#trade omnibus

[ambassadorquark]

people who read a lot of comics where do you find them. or is my ass just going to have to Purchase that shit

[holmesoldfellow]

Covers for some of the trade paper back collections of the Dynamite Sherlock Holmes series

[graphicpolicy]

Preview: Weaver Omnibus Trade Paperback

Weaver Omnibus Trade Paperback preview. Born with the uncanny ability to steal other people’s memories, abilities, and expertise for a limited time, Weaver is a man who could change the world #comics #comicbooks

[dduane]

Hi! Possibly a bit of a weird question for you, but I'm trying to collect all of YW in hardbacks before my old omnibus finally gives out, and I was wondering - do you know if books 1-4 ever got published in hardback with the Harcourt black base/white text cover art? So many websites use blank placeholders that I can't tell if what I'm searching for even exists!

It’s not weird at all. I get occasional inquiries (especially from librarians) about how to get their hands on complete hardcover sets of the Young Wizards books.

Let's make this simpler from the start by establishing that in the forty-plus year history of the series, there has never been a unified hardcover edition of all the YW books, from any of their publishers... mostly because there've been too many publishers over that stretch of time.

Let's take the books in order, as far as possible, and you'll see what happened.

The books' first home was at Delacorte Press, an imprint of Dell Publishing. So You Want To Be A Wizard was published in hardcover in 1983, the Deep Wizardry hc in 1985, and the High Wizardry hc in 1990, with these covers. (The art, respectively, by David Wiesner, Darrell Sweet, and Neal McPheeters.)

All of these editions are now difficult to find in good condition, especially SYWTBAW—which as a first book in a series by a new/untried author, perhaps understandably had a very small print run and was mostly sold to libraries. (The run might have been as small as 1500 copies. It's hard to tell now, as this wasn't data that was shared with authors in those days.) As a result, most copies of the Delacorte SYWTBAW hc are either very beat up, or (if signed and/or in good condition) relatively expensive. The Delacorte DW and HW hardcovers are a little easier to find, but not that much.

In the early 1990s there was a change in publishing direction at Dell shortly after HW came out. The publisher's interest had pivoted toward wanting more bestselling authors; so they jettisoned many then-new or midlist authors so as to be able to pay the best-selling authors more. (In this particular micro-bonfire of the vanities, Dell's stupidity in throwing Jane Yolen overboard, FFS, astounds me to this day.) So though the books continued to be published as paperbacks at other Dell imprints (Laurel-Leaf, Yearling) through the mid-1990s, that was the end of the Dell hardcovers.

The next hardcover publication was therefore in 1990, from GuildAmerica / SF Book Club. Support Your Local Wizard contains SYWTBAW, DW and HW, and was a Book Club bestseller: it sold a quarter million copies and set a record as their most popular new-member-requested book that lasted until they went out of business. As a result, there are a lot of these books around.

Also in plentiful supply is The Young Wizards, which SFBC Fantasy published in 2001. (NB that a lot of sources list this as being a 1984 book, which is incorrect. As it also contains, besides the first three, A Wizard Abroad and The Wizard's Dilemma, this makes it impossible to have been published any sooner than 2001.)

Anyway, after that, things get a bit simpler. In the mid 1990s the series was picked up by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt / Harcourt Trade Publishers' new YA imprint Magic Carpet Books, which began republishing earlier works. Possibly the oddest of these was a small-format (mmpb-sized) hc of SYWTBAW, which turns up here and there used. (I really need to ask Jane some time what the heck the thinking was on this book...)

...Anyway. A Wizard Abroad had until then been published only in the UK (in a mass-market mmpb from Transworld/Corgi); its first hardcover came out from the SF Book Club/GuildAmerica in 1993, Dell having passed on acquiring it. (The cover on this one was done by the fabulous David Cherry, artist and brother of my old colleague C. J. Cherryh.) Harcourt did another of the unusual small-format hardcovers, this time of AWAb, in 1997—testing the waters, I think. Then, when that sold strongly, they went straight to full-size hardcovers with The Wizard's Dilemma (with art from then until now being done by Cliff Nielsen) and have stayed with that format since.

