Treasury Comics: The Blog!

Zombies Vs Robots Warbot Treasury Edition

2011-12-18T10:03:00.003-05:00

IDW has released another treasury comic, just a few weeks after their awesome Rocketeer Jetpack Treasury Edition--in this case, the Zombies Vs Robots Warbot Treasury Edition! Click the image to learn more about the book!

The Rocketeer: Jetpack Treasury Edition

2011-12-07T00:03:00.001-05:00

It's always exciting when a new treasury comic is published, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a more appropriate subject than Dave Stevens' classic The Rocketeer! Courtesy of IDW comes this handsome Jetpack Treasury Edition, reprinting the first two issues of the original series at the classic treasury size.

But that's not all! This is just the first of a series of treasury editions IDW is publishing this year, so TreasuryComics.com interviewed IDW's EIC, Chris Ryall, to talk about The Rocketeer and what IDW has in store, treasury-wise:

TreasuryComics.com: When and how did the idea for The Rocketeer treasury come about? Was it ever anything Dave Stevens indicated he wanted to do at some point?

Chris Ryall: This one came from editor Scott Dunbier. Scott was also the one who made Rocketeer happen at all for us, so everything that we've done with that property so far: the deluxe, recolored re-presentation of the original Dave Stevens material, the oversized Artists Edition book, and the new anthology series, those were all Scott. We'd talked in the past about doing some projects in the Treasury Edition format, but nothing came of those earlier talks. We decided we wanted to get those going to end this year and roll through 2012, and The Rocketeer made perfect sense as the debut book. This was partly due to the fact that the Stevens stories that Laura Martin recolored were only available as $30 or $75 hardcovers, so we wanted fans to be able to see this Eisner-winning work at a lower price point.

Stevens never singled out this format as a way to show his work, but Scott's very close with the family, they've been very supportive of everything we've done and talked about how much Dave would've liked the great packages we've done to showcase his amazing work.

TC: I understand IDW has a number of other treasuries scheduled for release! What are some the titles? How do you decide which ones would "work" in this over-sized format?

CR: We do! In fact, a project of mine, Zombies vs Robots (created with artist Ashley Wood) is next; that one hits stores on December 23, followed by Danger Girl a month later.

We're also planning a G.I. Joe book, TMNT, a 10th Anniversary 30 Days of Night Treasury Edition in mid-2012, and a couple of other special ones, and onward from there.

TC: Have any creators come to you and said "I'd love to do a treasury edition of my book" or do you generally go to them with the idea?

CR: We went to them so far, but I do expect that to change once people see the first few. In fact, we did have an advance copy of the Rocketeer Treasury Edition at the Long Beach con in early October and a few creators there said how much they'd love to see their work that way, too.

It just strikes me more and more that, with digital comics playing a more prominent role in today's world, it's more important than ever to produce this nice, lasting, oversize editions that digital will never be able to replicate. Not till they create a 10" x 13" iPad, that is, and not even then, really…

TC: I remember reading about DC's Wednesday Comics series that part of the reason they went with the folded-newspaper format was so they could be shipped and displayed alongside other regular-sized comics. Of course, The Rocketeer treasury and the others don't fold in half, so was there ever any retailer resistance to these books?

CR: Oh, there are always little bits of initial resistance to anything that doesn't fit alongside regular-sized comics racks. But that usually lasts until they see these nice books, so I expect these to go over well. It as important to me/us to keep the size as close to the originals as possible, both out of love for that format and also to make sure that these new editions fit in the existing bags/boards that are in the market already.

TC: In 1975, DC released a treasury edition of Dick Tracy Sunday strips--the only time they ever published the character--which has always been one of my favorites. IDW has issued so many great collections of classic newspaper strips, are there any of those you'd love to do as a treasury?

CR: We've talked about Bloom County, but yeah, I love the idea of doing Dick Tracy as an homage to that old edition--that's the same reason we want to do G.I. Joe, to pay tribute to that old treasury edition, which was the first G.I. Joe comic I ever read.

TC: Do you read the classic DC and Marvel treasuries growing up? What were some of your favorites?

CR: Roughly…all of them. The first one I ever got was the first Fantastic Four Treasury Edition, and I just loved everything about it. That was my first exposure to the Lee/Kirby issue with the Impossible Man, the Galactus Saga, and I still vividly remember that inside-back-cover schematic of the Baxter Building. Hell, I remember Ben Grimm's eyeballs being opposite one another on the cover, too. So that one and the subsequent FF book, with the Dr. Doom/Sub-Mariner comics from issues 5-6, plus I think FF 94 (the one with the Frightful Four--seeing her cat turn into that giant panther-thing on these larger pages just knocked me out). But I also loved the Spider-Man "Sinister Six" one--I'm going from memory here, a Hulk book, Captain America's Bicentennial Battles, the holiday edition that Marvel put out…it's obvious I was a Marvel kid, since I have a fond memory of reading, say, Two-Face's origin in a Batman treasury but can't recall more about it than that. Whereas with the Marvel stuff, I even remember some dude called, like the Black Hole in the Howard the Duck Treasury Edition. Loved that stuff, just adored it. I read my way through two copies of the Goodwin/Simonson Close Encounters of the Third Kind adaptation, too.

Although, thinking about them all, I guess other than that first FF book, for me, the be-all, end-all of Treasury Editions was that first Superman/Spider-Man book. Such great, great stuff, and they really used the format to throw some big, impressive images at us, didn't they?

My love of the format was what made me so happy when Paul Dini and Alex Ross brought it back with their books (although those stories weren't as much fun as the old goofier Marvel comics. But they sure looked great. And don't get me wrong, Dini wrote some good stories, but they were definitely more serious stories, not really the kind of thing you go back and re-read over and over). So now it's our turn to remind people how great this format is, and hopefully the books we're doing work as well for new readers as the original treasuries did for me.

(From the treasury collection of Chris Ryall)

Looks like there's some really exciting stuff coming from IDW (I mean, more than usual)! TreasuryComics.com can't wait to add all these new books to the site, and thanks to Chris Ryall for the interview!

Tops

2011-11-28T00:03:00.000-05:00

No, I haven't been fortunate enough to add a copy of the uber-rare Charles Biro over-sized comic series Tops to my treasury comics collection--but I did find this copy of issue #1 for sale on eBay, featuring the best, biggest scan I've ever seen of the cover. So I felt like I had to post it here!

Tops was an experiment by comics impresario Charles Biro at a more upscale comic book aimed at adults--its was over-sized and in full-color. It lasted all of two issues.

I had never even heard of Tops when I launched the site, so when Mark Evanier did a nice write-up of us at the time, he specifically mentioned it as being one of the few series I hadn't cataloged. My first reaction was, "What's 'Tops'?" After that I learned as much as I could, and every so often I'd so an eBay search to see if I could hunt down a copy of either issue. I never have, until this week--unfortunately, #1 is going for more than I can really spend, so this will have to do for now!

In the middle of writing this post, I realized the CBDB has nice-sized scans of both issues, so here's the cover to #2 as well:

Some day...

"The Most Beautiful Comic Magazine Ever Produced"

2011-11-14T12:46:00.002-05:00

Thanks to new Treasury Hunter Rich Stiteler come these pics of the original mailer DC used when sending copies of Limited Collectors Edition #C36: The Bible to those who purchased it directly.

Rich says he found this--with the original book inside--an estate sale for five measly bucks! Heck, I would have paid double that just for the mailer, this is such a rare item to find! Thanks Rich!

Welcome to the World of Ace Kilroy!

2011-10-31T00:03:00.001-04:00

Today the TreasuryComics.com blog is highlighting a long-gestating project that goes live today: Ace Kilroy!

Ace Kilroy is the creation of artist Dan O'Connor and me; its a brand-new online daily comic strip launching today over on AceKilroy.com!

Ace Kilroy is a project Dan and I have been working on for over a year. He and I attended the Joe Kubert School together, and from the beginning I was impressed by the quality of his work: Dan had a crisp, simple style, dynamic but not flashy--perfect for comic books, and I resented the hell out of him for it!

