Superman Vs. Muhammad Ali--Again!

News! DC Comics reported yesterday some exciting treasury-related news: in Fall 2010 they will be reprinting the classic Superman vs. Muhammad Ali book, in two formats: one a "deluxe hardcover edition featuring an expanded sketch section and additional content with a new cover by Adams", which sounds pretty cool.

But I'm more jazzed about this version: "a limited edition hardcover in the original trim-size with the complete, original cover of the landmark issue." Yes!

No prices yet, but it's bound to be expensive. No matter; there's no way I'm not getting this!

TreasuryComics.Com Meets Reader's Digest!

New Article! Check out TreasuryComics.com's mention in the November 2009 issue of Reader's Digest!

Treasury Comics Interview with John Arcudi

New Interview! John Arcudi, writer of the "Superman" strip for Wednesday Comics generously agreed to talk with me about his experience writing The Man of Steel. Click the image to read our chat!

Treasury Comics Interview with Kevin Nowlan

New Interview! Kevin Nowlan, a fan of TreasuryComics.com since its inception, graciously did an interview with me about his work on Wednesday Comics and some of his favorite treasuries growing up. Click the above graphic to read our talk!

Death Ray Magazine - Oct. 2009

New Article! Treasury Friend Warren Bixby sent me another article, from the same Oct.2009 issue of Death Ray magazine, this time talking about the first Superman Vs. Spider-Man treasury edition!

Click the graphic to head to the Articles page, and thanks Warren!

Marvel UK Ads

New Page! Thanks to the individual efforts of Treasury Friends Warren Bixby and Graham Hill, I have so many great (and not so great) British/Marvel UK treasury ads that I decided to give them their own page on the site. Click the graphic to check it out, and thanks guys!

Death Ray Magazine - Oct. 2009

New Article! Treasury Friend Warren Bixby sent me a mid-point review of Wednesday Comics that appeared in the Oct.2009 issue of Death Ray magazine. Thanks Warren!

Wednesday Comics definitely got more attention in the greater media than most other comics "events", but this article was one the largest and complete I've seen. Nice to see such a worthy project gets its due, even if the review is a little on the negative side.

I'd love to see if Death Ray follows up with a second piece, now that Wednersday Comics has concluded. Click the graphic to read the piece.

Wednesday Comics Collected

News! DC Comics revealed yesterday that Wednesday Comics will be collected as an 11x17" hardcover edition, retailing for $49.99. No release date yet.

That price point is a little...well, pricey, but I guess that's to be expected, when you're talking about a book this big. And I'm thrilled that DC is preserving the giant-size format of the series...Wednesday Comics just would not have worked squeezed down into standard comic book size.

If I may indulge myself for a second, it'd be cool if DC could simultaneously release a softcover, printed-on-newsprint version in the classic 10x13" treasury format that could be a cheaper alternative to the $50 version. I bought multiple copies of every issue of the series for various nieces and nephews, but at $50 a pop I'm only getting one for myself.

Thanks to Treasury Friend Mark Perez for the tip!

Marvel UK Ads - 1975/1976

New Ads! Courtesy Treasury Friend Warren Bixby come a whole bunch of treasury ads from Marvel UK's line of weekly titles.

Like the ones we ran before, the color ads ran on the back covers, with the interiors being black and white.

I absolutely love seeing stuff like this (and that top most ad makes me wish Marvel had done that line of literary adaptations at treasury size)--thanks Warren!

Wednesday Comics #12- 9/23/09

New Addition! The final week of Wednesday Comics!

Wednesday Comics wraps up its extraordinary run:

--Batman has a melancholy, hard-bitten end

--Kamandi ends spectacularly. Who's up for a regular Gibbons/Sook Kamandi series?

--Superman has a nice sweet ending with a bit of a twist

--Deadman, off to face more adventures

--Green Lantern ends a bit anti-climactically, but still a lot of fun

--Neil Gaiman jokes in Metamorpho about "Next week's Wednesday Comics"--don't toy with me, Gaiman!

