Showcase Presents 2013-2014 update

[Hoy Murphy]

It's been a while since I've listed future Showcase Presentses from Amazon and other sources, and there have been a lot of changes, mostly delays, since the last one I posted in December 2012. Here's the latest I can find as of this date, 5/6/13:

Showcase Presents Superman Family Vol. 4

Available May 14, 2013

520 pages

In these oddball stories from the start of the 1960s, Jimmy Olsen meets Tom Baker, Power Lad, an army of miniature Supermen, and Jimmy becomes "The Fat Boy of Metropolis," "Super Jimmy," "The Giant Turtle Man of Metropolis," and a wolfman. Lois Lane, meanwhile, marries Astounding Man, imagines married life with Superman, complete with super-twins, gains super powers and battles a super-powered Lana Lang.

Showcase Presents DC Comics Presents - Superman Team-Ups Vol. 2

Available July 23, 2013

568 pages

Superman battles for justice alongside DC's greatest heroes including Martian Manhunterm Supergirl, The Spectre, Black Canary, Robin, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman and many more in this massive, value-priced title.

Showcase Present Unknown Soldier Vol. 2

Publish Date July 2013

592 pages

Assuming a wide variety of disguises to battle the Nazis in World War II, the Unknown Soldier plunges deep behind enemy lines in this massive SHOWCASE edition, collecting stories that have not been reprinted since they were first published in the 1970s.

Showcase Presents House of Secrets Vol. 3

Publish Date September 2013

528 pages

This massive, value-priced collection reprints strange tales of mystery from the 1970s for the first time.

Showcase Presents: Strange Adventures Vol. 2

Available Dec. 24, 2013

520 pages

A massive new collection of science fiction tales from the 1950s, none of which have ever been collected before.

Showcase Presents Men of War

Available Jan. 28, 2014

496 pages

These tales of war originally published in the late 1970s star Enemy Ace, DC's German fighter pilot from World War I, and a new war hero: Codename Gravedigger, an African American soldier who goes undercover behind enemy lines. Collects MEN OF WAR #1-26, the entire series.

Showcase Presents Jonah Hex Vol. 2

Available Feb. 25, 2014

544 pages

The 1970s adventures of Western bounty hunter Jonah Hex continue in this new, value-priced Showcase edition collecting Jonah Hex #1-22 and Weird Western Tales #34-38.

Showcase Presents the Great Disaster featuring The Atomic Knights

Release Date Feb. 25, 2014

576 pages

In these stories, a variety of heroes including the Atomic Knights, Kamandi, Hercules and many others must face a post-apocalyptic future brought about by the mysterious "Great Disaster."
Collects stories from STRANGE ADVENTURES #117, 120, 123, 126, 129, 132, 135, 138, 141, 144, 147, 150, 153, 156 and 160, 1st ISSUE SPECIAL #1, HERCULES UNBOUND #1-10, KAMANDI #43-46, WEIRD WAR TALES #22, 23, 30, 32, 40, 42-44, 46-49, 51-53, 64, 68, 69 and 123, HOUSE OF MYSTERY #318, SUPERMAN #295, HOUSE OF SECRETS #86, 95 and 97, THE UNEXPECTED #215 and 221, and AMAZING WORLD OF DC COMICS #12.

The schedule looks heavy on genre and light on the super-heroes, and there are some barren months. I doubt that any but the first couple come out according to this schedule.

Hoy

[Mark S. Ogilvie]

[Mr. Silver Age]

but I have to think sales would be stronger for Superman in his prime than for Jimbo and Lois in their primes.

Actions speak louder than words, though, and it appears that sales weren't high enough on the previous volume for them to want to jump on the next Superman one. I can't think of any other reason not to be producing that one. Frankly, I'm surprised by it, and as you say, that volume might bring in new readers once they hear how good the stories are. Maybe the quirkiness of Jimbo and Lo bring in more readers.

If/when DC's lawyers ever get it sorted out, there are also plenty of SP volumes they could fill with Superboy stories.

I think by now we can stipulate that we'd like to see Superboy but we're not going to. If things ever do clear up, and I doubt they will in our lifetimes, I don't think they'll be rushing out SP volumes. No doubt they'll do Archives first, which means it'll be a long time before they get to anything from the 1960s, unless they do them concurrently, as they did with Batman.

This just struck me as weird as they have no problem reprinting nearly the entire 50s, 60s and 70s run of the Legion that features Superboy!

They may make the case that Superboy is such a small part of the appeal of those stories that they don't owe much for those "guest appearances." Hard to say.

Another part of it is that Paul Levitz is a huge Legion fan, and I'd heard he was determined to get all those stories into hardcover when he was in charge, hoping to get all the way out to his own Great Darkness Saga, but he fell short.

I also heard he was mighty ticked off when the graphic designer screwed up the spine copy on Archives #6, to the point that they were going to reissue a dust jacket. But I don't think they ever did.

