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Wayne Markley

by Wayne Markley

A few years back DC Comics started doing 100 page comics that were offered just in Wal-Mart stores. These books typically hade 24 pages of new material as well as the rest was reprints of new 52 or renewal stories. about six months ago, DC/Wal-Mart ended as well as restarted all the books once again with top issues. this time around they provided the books to Wal-Mart, as well as then, anywhere from a week to four weeks later, to the direct comic book market with brand new covers not on the Wal-Mart books. These books are 32 pages of new material as well as the rest being made from reprints mainly of new 52 as well as renewal stories. except just recently they have been reprinting some older stories even going back to the late 1970s!

Flash huge #4

Now I am not going to motivate you to go browse for the very first wave of the books from Wal-Mart as DC has kindly collected the lead stories (the new material) into a series of miniseries (and then HCs, well the Batman run so far) as well as the Swamp thing stories into a trade collection. There will be collections of the Superman, question Woman, as well as teen Titans stories coming later this year. The only collection from the very first wave of books not revealed yet is the very first wave of Justice league of America volumes. I believe there were four problems as well as I have no question those stories (the new stories that is) will be collected in the near future.

Batman world HC

The very first collection that has been released is called the Batman world HC as well as it is deftly written by Brian Michael Bendis as well as beautifully drawn by Nick Derington. This is a extremely entertaining tale of Batman browsing with time as well as area to discover a mysterious item that will ruin the world as we understand it. The story is quick paced with sharp dialogue with good bits of humor. Throughout the story there are all kind of guest stars including eco-friendly Lantern, eco-friendly Arrow as well as Jonah Hex plus the villainy of the Riddler as well as the time traveling villain Vandal Savage. This was a fantastic Batman story as well as to me makes a great disagreement to let Bendis compose Batman regularly. This reminded me a great deal of the traditional Silver Age Justice league stories that over a number of chapters would tell a fantastic standalone story. I would extremely suggest this full color hardcover from DC.

Superman: Up in the Sky

Following up the Batman collection there is Superman: Up in the sky HC which is due later this year. This collects the six problem series of Superman comics by Tom King as well as Andy Kubert from the very first wave of the 100 page giants. These stories were originally offered only at Wal-Marts so the single comics or this collection is the only method to get these stories. I did not delight in this book as much as I liked the Batman book. The story is about a young woman who is kidnapped by aliens as well as Superman heads off on an intergalactic journey to rescue her. The story reads as if each chapter is a standalone story (with some being much better than others) while the Batman story was a good linear as well as coherent story. The art is traditional Kubert as well as the resolution is extremely satisfying however getting to the final thought at times was a bit of a drag. Overall, this book reads much much better in one sitting than the monthly comics that I checked out so I would suggest this collection. when once again it is a full color hardcover.

Wonder Woman: come back To Me

The third collection is the six problem series called question Woman: come back to Me. this is written by Amanda Conner as well as Jimmy Palmiotti as well as drawn by Tom Derenick. The fundamental story is Steve Trevor as well as Etta candy vanish as well as then question lady goes off on a huge browse for them while at the exact same time battling her longtime foe, the Cheetah. The story is similar to the Batman story as it includes time travel as well as is kind of a wild chase with time as well as space. when once again this book did not entertain me as much as the Batman book as well as of the five collections this may have been my least favorite. It is a great checked out however it truly did not make me want to checked out more. A should for any type of question lady fan as well as a fine book to checked out if you have additional time as well as money. when again, a full color hardcover.

Titans: Burning Rage

Next we shift to a collection of the Titans 100 page giants called Titans: Burning Rage. This is different than the previous three collections as it is offered as a trade paperback only. It collects all of the new Titan stories from the very first wave of the Titans 100 page giants. This was a fun checked out that was a flashback to the past as well as was just a traditional DC Titans story. It is written by Dan Jurgans as well as drawn by Scott Eaton. The story is about difficulty in the streets as the Titans, together with Hawk as well as Dove, try to discover out who  is triggering havoc around the world. A fun romp, once again similar to the JLA stories of the 1960s in structure, not in look. This is a fun story full of fights as well as action as well as an simple read. It will be out later this year.