Anyway, over the intervening decades(!), Dan and I lost touch, and then we ran into one another again virtually on Facebook and then in something called Real Life at the 2009 New York Comic Con. Dan was telling me some horror stories (stories I was all too familiar with in my own life as an artist) about doing comic book work, and I was simultaneously angry and bewildered that a guy this talented has had to deal with some at times shady comic book publishers. Little did I realize, but Ace Kilroy was born on the ride home from the con.

Within a couple of months, I had formulated a basic concept of the strip, what it would be, what kind of tone I was aiming for, and I knew Dan would be the perfect artist to bring it to life: he and I are both aficionados of 30s and 40s culture (Americana specifically), and since Ace Kilroy starts off in 1937 and would steeped in that world, I knew Dan could really sink his artistic teeth into it.

Luckily, he agreed, and within a few weeks we were already working on the strips, having a blast, but with no clear date set when it would officially launch. Since the strip has a prevalent horror theme, I thought October 31--Halloween--would be perfect.

The short of Ace Kilroy is: In 1937, the United States has learned two disturbing facts. One, that supernatural monsters--i.e., vampires, werewolves--are real. Two, the Third Reich, in preparing to start World War II, are trying to take control of these monsters and turn them to the side of the Nazis, making them unstoppable.

President Franklin Roosevelt commissions soldier of fortune, WW I veteran and all-around adventurer Ace Kilroy to head to Transylvania, where there are rumors of some sort of real-life Dracula, and stop whatever nefarious plot is being hatched!

Ace Kilroy will feature adventure, horror, thrills, comedy, political intrigue, and even romance, in (hopefully) the most fun and engaging way possible!

I normally never use my other blogs to pimp my outside projects, but Ace Kilroy is special: I am enormously proud of what we've created so far, and we're going to give it ol' college try in terms of making it a financially viable, ongoing creative project: its nothing less than a daily comic strip, just like the classic adventure strips of old, except Ace Kilroy will appear on the web, not on the back page of a newspaper sandwiched between Ziggy and Mark Trail.

Ace Kilroy will run a black and white strip six days a week, with an extra-sized Color Supplement on Sundays, again like the classic strips of old. Dan and I want to bring back that sense of pure adventuresome fun with the strip, and transport the reader back to a time when the daily adventures of Steve Canyon, Secret Agent X-9, or Dick Tracy were can't-miss, waiting-with-bated-breath-for-the-next-installment affairs for comics fans.

But since the daily newspapers of old are, essentially, gone (the comics pages especially), we're doing it in a very modern way: on the web, with all past strips available with the click of a mouse, with Ace appearing across a wide variety of social media platforms, which will occasionally feature bonus or special side material. Dan and I essentially want to hire ourselves as the artist and writer (respectively) of an daily comic strip...which of course means you!

Not to sound like I'm taking my other blogs hostage or anything, but if we can get enough people to support Ace Kilroy financially, then I can spend more time at home, leaving me the time and ability to subsidize my other, non-profit-generating efforts, like this one. And isn't that what we all want?

So if you're interested in taking a look at Ace Kilroy, and maybe even supporting it, you can do so at the following places, starting off with the official site, where you can learn more about the characters, the creators, and see the first strip:

...and finally, if you like what you see enough to financially support Ace Kilroy, you can visit the Ace Kilroy Fundraising Page on Kickstarter, where you can learn more about the strip, find out what kind of donations you can make, and even watch a short video all about Ace Kilroy. We hope to raise enough money to give Ace (and us!) and a good running start!

Finally, one last thing specifically about the graphic you saw at the top of this post: Dan and I have a million fun ideas in regards to what we could do with Ace Kilroy outside the daily online strip: an OTR-type podcast, merchandise, and something near-and-dear to my heart: a treasury edition.

I would love nothing more than to have Ace Kilroy be so successful that we can afford to reprint the first bunch of strips into an oversized treasury edition, just like the one DC did for Dick Tracy. I already told Dan that'd we probably lose money on it, but I don't care: I just want the thing to exist, you know?

So please make that happen by supporting Ace Kilroy!

Little Annie Fanny

2011-10-22T00:03:00.000-04:00

Amazing what you can find on eBay! Click the image to learn more about this treasury-sized collection of Little Annie Fanny!

Marvel's Ozma of Oz

2011-10-21T16:32:00.001-04:00

I've wanted to find out for a while whatever happened to Ozma of Oz, Marvel's proposed third book in their Wizard of Oz series. Now, thanks to writer Roy Thomas, now I do! Click on the ad to find out!

Wednesday Comics on TV!

2011-10-18T20:36:00.003-04:00

The collected edition of Wednesday Comics made an appearance on the 10/13 episode of Parks and Recreation, "Pawnee Rangers"!

Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari) and Donna (Retta) treat their repressed, nerdy co-worker Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) to a shopping trip to a place he really wants to go--which turns out to be a comic book shop, where he buys himself a full-size replica of the Bat-suit. And the HC edition of Wednesday Comics made it onto the show as a piece of set decoration--being so big, it's impossible to miss!

What Is This Treasury Comic Worth?

2011-10-17T14:37:00.002-04:00

"What Is This Treasury Comic Worth?"--I have gotten that question, or some form of it, almost every single week since I started TreasuryComics.com.

For the first few years, the questions were pretty polite, and I usually directed the person inquiring to eBay. But for whatever reason, recently the emails have become brusque, if not demanding: "Hey, I have a really beaten up Batman comic. It has no covers, but is bigger than a regular comic. Smells a little like cat pee. Tell me what it's worth, I need money for a new car." How does one even start to answer something like that?

I used to try, but then people would get mad--actually mad--at me for telling them that, sadly, that feline-scented copy of Batman's Strangest Cases with the missing cover and mustaches drawn on The Penguin is, in fact, not worth fifty-thousand dollars. People have accused me of trying to "cheat" them, since they were sure I was telling them their books weren't priceless collectibles just so I could offer to buy them myself for a song. After a couple of emails like I that, I stopped answering any and all emails on the subject, polite or not.

So I've finally decided to mention it here--TreasuryComics.com is not about what comics are "worth", in the monetary sense. Other than a handful of really rare and/or historic books, comics' value come from how much reward you, the reader, gets out of them, what they mean to you. That's what my site is all about--nothing more, nothing less.

If you find some oversized comics you want to sell, check eBay, check ComicsPriceGuide.com; they will most likely give you the info you need; I will not.

Thanks!

Jungle Book Treasury Edition!

2011-09-21T16:16:00.001-04:00

Just when I think there are no new treasury editions to find comes this alternate Jungle Book film adaptation from Whitman! Click the cover for more info!

More German DC Ads!

2011-07-03T09:38:00.000-04:00

More German DC ads from Treasury Hunter Stefan!

German DC Ads!

2011-07-02T14:41:00.002-04:00

Newest Treasury Hunter Stefan, who hails from Germany, sent in some way-cool German-language DC treasury ads, which you can now see on the Foreign Ads page. Go check them out, and thanks Stefan!

Treasury Poll: Best Treasury That Never Was

2011-01-19T18:58:00.002-05:00

Thanks to everyone who voted in the first-ever TreasuryComics.com poll!

While all five fantasy crossovers started off pretty much even in the beginning, eventually the dream match-up of The Justice Society and The Invaders--written by Roy Thomas and drawn by Jerry Ordway--ran away with it and never looked back.

Considering how much I love(d) Thomas' All-Star Squadron as a kid, it sort of tickles me that this idea won so easily. I would have killed to see a book like this, especially in a classic, giant treasury-sized edition.

This whole silly idea got started between me and a friend of mine on Facebook, and we came up with at least another dozen ideas for DC/Marvel crossovers. So who knows? Maybe I'll go back and find some more, do another poll, and then we'll have some sort of bracket thing where both winners face off.

Thanks everyone!

Marvel Treasury Ad - 1978

2011-01-18T18:27:00.001-05:00

I just love it when I find a new Marvel treasury ad!