Harcourt also did a lovely 25th anniversary hardcover edition of So You Want To Be A Wizard in 2003, which is easy to find inexpensively. I strongly suspect this republication trend would have continued with Deep Wizardry and High Wizardry when their respective anniversaries came around. But unfortunately the Magic Carpet program wound down soon afterwards, and the most recent hc volumes have been published simply as HMH, with no apparent interest at the publisher in going back to fill the holes in the hardcover backlist.

...So you can see, you've got kind of a mixed bag to deal with in terms of what you want. Availability has also been something of an issue, as the books are considered pretty deep backlist by Harcourt's current owner (HarperCollins), and warehouse supplies of some books in the series have been iffy.

So. The simplest I can make things for you is to help you avoid dealing with large corporate warehouses (because when some of these hc editions were preparing to go out of print, whenever possible I bought up the remaining stock to spare it from being pulped). Signed Books Direct—by which I mean the Ikea shelves out back in our boot room—has ample mint-condition supplies of many of the Harcourt hardcovers (though not Games Wizards Play, unfortunately: we've run out of those). Ignore the site’s front page inventory, which needs to be updated. Instead, just drop an email to the SBD email address and query me about what you're looking for.

HTH!

[medusamagic]

So you want to know more about Big Barda

As Tumblr's resident expert on all things Barda, and as Kelly Thompson's Birds of Prey run brings far more attention to the character, I figured it was high time someone stepped in and gave the tumblr world a primer on DC's biggest and boldest heroine.

The Basics:

Introduced in Mister Miracle #4 by Jack Kirby, Big Barda was once the leader of Apokolips' premier death squad, the Female Furies. Trained from birth for a life of violence by Granny Goodness, Barda spent the first 250 years of her life as a living weapon. This all changed when she met Scott Free, a gentle Parademon-in-training with a mysterious past and a knack for escapes. Eventually, she and Scott both escaped to Earth, where they fell in love with both the Earth and each other. She's a lover, she's a fighter, she's a Pokémon card expert, but most of all, SHE BIG.

Barda's signature defining attribute is her raw strength. Her raw muscle allows her to keep up with heavy hitters like Wonder Woman. This isn't to suggest that she's a simple-minded brute, however-- Barda has centuries of military experience under her belt as leader of the Female Furies. She's mastered multiple weapons, including spears, swords, and her signature Mega-Rod.

Below are some reading recommendations for anyone interested in Big Barda:

Essential Runs:

Mister Miracle Vol. 1 #4-18 by Jack Kirby (1971-1974)

This was the run that introduced the world to Big Barda, as well as the Female Furies. If you want to know the basics of Barda, there's no better place to start. This run is collected in a trade, as well as a part in The Fourth World Omnibus Vol. 1.

(NOTE: Even though Barda doesn't appear until issue #4, I suggest you start with Issue #1. It'll help you get acquainted with the rest of the mythos.)

Justice League International #14-24 by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis (1988-1989)

Big Barda was on the JLI! She plays off the other characters as well as ever, and a lot of what's great about her in Jack Kirby's original run is still here! Definitely check this one out if you want to see her in another team setting. This has been collected in this omnibus.

(NOTE: Once again, I recommend you start from issue #1.)

Popular Runs:

Mister Miracle Vol. 4 #1-12 by Tom King and Mitch Gerads (2017-2018)

Yeah, I know.

Listen, Tom King is a writer with... idiosyncrasies to put it nicely. The characters in the periphery of his stories tend to act really out of character, and his dialogue can be clunky at times. That being said, The Scott/Barda dynamic in this book is excellent, and this book has some of the best art that the Fourth World has seen since the 80s. The series has been collected in a trade.

(NOTE: Did you know that the CIA has over 2003 files on Tom King? Look up "Tom King CIA 2003" for more info!)

Mister Miracle: The Great Escape by Varian Johnson and Daniel Isles (2022)

If you're at all interested in the idea of a Young Adult reimagining of Mister Miracle and Big Barda's origin story with an all-black cast, this book was made for you. It's a bit heavy on the YA tropes, but the Scott/Barda dynamic is really solid. It was released as a standalone graphic novel.

Birds of Prey Vol. 5 #1-??? by Kelly Thompson and Leonardo Romero (2023-)

Admit it, this is the reason you're here. The Cassandra Cain & Big Barda is so instantly iconic, I'm surprised no writer has paired them up sooner. It also helps that this book has the single best Barda look since Jack Kirby's original run. Plus, she gets to throw down with Wonder Woman! What's not to love? This run is still ongoing, but the first 6 issues should be getting a trade pretty soon.

