Casey Ruggles

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

Treasury Comics Poll!

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

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

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

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

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

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...