Casey Ruggles

2011-01-14T18:09:00.000-05:00

It's been too long since I discovered some "new" treasuries--click the cover to visit the new Casey Ruggles page!

Treasury Comics Poll!

2011-01-12T15:55:00.002-05:00

Based on a discussion I had last night on Facebook, today I'm launching the first ever Treasury Comics Poll!

The discussion had was this: what if DC and Marvel had kept doing their treasury-sized team-ups after 1981's second Superman & Spider-Man book? What characters might have been paired up, and who might have drawn the book?

My friends and I came up with about twenty or so combinations, some obvious and some ridiculously unlikely. So I picked what I thought were the five "best" of that group and included them in the poll. The choices are:

Batman and Daredevil (drawn by Gene Colan)
Fantastic Four and The Challengers of the Unknown (drawn by Jack Kirby)
Justice Society and The Invaders (written by Roy Thomas and drawn by Jerry Ordway)
Wonder Woman and Thor (written and drawn by Walt Simonson)
Dr. Strange and Dr. Fate (drawn by Michael Golden)

You can make multiple votes, and if you have your own idea of a Treasury That Could Have Been, leave it in the comments!

Superman Vs. Spider-Man: Signed Limited Edition

2011-01-11T20:40:00.003-05:00

Courtesy Treasury Friend TJ Ligammare come pics of the rare signed-and-numbered edition of Superman Vs. Spider-Man.

Click on the link to learn more, and thanks TJ!

"Superman Contro Cassius Clay" - 1978

2010-12-07T18:42:00.002-05:00

This uber-rare ad comes from Superman Selezione #5, a digest-sized anthology published in Italy by Editrice Cenisio. This book came out in 1978, so it was contemporary with the original treasury's publication.

Courtesy Treasury Friend Giovanni Rolla, who helpfully provides a translation of the ad copy:

"Sensational Match!

Cassius Clay wins!

You'll find it all in

'Superman Vs Cassius Clay!'

On sale at all newsstands"

I find it interesting that, in Italy at least, Muhammad Ali was still called Cassius Clay, years after he changed his name. Since this ad doesn't show the final cover, I wonder if they bothered to commission as nice a "Cassius Clay" logo as the Ali one seen on the original book.

Thanks so much Giovanni!

Alex Ross on the DC Treasuries - 2002

2010-11-27T23:15:00.003-05:00

I was going through some scans of the JLA: Secret Origins book by Paul Dini and Alex Ross and was reminded about this passage in an interview with Ross about the classic treasury comics.

I'm not big on remakes or, even worse, "reimaginings", but man I think I would love to see Alex Ross draw a brand-new Superman vs. Spider-Man treasury comic.

Superman vs. Muhammad Ali - New Edition

2010-11-20T22:08:00.003-05:00

Just last week, DC released two new editions of the classic Superman vs. Muhammad Ali treasury comic. One was a "deluxe" hardcover, at a smaller size and including extra material.

The other edition, the one seen above, was also a hardcover but printed at the original 10x13.5" treasury size, which was a wonderful nod to what helped make this book so special.

If I had to quibble, I'd question the addition of the red frame around the cover, since it sort of ruins the wraparound effect of the original. But that's a relatively minor concern, since its such a treat to see this book back in print--its cultural impact, over the years, has extended past the world of comics yet it remained essentially unavailable to anyone who wanted to get a copy.

Part of that cultural impact is explored in a newspaper article featuring author Brad Meltzer talking about why Superman vs. Muhammad Ali might just be "the greatest comic of all time." (h/t: TreasuryFriend Josh Blair).

On a related note, now that DC has gone ahead and dusted this classic off and given it the royal treatment, what, if any, other treasuries would you like to see this done for next? Superman vs. Spider-Man? Batman vs. The Hulk? Rudolph's Summer Fun? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Star Wars Treasury Ad - 1977

2010-10-16T08:51:00.002-04:00

While looking through an old issue of Pizzazz magazine, I found this ad for the first two Star Wars treasury comics Marvel released as their adaptation of the film.

The phrase "Now available on newsstands" still gets my heart beating faster...

Murphy Anderson @ The Cincinnati Comic Expo

2010-09-21T12:02:00.002-04:00

This photo of the legendary Murphy Anderson signing a copy of Limited Collectors' Edition #C31 is courtesy TreasuryFriend Josh Blair, who met Mr. Anderson at the Cincinnati Comic Expo over the weekend. Way cool, thanks Josh!

Rudolphe le renne au nez rouge!

2010-07-19T10:36:00.002-04:00

New Addition! Thanks to TreasuryFriend Thelma Averhals, comes this French edition of DC's first-ever treasury comic. Go check it out!

Wednesday Comics Collected Edition - 2010

2010-05-30T21:38:00.001-04:00

New Addition! The collected edition of Wednesday Comics came out last Wednesday(appropriately enough), featuring lots of goodies. Click the cover to learn more!

Wednesday Comics Collected Ad

2010-05-20T12:36:00.002-04:00

New Ad! Running in DC's July-cover dated books is this ad for the collected edition of Wednesday Comics. I cannot wait to get my hands on this baby!

Measuring at 11x17", this book will feature all the strips in one place, as well as unseen "filler" one-shot strips like Plastic Man and The Creeper!

The Mystery of the Missing Man of Steel - 2010

2010-05-12T18:26:00.002-04:00

Sorry the Treasury Blog has been quiet for so long; there just hasn't been much to discuss!

But all that's over thanks to TreasuryFriend Graeme Burk, who sent me a link to an article from The New York Times, all about this iconic painting of The Man of Steel that went mysteriously missing.

Of course, treasury fans know this piece as the cover to Limited Collectors' Edition #C31, which is even mentioned in the piece.

Good catch, Graeme, and thanks!

Superman Vs. Muhammad Ali--Again!

2009-12-24T09:15:00.002-05:00

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!

2009-12-10T01:04:00.002-05:00

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

Treasury Comics Interview with John Arcudi

2009-11-25T22:37:00.002-05:00

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

2009-10-29T22:33:00.001-04:00

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

2009-10-25T13:00:00.001-04:00

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

2009-10-24T16:12:00.003-04:00

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

2009-10-23T12:57:00.004-04:00

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

2009-10-13T08:17:00.002-04:00

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

2009-10-07T15:48:00.003-04:00

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

2009-09-27T00:03:00.000-04:00

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

2009-09-20T00:03:00.001-04:00

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

2009-09-13T00:03:00.000-04:00

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

2009-09-10T14:28:00.001-04:00

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

Wednesday Comics #9 - 9/2/09

2009-09-06T00:03:00.000-04:00

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!

2009-09-03T10:23:00.002-04:00

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

2009-08-30T00:03:00.000-04:00

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

2009-08-29T08:26:00.003-04:00

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

2009-08-25T00:03:00.000-04:00

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

2009-08-24T00:03:00.001-04:00

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

2009-08-23T00:03:00.000-04:00

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

2009-08-16T00:03:00.000-04:00

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

2009-08-10T00:03:00.000-04:00

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

2009-08-09T12:44:00.000-04:00

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

2009-08-06T20:38:00.002-04:00

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

2009-08-02T13:23:00.002-04:00

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

2009-07-31T16:16:00.004-04:00

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!

Wednesday Comics #3 - 7/22/09

2009-07-25T19:00:00.001-04:00

New Addition! Week 3 of Wednesday Comics!

Wednesday Comics continues:

--Batman continues to be solid

--Kamandi is shaping up to be one of Wednesday Comics' highlights

--After a great first week, Superman seems to have hit a wall--he's spent the last two weeks kinda moping around

--Deadman is one of my favorites, with artist Heuck really using the format well

--Two Metamorpho one-panel strips in a row? Hmmm...

--Strange Adventures is simply superb

--Supergirl is a lot of fun--sleight, but fun, and a nice contrast to the other strips

--Metal Men continues to be great

--Hawkman still rocking. Bonus points--Hawkman vs. a giant alien monster! How can you beat that?