(NOTE: I started writing this before BOP #8 dropped, I had no idea about that thing that happens in the newest issue.)

Stories to Avoid:

Action Comics #592-593 by John Byrne (1987)

This is not a comic book-- it's an infohazard designed to cause pain and suffering to anyone who knows of its existence. Its premise is vile and disrespectful on the surface, and it becomes more insidious when you learn the context of its creation. This pair of issues is profoundly evil, rivaling even Avengers #200 in terms of loathsomeness.

For those who dare to investigate this, Content Warnings for rape, mind control, and human trafficking.

Anyway, let's end on something a bit lighter, shall we?

Remember that Mister Miracle YA graphic novel I mentioned earlier? Barda is getting a graphic novel of her own this summer! It's not out at the time of writing, but the preview pages look promising!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that introduction to one of my favorite superheroes ever. Please get back to me on this, I have no one else to talk to about Fourth World stuff.

[zahri-melitor]

Okay, looking at the current push for reprints among the Batfam kids, what is available (trying to round this up):

Dick: Nightwing Compendium #1, with Nightwing vol 1, Nightwing vol 2 1-25 plus extras (out 7 May 2024); Nightwing Compendium #2, with Nightwing vol 2 26-59 plus extras (out 20 May 2025)

Jason: DC Finest: Batman - Year One and Two, despite the name, this covers Batman #404-414 and 'Tec #571-581, which contains his post-Crisis origin story and most of his 'Tec appearances as Robin (out 5 November 2024); Under the Red Hood Deluxe, with Batman #635-650 and Lost Days (out 5 September 2023); RHATO 2011 Omnibus, #0-27 (out 13 May 2025)

Tim: Robin Compendium #1, with Robin I, II & III, Robin vol 2 #1-5 and a LOT of assorted early material from Alan Grant (out 23 July 2024)

Steph: Batgirl: Stephanie Brown Vol 1, with Batgirl vol 3 #1-12 (out 22 October 2024)

Cass: DC Finest: Nobody Dies Tonight, with Batgirl vol 1 #7-27 (out 8 April 2025)

Damian: Batman and Robin by Peter J. Tomasi Omnibus, with Batman & Robin vol 1 #22-24, Batman & Robin vol 2 #0-40 and extras (out 17 January 2023); Batman & Robin vol 1: Batman Reborn, with B&R vol 1 #1-6 (out 25 April 2023); Batman & Robin vol 2: Batman v Robin, with B&R vol 1 #7-12 (out 29 April 2025); Robin: Son of Batman by Patrick Gleason #1-13 (out 5 November 2024)

Barbara: Simone and Bedard's BOP runs have just finished a run of reprints in 2023 and are looping around to redo it again right now: Murder & Mystery BOP #56-67 (out 22 October 2024); Hero Hunters BOP #68-80 (out 6 May 2025); Fighters By Trade #81-91 (most recent 21 September 2021, look out for this one again); Progeny BOP #92-103 (out 26 March 2024); Whitewater #104-112 (out 5 July 2022); and The End of the Beginning #113-127 (out 21 February 2023); the Batgirl vol 4 run had omnis in 2021 and 2022 covering the whole run.

Helena B: the same BOP reprints as Barbara, also has Robin III in Robin Compendium #1.

Maps: Gotham Academy vol 1 #1-18 (out 9 May 2023)

Duke: All-Star Batman by Scott Snyder, with #1-14 (out 10 September 2024)

Jean-Paul: okay JPV doesn't have anything for Azrael. But Knightfall gets reprints every 5 years like clockwork and we just had a 2023 omnibus, so I think that counts for him.

There is a massive push to get everyone's major solos/personal teams into print at the moment, to my eye, with the big gaps being actually getting Red Robin back into print, finally collecting Huntress vol 1 for Helena Bertinelli, and then like...actually continuing the reprints in the big projects (Robin, early BOP).

[havendance]

heyy, i was thinking to get some good nightwing/batman comics, like ones w good art that i can show off to my friends but also good story lines?

a friend suggested that i ask you, as you probably know more about this topic and own some physical copies yourself.

thanks if you answer and have a wonderful day!

