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Brian Hague
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Joined: 14 November 2006
Posts: 8515
Posted: 01 February 2020 at 12:49am | IP Logged | 1 post reply

Threads of this type were once common here on the Byrne Forum, but these days, there are so very, very many trades and HC collections out there that it's tough to imagine there being some favorite comics that are still uncollected.

DC came out recently with an Alan Brennert collection that previously seemed as if it might be forever unattainable. Marvel's Epic line recently assembled the entire story of Doctor Strange's foe Xandu in one volume. The Black Widow run in Amazing Adventures has been collected. 

This would all have been unthinkable to my earlier self. I should be very grateful, and I am. But I am also a consumer, and gosh darn it, I want more...

One collection I've longed for actually exists in a somewhat cumbersome form. Between issues 35 and 42 of his magazine during the 1950's, the Sub-Mariner appeared in a series of tales detailing events of his youth; how he discovered he could breathe above the water, how he learned of his great strength, the first time he flew, et al. This series also established Namora as his cousin and not as a romantic rival for Betty Dean as had been previously suggested. There is an edition of Marvel Masterworks, volume three of its Heroes of the Atlas Era, that reprints those seven issues in full, stories of his youth and all, but I've always wanted a slim tpb built around those tales. 

Now that the Marvel Masterworks line has largely come to an end, that Atlas Era volume is becoming increasingly difficult to find. I really do think that these exceptionally illustrated, vaguely Kipling-like stories would do well with younger readers. If we must fold them in as extras to an Epic Collection of Bill Jemas's twelve-issue series featuring Namor as a young man, so be it, but that seems unwieldy. 

Another TPB collection that occurred to me recently may very well have no commercial appeal whatsoever, but is nevertheless one I'd enjoy seeing; stories of heroes in retirement or otherwise facing old age. The issue with the Hulk and the 3-D Man; Spider-Man's encounter with Dominic Fortune from MTU; the final fate of the Blue Diamond from Marvel Two-In-One (a story I don't believe Marvel has ever followed up on); the death of the Patriot and the Baron Blood story from Captain America... I'm sure there are many others that could be included; stories featuring the Bob Frank Whizzer, the Silver Fox, Madame Web, Aunt May as Golden Oldie, and so on.

How such a thing could be marketed, I have no idea. "Don't discount these seniors, fellow Marvel Maniacs! They are over 65... On the Action Meter!! Their years may be declining, but the excitement is always building in these... Merry Marvel Tales of the Ages!!" I don't know. Something like that, maybe.*

How about you folks out there? Any themes or story lines that are still out there you'd like to see?  Anything you've still not seen at your local comic store or Barnes and Noble that you think would help spruce up the joint?

* DC has a number of stories that would also fit this bill; tales of Superman in his dotage or battling the Microwave Man or Peg-Leg Portia. Countless stories of the Golden Age JSA entering their own golden years... 


Edited by Brian Hague on 01 February 2020 at 1:08am
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Brian Hague
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 14 November 2006
Posts: 8515
Posted: 01 February 2020 at 1:05am | IP Logged | 2 post reply

Another suggestion, yes, doing Marvel Editorial's work for them, but to the benefit of everyone involved, I believe; With the weird PBS Renaissance our society is experiencing with Bob Ross, Mister Rogers, and Sesame Street's 50th anniversary, I believe it is time to collect Marvel Comics and the Electric Company's "Spidey Super Stories," perhaps in multiple volumes with the stories done for Pizzazz Magazine included in the mix as well.

Thrill to the original story you've seen memes from a hundred times as the Cat battles Thanos in his Thanos-Copter! Fight alongside Spidey, Marvel Boy, Moondragon, and Sam, the Sesame Street Robot against Doctor Doom and his moon-sized battle station, the Star Jaws! Meet the very first iteration of Marvel's Spider-Woman as Valerie the Librarian glues suction cups to her hands and feet and goes out to fight crime alongside our hard-to-duplicate hero! Wait! Did I say "hard-to-duplicate?" Dr. Doom has no trouble whatsoever doing so in his very own Spider-Clone Saga from Spidey #25! She-Hulk! Thundra! White Tiger! The Impossible Man! That gag page from Roger Stern and JB with the Punisher opening up on Morgan Freeman!

I'm pretty sure that if we prominently feature the PBS logo somewhere on the cover, it will sell.


Edited by Brian Hague on 01 February 2020 at 1:06am
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Eric Jansen
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Joined: 27 October 2013
Location: United States
Posts: 2280
Posted: 01 February 2020 at 2:36am | IP Logged | 3 post reply

I LOVED the paperback Marvel Masterworks!  I still wish all the Marvel big guns were collected up to the 200th issue!  The Epic Collections are pretty good, but they're mostly collecting later stuff.

All of a sudden, DC has started collecting a lot of their Silver & Bronze Age stuff--that I've been waiting years and years for!--in paperback, and I'm very happy about that!  But I would still love to get all the Julius Schwartz/Curt Swan era SUPERMAN/ACTION in TPB!  I'd also like to get the equivalent era of BATMAN/DETECTIVE collected too--and at least they're doing that if drawn by Neal Adams or Jim Aparo.  I think I may be hoping in vain for any large scale Swan collecting.


Edited by Eric Jansen on 01 February 2020 at 2:37am
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Leigh DJ Hunt
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Joined: 20 February 2008
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 1570
Posted: 01 February 2020 at 7:41am | IP Logged | 4 post reply

The Epic Collections are pretty good, but they're mostly collecting later stuff.
----------

?? Most of the main Epic lines have the early material collected.
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Eric Sofer
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Joined: 31 January 2014
Location: United States
Posts: 4789
Posted: 01 February 2020 at 8:58am | IP Logged | 5 post reply

I'll start with the obvious; Generations 3.