Reading these strips in this format is such a joy, its my comic-reading highlight of week. And the next one is less than a week away!

Wednesday Comics News

2009-07-25T18:55:00.002-04:00

News! At the San Diego Comic Con, via Newsarama comes this news about how Wednesday Comics might be collected as a trade:

1:23: Talk about how Wednesday Comics should be collected. DiDio wants it in the old, treasury-style format.

TreasuryComics.com agrees!

(h/t: Treasury Friend Brian Knippenberg)

DC Publishorial: Superman vs. Muhammad Ali

2009-07-20T00:03:00.000-04:00

New Ad! I found this full-page "Publishorial" from DC head honcho Jenette Kahn about the upcoming Battle of the Century--Superman Vs. Muhammad Ali--in an old issue of Super Friends.

Fairly unusual, a piece this length, but as we all know, the Superman/Ali book was a pretty big deal, both in and outside the world of comics.

Wednesday Comics #2 - 7/15/09

2009-07-19T09:58:00.002-04:00

New Addition! Week 2 of Wednesday Comics!

Wednesday Comics continues:

--Batman was interesting, in that Batman doesn't actually appear!

--Kamandi continues to work well

--Green Lantern picks up speed, with Hal fighting the exact kind of jet-packed bad guys that I love to see him take on

--Metamorpho imagines itself inside a comic book universe that doesn't exist, but I wish it did!

--Strange Adventures continues to be excellent, a perfect combo of Paul Pope's style and the basic underpinnings of the character of Adam Strange

--Metal Men chugs along, as fun as the opening chapter indicated

--Flash Comics tells two stories simultaneously, perfect for the character

--Hawkman, even better than last week!

Reading these strips in this format is such a joy, its my comic-reading highlight of week. And the next one is less than a week away!

Master Comics Ad - 1940

2009-07-18T16:05:00.002-04:00

New Ad! This amazing ad was sent to me by TreasuryFriend Rick Phillips, of an in-house ad Fawcett ran featuring big-time movie star Mickey Rooney reading (and from it looks like, enjoying) an issue of their Master Comics series.

But not just any issue of Master Comics, which ran for over thirteen years, but one of the uber-rare early, tabloid-sized issues (#3, to be exact), which is to me is just an amazing find. I wonder if Mickey still has this comic?

Thanks Rick!

Wednesday Comics #1 - 7/8/09

2009-07-12T12:36:00.003-04:00

New Addition! Well, its finally here--the first issue of DC's Wednesday Comics!

I was so eagerly awaiting this series that I purposely didn't read it (which was tough!) until I had time today to sit down with a cool beverage and a quiet house, and open the book up to its full size and really appreciate what the series had to offer me.

First off: the art: its just gorgeous at this size, and it took me right back to those thrilling days of yore when as a kid I would read my treasury comics and simply be overwhelmed at the size of the pages.

I don't want to get bogged down in specific critiques of each strip, because as the format dictates, we're just getting started. But there were a few that jumped right off the page at me, and have the feeling of an insta-classic:

--Gibbons and Ryan Sook's Kamandi, which feels like a modern Prince Valiant (and the Kirby credit box is a wonderful touch--imagine what the King himself might have done in a series like this!)

--Dave Bullock and Vinton Heuck's Deadman, which has a great pulpy feel, and works as a great contrast to the other more sci-fi-y strips

--Neil Gaiman and Mike Allred's Metamorpho, which already feels like it should accompanied by a soundtrack called Greatest Groovy Hits of the 60s

--Paul Pope's Strange Adventures, which, after just one page, makes me want DC to start a regular Adam Strange book and hand it over to Pope

--Dan Didio, Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, and Kevin Nowlan's Metal Men, which feels like those great comics I grew up with in the 70s

--Karl Kerschl and Brendan Fletcher's Flash Comics, which is a wonderful up-ending of the format--its two, two, two strips in one! (I wonder if the Allen's house number is 3G?)

--and Kyle Baker's Hawkman, which already feels like its shaping up to be one The Great Hawkman Stories

All in all, Wednesday Comics was everything I thought it was going to be--solid stories, fantastic art, all wrapped up in an exciting package. And the best part is, we only have to wait a week for the next issue!

Since there's never been an ongoing, over-sized comics series running during the existence of Treasury Comics.com, I never had to come up with some format to cover said series as it rolls along.

But now that we have one (thanks, Mark Chiarello!), I'm going to be posting a mini-review of each new issue the Sunday after it comes out. And when we get to the end, and all 12 issues are published, I'll add a permanent Wednesday Comics page to the site, where they can take their place alongside the classic DC treasuries we all know and love!

Wednesday Comics Ad

2009-07-02T10:04:00.002-04:00

New Ad! This ad for Wednesday Comics is running in the DC Nation column for all of DC's September cover-dated books. Quite a line-up of characters and talent.

The series is just one week away!

Foreign DC Ads

2009-06-18T12:13:00.002-04:00

New Ads! Courtesy my pal Rogerio Baldino, who has provided TreasuryComics.com with loads of info and graphics on foreign editions of treasury editions, come these three super-cool ads for Shazam!, Superman vs. Muhammad Ali, and Superman vs. Wonder Woman!

Here's what Rogerio had to say about them:

"The first one is a B&W ad for the Superman Vs. Wonder Woman treasury from the inside pages of ANO 2000 (the Brazilian name for the British magazine 2000 A.D.). The sentence bellow says: 'The fight you never thought you would see!'

The second is a beautifull color ad for the Superman Vs. Muhammad Ali treasury! It was also released in the backcover of ANO 2000. It just confirms my theory that EBAL used to put a DC ad in all its line of comic books and magazines (no matter if it was Marvel or 2000 A.D.).

After all their reading customers would buy all their line of comics.Right? Certainly yes...

By the way:The warning sentence says: 'The Fight of the Century!' (and it certainly was...)

The third one is the best of all: a beautifull color ad for the Shazam! treasury I took from the back cover of a EBAL's Superman comic book. I thought that EBAL just released a B&W version of this beauty, but I was wrong. I think it is the most beautiful ad from EBAL ever!!"

I absolutely love seeing stuff like this, and I'd never get the chance if not for dedicated fans like Rogerio. Thanks pal, and keep 'em coming!

Wednesday Comics #1 Cover

2009-06-15T12:42:00.002-04:00

News! Here's the front and back cover to Wednesday Comics #1, out on July 8th.

The design is impeccable (I wouldn't expect any less from WC's editor, Mark Chiarello), and I love it's old-school feel while still looking modern--a neat summation of the series itself.

Extra! Extra! As if that wasn't exciting enough, courtesy my pal Brian Knippenberg comes this link to DC's blog, announcing that the first week's Superman strip will be serialized in USA Today, with the remaining installments running on the paper's website. Yowza!

Wednesday Comics Flyer

2009-06-10T16:54:00.002-04:00

New Ad! While visiting my LCS today, I was handed this free preview of Wednesday Comics that arrived today!

The front features this awesome Batman page by Azzrarello and Risso, and on the back is a 14x20" shot from the Superman feature by Arcudi and Bermejo, plus a list of all the strips and the talent behind them.

I didn't think there was any way I could anticipate this series more, but now, with this sample in my hand, I do. Its just so fun reading comics at this size!

Also, I simply love the logo, with the little hero icons below it. This is gonna be fun!

Interview with Dan Jurgens

2009-05-24T14:05:00.002-04:00

New Interview! Click above to see an interview with Dan Jurgens, writer and layout artist on Superman/Fantastic Four!

Marvel Treasury Edition #28 - British Version!

2009-05-21T11:37:00.001-04:00

New Addition! The British version of Marvel Treasury Edition #28: Superman and Spider-Man! Click the image to learn more.

Wednesday Comics Ad

2009-05-20T15:54:00.001-04:00

New Ad! This ad for DC's Wednesday Comics series is running in the current issue of Previews!