So this was a tricky if only because hitting that trifecta of art, story, and easily obtainable as a collected edition can be hard, but I'll do my best to give you some recommendations here. I would also say that a lot of my favorite Dick and Bruce moments are less storylines, and more single moments or issues. (Unless you want Nightwing OR Batman comics, in which case I will try to give you recs for both.) This is going to be mostly post-crisis stuff because that's what I've read the most of.

The Bruce and Dick storyline that first comes to mind as hitting most of your points is actually Robin: Year One which does not feature Nightwing, but does have a good story, a fun, more simplistic art style, and has been collected multiple times so it shouldn't be too tricky to find.

I believe it's getting a box set soon with Nightwing: Year One and Batgirl: Year One soon which should also make it easier to obtain.

Nightwing: Year One on the other hand, does feature Nightwing and Batman focusing on Dick's transition from Robin to Nightwing. As such, it doesn't require a lot of previous reading, but story-wise it's, hmmm, not my favorite take. Additionally, it has Scott McDaniel on the art which is a bit of an acquired taste and if you're trying to get your friends into comics, might be a bit of a turn off.

Overall: Your mileage may vary.

Other recommendations for Nightwing and Batman (together):

Bruce Wayne: Muderer/Fugitive -- This is a larger event that chronicles that one time Bruce Wayne got framed for murder. It features the entire ensemble of Bat characters (more or less) reacting/getting involved, but Nightwing plays a significant role (alongside Bruce obviously). Also Batman #600 which is part of the event is probably one of the THE Bruce and Dick issues to me. Art wise, it's a crossover event so there are multiple artists with multiple art styles (one of which is Scott McDaniel) so I can't really give a definitive answer, but it's probably pretty for the course for early 2000s comics. This event has been collected a few times and there's an omnibus announced as coming out at the end of this year. Omnibuses do make for less convenient reading and they tend to be more expensive, but in terms of collecting convenience and also getting lots of comics for your money, they're pretty good. Maybe see if there are any omnis at local bookstores or in your library system just to see if physically it's something you're interested in owning. I personally do have some omnis for the collecting convenience, but I prefer trades because their easier to read.

Batman: Gotham Knights: Transferrence -- In a similar vein to Bruce Wayne: Murderer/Fugitive, this is a ensemble book focusing on Batman's relationships with his extended cast. It does have several good stories featuring Nightwing in it. This probably would work as a good book to share with newer readers. I wouldn't say the art is standout, but it gets the job done and won't burn your eyes out or anything.

Recommendations for Nightwing:

Tomasi's run on Nightwing is a fan favorite (I too enjoyed it) and it was collected in the Nightwing by Peter J. Tomasi trade fairly recently (2020), however due to it being a fan favorite, I think it's in the category of you'll have trouble tracking it down.

A solid chunk of Dixon's run on Nightwing was also recently collected in the Nightwing: A Knight in Blüdhaven Compendium which I believe came out in May which should make it easy to get your hands on. It collects the first 25 issues of his solo, plus some other stuff. Dixon's run is considered to be foundational, but personally while there are some stories I liked in there, Dixon's Nightwing is not my favorite. Also, the majority of it has Scott McDaniel art which is, as stated previously, an acquired taste. As a compendium, it's chunkier sized like an omni, but paperback which makes it cheaper than an omni, but still a little chunkier than convenient for reading. Very good bang for your buck in terms of the number of comics it collects though. I'll put this also under, your mileage may vary. I'd recommend trying to read some before just buying to see how you like it.

Recommendations for Batman:

In terms of solid comic that can be read without context, and has been collected a million times so you should be able to find it easily, I'll recommend The Long Halloween. This follows Bruce earlier in his Batman career in a case that brings him in contact with most of his rogue's gallery. It's a fun read. Tim Sales' art is stylized in a way that I really liked. I have not read Dark Victory, which is the sequel to this story, but I know that it features Dick Grayson as Robin.

I also really liked Paul Dini's detective comics run, but it's looking like that's only collected in 15 year old trades and an omnibus (released 2020 so you should be able to find it if you're interested), but see my note about Omnis.

In Conclusion:

My biggest piece of advice for buying collected editions is to buy comics you know you'll like. If there's a storyline you really like, check if it's collected! If you're getting started, I recommend checking if your library has comics. In my experience tend to ether be in the non-fiction section (I know, but it has to do with the dewey decimal system) or in the teen section. Mine has a really good comics selection, so if you have access to something similar, flip through them and see what looks cool!

