Posts Tagged ‘ watchmen ’

How DC Will Collect Before Watchmen

February 2, 2012
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2013 is a long ways away, but it’s never too early to guess how DC Comics will collect Before Watchmen into trades, hardcovers and Absolutes.

Let’s first look at the series breakdowns:

  • RORSCHACH (4 issues) – Writer: Brian Azzarello. Artist: Lee Bermejo
  • MINUTEMEN (6 issues) – Writer/Artist: Darwyn Cooke
  • COMEDIAN (6 issues) – Writer: Brian Azzarello. Artist: J.G. Jones
  • DR. MANHATTAN (4 issues) – Writer: J. Michael Straczynski. Artist: Adam Hughes
  • NITE OWL (4 issues) – Writer: J. Michael Straczynski. Artists: Andy and Joe Kubert
  • OZYMANDIAS (6 issues) – Writer: Len Wein. Artist: Jae Lee
  • SILK SPECTRE (4 issues) – Writer: Darwyn Cooke. Artist: Amanda Conner
  • BEFORE WATCHMEN: EPILOGUE –  Featuring the work of various writers and artists
  • CURSE OF THE CRIMSON CORSAIR (2 page back up in all 35 issues) – Writer: Len Wein. Artist: John Higgins.
Absolute
Let’s assume that all 35 issues are 32 pages; that equals 1,120 pages total. The recent oversized New 52 Hardcover was 1,126 pages/$150.00, so it’s easy to say that the Before Watchmen HC/Omnibus/Absolute would be in a very similar, if not the exact price point ballpark. You may recall that the Absolute Watchmen is 464 pages/$99.99. You can certainly expect a ton of extras in a book like this, so maybe we are looking at 1, 200 pages.

Deluxe Hardcover
DC is all about the Deluxe Hardcover collected edition these days.  The upcoming Batman: The Black Glove will be 384 pages/$39.99. Under this plan we would have a 3 volume set to collect the entire series. What comics would be in which hardcover (or trade) remains to be seen. I doubt we will see the “DVD extras” that will be in the Absolute, but you will get your fair share. I think this format will be the first one we will see in 2013.

Trade Paperback
Without a doubt the most affordable route would be to buy Before Watchmen in softcover trades. DC could collect each series individually. Let’s assume that all comics will be 30 pages/$2.99. That means:

  • Five 4-issue trades; 120 pages each
  • Three 6-issue trades; 180 pages each
  • One  Crimson Corsair/Epilogue; 100 pages (70 pages/30 pages)

Sounds great, but I doubt this will be the case. That’s just too many trades (9 total) and DC Comics is not going to charge $11.99 for a 4-issue book when you could get so much more money if you combine them. More likely is the possibility that DC will collect it like this:

  • Three 10-issue trades (One 4-issue and One 6-issue); 300 pages; $29.99 each
  • One 9-issue plus Crimson Corsair storyline (Two 4-issue, Crimson Corsair/Epilogue); 340 pages; $29.99

Why $29.99? Again recent DC history gives us this price point. Resurrection Man TPB is 336 pages/$29.99 so it seems like a good place to start. However, DC has also released new editions of Batman: Knightfall which is roughly 652 pages/$29.99. But that’s too much Watchmen for too small a price for brand new material.

Either way I am excited for Before Watchmen. Not all of the comics, but most.
And it has nothing to do with JMS.

I welcome your comments.

I see nothing wrong with Prequel-Watchmen. Here’s Why.

December 1, 2011
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OK let’s get this out of the way – yeah, it’s a money grab, Yadda, yadda, yadda. But it’s not like Alan Moore created the original characters The Watchmen were based on. Remember these were Charlton Heroes of the 1960′s – a few of which Steve Ditko created. How is that any different from Alan Scott or Jay Garrick being re-imaged into the Silver Age Green Lantern and Flash? Could it be said that Moore did the money grab first?

I love Watchmen and their, unexplored, rich history. This could be a fun sandbox that today’s gifted artists and writers can play in. Comic book characters, and all fictional characters for that matter, should be shared and explored once and again for every generation and not lie dormant so uppity purists like The Simpson’s Comic Book Guy can lament about the Golden Age of 1985. The Watchmen belong to us fans now. If you don’t like it, fine. Don’t read it. But don’t tell me it’s going to suck. Not just yet, anyway.

Who knows what a new Watchmen comic will bring? Brubaker on Rorschach? Johns on Dr. Manhattan?