-- MSA

[Travis Herrick (Modular Mod)]

I will most assuredly get the Jonah Hex one I loved that first volume. Men of War, although I really like it I am at the point that a showcase would duplicate a lot of the issues I already have. I will probably just stick to the odd single issue I find every no and then.

[Andrew Horn]

I just stumbled upon a Tales Of The Unexpected SP. I don't recall this being mentioned but here it is nonetheless!

For the first time, DC Comics collects the series TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED, featuring tales of the weird and mysterious. Originally published in the late 1950s, these stories feature work by some of DC's top talents of the era, and include stories like:

"The Secret of Cell Sixteen"

"The Gorilla Who Saved The World"

"The Man Nobody Could See"

"The House Where Dreams Come True"

"The Living Locks"

"The Pen that Never Lied"

"The Man Who Ate Fire"

"The Phantom Mariner"

All new to me - probably pre-Space Ranger - but great cover, I have to say!

Andy

[Mr. Silver Age]

You didn't mention that it's not coming, it's already out, and available for $15: http://www.amazon.com/Showcase-Presents-Tales-Unexpected-Vol/dp/140...

I don't remember seeing it mentioned either, and it snuck by me in PREVIEWS. Not that I was counting the days or anything, but it should be worth a look along with the SP:SA volumes. It seems to start from #1, based on those story titles.

I'll be more interested when they got to Space Ranger. Those weren't the best stories ever, but at least they had continuing characters to follow, which for me adds a lot..

-- MSA

[Figserello]

Cap has been there already.

 

http://captaincomics.ning.com/forum/topics/review-tales-of-the-unex...

[Hoy Murphy]

I included it in my end-of-year mini-reviews of SPs last December. Here's what I wrote: 

Showcase Presents Tales of the Unexpected Vol. 1

1950s science fiction by Whitney Ellsworth/Jack Schiff was different than 1950s science fiction by Julius Schwartz, so this is pretty darn different. These stories and art are stories from when the Comics Code was the strongest, so they’re pretty dull. Still, there is some good art from Jack Kirby and Leonard Starr. Otherwise, pass.

And, yes, it does start with issue #1. It has some historic importance, but not much of even that.

Hoy

Mr. Silver Age said:

I don't remember seeing it mentioned either, and it snuck by me in PREVIEWS. Not that I was counting the days or anything, but it should be worth a look along with the SP:SA volumes. It seems to start from #1, based on those story titles.

[Mr. Silver Age]

I figured it might have come up and it just hadn't sunk in because my interest was low, kind of like a bunch of those others you reviewed. I've found that the anthologies are not my favorites, especially when the art is not outstanding. Kanigher's war books are pretty readable, but only in small doses.

I usually catch Cap's reviews in his blog, but I seldom make it all the way down to the Reviews Forum. I should go down there more often and just skim the titles to see what I might be missing. Thanks for the reminder!

-- MSA

[Hoy Murphy]

That also reminded that I promised more timely reviews this year, so I'll get to work on SP Weird War Tales Vol. 1 and SP Sgt. Rock Vol. 4!

Hoy

[JHK]

Never did like DC war comics. Sgt. Fury was a hoot, and I still buy Masterworks reprints.

Too bad about Superboy; didn't anyone else read the goose who laid the golden egg?

The only stories that need color are Metal Men and kryptonite plots. Russ Cochran had a point about reprints in B&W showing off the art better.

Can't wait for the 50s Batman sci-fi reprints.

[Runt Hipper...Time Waster]

 JHK said:

                The only stories that need color are Metal Men and kryptonite plots.

 

I think I would've liked the "Showcase Presents: Green Lantern" series a lot more had I read them in "Chronicles" full color. I really had to exercise a lot of imagination, which I have in short supply after years of watching television.

And I think you're right about about the kryptonite plots--so many are waiting to be reprinted in the prospective "Showcase Presents: Superman Vol. 5" that I have to wonder if that's a large factor in DC's decision not to publish it (yet).

 

[Mr. Silver Age]

Some series benefit from seeing the art in b&w (or at least have a different appeal), and others almost rely on that color for the stories to be recognizable and make sense. GL is probably the most colorful, shooting beams around at yellow stuff, but I don't know that it's so critical I'd pay the extra (or take the many fewer stories I'd get) in Chronicles instead.But I haven't read any GL stories in b&w, so I may be underrating how different they look.

And I think you're right about about the kryptonite plots--so many are waiting to be reprinted in the prospective "Showcase Presents: Superman Vol. 5" that I have to wonder if that's a large factor in DC's decision not to publish it (yet).

Wait. You're saying that DC is not publishing SP: Superman #5 because so many of the stories involve kryptonite, and they think it won't show off those stories to their best advantage if they're printed in b&w. So they're holding off printing the next SP while they look for a way to present those stories in a color edition?

I think that may be the nicest thing anyone has said about DC in at least 10 years!

-- MSA