Newer comics also tend to be easier to find collected editions for just because of how DC's business model has evolved, so if anyone has recommendations for newer comics, please feel free to add them on!

(Art examples below the cut.)

Robin: Year One

Nightwing: Year One:

Gotham Knights:

The Long Halloween:

[highlyillogicalandroid]

So, I just want to talk about Dead Boy Detectives for a minute.

I first met the Dead Boys some time around…2007? 2008? when I first read Sandman as a teenager. They were immediately precious to me, maybe because I too was bullied—both at school and at home. We also share a birth month and year, which has always felt significant to me (Sandman #25, which introduced them, has a cover date of April 1991, and yes, you do now know how old I am).

After that first introduction, it took me another 5 years or so to read (I think) every other story featuring my boys. I didn’t have a lot of money, and my local comic book shop wasn’t super well stocked, or super welcoming to a femme teen/young adult. I spent a lot of time finding random back issues and trades on ebay—a collection my mother threw away when she decided she didn’t want my “crap” at her place back in 2013.

Now that my life is a bit more stable, I’ve been slowly rebuilding my collection. I treated myself to the DBD omnibus for Hanukkah last year, and it’s as wonderful as I remember. I’ve now watched all 8 episodes of the Netflix series as well, and I’m just so…incandescently pleased with it. It’s creepy and silly and poignant, and it definitely lives up to the spirit (ha!) of the comics. These boys have been so special to me for so long, and I really hope folks watch the series as avidly as I have.

I don’t think I’ll ever really be able to put into words what the Sandman Universe, and especially Charles and Edwin, mean to me, but it’s 2 AM and I���m feeling emotional, so I thought I’d give it a try.

Anyway, go stream Dead Boy Detectives, because I desperately want a second season, and I know there are many more adventures out there for our boys 🖤💀

[blackbatcass]

Hey, do you have a reading list for batman: nml. I'm so afraid of it, but I think it's time for me to read it 🙂‍↕️.

YEAHHHH im so proud of you anon. nml is long & intimidating but it is also sooo worth it and is so foundational to the batman mythos.

to start, no man’s land has a few different parts which i would highly recommend reading all of. the saga goes cataclysm -> road to no man’s land volumes 1 & 2 -> no man’s land. cataclysm is 18 issues where the quake actually happens, rtnml is kinda prequel & setup, and then the brunt of the story happens in nml proper. a lot of people kinda just skip past road to no man’s land or don’t know they’re supposed to read it at all which i think ISNT the way to go lmaoo there is some very important context and stories in there.

so the problem with finding good no man’s land reading lists is that most of them are not accurate💀 like there is just so much of it that a lot of issues slip through the cracks and it’s hard to find a truly complete thorough guide. honestly my best recommendation might be to look for the omnibus trades. your library might have them, or you can always just look up the omnibuses on rco.

cataclysm is an easy simple 18 issues found here, thank you to locg:

for the rest of nml there is a list here, which looks pretty accurate from a first glance EXCEPT for the road to no man’s land list which leaves some things out, volumes 1&2 of rtnml should be this at least according to locg

this site breaks down the issues by omnibuses which is helpful.

mem @havendance has a very helpful guide to important nml issues here along with some commentary, and also has a timeline of the whole event here which is very nice to reference.

sorry for throwing a bunch of different options at you but yeah as I said nml is TRICKY to find complete lists for. I wish you sooo much luck in your journey! and if anyone has a more accurate guide please feel free to chime in lol

[dailycass-cain]

More DC Omnibuses and Trades were announced today in late 2024 and early 2025.

0 Batgirl Vol. 1 Omnibus for Puckett/Scott. 😑😑😑 COME ON DC COMICS! FIX THIS!!

You literally have No Man's Land AND Batman & Robin Eternal in Omnibus format.

HOW DO YOU NOT RELEASE A BATGIRL VOL. 1 ON THE PUCKETT/SCOTT RUN THE FOLLOWING YEAR AKA THE CHARACTER'S 25TH ANNIVERSARY?! 😖😖😖

[haaaaaaaaaaaave-you-met-ted]

Wizard by Trade Omnibus Cover Art by Dan Dos Santos

[superman86to99]

Via @fortressofbaileytude... NEW TRIANGLE ERA OMNIBUS SERIES ANNOUNCED! HOT DANG! Time to save up those $125, which amounts to roughly nineteen cab rides in Metropolis.

