Absolute Dark Knight

I stuck it on my Christmas wish list, in case anyone I know inherits a fortune. Of course I don't expect to get it, but then I didn't expect to get Absolute Planetary that way last year, so who knows?

I like the work they put into it, but $75 is too much for me.

Yeah, but even that is a little much for a double-dip.

I ave seen a few of them, but I'm too broke to buy one now.

I agree with you on this one... I prefer to pretend that DKSA never happened. Of course, I'm also currently pretending that All-Star Batman and Robin doesn't exist either...

It's so pretty, but I just don't want DKSA. I've got a hardback DKR that suits me fine.

I honestly enjoyed DKSA, though agree that it was definitely the point where you can tell Miller was losing it re: Batman. All-Star Batman is just... I don't even know the right words to use, it's so wrong. I probably won't be getting the Absolute for this, but I am ALL OVER the Absolute Kingdom Come.

Even fifty bucks is way too much to pay for a graphic novel. $100 is madness.

Then you're better off with this beast:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/068...lance&n=283155

TDKR AND Year One untainted in a handsome leatherbound edition solid enough to stun a burglar with. Available second-hand for around half of the best deal on the Absolute collection.

Actually, I'd say that was already pretty evident in the Batman-Spawn crossover: it cinched his view of Batman as a not-terribly-bright, misanthropic thug.

To me, Miller's post-Year One Batman reads like demented fanfic some fanboy might have written under the influence of DKR.

And while I realize that DKSA is a wry and bloody commentary on the superhero genre, a wicked and satirical poison-pen letter to the Silver Age... it's also trite and boring, not particulalry funny, and about ten years too late to be shocking.

C'mon..All-Star Batman and Robin is without a doubt, hands-down one of the funniest comic books I have had the pleasure in reading. Sure, the joke might be a bit stale in some circles but whenever I think of "I'm the goddamn Batman" or just about any panel, well, it warms my heart just a little.

Especially when it contains Dark Knight Strikes Again.

That line has inspired quite a few jokes on the intarwubs, and in a few alternative comics. "What are you, dense? Are you retarded?" What the hell was Miller thinking?

So far the only one of these things I've bought (off of Amazon, which is indeed much cheaper) is Watchmen. Because my original copy was worn and beaten in when I bought it fifteen years ago, and because it really is one of the best comics ever made.

So far I have no desire to buy any of the others (though if a well-meaning friend wanted to get me the Absolute DC: The New Frontier, I wouldn't turn it down).

They ARE 'spensive, but I've spent over $200 on an out-of-print book before (Lynd Ward: Storyteller), so I've sunk to much worse depths. And really, there's a ton of art books out in the world that are of comparable price to these Absolute editions, but with no narrative story attached...so it's like a bonus...sorta...

I mentioned that collection in another thread(can't remember which one). It's great, even has a little ribbon book-mark built into it.

Personally, I buy books to read them. I don't want to have to handle it with padded velvet gloves in a hermetically sealed vault to avoid damaging it. I just can't see laying down that kind of money. I'll stick with the standard releases.

i have only spent more then 30 dollars on a TPB once

and that was the 'huge' edition of marvels Earth X (it came with an intro/outro, and textstories in between chapters that fleshed stuff out alot more

it was totally worth it

i saw that watchmen one, but as i already have watchmen in its smaller 20 dollar tpb form i didn't feel the urge to get it

I have all the Absolute editions released so far, and I never feel the need to handle them with rubber gloves, etc. They are the directors cut, special widescreen edition box set of the comic world, and they are spectacular. I just started getting into the appendices of Kingdom Come, and I am loving it.

I have yet to pick up Dark Knight, but it is on my radar. How are the extras, if anyone has got it?

That Watchmen one is tempting, but I just can't drop that much coin on it. Too many bells and whistles.

It's REALLY worth it. They recolored it and it looks beautiful. Out of all the Absolutes, I think Watchmen and Crisis are the best ones that have just about anything you'd ever want in an all-in-one.

If the LOTR Extended Editions cost $75 apiece, I wouldn't buy those either.

I've never thought the "Absolute" editions were worth it. I've looked through them, but it's a slight upgrade in paper quality, an upgrade in size, and usually a good bit of extra information that's been available to look at for years if you've got the inclination to hunt for it. When I read a comic book, I want to read the book. Since most of it is primed for the size that it initially appears, there's not much to be gained from seeing it larger. And they're certainly not worth a price tag edging upwards of a hundred dollars.

I've spent 100 bucks on the EC hard cover reprint collection of Tales From The Crypt. That's 5 volumes reprinting the entire series in an oversized format. It actually looks better than the smaller originals and benefits from being in black and white. That's as far as I will go.
I guess I can see the appeal of enlarging Perez's intricate line work from Crisis. But I'm not a big enough fan of the story to invest in it.

Yeah, but that's different. That's five hardcover volumes of an entire series that you can't find reprinted elsewhere.

I spent $50 Canadian on this one back in the late 80's. Hasn't really appreciated in value like I expected it to. Still love it, though.

(Yes, I was a comic investor/lemming during the late 80's-early 90's.)

Same here. I got it for Christmas back during its initial release. Leather bound, silver edging. Ribbon bookmark... Batman vs. Santa. Nice book whose value I thought would DEFINITELY be higher than it is. I think my Dad coughed $75 CDN for it.

That about sums it up. And I'd probably get more re-use value out of the LOTR Extended Editions.

My fiancee got me Absolute Watchmen for my birthday. In case anyone is unaware, it's been recolored, and the differences are subtle, but really make a difference in the overall reading experience.

