A few days ago we published our Holiday Gift Guide 2024: Comic Book Compilations – Part 1 with four hefty tomes that steered towards the strange and slightly horrific genres.
Today, with part two, we’re firmly entrenched in the world of superheroes: some grounded in gritty realism as well as one that is a bronze-age classic that reaches out both across the esoteric stars and different pop culture markets.
You’ve got shopping to do, so let’s get at it!
Batman: The Cult Deluxe Edition H/C
The late 1980s was a furious time for Batman and the amazing pop culture success he had due to a plethora of titles inside and outside his own monthly DC Comics publications. Piggy-backing on the success of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: The Cult, written by fan favourite Jim Starlin and illustrated by industry legend, Bernie Wrightson, was published as a standalone four-issue miniseries in the so-called “prestige format” that was reserved for more special offerings and included better paper, heavier stock cover and, of course, bigger name creative forces.
Batman: The Cult Deluxe Edition H/C compiles that special four-issue series, bringing it back into print for the first time in over a decade. Here is the story of a fallible Batman, the simmering pot that is Gotham City’s underclass and Deacon Blackfire, the messianic leader of the downtrodden, who’s plan is to lift the lid of that impoverished pot and direct them to spill out violently, burning all who stand in his way.
Given all the troubles we face today, and the distinct financial line drawn between the one percent and the rest of society, reading Batman: The Cult Deluxe Edition H/C brings home how prescient the story truly was when it was published nearly four decades ago. It showcases a hard-hitting and violent Batman, pushed to his extremes with his very mind under assault – themes that would reverberate through television, film and more modern takes on the Dark Knight Detective.
It’s a perfect gift for fans of noir superhero literature, the Batman and the wonderful stylings of Bernie Wrightson, a fine artist who is very sadly missed in the industry.
The Bat-Man: First Knight H/C
From an older but still modern take on the Dark Knight, to a modern origin of the Batman character and mythos – and an instant classic in and of itself!
Under the DC Black Label banner, a publishing imprint used for out-of-continuity, mature takes on their stable of superheroes, The Bat-Man: First Knight was a three-issue monthly series first published earlier this year. Today we get the eagerly anticipated hardcover compilation version! It’s a grim, noir, pulp-inspired tale that stars a 1939 Batman (the year that he was first published within the pages of Detective Comics) as the (very) pointy-eared Gotham vigilante investigating a series of crimes in a crime-riddled city.
Comicdom’s superstar writer Dan Jurgens (The Death of Superman) and gritty fan favourite artist Mike Perkins bring a real-man sensibility to The Bat-Man: First Knight. Here’s a driven individual, dressed to bring fear to cowardly criminals, embroiled in terrifying supposition: the prime suspect in each current case is already deceased! The Bat-Man’s only ally is Detective James Gordon and together, they must uncover the secret of these “reanimated” corpses – and figure out how to stop them!
The Bat-Man: First Knight is a wonderfully dark and pulpy story set within a pre-World Word II fascist backdrop. It’s perfect for readers who love detective and weird fiction and new takes on time-honoured comic book superheroes and characters.
The Question Omnibus By Dennis O’Neil And Denys Cowan Vol. 2 H/C
Exactly two years ago, this Gift Guide column picked The Question Omnibus by Denny O’Neil and Denys Cowan Vol. 1 as a must-get gift idea. Today we’re calling on the second and final installment of the brilliant comic book series.
The Question Omnibus By Dennis O’Neil And Denys Cowan Vol. 2 is an 887 page tome that completes comic book industry legends, writer Denny O’Neil and artist Denys Cowan, run on the faceless detective vigilante as he tries to cleanse dirty and corrupt Hub City while also finding his place in life. Like his face, the Question is a blank canvas of a character and under O’Neil and Cowan, he was a vessel for a philosophically Zen take on violence, retribution and identity.
The Question monthly comic book series, which ran for 36 monthly issues and a handful of annuals, quarterly and special issues from the late 1980s through the early 1990s via publisher DC Comics, was a high watermark of fiction. It showcased a city drowning in its own corruption and a protagonist that typified a changing of eras on a winding search for his own usefulness in society. It was a hard-hitting and sophisticated read and remains this writer’s favourite comic book long-form story.
If you haven’t gifted Volume 1 yet, start there. If you have, or you’re looking to double-up gifts this holiday season, you could not do better for lovers of hard-hitting literature steeped in real world problems than The Question Omnibus By Dennis O’Neil And Denys Cowan Vol. 2.
Fourth World Omnibus Vol. 2
Wow. How time flies!
In 2017, this column picked The Fourth World By Jack Kirby Omnibus as a great silver-age, space trip, comic book gift for someone in your life. Maybe that someone was you. Now, a whole seven years later, DC Comics completes the journey with The Fourth World Omnibus Volume 2.
The hardcover book builds on legendary Jack Kirby’s legacy and the universe of superheroes and supervillains he created during his Bronze-Age, late seventies and early 1980s creative efforts working at DC Comics. Here, industry royalty Gerry Conway, Paul Levitz, Paul Kupperberg, Steve Englehart, Joey Cavalieri, Marshall Rogers and many others, pick up Kirby’s heavy baton and continue the adventures of his New Gods characters.
At a hefty 1,334 pages, The Fourth World Omnibus Volume 2 famously collects Mister Miracle #19-25, New Gods #12-19 and a host of other titles and character appearances. Excitingly, it also collects Legion of Superheroes #290-294, the famous Great Darkness Saga storyline.
Kirby himself wasn’t to be left behind, however. His work on three different, early-to-mid ’80s miniseries contributions, Super Powers, is all collected here as well. This was the comic book title that tied into the famous Kenner toy line featuring Justice League of America heroes and the Darkseid family of villains, along with all of their vehicles and headquarters. There was a cartoon series that also tied into this marketing line – and the boxed set of that title, Super Friends: The Complete Collection DVD, came out earlier this year. We highlighted it in our Gift Guide column, of course, which you can read about courtesy of the link above. For hardcore aficionados, you’ll recall that those Super Powers toys came with mini comics featuring the characters. Those comics are most intriguingly compiled in the The Fourth World Omnibus Volume 2 as well – for what might be the first time anywhere!
The Fourth World Omnibus Volume 2 makes a perfect gift for fans of superhero comic books, toys, cartoons, and the history of the comic book medium – not to mention fans of King Jack Kirby’s enduring contributions to the industry!
That ends the second installment of our Holiday Gift Guide 2024: Comic Book Compilations – Part Two. If you haven’t found a recommendation with giving so far, check this space tomorrow for our third and final entry where you’ll be sure to find that perfect gift!