Jack Kirby Collector #52

2009-05-12T10:32:00.001-04:00

New Addition! The newest issue of TwoMorrows' excellent Jack Kirby Collector magazine is out, featuring all sorts of fun features, in the tabloid format!

Wednesday Comics, Part 6

2009-05-05T17:48:00.002-04:00

News! Over at artist Karl Kerschl's blog, he posts the top half of a Flash page he's working on for Wednesday Comics.

As you can see, its a real beauty--and I love the super-old-school Flash logo!

Plus, Gorilla Grodd!

(h/t: Brian Knippenberg)

Other Companies Treasury Ads

2009-04-27T11:35:00.002-04:00

New Page! Like I have already for DC and Marvel, I've just added a page for Other Companies Treasury Ads. Click the graphic to check it out!

Wednesday Comics, Part 5

2009-04-19T14:10:00.002-04:00

News! From Newsarama comes DC's solicits for Wednesday Comics #'s 1-4:

WEDNESDAY COMICS #1-4
In July, DC Comics gives a fresh twist to a grand comics tradition with WEDNESDAY COMICS, a new, weekly 12-issue series by some of the greatest names in comics today!

WEDNESDAY COMICS is unique in modern comics history: Reinventing the classic weekly newspaper comics section, it is a 16-page weekly that unfolds to a sprawling 28” x 20” tabloid-sized reading experience bursting with mind-blowing color, action and excitement, with each feature on its own 14” x 20” page.

Spearheaded by DCU Editorial Art Director Mark Chiarello, whose past editing credits include BATMAN BLACK & WHITE, DC: THE NEW FRONTIER and SOLO, each page of WEDNESDAY COMICS spotlights the continuing adventures of DC heroes, including:

BATMAN, WEDNESDAY COMICS’ weekly cover feature, by the Eisner Award-winning 100 BULLETS team of writer Brian Azzarello and artist Eduardo Risso

ADAM STRANGE, by writer/artist Paul Pope (BATMAN: YEAR 100)

METAMORPHO, written by New York Times best-selling writer Neil Gaiman with art by Eisner Award-winner Michael Allred (Madman)

THE DEMON AND CATWOMAN, written by Walter Simonson (Thor, MANHUNTER) with art by famed DC cover artist Brian Stelfreeze

DEADMAN, written by Dave Bullock and Vinton Heuck, art by Dave Bullock

KAMANDI, written by Dave Gibbons (WATCHMEN, GREEN LANTERN CORPS) with art by Ryan Sook (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, ARKHAM ASYLUM: LIVING HELL)

SUPERMAN, written by John Arcudi (The Mask) with art by Lee Bermejo (JOKER)

WONDER WOMAN, written and illustrated by Ben Caldwell (Dare Detectives)

GREEN LANTERN, written by Kurt Busiek (TRINITY, ASTRO CITY) with art by Joe Quiñones (TEEN TITANS GO!)

TEEN TITANS, written by Eddie Berganza with art by Sean Galloway

SUPERGIRL, written by Jimmy Palmiotti (JONAH HEX) with art by Amanda Conner (POWER GIRL)

HAWKMAN, written and illustrated by Kyle Baker (PLASTIC MAN, Special Forces)

SGT. ROCK, written by Adam Kubert (SUPERMAN: LAST SON), ilustrated by legendary comics artist Joe Kubert

THE FLASH, written by Karl Kerschl (TEEN TITANS YEAR ONE, THE FLASH: THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE) and Brenden Fletcher, illustrated by Karl Kerschl

METAL MEN, written by Dan DiDio with art by Ian Churchill (SUPERGIRL)

WEDNESDAY COMICS will arrive in stores folded twice to 7” x 10”, with the first issue set to reach stores on July 8.

Issue #1 on sale July 8; Issue #2 on sale July 15; Issue #3 on sale July 22; Issue #4 on sale July 29 • 1-4 of 12 • 7” x 10”, 16 pg, FC, $3.99 US

Wednesday Comics, Part 4

2009-04-17T12:04:00.002-04:00

News! Two more pages from the upcoming Wednesday Comics are up at DC Comics.com, this time starring Kamandi and Metamorpho!

Like yesterday's, these pages are a beauty to behold. And I love how Kamandi is done in the classic Prince Valiant style (extra extra points for the Kirby nod at the bottom).

I cannot wait for this series!

Wednesday Comics, Part 3

2009-04-16T10:40:00.003-04:00

News! Over on DC Comics.com, they've just posted these first two pages of the Superman and Batman features from Wednesday Comics!

Sweeeet.

Interview with Mark Chiarello - 2009

2009-04-07T00:03:00.000-04:00

New Interview! I had the great opportunity to have a chat with DC Art Director Mark Chiarello, the behind DC's upcoming Wednesday Comics series.

Not only is Mark trying to bring the oversized comic back to comic shops, but he's a big fan of the classic treasuries, as well:

TreasuryComics.com: I was thrilled to learn you had heard of TreasuryComics.com. That made my day.

Mark Chiarello: I stumbled across it not too long ago, and I'm such a fan of that stuff. I grew up the Marvel Kid, so, those treasuries they put out still hold a warm spot in my heart. One thing I wonder, and you might be able to answer this--is it pure nostalgia? You know how you can look back on things you had as a kid, and you sort of can't judge them without the blush of nostalgia? I don't think it is, but do you think its that way with the treasury stuff?

TC: I think that's a big part of it, but...I don't know, I think for me...I started buying comics in the mid-70s, and they were everywhere. And just in the span of my lifetime, they've gone from being everywhere to just these few specific places. Now that my all my friends have kids and I have nephews and nieces, I kind of wish they had that experience of comics being everywhere, and I've bought treasuries for some of these kids...and they just love them. Plus, DC and Marvel made them such events--Superman vs. Muhammad Ali, Superman Vs. Shazam, etc...

MC: That ties into what I've been hearing around here. I've been at DC fifteen years, and a lot people still give me crap that I only read Marvels as a kid, and those treasuries they did (pauses, counts across the first row of Marvel treasuries on the Gallery page)...those first three rows of I have. I was such a follower of Stan, that those are the ones I love.

TC: Some of the first Star Wars I ever bought were the treasury-sized adaptations of the movie, and they were just so cool, so special, so impressive.

Which is why, not to try and tie these two things too closely, when I first heard about this Wednesday Comics idea, I went "Oh God! This is exactly what I'd want to see!"

I get a lot of email from people who didn't know the site existed, and as much as they love seeing all the books they had/have, they also tell me they buy these books all over again for their kids, so they can have the same experience. I bought that first Spider-Man treasury for the kid of some friends of ours, and the next time I saw him the book was really beat up. I thought that was great, because that meant he was looking at it all the time and enjoying it.

MC: My son does the same thing, and I'm like "No, dude, that was mine when I was a kid...be careful!"

TC: [laughs] One of the things I'm curious about with Wednesday Comics is--as soon as the news broke of this, I went checked various message boards, and it seemed like 9 out of every 10 fans was really behind this idea, really positive, but there was always one who was like "I can't keep it in mint, I can't stick it in a bag, I don't want it, blah blah blah..." and I was like...wanted to pound my head on the desk.

Comics fans, especially over the last 10-15 years, have really been conditioned to obsess over having the most permanent, beautiful, costly version of whatever book it is they like, and Wednesday Comics is completely bucking that trend. Its saying no, no, this is meant to be read, to be folded over, its probably going to get beat up a little bit by the sheer handling of it...how do you feel about that?

MC: I certainly consider myself to be part of that group, being a comics fan, but the ultimate goal for a comic book company, and people who create comics, is to create a reading experience.

We certainly saw the Image boom of the late 80s, when it started becoming less about the reading experience, and started being more about the investment experience, and I found that very sad, and I'm glad we got away from that. Because for me, I want to read an enticing story, that's everything that comics are about.

I am glad that, as you say, 9 out of 10 people who posted about Wednesday Comics were enthusiastic and did think it was a good idea, because I it seems they've hooked into what it was going to be as a reading experience, to see these really large pages, with 15-20 panels on a page.

