GEE, CONSIDERING THE LAST THREE TALKING POINTS, DO YOU THINK ESSENTIAL X-MEN VOL. 2 MIGHT MAKE THE LIST? ART BY JOHN BYRNE AND TERRY AUSTIN.
Published and © by Marvel, 1997, 2001
In last month’s Mining for Bronze, I confessed a deep fondness for Marvel’s Essentials format. I love the phone-book-like thickness of these volumes, enjoy seeing classic art in black-and-white, and generally find the Essentials to offer great bang-for-the-buck value. Most of all, though, I like them the way I liked Bronze Age comics when I was a kid: as reading material, not collector’s items.
While I still read every comic I buy, I’m very finicky about condition, and cautious when I read. But that’s not the case with Essentials, or most other collected editions I buy. In order to justify picking up TPBs of material I already own, I decided their primary purpose would be for reading: on vacation, in bed, heck, even in the tub. I also loan them out to friends (the thought of doing that with my regular comics makes me cringe!) Despite the emerging collector’s market for collected editions, I have no regrets: It has been wonderful to have volumes that can take a little abuse.
So following is a look at ten collected editions that have stood the test of time, surviving both the ravages of road trips and the scrutiny of multiple reads. Once again, I’ve elected to present the runners-up in alphabetical order, and name a single top pick. (Note: This was the toughest Talking Points list to put together yet, as there were dozens of volumes vying for spots. Most prominent among the exclusions would be Superhero Women, one of the 1970s Fireside editions that were precursors to the modern TPB. Even in rough condition, Fireside volumes are highly collectible; as such, it didn’t seem right to include Superhero Women on this list of reader copies.)
These are the cream of my collected collection. Tell me: What are your favorite Bronze collections?
Black Widow: Web of Intrigue (Marvel, standard comic, 1999): Long mentioned in the industry trade press, this Black Widow adventure by Ralph Macchio and George Pérez finally saw print in Marvel Fanfare #10-13. This reprint edition collects the entire tale under one cover — super spies, assassins, and all. The art is what makes this one special: Though a rotating cast of inkers makes for less-than-consistent rendering, the storytelling is vintage Pérez.
Cerebus Vol. 1 (Aardvark-Vanaheim, TPB, 1987): While Vol. 2, High Society, is unquestionably better, there’s something about watching Dave Sim grow from amateur parodist to confident cartoonist over the course of the Earth Pig’s first 25 issues. Sim also deserves props for popularizing the “phone book” format, which the Big Two would mimic for their Essentials and Showcase Presents lines.
The Complete Frank Miller Spider-Man (Marvel, HC, 2002): While early Daredevil appearances from Spectacular Spider-Man #27-28 are pretty primitive, Miller is in fine form by the Denny-O’Neil-penned Amazing Spider-Man Annuals #14-15. Both annuals are a lot of fun, as is the Spidey/FF showdown (and first appearance of Karma) from Marvel Team-Up #100. This collection is rounded out by Marvel Team-Up Annual #4 (written by Miller, with art by Herb Trimpe) and a gallery of Miller’s increasingly striking cover work.
Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller Vol. 2 (Marvel, TPB, 2002): This three-volume reprint series has been replaced by the Daredevil by Frank Miller & Klaus Janson Omnibus
Essential Iron Fist Vol. 1 (Marvel, TPB, 2004): Getting all of Iron Fist’s early appearances in one place is cool enough, but the real joy here is getting to revisit the team of Chris Claremont and John Byrne coming into their own before jumping to their legendary X-Men run. Collects Marvel Premiere #15-25, Iron Fist #1-15, Marvel Team-Up #63-64 and Power Man and Iron Fist #48-50.
Essential X-Men Vol. 1 (Marvel, TPB, 2001): Speaking of that legendary X-Men run, this volume offers a chance to get on board at a very nice price. Early issues are drawn by Dave Cockrum, whose brillant design sense helped establish the look of Marvel’s mutants for years to come. Highlights of this book include the debut of the all-new, all-different X-Men, the first appearance of Phoenix, and a nice arc of issues set in the Savage Land. Collects Giant-Size X-Men #1 and X-Men #94-119.