Exactly.

And in related news...Grant Morrison: And while we're on that subject...Batman vs. Al Qaeda! It might as well be Bin Laden vs. King Kong! Or how about the sinister Al Qaeda mastermind up against a hungry Hannibal Lecter! For all the good it's likely to do. Cheering on a fictional character as he beats up fictionalized terrorists seems like a decadent indulgence when real terrorists are killing real people in the real world. I'd be so much more impressed if Frank Miller gave up all this graphic novel nonsense, joined the Army and, with a howl of undying hate, rushed headlong onto the front lines with the young soldiers who are actually risking life and limb 'vs' Al Qaeda.

Ouch.

http://www.newsarama.com/dcnew/Batma...on_Batman.html

Well, if anyone must have the Absolute Dark Knight edition, it's up on Amazon for $62.99.....

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/140...lance&n=283155

This one is a rip at $99 no doubt, but has anyone seen the preview for the Absolute (Gaiman) Sandman? It's $99 as well, but it's not the whole series, oh no, it's just the first 20 issues. Since that series came close to 80 issues, that'll be $300+ to get all three books.

The only Absolute edition I own is Watchmen and it's worth it to me. It's gorgeous. I do have the Absolute editions of DC: The New Frontier and Sandman on my radar though and will probably pick those up.

I don't hate DKSA, but I agree that it just doesn't hold together in the end. It's outlandish without actually being funny or relevant.

Yeah, Absolute New Frontier is going to kick ass. I am a big "extras" guy, so the more stuff they cram in with the original material, the better. But after that, I wonder what else they'll Absoluteamuhtize. Superman: For Tomorrow? (I hope not). I think I'd shell out $75 for an Absolute Batman Year 100, because Paul Pope work deserves the format.

Other than that, I can't think of anything. An Absolute Infinite Crisis would be a train wreck in a collected form.

I think DC will get around to Swamp Thing eventually. It's surprising that neither the Wein/Wrightson or Moore/Bissette/Totleben eras have a hardcover edition. Wrightson, in particular, would look great in an oversized format.

I would think that books like Preacher, Ronin, and Transmetropolitan would also be on the short list. Possibly Camelot 3000 due to the Bolland art. All Star Superman wouldn't surprise me either.

I think you can pretty much count on an Absolute version of All-Star Superman: Morrison's the lynchpin over there at DC these days (and by the way, Marvel is getting ready to release an oversize omnibus HC of his entire New X-Men run).

I've seen some pretty negative comments about the print quality of Absolute Kingdom Come (and evidently they haven't added anything new since the last hardcover edition, bar an odd sketch here and there). It's not a book I was planning to double-dip anyway (the four original issues are really all I need), but wondering if anyone here has had the same experience.

The only real thing about the Kingdom Come book I can complain about is the lettering. It looks a little grainy. The rest looks pretty good.

I've seen the suggestion elsewhere, but how about Kirby's Fourth World in an Absolute format? New Gods in particular might really bring out Kirby's larger than life strengths.

I've seen the previews for the Absolute Sandman, and the re-colouring is stunning.

'm not going to like the 80 or so dollars i'm going to drop on it, but buy it i will.

If they recolored them with the same care they've done with other Absolute books, I'm afraid I'd buy the shit out of a New Gods one. Kirby's art benefits greatly from a larger format (I've got the old oversized 2001 adaptation he did--kooky adaptation, but the art looks fantastic at that larger size).

Absolute Batman Year One would be a sweet addition to the line. I loved Mazzuccelli's line work in that. Great mini. Maybe adding Years 2 & 3 into it?

I'd also love Batman: Year One...but it'd be skinny. Perhaps throw a Batman: Greatest Tales Absolute Edition, with Year One, Gotham by Gaslight (just 'cause I'm dreaming), World's Finest (Rude and Gibbons), and The Killing Joke (just for Bolland). Bought.

I would love to get Year One in the format.

I used Amazon to get AKC and ADK. Way too expensive, but I'm happy with both. DKR absolutely benefits from the larger than life pages.

Well, I guess DC has been listening (though no word on this being Absolute-sized)...The New Gods Omnibus...

“We’re still trying to determine the final contents, but essentially, it’s going to be a hardcover collection of the full New Gods saga,” DC Collected Editions editor George Brewer said. “Right now, and this is subject to change, my bias would be to collect the stories across titles, as they were released chronologically, so it gives you a sense of how the concepts evolved, so that way you’re not stuck with a full Mr. Miracle collection or a full Forever People, but rather, build the larger story as the issues and pieces were released chronologically.”

The Omnibus will include the full run of New Gods and The Hunger Dogs, but will also include, as Brewer said, assorted other issues which contain pieces of the larger whole, such as the debut of the characters in Kirby’s issues of Jimmy Olsen and others. “Those are some of the details we’re still working out, but it’s looking like it will be four collections of 200-plus pages each,” Brewer said. “They’ll be color hard covers – a nice, definitive collection. I think that’s something that the core Kirby fans have wanted to see for a long time.”

As for the coloring, Brewer isn’t certain if the pages will be fully recolored or touched up fro the originals.

“We rescanned a lot of the black and white line art for the toned books we did a few years ago, and the question now is whether or not we have that art reproduced well enough so we can go back and color it, or we have to get the art again…or what we have to do. The intent is to make this the definitive, good-looking version of this classic story.”

Ooh, splendid news. I was hugely frustrated by the inexpensive Essential-style reprints DC did in the late '90s; the Fourth World stuff was designed as color comics, and deserves presentation on par with DC's Archives books.