DC Comics Absolute Edition

The Absolute Sandman Volume 1.

DC Comics Absolute Edition is a series of archival quality printings of graphic novels published by DC Comics and its imprints WildStorm Productions and Vertigo. Each is presented in a hardcover, dustjacketed and slipcased edition with cloth bookmark consisting of one or more books which include restored, corrected and recolored versions of the original work, reprinted at 8 inches by 12 inches. Also included are supplemental materials regarding the creation of the work, including sketches, comic scripts and memos.

Titles

The following titles in the series have been released or announced.

Authority

• Absolute Authority Volume 1 - Collects The Authority # 1-12. Released 2002. ISBN 1-56389-882-9. Currently out of print.

• Absolute Authority Volume 2 - Collects The Authority # 13-20, 22, & 27-29. Released 2003. ISBN 1-4012-0097-4. Currently out of print.

Batman

• Absolute Batman: Hush - Reprinting Batman: Hush storyline from Batman #608-619. This absolute volume includes additional sketches and character designs by Jim Lee. Released October 1, 2005. ISBN 1-4012-0426-0. Currently out of print.

• Absolute Dark Knight - Collects Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again by Frank Miller. Extras include character design sketches. Released August 23, 2006. ISBN 1-4012-1079-1.

• Absolute Batman: The Long Halloween - Reprints Batman: The Long Halloween #1-13, and includes an introduction/interview with Batman filmmakers Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer, an interview and commentary by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, and 4 new pages inserted into the story. Released April 4, 2007. ISBN 1-4012-1282-4.

• Absolute Batman: Dark Victory - Reprints Batman: Dark Victory #0-13. To be released May 23, 2012.

Crisis on Infinite Earths

Unlike most of the other Absolute Editions which are a single slipcased book, this was a set of two volumes, with the separate 96 page book containing most of the supplementary material. In addition to memos, notes, sketches, and commentary by the creators, it includes The Official Crisis on Infinite Earths Index #1 and The Official Crisis on Infinite Earths Crossover Index #1, both reprinted for the first time. Released November 16, 2005. ISBN 1-4012-0712-X.

Danger Girl

Contains 2 volumes in a slipcased hardcover set. A 262-page collection of Danger Girl # 1-7 and a separate 64-page Sketchbook. Limited to 3012 copies, each including a signed and numbered tipped-in plate. Released December 17, 2003. ISBN 1-4012-0096-6. Currently out of print.

DC: The New Frontier

Released November 8, 2006. ISBN 1-4012-1080-5.

• "New Printing" re-release August 28, 2009. ISBN 1-8485-6399-X

Death

Collects Death: The High Cost of Living #1-3, Death: The Time of Your Life #1-3, Death Talks about Life AIDS pamphlet, Death stories from Vertigo: Winter's Edge #2 and Sandman: Endless Nights, "The Wheel" from the 9-11 tribute book, Sandman #8 and #20 and extras from the Death Gallery. Released on November 10, 2009. ISBN 978-1401224639.

Green Lantern: Rebirth

Collects Green Lantern: Rebirth #1-6.^[1]

Identity Crisis

Collects Identity Crisis #1-7 by Brad Meltzer and Rags Morales. Released on October 12, 2011.^[2]

Justice

Released on November 11, 2009. ISBN 978-1401224158.

Kingdom Come

Released July 26, 2006. ISBN 1-4012-0768-5.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

• The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume I, Absolute Edition - In addition to the full six issue run of the first series in the first of the set's two books the second book contains scripts for each of the issues as well as penciled original art and production sketches. Released June 18, 2003. ISBN 1-4012-0052-4. Currently out of print.

• The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume II, Absolute Edition - In addition to the full six issue run of the second series in the first of the set's two books the second book contains scripts for each of the issues as well as penciled original art and production sketches. Released August 1, 2005. ISBN 1-4012-0611-5. Currently out of print.

• The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier - Besides the slipcase, no bonus material whatsoever except for two new endpapers (one in 3-D) by series artist Kevin O'Neill. DC solicited the title with an LP that was originally intended by the authors for inclusion in the hardcover release, but reneged. Released August 12, 2008. ISBN 1-4012-0751-0.

Planetary

• Absolute Planetary 1 - Collects Planetary #1-12. Released January 1, 2005. ISBN 1-4012-0327-2. Currently out of print.
  • Absolute Planetary 1 "New Printing" - Collects Planetary #1-12. Re-released for July 7, 2010.
• Absolute Planetary 2 - Collects Planetary #13-27. July 7, 2010. ISBN 1-4012-2701-5.