The first omnibus will cover from "Krisis of the Krimson Kryptonite" to "Metropolis Mailbag," including "Time and Time Again!," "The Red Glass Trilogy," "The Return of the Krypton Man," "Blackout," Intergang's fall, Jimmy Olsen's homeless adventures, and most of the Cerberus storyline, stopping right before "Panic in the Sky!" (which was recently reprinted, but hopefully gets re-reprinted in a second omnibus). That's a SOLID chunk of comics there, most of which haven't seen print in over 30 years! I believe a lot of them aren't available digitally either, for whatever reason.

Some personal favorite issues from this period that have never been reprinted before include the teen Clark vs. drunk driving story, the Lois and Clark talk in the mountains story, the sideways Atomic Skull double feature, Mr. Z's debut (and his ensuing evolution into lovable island goof), the incredible "Blackout" finale, the everyone ends up dancing at Bibbo's while Professor Hamilton plays the piano issue, and Waverider's first encounter with the Linear Men (sadly, the "Armageddon 2001" annuals don't seem to be included, though those should probably go in their own omni with the rest of that storyline).

Now, since the previous "Exile and Other Stories" omnibus stopped in November '89 and in this one starts in November '90, this still leaves a years' worth of Post-Crisis Superman comics in the dark, including essential stuff like "The Brainiac Trilogy" and Hank Henshaw's first appearances (while others like "The Day of the Krypton Man", "Dark Knight Over Metropolis," and Luthor's totally real death HAVE been collected but are long out of print). Here's hoping this sells strongly enough to not only guarantee at least one more volume covering the entire period leading up to "The Death of Superman," but also a volume 0 with the '89-'90 stuff. Oh, and the missing annuals. And the "World of..." minis. And Luthor's biography (edit: I've been reminded this is in the President Luthor trade, still in print, but it'd still be nice to have it here). And the Earth Day comic. And...

Anyway, it's probably time to update that Guide to Superman '86 to '99 Collected Editions post we did like 10 years ago, huh.

[beyondthetemples-ooc]

hello friend, someone in a chat was asking for recommendations on like, an omnibus of DC comics, preferably physical, and i figured i'd ask you if you knew of any good ones?

Oh man, I'm really more of a specialist in comics than a General Knowledge-Haver, but I'll share what I know!

Just about any character and potentially any series has trade paperbacks (TPB)! Those are great for having complete storylines, getting a taste of a character or creative team before deciding if you want to invest in Nicer Versions, and getting several issues at once instead of trying to build a collection of individual issues. (Plus, a lot of them have Bonus Content!)

DC also has the Archive Editions, which are basically much nicer trade paperbacks. Hardbound, touched up pages, and I believe they don't exclude issues like trades sometimes will? (Could be wrong.) There are also the actual Omnibuses (Omnibus Editions), which are freaking HUGE and Very Expensive, but they're a TON of issues compiled into one hardbound book!

Archives: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_Archive_Editions

Omnibuses: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_Omnibus

So the thing is, a lot of these are a compilations of a specific series, I can't think off the top of my head if there are any things like this but for All General DC Stuff, aside from maybe the DC Comics Encyclopedia. Which is a real physical thing and while I wouldn't say it delves into the MOST obscure stuff, it does cover a good amount of history and some lesser-known characters/stories!

Gonna go ahead and tag @dyketectivecomics too, hope you don't mind! They might know of some things I missed.

[hedorahtheblogmonster]

Happy Halloween everyone! For my birthday last week, my wonderful fiancee gifted me the new Marvel Godzilla Omnibus! I had wanted to collect their previous trade paperback collection, so when I saw it was being reprinted in a big beautiful hardcover volume I knew I had to add it to my Godzilla comic collection!!

As for the actual comic, I was astounded at how well it holds up, both as a Godzilla fan and a classic comic enthusiast. Godzilla’s personality from the films is largely intact, and is consistent even now with many recent popular interpretations of the Big G. There are plenty of unique liberties writer Doug Moench takes with the character (no doubt impossible nowadays with Toho’s strict rules on depicting Godzilla), but his role as a dual destructor and heroic figure is well balanced. Sadly, I find Godzilla’s design in this comic to be the weakest link in this book. Herb Trimpe’s art styled after Jack “the King” Kirby pops for everything but the King of the Monsters, struggling with consistently drawing Godzilla’s near neon-green maw. With a flickering tongue, neatly arranged scales and burning red atomic fire the big G more closely resembles his depiction in HG Toys packaging than anything else. Still, it’s an interesting interpretation and worth reading for a different take on the King of the Monsters.