--All of the strips, I'd say Teen Titans was consistently my least favorite, mainly because I wasn't familiar with a lot of the characters and, a lot of the time, I didn't know what the heck was going on!

--Strange Adventures, ends just as well as it started. This series never made a false step--a classic!

--Supergirl has a wonderfully sweet ending. Like with Kamandi, Hawkman, and Strange Advenutures, it makes me want to see a regular Supergirl book by Palmiotti and Conner

--Metal Men, solid!

--Wonder Woman really took off in the last quarter of strips. A really unique take that I thoroughly enjoyed.

--A nice mellow ending for Sgt. Rock

--The Flash goes out with a bang. One of Wednesday Comics' most consistently good strips

--Demon and Catwoman ends on a flirty note

--Hawkman, Aquaman, and the JLA! Going out with a bang and a boom!

...and so we come to the end of Wednesday Comics. To say I enjoyed this series is a vast understatement. I was so sure that the "giant-size" format of comics (from DC and Marvel, at least) was gone forever, but this series gave me hope that maybe mainstream comics are embracing presentation again as an important part of comics.

I'm so grateful for DC, Mark Chiarello in particular, for doing this, and I hope it was a big sales success for them. I'll cross my fingers for Wednesday Comics 2...and even if that doesn't happen, we have the (hopefully) giant-size collected edition to look forward to!

Wednesday Comics now has a page all its own in the main body of TreasuryComics.com, a spot it highly deserves!

Wednesday Comics #11 - 9/16/09

New Addition! Week 11 of Wednesday Comics!

Wednesday Comics continues:

--Kamandi takes a dark turn

--Deadman, not taken in by a pretty face

--Green Lantern vs. a whole alien armada, Part 2!

--Strange Adventures, superb! (Ibid)

--Supergirl, always one of my favorites

--Metal Men, building to a big finish

--Wonder Woman busts out!

--Sgt. Rock shoots some Nazis. 'Nuff said.

--Hawkman, now with added Aquaman!

Wednesday Comics continues to be the comic-reading highlight of my week. Sadly, next week is the final issue...

Wednesday Comics #10 - 9/9/09

New Addition! Week 10 of Wednesday Comics!

Wednesday Comics continues:

--Hey, what's with Batman beating up the dogs? He doesn't have any gas pellets in that utility belt of his?

--Kamandi building to a big finish

--Deadman, hero to dead chicks everywhere

--Green Lantern vs. a whole alien armada? Cool!

--Strange Adventures, superb! (Ibid)

--Supergirl continues to be a lot of fun

--After a slow, somewhat bewildering start, Wonder Woman has become one of my favorite strips of the series

--It looks like Demon and Catwoman are finally going to get to team-up!

--Hawkman, talking trash to a T-Rex...awesome.

Wednesday Comics continues to be the comic-reading highlight of my week. And, as always, the next one is less than a week away!

Masterpiece Comics - Drawn & Quarterly

New Addition! Click the image to check out the giant-size hardcover collection Masterpiece Comics!

Wednesday Comics #9 - 9/2/09

New Addition! Week 9 of Wednesday Comics!

Wednesday Comics continues:

--This week's Batman is just a big fight scene, which I thoroughly enjoyed

--Kamandi, always great

--Superman takes an interesting turn

--All Hell breaks loose in Deadman

--This week's Metamorpho is a classic, Part 2

--Strange Adventures, superb!

--I love reading the books in Dr. Mid-Nite's collection in Supergirl

--Wonder Woman, getting better every week!

--The Flash wins the award for best single strip of the week. Good grief!

--Hawkman starts smashing dinos right...about...now!

Wednesday Comics continues to be the comic-reading highlight of my week. And, as always, the next one is less than a week away!

DC Treasury Ads!

New Ads! Just when I think I've found every single DC treasury ad ever made...

Comics Historian/writer/editor/director (whew!) Andy Mangels sent me a huge pile of classic DC treasury ads, including a bunch I've never seen before! Thanks Andy!