TC: Yeah, I've been seeing some of the rough pages some of the artists involved are working on, and they're a sight to behold. And I was happy too, to see so many people seemed supportive of it. Maybe Wednesday Comics won't be the greatest thing ever, but DC's trying something different, and you have to give them credit for that, and you have to support it if you love comics as a medium.

But at least you'll buy the first 2 or 3 issues, and then maybe say "Eh, these stories just aren't doing it for me", although I don't know the odds of that happening, with the line-up you've got in there...

MC: Right, right.

TC: There's gotta be something in there somebody likes! [laughs] Do you guys have a price-point yet, and a date when they start coming out?

MC: The first issue will be out the first week of July, which is neat because it'll be out in time for the San Diego Con. The price point is...we're 99% locked in to the price point.

I wanted it to be the price of a regular comic book, I didn't think people should have to spend a lot of money for this. Because again its not about the buying experience, its about the reading experience, and I realize that if its $10 [an issue] nobody's going to buy it. So...because its not locked in I can't give you an exact price, but it'll relatively be the price of a regular--quote unquote--comic book.

TC: Are there any characters personally that you would have liked to have seen be in Wednesday Comics? You've said in other interviews that you went to the creators and said "Who do you want to do?", so were there any you hoped to see in there that aren't?

MC: That's a really good question. We're certainly covering the big guns at DC: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash...I was so happy when Neil Gaiman wanted to do Metamorpho, because that's a character that fans really like but doesn't get a lot of ink.

When I invited Kyle Baker to work on Wednesday Comics, his response totally surprised me. I really wanted him to do an over-the-top zany, humorous, story about all the villains in Arkham Asylum. The Joker, The Riddler, etc...all the guys kinda running around while they're in prison. I thought the idea of Kyle doing that was really, really funny, and I love Kyle's humor work, but I didn't pitch that to him, I let him decide what he wanted to do, and he came up with Hawkman.

And I said, "Are you sure that's what you really want to do?", and he said "Yeah! I want to do kind of a Prince Valiant-kind of take on the character", and I thought he was out of mind, I really did.

TC: [laughs]

MC: Then the pages started coming in, and I realized he knew exactly what he wanted to do. He really killed it.

TC: Oh yeah, I've seen a few of them, they're beautiful. And, since Aquaman is my all-time favorite character, I'm happy to see that he does show up in Baker's Hawkman story. I saw a piece of art with him and Hawkman fighting a dinosaur or something and I was like "Whew! At least Aquaman's in this somewhere!"

MC: Yeah, Kyle let that out of the bag a little prematurely, but Aquaman does make a guest appearance.

TC: I was very glad to see that [laughs].

MC: Yeah--just an aside, Aquaman is a character I wish a writer, who really loves the character, would come to us and says "I really want to do this", because I think he's a lot people don't quite get.

TC: Oh yeah. Well--you've probably already heard this quote, but if not maybe let me play matchmaker here--there's a quote Brian Azzarello gave, to CBR I think, where he said he has an idea for Aquaman story, because he loves the character, but he doesn't want to have to tie it in to continuity, he just wants to do regular Aquaman, and he said he'd do it in that context, but if he can't do it that way then he doesn't really want to do it at all.

So when I heard that quote, and then I heard about Wednesday Comics, I thought, "Oh, please...let there be Wednesday Comics II or something next summer. You can go to him and say 'Hey, Brian, I heard you have this Aquaman story..."

MC: [laughs] I would totally do that!

TC: A Brian Azzarello Aquaman comic? I'll buy 10, 15 copies of that... [laughs]

MC: That would be so cool.

TC: You said before that you asked the creators who they wanted to work on. I'm guessing you don't have to work really hard to get somebody to say "I wanna do Superman, or Batman..."

MC: Yeah, right.

TC: But I would guess, at the same time, they have to be in a project like this, something that's unusual, maybe a tough sell, it has to have the big guns in it.

MC: I think...the answer is yes, they have to be in there, but not because of sales. They have to be in there not from a business standpoint, but purely from a "These are great characters" standpoint.

John Arcudi wrote the Superman story that Lee Bermejo is drawing, and he wrote the greatest Superman story I've read in years--I mean, its just a fabulous story, and that's the character he wanted to write. A creator's desire to play with certain toys, there are certain characters I always wanted to draw, that I think, because of my desire to do that, I would do a good job.

And the same holds true for the guys who are doing Wednesday Comics. They're like "I want to do this."

TC: The artists on Wednesday Comics...are they thrilled to be working at this size? Most of them have probably never had the chance to do this. Joe Kubert, sure, but not most of them.

MC: Yeah, [laughs], its a little daunting to some for the guys, because the publication size is 14x20", and some artists are working even bigger than that. Mike Allred sent me a photograph of his drawing table, and he's got the Metamorpho first page original art taped to the drawing table, and the piece of paper is twice as big as his drawing table.

TC: [laughs]

MC: That's really neat. I was happy that when I pitched it, especially the artists, they really got it, and went "Wow, my artwork will be reproduced that big? That's really cool." They got what I was hoping they'd get.

Some guys...I mean, Paul Pope's originals are wall-sized, so its kind of easy for him, but some of the more traditional artists, on the first page or two, are presented with a real challenge.

TC: Is...I guess anything is possible if sales go through the roof, but could Wednesday Comics continue, or is thought of more as the next in a line of weekly series? You had 52, then Countdown, then Trinity, now this...or could there be more? You say to yourselves, "We could do this next Summer?"

MC: Nothing would make me feel better than if Wednesday Comics is a big success, and we could do a second series. Once we announced the project online, I got calls and emails from a million freelancers who said "Man, if you ever do a second series, I'd love to be part of it", that kind of thing.

TC: That's fantastic.

MC: So yeah, that'd be really fun.

TC: I'm wondering, will DC be doing any sort of display, like a display box you could have by the counter, for this? Because that's how DC did the original treasuries...they had this cool display box for them, and my life will not be considered complete until I find one of those [laughs]. They were shipped to department stores, so I know somebody's got one in an attic somewhere...

MC: [laughs] Man, good luck, because I've been here fifteen years and there's none here! If I ever come across one I'll send it to you.

TC: [big laughs] I figured there weren't any there. I did an interview with Bob Rozakis a few years ago, and he told me DC shipped the books in those boxes, so I know they made it out there. Someday...

MC: By the way, I was looking at TreasuryComics.com, and looking at all the covers, and I didn't know Richard Corben did a treasury-sized edition of Rolf.

TC: Yeah, 10x13 or something.

MC: Man, I have to have that! I have to go on ebay and find a copy, I'm such a Corben fan. I didn't know they printed it at a big size.

TC: Yeah, I go on ebay, and sometimes I'm lucky and find these odd little one-shots that were printed at this big size.

MC: Yeah, Joe Kubert was in my office the other day, turning in his installment--you know, he's doing Sgt. Rock for us--

TC: Amazing.

MC: Yeah, I can't wait. And he kinda went, "You know, I invented this" and I went "What do you mean?" and he said, "Well, I did Sojourn", and I went "Dude, that is not as big as what I'm doing, so, get over yourself!"

TC: [big laughs] Did he hit you with those giant hands he has?

MC: Actually, he did.

TC: So, will there be any type of display material for this, as a separate thing, or for right now...

MC: Probably not, because it does fold down, and it'll be shipped along with the other comics. If we were selling them flat, we would certainly do that. We're actually looking into the idea--although its unlikely--that we'll ship them both ways, folded and flat.

TC: One last thing I wanted to ask you, and this back to talking about your love of the original treasuries---when you were a kid, was there a character that you really wished they had done a treasury book for, but they never did? I mean, Marvel covered most of their stars--Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, Hulk, Dr. Strange, etc.

I always hoped DC would do an Aquaman treasury book, but they never did. I mean, I understand that, he can barely sell a regular-sized comic, let alone a giant one. But was there one you would've really like to have seen?