But a big draw for this comic is in the introduction of Godzilla into the Marvel universe. Luckily the crossovers are few, and used at the best opportunities. SHIELD Agent and former Howling Commando Dum Dum Dugan plays the role of curmudgeon kaiju exterminator, whose character arc is most like “the dad who didn’t want the dog” as he eventually grows to understand the emerald giant. He’s joined by scientific consults Tamara Hashioka, Dr. Takiguchi and little Rob Takiguchi who weigh in on the plot and remind audiences that even through this is through the genre of American comics, Godzilla is a wholly Japanese creature. The latter character even pilots Red Ronin, a mecha inspired by the then-popular Shogun Warriors line of toys. And of course, the series includes crossovers with the likes of the Defenders, the Fantastic Four and the Avengers just to name a few.

All in all, I would highly recommend this omnibus- with a caveat. If your love for all things Godzilla is strong and you appreciate the late-70’s to early-80’s era of the Marvel Bullpen, then this omnibus is for you! Otherwise, if your Godzilla enjoyment is limited to the modern eras it may not hit as strong, but will still entertain. The stories featuring Godzilla trampling through a cattle-rustling conflict in the west and a shrunken Godzilla slowly growing his way from the size of a rat to a man-sized Godzilla hiding from the NYC public in a trench coat and hat are easily my favorites of the bunch. Just don’t expect these comics to impress your MCU-loving normie pals, nothing Godzilla-related past issue 24 lingers in the larger Marvel universe. Still, the series is worth celebrating for it’s kaiju-sized mark left in the legacy of both Marvel and Godzilla comic culture!!

[racefortheironthrone]

I have come to realize, I don't quite understand what a back-up story is? Like, do some comic issues just sometimes have too much space for the main story so they include another, smaller comic at the back?

No, it's usually the reverse: the creators have a story they like, but that's too short to make up a full comic, so they attach it as a bonus feature after the A-story.

To me, the acme of how to do backup stories are Chris Claremont's Classic X-Men. In an era before trade paperback and omnibus collections were common, in an era before there were digital comics libraries where you could access the entire back catalogue of entire companies on demand, Classic X-Men reprinted everything from the Roy Thomas/Neal Adams Silver Age through to the big hits of the first hundred or so issues of the Claremont run with edited captions and dialogue and interstitial panels and pages of new art.

However, Chris Claremont wasn't satisfied with tinkering around the edges, so the first 44 issues of Classic X-Men included backup stories by him and Ann Nocenti. These short (usually ~8 page) stories included a lot of "deleted scenes" - so you get to see how things that are alluded to but not shown in the main narrative, like the beginning of Logan and Jean's attraction in the immediate wake of Giant-Size #1, or Emma Frost's Hellfire Club scheming against Jason Wyngarde or Selene during the Dark Phoenix Saga, or Jean Grey wrestling with what it means to be the Phoenix with the help of Storm and Misty Knight, or why Nightcrawler stopped using his image inducer and came out of the closet as a mutant, etc. These scenes "danced between the raindrops" of canon, where they added richness and flavor to the main story without being essential reading.

But more and more, Claremont and Nocenti used these backup stories to fill out backstories through "period pieces." It is in these stories that we see Max Eisenhardt escape Auschwitz and tragically lose his daughter Anya, or go from being a Nazi hunter in South America to a mutant separatist terrorist when he learns the truth about Operation Paperclip. It is in these stories that we see Jean Grey's psychic powers awaken when she experiences the tragic death of her childhood friend Annie Richardson from inside Annie's mind, and how that shaped her understanding of life and death and what it means to be a mutant.

I would argue that these stories are essential reading, because they're often where Claremont (and Nocenti) found the emotional core of his characters, the motivational drives that make them who they are.

Alternatively, backup stories are where creators could take advantage of free "real estate" in anthology books, team-up books, and annuals to tell more fantastical and imaginative B-stories that wouldn't have fit within an overarching narrative. So we get weird stuff like Margali Szardos casting her adopted son Kurt Wagner into the literal Inferno of Dante Alighieri, or straight-edge Harlan County miner's son Sam Guthrie romantically abducted by an intergalactic cat burglar who also happens to be a cockney Joan Jett, and so on.