Jack Kirby’s Omac: One Man Army Corps (DC, HC, 2008): For fans of sweeping political parables, Omac is hard to beat. The King is at the top of his game here, taking a futurist turn for a dystopic look at “the world that’s coming.” Yes, the dialogue is clunky — it’s Kirby, after all — but the sweep of the stories and power of the art make up for it. Sadly, DC cancelled the original series mid-story, which means this collected edition will leave you hanging. Collects Omac #1-8.
Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 03 (Rebellion, TPB, 2006): Though a bit pricey, this series of black-and-white TPBs reprinting the good Judge’s appearances in chronological order is must reading. This volume — featuring the first appearance of Judge Death — just edged out 02, which included the classic “Cursed Earth” saga. Both volumes feature great scripts along with art by a young Brian Bolland, whose work shines in black and white. Collects the Dredd stories from 2000 A.D. #116-154.
Showcase Presents: The Brave and the Bold Batman Team-Ups Volume Two (DC, TPB, 2007): Fewer Showcase Presents make this list than Essentials, probably because DC hasn’t reprinted nearly as much Bronze material in their cheap, black-and-white format. This volume is a highlight, though: Most of the stories, by Bob Haney, are good fun, while the art is by a who’s who of early-Bronze talent, including Neal Adams, Nick Cardy and the often underrated Jim Aparo. Collects The Brave and the Bold #88-108.
And the top Bronze-era collected edition?
Essential X-Men Vol. 2 (Marvel, TPB, 1997): Once again, it’s the Claremont/Byrne X-Men that top the list. This volume collects (Uncanny) X-Men #120-144, and, as noted before in Talking Points, these are the comics that made your Comics Bronze Age editor a lifelong fan. The entire “Dark Phoenix Saga” is here, along with the X-Men’s battles with Proteus and Arcade. It’s a great example of the Essentials bang-for-the-buck value, and the black-and-white format allows inker Terry Austin’s contribution to these classic tales to really shine.
[...] Wahl, Comics Bronze Age editor, asks What are your favorite Bronze collections? Does Green Lantern/Green Arrow Hard Traveling Heroes [...]
When I first saw the title, I thought you meant collections that were released in the Bronze Age. I realize it’s a bit of a tangent, but I was a huge fan of the following books from that era:
Origins of Marvel Comics/Son of Origins/Bring on the Bad Guys—the set-up essays by Stan were as fascinating to me as the stories themselves
The Marvel Pocket Books reprints–I had two of the Ditko Spider-Man volumes, Captain America, and the first Dr. Strange book, all of which were read and re-read religiously
Batman/Superman: 30s to the 70s—despite the terribly haphazard selection of stories (that much Shelly Moddoff Batman? Really?) and the erratic use of color pages, these books enchanted me; I loved the two-page spread of covers by decade.
Wonder Woman—the Bonanza Books collection with a preface by Gloria Steinem; loaded with kinky Marston/Peter stories
A Smithsonian Book of Comic-Book Comics—so much great material, and I loved the mixing of kids’ comics, superheroes, etc.
the hardcover Spirit Color Albums from Kitchen Sink—despite the overdone recoloring, the art and stories shone through
Don Martin Mad paperbacks—Forges Ahead, Steps Out, etc., and particularly the all-original Captain Klutz volumes
And while it was originally released in the mid 60s, no collection meant more to my 1970s childhood than Feiffer’s The Great Comic Book Heroes–not only was it my introduction to golden age Plastic Man, Sub-Mariner, Human Torch, Captain America, the Spectre and other strips, it was the first time I ever saw comics criticism. I read those essays on Wertham, Feiffer making comics as a kid and the roots of Superman, Batman, et al until I nearly had them memorized.
Hey, Cole! Thanks for stopping by again. Your list sure brings back some memories. Like I said in my opening, the Superhero Women volume from Fireside was a game changer for me. Surprisingly, I never ran across any of the other Fireside volumes when they first came out, and the Marvel paperback reprints didn’t turn up often, either. I warmly remember the Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman volumes, and had an oversized collection of Buck Rogers strip reprints that I kept on the shelf along with those three (I still have my original copy of that one). I didn’t discover Feiffer’s The Great Comic Book Heroes until my teen years. That’s when I first started doing editorial cartoons, and Feiffer was a major influence on that front. Finding out he started in comics was very cool, and seeking out his comic-book work led me to Eisner. And, of course, finding Eisner changed everything!