MC: Hmm...I never thought about it, but I was such a big Gene Colan Daredevil fan, thinking about it now--man, that would have been cool, having his artwork at that size.

Spider-Man always was my favorite character, so the fact that they covered some of the big Spider-Man stuff, The Jack Kirby Fantastic Four stuff...I loved the Holiday Grab Bag Special kind of things, even the big Howard the Duck one.

The one I really treasured was the first Conan the Barbarian one--it was like the fourth or fifth one Marvel did--seeing Barry Smith's artwork at that size, seeing it printed that large--I still take that out every now and then and look at it.

The other one that really killed me was the Captain America's Bicentennial Battles--

TC: The Jack Kirby one.

MC: Yeah! Having Barry [Smith], John Romita, and Herb Trimpe ink the book--it was just, God, it was incredible.

TC: That's one of those combinations you think would never work--Barry Smith inking Jack Kirby?--but it worked pretty well!

MC: Those pages, they're astounding, they're so gorgeous.

TC: Well, Mark, I thank you for your time, and I really want to say thanks to you and DC for doing Wednesday Comics. I hope its a really huge success, and I am looking so forward to reading the series.

You know, I talking with friends of mine, friends who run the comic store I shop at, and we talked about maybe I'd come in a day a week or something to help out at the store.

And they joked I'd need to help push some books, and I said, "Hey, I will be the biggest shill for Wednesday Comics imaginable. People will be sick of hearing me talk about it so much. I'll berate people at the counter--why are you buying this? Do you need another Wolverine comic? No, you don't. Here, buy Wednesday Comics, its got Batman, Kamandi, Sgt. Rock, Metamorpho..."

MC: [laughs] I don't mind! We'll have you go on a fifty-state tour, selling the book.

TC: [big laughs] Yeah! Anyway, thanks again, Mark, and good luck with Wednesday Comics.

MC: Very cool, thanks Rob, this was a lot of fun. My pleasure.

I cannot wait to get my hands on the first issue of Wednesday Comics...the first week in July can't get here soon enough!

I thank Mark for his time, all his great work, and his effort at making comics big again. Thanks Mark!

The Clockmaker #s 1-4

2009-04-02T15:27:00.001-04:00

New Additions! I finally got around to adding this 2003 series from Image--The Clockmaker, printed in the true "tabloid" format.

Click the cover to learn more!

More Back Covers!

2009-03-26T23:32:00.002-04:00

New Additions! I've been working on an ongoing project, trying to get every book's back cover up on the site. I'm a good 75% of the way there, but there's still more to go.

I just finished adding a bunch of them to Marvel's Licensed Properties page, so go check 'em out!

Wednesday Comics, Part 2

2009-03-21T16:25:00.002-04:00

News! More art from Wednesday Comics is now up on Robot 6. The Green Lantern piece is by Joe Quinones, and the Teen Titan art is by Sean Galloway.

Its all ookin' good to me--in particular, that Green Lantern logo is sa-weeet.

(h/t: Aquaman Shrine F.O.A.M. member Brian Knippenberg)

Wednesday Comics, Part 1

2009-03-20T16:23:00.002-04:00

News! Newsarama has a brief talk with DC Art Director Mark Chiarello about the upcoming Wednesday Comics series, and accompanying the article is this graphic--presumably an initial version of the cover to #1?

I'm guessing we'll be hearing more and more about the series between now and when it hits the streets, and I intend to get as much info about the series as possible and put it up here! Stay tuned!

(h/t: Aquaman Shrine F.O.A.M. member Brian Knippenberg)

Thun'da King of the Congo - 1973

2009-03-20T15:11:00.002-04:00

New Addition! Another really cool find, from the same publisher as Untamed Love--more oversized goodness from Frank Frazetta!

Click the cover to learn more!

The Return of DC Treasury Comics?

2009-03-19T22:39:00.002-04:00

I posted this exciting bit of news tonight over on The Aquaman Shrine (h/t Newsarama):

At a time when many newspapers are cutting back on their comics sections, DC Comics is looking to remind readers of the fun and excitement a full Sunday-sized comics section can offer.

Except they're going to do it on Wednesdays.

The publisher today officially announced Wednesday Comics, a new 12-part weekly series launching this summer that will be presented in a 14" x 20" broadsheet format and will have to be unfolded and opened to be read. The "Wednesday" part of the title refers to the fact new comic books go on sale at comic book stores nationwide every Wednesday.

"The concept is that we are trying to recapture the spirit, format, and sense of enjoyment that people had form reading the Sunday comics that arrive in newspapers every week," DC Sr VP and Executive Editor Dan DiDio explained to Newsarama. "So, for this 12 week period, we're creating 16 weekly strips that will be presented in newspaper format, which will feature some of our primary characters, as well as some of the premiere creators in the business."

DiDio credits DC Art Director Mark Chiarello's passion and persistence for the project seeing the light of day.

"Mark really championed and fought for this," DiDio said. "He has a real sense for putting together some of the more commercial projects we do, as well as some of the most eclectic and critically successful things we've done as well. He was instrumental in pairing Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee on Batman: Hush, he put together the teams on all the Batman: Black and White projects, and created the concept of the Solo series, which allowed some of comics best creators to come to a comic and do, literally whatever they wanted to do. Mark has an incredibly keen eye for story and art, and from the start was very passionate about this format--and how the stories would play out, and the art would be almost larger than life for the reader."

Characters coming up in the pages of Wednesday Comics include: Hawkman (already linked to creator Kyle Baker art for which can be seen [above]), Batman, Adam Strange, Metamorpho (linked to Neil Gaiman and Mike Allred), Catwoman, Demon, Deadman, Kamandi, Superman, Sgt. Rock, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Teen Titans, Supergirl, Flash and the Metal Men. Each story will have its own full-page installment each week for the 12 issues. The stories may be standalone stories with each installment, or a 12-part serial--the choice was left up to the creators.

DiDio listed off names of some of the other creators joining Baker, Gaiman and Allred on Wednesday Comics: Brian Azzarello, Paul Pope, Walt Simonson, Dave Bullock, Dave Gibbons, Ryan Sook, John Arcudi, Lee Bermejo, Joe Kubert, Ben Caldwell, Kurt Busiek, Eddie Berganza, Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner and Karl Kerschel. More will be announced at a later date, along with an official pairing of creators and characters.

"Mark had creators in mind that he wanted to work with, and he approached them and asked what they wanted to do and work on. We didn't want to have any redundancies, so we shot for the widest breadth of storytelling we could, and I think we got it," DiDio said.

Finally, DiDio stated that the stories in Wednesday Comics will not take place in current DC Comics' continuity, but rather will be accessible by any and all readers. "All the creators are working to make sure that these stories are being created from the standpoint that the readers is someone who has never seen or read anything with the character before," DiDio said, "And really capture both the essence of the character as well as the magic of comics."

I posted most of my thoughts over on the Shrine, but obviously it warrants attention here--after all, we are talking about the return of giant-size comics, and from DC no less!

Sure, they're not classic treasuries, per se--they're going to be 14x20", folded in half, like the classic Sunday Comics pages of old. But they're trying to capture that same spirit of excitement that made the original treasuries so compelling.

My #1 worry is the price-point: I know that people like Neil Gaiman, Kyle Baker, Joe Kubert, etc. don't come cheap (and there's no reason they should), but I can only hope DC has found a way to produce these books at a price that might attract the non-die-hard comics fan. Think more Archie digests ($3.29) than their recently-scrapped digest line ($9.99).

I've heard more than one recent story about how comics distributors (all one of them) have been incredibly unsupportive--if not downright hostile--towards any new book in the treasury format (Jeff Smith Rasl, Geoff Grogan's Look Out!! Monsters!), so I'm doubly-appreciative that DC is willing to buck this trend. I always figured if the format was ever going to come back in a big way, it would have to have the muscle of a DC or Marvel behind it.

Simply said, I cannot wait to get a look at these books.

And I thank DC for putting this together. Nice job, National Periodical Publications!