I had no idea what a big push DC did for their 1978 Superman treasuries, but of course it makes sense--the Superman movie was about the biggest thing to hit comics since the debut of the character itself.

I wish with all the superhero movies we have nowadays, both DC and Marvel would do those classic "souvenir" editions again. Maybe someday...

Wednesday Comics #8 - 8/26/09

New Addition! Week 8 of Wednesday Comics!

Wednesday Comics continues:

--Kamandi, consistently excellent, exciting, and beautiful to look at

--Superman sure is mopey

--Green Lantern, a lot of fun

--This week's Metamorpho is a classic

--Strange Adventures has made Alanna a fully realized, exciting character all on her own

--I could read Supergirl visiting different members of the DCU every week! So much fun

--The Metal Men consistently excellent

--Wonder Woman, getting better every week

--The Flash continues to be really solid

--Hawkman, with Aquaman about to step in! Yessss!

Wednesday Comics continues to be the comic-reading highlight of my week. And, as always, the next one is less than a week away!

Master Comics Flyer - 1940

New Ad! This amazing promo piece from 1940 was sent by Fawcett Comics to retailers promoting their brand-new over-sized series Master Comics.

The photo is courtesy Treasury Friend Nicholas Yutko, who said this: It was taken on 9/10/06 when we attended a Diamond Retailer Seminar and visited the GEM Museum for the first time. [It] was hanging in the hallway of the museum with a number of other retail sales pieces from the early days of comics.

What a find! Its amazing to me that a throwaway item like this has survived, and I'm so glad Nicolas took a shot of it so I could show it off here. Thanks Nicholas!

Superman Treasury Ad - 1979

New Ad! Just when I think I've found every single DC treasury ad ever made...

This is a giant centerfold ad that I found in a 1979 issue of Super Friends, promoting all the various Superman releases over a two-month period, including the treasury editions Famous First Edition: Superman #1 and the Superman: The Movie souvenir book!

Interview with Jimmy Palmiotti

New Interview! Click above to see an interview with Jimmy Palmiotti, writer of the Supergirl strip for Wednesday Comics!

Wednesday Comics #7 - 8/19/09

New Addition! Week 7 of Wednesday Comics!

Wednesday Comics continues:

--Batman means business

--Kamandi, always good

--Some aliens beating on Superman--good stuff!

--Deadman's getting dark

--I'm finally getting a handle on Green Lantern's storyline of toggling back and forth in time, making for an enjoyable read

--Strange Adventures gets even weirder--Dr. Fate???

--Supergirl features Aquaman, way cool!

--The Metal Men features one of my favorite fun villains, Chemo!

--Last week, I wrote that I thought Wonder Woman continues to get better and that Ben Caldwell is finding his groove on this strip. He's continuing that here--this week's adventure is my favorite so far

--The Flash continues to be really solid

--Hawkman, on Dinosaur Island! Coooool!

Wednesday Comics continues to be the comic-reading highlight of my week. And, as always, the next one is less than a week away!

Wednesday Comics #6 - 8/12/09

New Addition! Week 6 of Wednesday Comics!

Wednesday Comics continues:

--Finally, some Batman action in Batman!

--Kamandi continues to impress

--The butt-kicking aliens return to Superman--yay!

--Where's my Metamorpho die and game pieces? Can I send in for them?

--Strange Adventures, a bona-fide classic--Ibid.

--Supergirl continues to provide some nice, light-hearted contrast to the other strips. Bonus points for the inclusion of Aquaman!

--The Metal Men, still very cool.

--Wonder Woman continues to get better--I think Ben Caldwell is finding his groove on this strip.

--Finally, Sgt. Rock is freed from captivity! Time to kick some Ratzi butt!

--Hawkman, as it has every week, brings the awesome.

Wednesday Comics continues to be the comic-reading highlight of my week. And, as always, the next one is less than a week away!