Swamp Thing: Tales From the Bayou

Swamp Thing: Tales From the Bayou is a trade collection that is already out that is a bit different than the above books. very first off, it is a trade paperback as well as not a hardcover. Secondly it collects stories in addition to the very first wave of the Swamp thing 100 page giants. Also, these stories were not collected into comics prior to the trade collection like the above books were. Plus, it is currently available. The story from the seven problems of the 100 page giants is essentially about two college trainees who vanish in the bayou as well as Swamp thing as well as his buddy Briar are off to resolve the secret of a extremely bloody killer. It is written by Tim Seeley as well as drawn (well, the early chapters) by Joelle Jones. In addition to these stories from the 100 page giants there are short stories from Swamp thing winter season Special, with a phenomenal story by Tom King as well as Jason Fabok, young Monsters in like #1, Cursed Comics Cavalcade #1; as well as Swamp thing Halloween horror huge #1. other creators include Brian Azzarello, Aaron Lopresti as well as more. While when once again this collection is a bit of hit as well as miss, I would suggest it if only for the Tom King/Jason Fabok story which was a work of beauty.

Next I am going to briefly look at a series of 100 page Giants that are one shots (well, one is ongoing). These are books that are only one, or in a few situations two, volumes as well as include new stories plus reprints. typically running 32 pages of new material as well as 64 pages of reprints. a few of these are fantastic as well as some are so so. I want to mention these as I am not sure as to when or exactly how DC will gather these stories in the future as the subject matter varies so much. So if one of these titles appeals to you I would motivate you to seek out these original 100 page giants. As a bonus, all of the books are only $4.99 for a 100 pages!

Scooby Doo 50th anniversary Giant

First up we have the Scooby Doo 50th anniversary huge #1. This was a fantastic collection of traditional Scooby-Doo stories (from DC, unfortunately not the earlier runs from Gold Key, Charlton, Archie, Marvel) however what I liked many about this collection was a new story by Sholly Fisch as well as Dario Brizuela (the creators of Scooby-Doo Team-Up) about Scooby-Doo’s birthday. just fantastic.

From beyond the unknown Giant

From beyond the unknown huge #1 is named after a title from the early 1970s that reprinted traditional science fiction stories. This huge stands apart since of the stamina of the new stories as well as it reprints stories that really pre-date the new 52 as well as renewal time periods. (In all the Giants prior to this reprints were from the new 52 or renewal era). The lead new story features eco-friendly Lantern. A fantastic new Kamandi story by Tom Sniegowski as well as drawn by Eric Gapstur. This is a short story however it is the very best Kamandi story I have checked out because the glory of the Kirby days. when once again I would extremely suggest this book if only for the Kamandi story. then there is a third new story by Dan Jurgans as well as norm Rapmund with the legion of Super-Heroes. when once again this is a throwback to the traditional legion under the care of my fellow columnist KC Carlson. possibly the reason I delighted in this book even much more was the reprints were of a DC Comics provides story with Superman as well as Adam unusual from the 1990s as well as a take on as well as the strong story with Batman as well as the metal guy by the legendary team of Bob Haney as well as Jim Aparo from the 1970s. This may be the very best general 100 page huge I have checked out so far. extremely recommended.

Superman huge #2

The third huge I would like to spotlight is Superman huge #2. This is since of the lead story written by Robert Venditti as well as Paul Pelletier. This is a 24 page story that to me harks back to the very best Superman stories. It is a standalone tale of gamblers taking bets on Superman saving people. A easy premise that makes for a spectacular story. It looks gorgeous as well as the story is quick paced, action packed as well as heartwarming. There is likewise one more new story as well as reprints for 2010 as well as 2016. A fantastic standalone book.

Batwoman/Supergirl: World’s Finest

Currently there are routine giants of Batman, Aquaman, Titans, question Woman, Flash as well as Swamp thing that are typically split with three books (and a special one-shot) one month as well as the other three the next month. There have been a range of special one shots as well as miniseries over the last year. These specials have included a two part dilemma on unlimited Earths, Batwoman/Supergirl: World’s Finest, teen Titans Go/Super-Hero women (2 issues), Birds of Prey, Ghosts, Villains, as well as the Scooby-Doo as well as From beyond the unknown I discussed earlier. all of these books vary in high quality however once again for the cost of $4.99 I would quickly suggest any type of of them as they are most likely the very best value in comics. (Yes, there are the $1 true Believer comics, however these giants have 1/3 of brand new material).

This wraps it up for this time around out. I truly delight in these collections as they are for the most part standalone stories, as well as they are offered to everybody at their regional comic shop. have you checked out any type of of these books? Ether the Wal-Mart versions of the direct market versions? If so I would like to understand what you thought. Do you delight in them as much as I do? Why not? I can be reached at Wayne Markley on Facebook or at MFBWAY@AOL.COM on the world broad webs. all of these thoughts are mine as well as do not show the opinions of Westfield Comics or their staff. As always…

Thank you.