Untamed Love - 1973

2009-03-13T00:03:00.000-04:00

New Addition! This is a really cool find...click the cover to learn more about this hard-to-find one-shot featuring the work of the one and only Frank Frazetta!

Screw Ball Comics #1 - 1985

2009-02-28T15:59:00.004-05:00

New Addition! As I've said many time before, just when I think I've found every treasury-sized series there is to find...

Click the cover to learn more about this (unintended) one-shot from Fantagraphics!

Whither Disneyland Magazine?

2009-02-26T13:51:00.002-05:00

Every so often, I get an email from a helpful reader of TreasuryComics.com, asking me if I've ever seen a particular, large-sized comic that might warrant inclusion on the site.

I love getting these emails, because they almost always end up with me discovering some book(s) I've never heard of. I like the idea of this site being as all-encompassing as humanly possible.

So, the other day I got an email from Mark Arnold, who is a fellow comics historian. He asked me about Disneyland Magazine--which drew a complete blank from me. What's Disneyland Magazine?

Turns out, DM was a treasury-sized (10x12.5"), saddle-stitched magazine, published by Fawcett, that ran for at least 206 issues (I haven't been able to find much info on the magazine, but I have seen pictures of issue #206, so we know it at least made it that far!).

Each issue was in full-color (as you can see from the scans above), was 20 pages in length with no ads, and featured most of the Disney stars in short stories, that are almost in what most of us would call comic book form, but not quite.

Intrigued, I bought one issue on eBay, which you see before you. But I'm not quite sold that this magazine belongs being classified as a "treasury comic." I know my ad hoc rules for what I consider a treasury comic are just that--ad hoc--but this magazine feels a little more like a kid's magazine, like Highlights or something, rather than a "comic book."

So I'm asking you, those who enjoy the site and take time to visit the What's New blog whenever I post something--what do you think? Would you consider this a treasury-sized comic book, the kind that belongs to be seen here?

Of course, I can't hope to get copies and/or scans of all 206 (and maybe more!) issues, but if the consensus is that Disneyland Magazine does belong here, I'd give it its own page and try and catalog as many of them as I could.

Let me know, treasury fans!

Huckleberry Hound Weekly - 1967

2009-02-08T17:54:00.003-05:00

New Additions! Just when I think I've found every treasury-sized series there is to find...

Click the cover to learn more about this extraordinarily long-lived treasury-sized UK series!

Something Big - 1974

2009-01-25T22:18:00.002-05:00

New Ad! This mini-ad ran on the occasional letters page of various DCs in 1973, promising "Something BIG."

DC had actually started publishing the treasuries in 1973, so this ad's a little behind the times, but what the heck--better this than just some dead space on a comics page!

Interview with Sam Kieth

2008-12-01T00:03:00.001-05:00

New Interview! I had a chance to interview Big Time Comics Pro Sam Kieth, writer/artist/creator of such series as The Maxx and Zero Girl, as well as artist on books like Sandman and Batman/Lobo.

Turns out Sam is a big fan of treasury-sized comics, and he agreed to do an interview with me about his love for the format. Click Sam's name above to read what he had to say!

Superman Vs. Wonder Woman

2008-09-30T17:02:00.001-04:00

New Ad! This was one of those treasury ads I've seen in a thousand different DC books; always assuming I had scanned it in and put it up on the site long ago.

Then, when I flipped past it again today, I went "Wait a minute..."

It's a great ad, I love the b/w "file photo" motif.

Shazam!

2008-09-20T18:15:00.002-04:00

New Fun Fact! In the newest issue of TwoMorrow's Back Issue! (#30), there's an extensive interview with the first TV Captain Marvel, Jackson Bostwick, and the subject of his appearance on a treasury comic comes up, thanks to interviewer P.C. Hammerlink!

Test Your Comics I.Q.

2008-08-31T14:20:00.002-04:00

New Ad! I found this unusual ad in a 1981 issue of the Marvel magazine Bizarre Adventures.

The answer to the question is Hulk, of course, when it really should have been Captain America. Although a treasury-sized Batman Vs. Thor book has its possibilities...

Looking at this now, it seems incomprehensible that an ad for The Comics Journal would be so superhero-centric.

Sorry for taking so long between updates, its been a little harder than usual finding treasury-related material!

Geoff Darrow's Comics & Stories #1

2008-06-20T12:12:00.001-04:00

New Addition! A handsome, treasury-sized French hardcover featuring the work of Geoff Darrow!

New DC Treasury Ad

2008-06-09T13:10:00.001-04:00

New Ad! This is another heretofore unknown treasury ad I found in an old issue of The Phantom Stranger, this time for The House of Mystery! Cool!

New DC Treasury Ad

2008-06-06T13:12:00.003-04:00

New Ad! I'm always pleasantly surprised when I find yet another 70s-era DC treasury ad, because I tend to think I've found them all by now.

But I found this Xmas-themed one in an issue of The Phantom Stranger, of all things, so here it is!

The Collected Adventures of Harold Hedd

2008-05-31T09:34:00.001-04:00

New Addition! The Collected Adventures of Harold Hedd treasury comic! Click the image to learn more...

New Gods Treasury Comic?

2008-05-18T17:53:00.002-04:00

New "Lost Treasury"! This cover rough by Jack "King Kirby" appeared in TwoMorrows' Jack Kirby Collector #50, and hints at what might have been a New Gods treasury comic!

Click on the cover above to learn more!

DC Treasuries That Never Were

2008-05-11T15:08:00.002-04:00

New Gallery! I've decided to put all the faux-treasuries I've cooked up in the last year or two on their own page, called DC Treasuries That Never Were.

I never liked having them mixed in with the "real" ones, and since I plan to do more, I thought why not give them their own space on the site.

Click on the cover above to go to the page!

Sol Harrison, Tease

2008-05-08T14:20:00.002-04:00

New Photo! Another maddeningly tantalizing glimpse of a DC Comics Treasury Display Box!

Jack Kirby Collector #50

2008-05-06T18:45:00.002-04:00

New Addition! Just arrived in my mail today--the big big big 50th issue of TwoMorrows' Jack Kirby Collector!

Interview with Geoff Grogan

2008-05-01T16:13:00.001-04:00

New Interview! We talk with Look Out!! Monsters writer/artist Geoff Grogan!

Planet Comic Book Radio

2008-04-26T12:03:00.001-04:00

My episode of Planet Comic Book Radio--"Son of My 70s Show"--is now available as a podcast.

I had a lot of fun talking with pal Javier, and we mostly talk about my time at the Kubert School, treasury comics, Power Records, and black and white magazines, but other stuff finds its way into the conversation, as well.

It's broken up into three parts so you don't overload on my geeky ramblings:

Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3

Javier told me his highest rated episode was his first, when my pal Ben Holcomb was on the show. I'm hoping I at least match that, so Javier will be inspired to do another 70s-themed show (Beneath the Planet of the 70s Show, perhaps?), so please check it out!

Look Out!! Monsters #1

2008-04-24T14:48:00.001-04:00

New Addition! Look Out!! Monsters by Geoff Grogan!

Marvel Superhero Holiday Grab-Bag cover rough by Gil Kane - 1976

2008-04-20T09:28:00.002-04:00

New! Marvel Superhero Holiday Grab-Bag cover rough by Gil Kane!

Planet Comic Book Radio - 4/22/08

2008-04-16T17:44:00.000-04:00

Shameless Plug Department: I will be the guest on my pal Javier "El Muerto" Hernandez's swell online radio show Planet Comic Book Radio next Tuesday, April 22nd!

I will be the guest for the whole hour, and we will talk about my various blogging endeavors, and I'm certain treasury comics will come up. (In fact, that's how Javier and I first met--he wrote a post for his blog once about the treasuries, and emailed me to ask if he could use some of the images from treasurycomics.com. We've stayed in contact ever since.)

The show airs every week live at 8pm Eastern/5pm Pacific Time, and of course available for Podcast afterwards. Please check it out and tell Javier Treasury Comics.com sent you!