Promethea

• Absolute Promethea 1 - Collects Promethea #1-12. Released on September 30, 2009. ISBN 978-1-4012-2372-4.
• Absolute Promethea 2 - Collects Promethea #13-23. September 29, 2010. ISBN 978-1-4012-2842-9.
• Absolute Promethea 3 - Collects Promethea #24-32, as well as Tom Strong #36. To be released December 7, 2011.

Ronin

• Released September 30, 2008. ISBN 978-1401219086.

Sandman

• Absolute Sandman 1 - Reprinting The Sandman issues #1-20. With more than 65 pages of bonus material, including the original proposal for the series and the full script and pencil art for issue 19. Released October 11, 2006. ISBN 1-4012-1082-1.

• Absolute Sandman 2 - Reprinting The Sandman issues #21-39. Bonus material includes two never-before-reprinted stories by Neil Gaiman, namely one prose story from the box of The Sandman statue, and one comics story from Vertigo: Winter's Edge illustrated by John Bolton ([1]), a complete reproduction of the never-before-reprinted one-shot The Sandman: Gallery of Dreams, and the complete script and pencils by Gaiman and Kelley Jones for Chapter Two of "Season of Mists" (a.k.a. The Sandman #23). Released October 11, 2007. ISBN 978-1-4012-1083-0 [2]

• Absolute Sandman 3 - Reprinting The Sandman issues #40-56, released June 11, 2008. ISBN 978-1-4012-1084-7

• Absolute Sandman 4 - Reprinting The Sandman issues #57-75, released November 18, 2008. ISBN 978-1-4012-1085-4

• Absolute Sandman 5 - Reprinting The Sandman: Endless Nights plus Dream Hunters (both the prose novella and the comics adaptation) and the hard-to-find Sandman Midnight Theatre, featuring Wesley Dodds, release date November 8, 2011.^[3] ISBN 978-1-4012-3202-3

Superman

• Absolute Superman: For Tomorrow - Reprinting the Superman: For Tomorrow arc from Superman #204-215 by Brian Azzarello and Jim Lee. Released on May 5, 2009. ISBN 978-1401221980.

• Absolute All-Star Superman - Reprinting the All-Star Superman series by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. Released on October 26, 2010. ISBN 978-1401229177.

V For Vendetta

Reprinting V For Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd. Released on September 2, 2009. ISBN 978-1401223618.

Watchmen

The supplemental material for this volume is reprinted from the limited edition Watchmen hardcover published by Graphitti Designs in 1987. It includes background on characters, the original creation process as well as brief essays by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Originally released October 5, 2005 (ISBN 1-401-20713-8) it–along with other editions and material–was re-released on November 12, 2008 about a year ahead of the film adaptation. This volume remains available, going through five printings as of 2009^[update].

Unofficial titles

The following titles are not officially part of the Absolute series, but are similar to actual labeled Absolute editions in terms of their contents and size.

The Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection

Released in December 2000. Collects the 1970s run by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams of Green Lantern (vol. 2) #76-87, #89 and The Flash (vol. 2) #217-219 and #226, where Green Lantern and Green Arrow travel the United States. The book is the first release of what would become the Absolute format, with oversized hardcover comic collections in slipcases. This book, however, is not as oversized as the Absolute books.

JLA/Avengers

Released December 1, 2004. Contains 2 volumes (the series and an index) in a slipcased hardcover set. ISBN 1-4012-0207-1.

The World's Greatest Super-Heroes

Released July 6, 2005. Collects the 6 oversized graphic novels by Paul Dini and Alex Ross in a slipcased hardcover. ISBN 1-4012-0254-3.

See also

• DC Archive Editions
• List of DC Archive Editions
• Showcase presents
• Marvel Omnibus
• Dark Horse Omnibus

References

1. ^ Blog@Newsarama: Geoff Johns Announces Absolute Green Lantern: Rebirth
2. ^ DC Comics: Absolute Identity Crisis. Retrieved on 29 July 2011.
3. ^ "DC Vertigo Catalogue". DC Comics. http://www.dccomics.com/vertigo/comics/?cm=18385. Retrieved May 8, 2011. 

External links

• List of DC Comics Absolute Edition books from the TPlist website