I'd quite enjoy a collection of Steve Englehart's Justice League of America run. For a team book, he made it desirable and a lot of fun.

I'd like a collection of crossover classics from just one company. I would certainly start with DC Crossovers vol 1 - The Flash. Between Jay Garrick, Kid Flash, Superman, and a few others, they could hit a full TPB in no time.

I liked the New Adventures of Superboy, and that ran over 50 issues; certainly enough material for a good trade or two.

There are a lot of Marvel stories I'd like to collect, but the problem is that individual stories had so much storyline along with them that it's hard to read only one and not get distracted. But that said... Giant-Sized Spider-Man was really a giant sized Marvel Team-Up collection, and that would be fun. Especially if they could reprirnt the Doc Savage team-up.

Anyone ever done a Galacts TPB? Start with the FF 3-parter, and then some of his other appearances? I'll bet that'd be pretty popular.

If DC were still doing them, I would like "The Greatest Batman and Robin stories ever". There were some swell ones in Star Spangled comics with the Dynamic Duo, but with a bigger focus on Robin. Heck, he had his own arch-villain for a while - the Clock. Those would be great!

Almost forgot - I need a collection of Mike Parobeck's JSA series from a couple decades back too.

That's off the top of my head, but sure - there's a lot of good stuff I'd like collected.


Edited by Eric Sofer on 01 February 2020 at 9:00am
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Steven Brake
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Joined: 01 January 2016
Posts: 562
Posted: 01 February 2020 at 11:02am | IP Logged | 6 post reply

The Foolkiller series from 1990/1991 would be much appreciated.

What The..? (any excuse to see Superbman again!).

A complete collection of The Maze Agency.

Loads of British stuff, which probably wouldn't mean much to majority of the forum. Although there's lots being reprinted (The Dracula Files, Hookjaw, Charley's War, etc).

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Marc Baptiste
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Joined: 17 June 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 3655
Posted: 01 February 2020 at 12:41pm | IP Logged | 7 post reply

Have always wanted to see trade paperback (TPB) collections of the following:

SUPERFRIENDS 
BATMAN FAMILY
SUPERMAN FAMILY
GENERATIONS 3 (of course!!)
 
and probably a thousand more that I just can't think of right now.

Marc


Edited by Marc Baptiste on 01 February 2020 at 12:45pm
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Joseph Greathouse
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Joined: 19 August 2015
Location: United States
Posts: 588
Posted: 01 February 2020 at 3:27pm | IP Logged | 8 post reply

I've been wanting the second iteration of What If? as well as Marvel Saga and the Deluxe OHOTMU.
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Jack Bohn
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Joined: 13 July 2013
Location: United States
Posts: 747
Posted: 01 February 2020 at 3:35pm | IP Logged | 9 post reply

Casting my mind back... Has DC collected SUPER TEAM FAMILY? #12 was one of my early experiences with continued stories:
cover of #12
the "double-length novel" was already continued from the previous issue (Jean Loring, Linda Danvers, and Iris Allen had been kidnapped. Seeing the recap page, I knew who had been on that cover.) The issue I had was a complete story of the heroes helping the planet they come to searching for Jean, but they'll have to continue their search. I wonder if the other stories were as solid as this one.

On the Marvel side, and marketable only to me, the original appearance of the weirder aliens from the appendix of Handbook, like the A'askvarii, and Queega. Probably find it disappointing, I have the Lem, and it is mostly background.
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Eric Jansen
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Joined: 27 October 2013
Location: United States
Posts: 2280
Posted: 01 February 2020 at 4:49pm | IP Logged | 10 post reply

The Epic Collections are pretty good, but they're mostly collecting later stuff.
----------

?? Most of the main Epic lines have the early material collected
_______________

Yes, the very early stuff--early 60's, etc.  The beginnings of SPIDER-MAN, FANTASTIC FOUR, etc. have been collected a dozen (dozens?) of times in different formats.  But I already have those in the Masterworks.  I was talking about the late 60's/early 70's.  I would dearly love to finish (in TPB) the Lee/Kirby FF or the Lee/Romita SPIDER-MAN.  I want to see the Steve Gerber DAREDEVIL!  The Trimpe/Severin HULK!  The early John Buscema THOR!  I want all the Steve Englehart AVENGERS, in order, in a nice package.  Where's the Steve Gerber DEFENDERS?!?

The Big Two seem to always collect the latest and the oldest stuff--I have a big hole in my collection for the next-to-oldest stuff.  (And $70 hardcovers are not a favorable option.)


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Dave Phelps
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Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 4176
Posted: 01 February 2020 at 5:57pm | IP Logged | 11 post reply

 Jack Bohn wrote:
Casting my mind back... Has DC collected SUPER TEAM FAMILY?


You picked a good time to ask...

#11-14 are being reprinted this Wednesday in the Wedding of Atom and Jean Loring hardcover:

JLA Wedding of Atom and Jean Loring

It also includes JLA #147-157, which gets some of the Englehart run out there, anyway.

#15 will be included in the Gerry Conway New Gods book that's coming out in April (per Amazon, anyway).

The only other new stuff in that series was a Creeper/Wildcat story in #2 and the kick-off of the Challengers of the Unknown revival in #8-10. No idea whether or not any of that stuff was ever reprinted. I doubt it, but I also never expected to see a Gerry Conway New Gods hardcover, so what do I know?
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Wallace Sellars
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Joined: 01 May 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 17659
Posted: 01 February 2020 at 6:11pm | IP Logged | 12 post reply

I'd like to see Ramona Fradon's PLASTIC MAN collected.
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