Back in 2009, DC Comics Classics Library published a collected edition of the 9 issues featuring Superman's 'Kryptonite Nevermore' saga from start to finish. I was disappointed to see the contents had been scanned from published comics, resulting in the reproduction not being quite as sharp or as colourful as it might (should, in fact) have been. (There must also have been blank spots on the lettering which required retouching, but whoever did it misspelt a couple of words.) "If only they'd recoloured new proofs, it would've been perfect" I thought.
Well, now they have! In 2021, to commemorate this series' 50th Anniversary, DC essentially reissued their 2009 book, though with newly restored colour on every page (and no spelling errors) - making it the volume it deserved to be to begin with. My only reservation is that due to the tight binding, there's not enough of a margin between the page edges on either side of the spine, making two separate pages appear, at a glance, almost like a centrespread - all through the book. Thankfully, the pages don't disappear into the binding and are still easily readable.
The text pieces are the same as the 2009 edition, but even if you have that one, maybe it's time to upgrade to this visually superior presentation with high quality reproduction and perfect colour-registration - just as it ought to be. (I only learned of this hardback last week - my copy arrived yesterday.) Don't be a fool - rush out and buy it now (or order one from eBay or Amazon), as this is a book that should be on every Superman fan's bookshelf. If you haven't read these tales before, boy, are you in for a treat! (And even if you have, you're still in for a treat.)
I doubt I'll buy it again. I do enjoy this storyline quite a bit. But it's nice to know it's available in a sweeter package.
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It must be very rewarding to get your hands on a quality item as you have described, but also a bit disappointing if you've previously shelled out for what turned out to be the sub-par version of said publication.
ReplyDeleteWhen these things are done right they can be a joy to behold. As I have given up on certain areas of collecting I have moved back to comics, trade paperbacks especially, provided the price is right, and recently took possession of a couple of the Hellboy omnibus editions. These co0ntain very clean and well-printed artwork I am happy to report. They call them omnibuses but they are nowhere near as thick as the books that usually sport that moniker,the ones that are so thick that you'd need a ladder to climb onto them if they were layed down side on.
I'll have to shop around for this one. My current mission involves trying to find an affordable copy of the Watchmen (one that you don't have to re-mortgage your house to pay for!!). As I have been collecting trade paperbacks, as they are called in the, er, trade, I have noticed that Batman seems to attract more than his fair share of good writers and artists.
Far more pleasing to the eye, RJ, than its predecessor. I'm glad I've got mine. (As well as the original comic mags.)
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There's no doubt the first 2009 edition in this instance could've been better, PC, but I like the cover so it'll be staying in the collection. The new edition look so nice inside that I'm going to re-read this series as soon as I can. The fact that there's around a dozen years between the two books means I'm not too annoyed at having to buy the latest volume.
I've got quite a number of Marvel Masterworks and Omnibus volumes and magnificent as they are, there are far too many mistakes that sneak through, which always irks me. You'd think, given the price of these things, they'd get it right first time. The Epic Collections don't seem to be so prone to errors creeping in, and I've got quite a number of these also.
I have the original Watchmen issues as well as the first collected edition, but I don't feel compelled to read the tales again, so have so far passed on buying any of the deluxe versions. Maybe one day, but probably not. The Superman book is well-worth having, PC, so go for it!