't mind, for instance, the Batman backups being here so long as they're not also in the Batman book.
• Batman Noir: Hush HC
• Batman RIP Unwrapped HC
• Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Deluxe Edition HC
So you can have your Batman "Noir" (pencilled and inked, but black and white), or you can have your Batman "Unwrapped" (pencilled only). I guess I don't really have to ask what the difference is -- with "Unwrapped," you get the penciler's true, unaltered artwork -- though I do wonder what the benefit is of a black and white version of a "new modern" and "superheroic" story like Hush (I understand it a little better for Long Halloween). And does the thinking go that Batman equals "moody," therefore it's most suited to black and white? What about a Superman for All Seasons "Noir" or a Cliff Chiang's Wonder Woman "Noir"?
I guess we're not wondering any more why Dark Knight is suddenly getting a deluxe collection ...
• Constantine Vol. 4: The Apocalypse Road TP
The final collection of Ray Fawkes's Constantine before the series is rebooted post-Convergence.
• G.i. Zombie: A Star-Spangled War Story TP
No doubt Jimmy Palmiotti (with Amanda Conner) has struck gold with Harley Quinn, but the other side of the coin are the two war comics that Palmiotti has launched with Justin Gray in the New 52, both which were quickly canceled (three so far have come and gone in the New 52 if you include Ivan Brandon's Men of War). I didn't think enough of their "Unknown Soldier" story in GI Combat to pick up GI Zombie, though I appreciate that the writers are trying again with one story instead of an anthology series. My curiosity is mildly piqued by the Futures End story, but not enough to actually buy this on first release.
• Gotham By Midnight Vol. 1: We Do Not Sleep TP
Looking forward to this one, which I think would have maybe gotten a boost if the Constantine shows had done better and Corrigan could have been more prominent. My guess is Constantine might be back for a second season but not more than that (between Hannibal and Daredevil, clearly there's a template for a Constantine show done right, and so why they've chosen a format more akin to NCIS I don't know). Anyway, among minor hopes is that Gotham By Midnight makes cohesive some of the Spectre's disparate appeances in Constantine, Phantom Stranger, etc.
• Green Lantern/New Gods: Godhead HC
• Green Lantern: New Guardians Vol. 6: Storming the Gates TP
The final collection of Green Lantern: New Guardians, issues #35-40, including the "Godhead" crossover tie-in, and then also the bulk Godhead collection. Thus far no collection other than Godhead includes the Green Lantern/New Gods: Godhead #1 issue; DC's collecting Batman: Endgame right, but I hope the Godhead collection schema doesn't turn out as problematic as Superman: Doomed.
Godhead collects Green Lantern/New Gods: Godhead #1, Green Lantern #35-37, Green Lantern Corps #35-37, Green Lantern: New Guardians #35-37, Red Lanterns #35-37, Sinestro #6-8 and Green Lantern Annual #3.
• Justice League Dark Vol. 6: Paradise Lost TP
Final collection of Justice League Dark, canceled before Convergence. Collects issues #35-40 and Annual #2.
• Lobo Vol. 1: Targets TP
I for one don't mind so much this idea of a more character-based, less outrageous Lobo for the New 52 (Harley Quinn having inherited the 1990s Lobo's crown as chief parody-maker and fourth-wall-breaker of the DC Universe). I also like the meta-context of the "old" Lobo still existing in the New 52 and being in opposition to the new Lobo. I'll check this out eventually; good sign that it's still around post-Convergence.
• Secret Origins Vol. 2 TP
I found the first volume of Secret Origins too simplistic, basically rehashing what I already knew about the characters (more "origins" than "secret"). This second volume has some items of interest, however, including a Wonder Woman origin by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang, and the much-discussed Batgirl origin by Cameron Stewart and Brenden Fletcher, so I'm probably in for this one. Final collection of the series.
• Swamp Thing by Scott Snyder Deluxe Edition HC
As I've said before I'd feel better about this one if it was accompanied by a deluxe edition of Jeff Lemire's Animal Man, too, but oh well. I am glad to see this collection has the relevant Animal Man issues in it, however, so it will be a complete reading experience in and of itself.
• Teen Titans Vol. 1: Blinded by the Light HC
Collects issues #1-7 of the Will Pfeifer/Kenneth Rocafort series. Troubled as Teen Titans series have been of late, I'm surprised DC is releasing this initially in hardcover, but I guess they've got high hopes for it.
• Wonder Woman Vol. 7: War-Torn HC
The first collection of the Meredith Finch/David Finch run, and the book's last collection before Convergence. Collects issues #36-40 and Annual #1.
That's what I'm looking at this month. Leave your picks down in the comments section.
Posted in: Collected Editions
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