Just be glad Stan Lee isn’t still on X-Men.

CCL Podcast #257 – Steve Ditko Part 2 – Charlton and DC 1966-1984

February 10, 2010
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Collected Comics Library Podcast #257
20,415Kb; 21m 40s

This week on the Steve Ditko career retrospective, I take a look at his return to Charlton (although some would argue he never left), his limited time at Warren and his entire time at DC Comics. This includes the great characters he created: Captain Atom, Blue Beetle, The Question, The Hawk and The Dove and The Creeper.  And the history lesson wouldn’t be complete without a mention of Mr. A or The Watchmen.

Much of Ditko’s work from this period has been collected in the Action Hero Archives Volumes 1-2, Creepy Archives Volumes 1-4 and Eerie Archives Volumes 1-2 from Dark Horse, and the upcoming Creeper HC from DC.

All this including IDW’s Fallen Angel Omnibus, Absolute All-Star Superman and the New Releases of the Week from DC and Marvel.

Chris

http://www.collectedcomicslibrary.com/

Links of Note:
Interview with Bob Rozakis on Cancelled Comics Cavalcade

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CCL Podcast #236 – 2009 Summer Movie and Collected Editions Tie-In Retrospective

September 16, 2009
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Collected Comics Library Podcast #236
26,242Kb; 27m 55s

http://www.collectedcomicslibrary.com/

Today on the show, I take a look back at this year’s comic book related movies and their subsequent collected edition or other periodical tie-ins. This includes a whole host of movies including Watchmen, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Terminator: Salvation, Star Trek, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Whiteout, The Surrogates and others including animated movies like Coraline, Green Lantern: First Flight and Astro Boy. It’s interesting to see what, and even if, publishing houses capitalized on Hollywood and vice versa. A few books that I forgot to mention were Jennifer’s Body HC, $24.99, from Boom! Studios and two upcoming children’s animated movies Fantastic Mr. Fox and Where The Wild Things Are, but I do not know if new editions of these classic books are being released.

Also on the podcast, I look on eBay for DC Comics’ ElfQuest Archives to see how over priced they are selling, the old Dark Shadows (Gold Key) comic books gets a new hardcover reprint series from Hermes Press and Silver Surfer: Requiem Premiere HC breaks into Diamond’s Top 300 GN’s for August at #10 with 4,147 units sold.

All this and the New Releases of the Week.

Chris

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Collected Edition Blog browsing on Monday afternoon

March 16, 2009
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Besides comics, I’m a big sports guy and right now is the best time of year: NCAA March Madness (including The Frozen Four), NBA and NHL games are getting hot and heavy due to playoff seeding, MLB Spring Training (including the WBC) and finally getting in gear is the NFL draft (which is very important to anyone who follows the Detroit Lions). But I digress, let’s get to some comic book collected edition news:

  • DC Comics has announced their full lineup of After Watchmen. To be honest, first thing that popped in my head when I heard that title was the terrible After MASH TV show. Every book on the list has been collected in some form or another and in this weeks podcast, I’ll briefly go over the list along with what you may want to read Before Watchmen. Look for it on Wednesday.
  • A really big deal is being made of Fantagraphics reprinting the work of legendary French cartoonist Jacques Tardi in nice collections. I don’t know much about his work, but my interest is peaked.
  • Tom Spurgeon, The Comics Reporter, has finally published his Best of 2008, including many, many collected editions.
  • This Weeks New York Times Graphic Books Best Seller List. Watchmen takes #1 in both the Hardcover list and the Softcover (TP) list, but #2 is: Superman: Brainiac (HC) and Jack of Fables, Vol. 5 (TP).
  • My friends at the Collected Editions Blog has an op-ed piece on DC Comics’ upcoming Co-Features comic books that will feature Ravager and Blue Beetle in Teen Titans and Booster Gold respectively, and Metal Men in Doom Patrol.
  • A book that has nothing to do with comics, but everything to do with Web 2.0 and Twitter.
  • Richard, FPI Blog Log, has a nice article on The Greatest Adventures Of Captain Winston Bulldog, a collection of the best strips from Bulldog Adventure Magazine (1993-2005).
  • Finally, “I Am The Amazing Spider-Man™” Personalized Spider-Man™ DVD Video won iParenting Media award (whatever that is). Stan Lee endorses it and says he has one, but is that a good thing?