And that's what I like about backup stories - they're like miniature paintings, where the artists get to stretch their creative muscles free of the burden and pressure of the magnum opus.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Deena Mohamed’s ‘Shubiek Lubiek’

Shubeik Lubeik, a trilogy of graphic novels by Deena Mohamed, took the Arab comics world by storm, winning Best Graphic Novel and Grand Prize at the Cairo Comix Festival; today, Pantheon Books releases a gorgeous hardcover omnibus English translation:

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/606934/shubeik-lubeik-by-deena-mohamed/

The world of Shubeik Lubeik is an intricate alternate history in which wishes are real, and must be refined from a kind of raw wish-stuff that has to be dug out of the earth.

Naturally, this has been an important element of geopolitics and colonization, especially since the wish-stuff is concentrated in the global south, particularly Egypt, the setting for our tale.

Though the underlying wish mechanism is metaphysical, Mohamed plays out her worldbuilding in a very science fictional way, constructing an intricate — and skillfully deployed — set of social consequences for a world where wishes are a fact of life.

Indeed, it’s this science fictional trick of “in-clueing” (to use Jo Walton’s excellent critical term) that makes Shubiek Lubeik such a cracking, cross-cultural read:

https://www.tor.com/2010/01/18/sf-reading-protocols/

For though the three stories that make up the trilogy are intensely culturally situated in modern Egypt, they play out as universal, intricate human ethical dilemmas. Mohamed delivers the realistic — but unfamiliar to westerners — depiction of contemporary Egyptian life with the same smart, deft technique that she uses to paint in the rules of a world where wishes are real.

The framing device for the trilogy is the tale of three “first class” wishes: these are the most powerful wishes that civilians are allowed to use, the kind of thing you might use to cure cancer or reverse a crop-failure.

These first-class wishes are the near-exclusive purview of the rich and powerful and their use is tightly monitored and licensed. However, three of these wishes, of Italian origin, are, improbably, in the inventory of Shokry, a poor, pious kiosk owner in central Cairo.

Despite knock-down prices, no one wants to buy Shokry’s wishes. Potential customers are put off by his desperate, hand-lettered sign advertising the wishes, combined with the implausibility of first-class wishes being offered for sale in a humble koisk.

But one of Shokry’s regulars, a fiery old lady who buys her cigarettes from him each day, convinces him to let her nephew design a slick poster advertising the wishes, and the tale begins in earnest.

Every story of a wish is both a puzzle — how would you construct a wish so that it couldn’t possibly backfire — and an ethical conundrum. That is what makes wish stories so delicious to read, whether it’s Sheherezade’s tales or O. Henry.

The engine of wish-fulfillment is a powerful one, capable of hauling behind it almost any kind of tale. Mohamed’s three-act play blends class- and sectarian divides, gender relations, depression and resilience, and kindness and regret.

The first volume, Aziza, is about corruption, using a parable about elite wish-hoarding to tell a wrenching story about loss, love, hope and resilience. It’s a gorgeous, deeply romantic love story, and because it’s a wish story, there’s a devilish twist.

The second volume, Nour, is about depression, privilege, coping, and gender (and, like Aziza, it’s ultimately about resilience, too). There’s some delicious worldbuilding here, and Nour herself is a great character, whose depression is mapped in a series of comedy charts worthy of Randall Munroe.

The conclusion, Shorky, opens the world up, showing us how wishes interact with theology, colonialism, the antiquities trade, and sectarian Egyptian politics. All three stories have wish-style surprises, but the surprises in this one are jaw-dropping. And while all the stories have a lot of broad comedy and great characterization, this one introduces a sprawling cast that is choreographed with absolute mastery.

It’s easy to see why this book did so well in the Arab world. It’s incredibly exciting to see it in English. Many of us have experienced Japanese comics, of course, and if you follow the brilliant publishing program of First Second, you’ve gotten some great French and Spanish comics. But this is the first graphic novel from the Arab world that I’ve had the pleasure of reading. It won’t be the last.

[Image ID: The cover for the Pantheon English translation of Deena Mohamed's 'Shubeik Lubeik.']