Marvel UK Treasury Ads - 1975/1976

New Ads! Courtesy Treasury Friend Graham Hill come more of those cool back cover treasury ads from Marvel UK's line of weekly titles, like Spider-Man Comics Weekly, Planet of the Apes, and Mighty World of Marvel.

Graham mentioned that, as they went along, the ads became more "generic" and you can definitely see that here--for these three books, they pretty much just grabbed the cover, slapped some ad copy over it, and called it a day.

That said, I'm still glad to have had a chance to see them. Thanks--again--Graham!

Wednesday Comics #5 - 8/5/09

New Addition! Week 5 of Wednesday Comics!

Wednesday Comics continues:

--Ryan Sook turns in more amazing work on Kamandi, and Gibbons knows how to pace this story perfectly

--Deadman continues to be rollicking fun

--Green Lantern seems to be continuing on an odd detour, but I'm interested where its going--its like Hal Jordan in From The Earth To The Moon

--Metamorpho is a lot of fun--"My omelettes, zey are all burnt!"

--Strange Adventures, a bona-fide classic

--The Metal Men meet Dr. Bela Pretorius!

--This week features my favorite Wonder Woman strip so far

--Demon and Catwoman seem like an odd mix, not sure yet what to make of it

--Hawkman ends with a bang--if this series doesn't move ol' Katar back up to DC's A-List, I don't know what will!

Wednesday Comics continues to be the comic-reading highlight of my week. And, as always, the next one is less than a week away!

Marvel UK Treasury Ads - 1975

New Ads! Courtesy Treasury Friend Graham Hill come these amazing ads from Marvel UK's line of weekly titles, like Spider-Man Comics Weekly, Planet of the Apes, and Mighty World of Marvel.

Even though the titles were black and white, these back cover ads are in glorious cover, and man are they beautiful to behold. I love the use of stock art shots of the various Marvel heroes, giving the treasuries they're advertising a real feel of something special--"And we mean giant-size!"

I am completely smitten by these ads, and I really appreciate Graham sending them along. I told him if he finds more, please send them my way, I'd love to see if Marvel UK kept them going. Thanks Graham!

Wednesday Comics #4 - 7/29/09

New Addition! Week 4 of Wednesday Comics!

Wednesday Comics continues:

--Batman is continuing as a really solid detective thriller

--Kamandi continues to be one of Wednesday Comics' highlights

--Deadman is still a lot of fun, I love the "Next Week" gag

--I'm a little confused as to where Green Lantern is going, but it sure does look nice!

--Metamorpho picks up steam, Mike Allred draws a spooky Rex Mason!

--Strange Adventures continues to rock, even without the presence of Adam Strange!

--Supergirl and Metal Men continue be a lot of fun

--I know everyone is singling out Ben Caldwell's Wonder Woman as the weakest strip in the series, but its growing on me--you gotta give Caldwell credit, he's certainly filling up the space and trying something very different. If anything, these 14x20" pages are too small for all that he's trying to accomplish! (Plus: I love the new WW logo)

--Sgt. Rock is moving a little slow, but I think the thing I like best about it is the subject matter is such a contrast to all the other superhero/fantasy material. If they ever do Wednesday Comics 2, I'd love to see DC give a couple other genres some space. Let's see future movie star Jonah Hex get a shot! (No pun intended)

--Hawkman adds Hawkgirl to the mix (always a plus for me), plus it mentions Aquaman! Cannot wait to for the Sea King to enter the mix.

Wednesday Comics continues to be the comic-reading highlight of my week. And, as always, the next one is less than a week away!

Marvel Treasury Ads - 1976/1977

New Ads! Courtesy Treasury Friend Josh Blair come these two Bullpen Bulletin ads for two of Marvel's treasury editions--Captain America's Bicentennial Battles and The Defenders!

Not having as many Marvel as DCs in my collection, I haven't had the chance to come across Marvel's ads for their treasuries, so I really appreciate Josh for finding them for me to put up on the site. Thanks Josh!