THE STEVE DITKO OMNIBUS VOL. 1 STARRING SHADE THE CHANGING MAN HC
Writers: Steve Ditko, Michael Fleisher, Paul Levitz, Otto Binder, Jack Oleck, Coram Nobis, Jack C. Harris, Robert M. Ingersoll, Len Wein, Mike Barr, Robert Kanigher, Steve Utley, George Kashdan, Joey Cavalieri, Stan Timmons, Sheldon Mayer, J.M. DeMatteis, Dan Mishkin, Gary Cohn and David Allikas
Artists: Steve Ditko, Wallace Wood, Sal Trapani, Mike Royer, Vince Colletta, Wayne Howard, Ernie Chan and Gary Martin
Collects: SHADE THE CHANGING MAN #1-8, STALKER #1-4 and stories from STRANGE ADVENTURES, PLOP, HOUSE OF MYSTERY, HOUSE OF SECRETS, WEIRD WAR TALES, SECRETS OF HAUNTED HOUSE, TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED, TIME WARP, GHOSTS and MYSTERY IN SPACE
$59.99 US, 456 pg, on sale August 2011
Looks like the intention is to include all of Shade and Stalker and every non-series short Ditko ever drew for DC. If so, I hope someone reminds DC about the stories intended for SHADE #9, including an Odd Man back-up, that appeared in CANCELLED COMIC CAVALCADE #2 (the Creeper story in the same "book" wasn't mentioned in the early promotional material for the recent Creeper collection but appeared in the final book, albeit in black and white). Might also want to remind them about the story intended for PLOP which appeared in AMAZING WORLD OF DC COMICS #13 [1976], which is probably by far the most difficult and expensive 1970s Ditko work for DC to acquire a copy of.
And if that someone could also remind them that Ditko drew entries for Shade and Stalker in DC's first WHO'S WHO series (the latter inked by Joe Orlando), it would be a bonus to have those included.
And hopefully they remember to include oddities like Ditko's only cover to the DC mystery books, and this thing.
Also, I think "Coram Nobis" was a pseudonym (for David Vern, according to Jerry Bails's site), so they might want to verify that before publication so he can be properly credited.
Anyway, sounds like a good collection. For the record, if they include all the appropriate stuff mentioned above, that'll leave just over 400 pages of unreprinted Ditko work for DC, a lot of The Hawk & The Dove and Starman, plus various other things. A few of them might be awkward to reprint just the Ditko pages, especially the Wonder Woman story (11 pages of Ditko spread throughout a 64 page story) and the Green Lantern story that's one chapter of a long story, so if there is a volume 2 it'll be interesting to see how they handle it.
Had seen that listed, but only knew it included Shade and Stalker.
ReplyDeleteI, too, hope they included the unpublished Shade #9 from CCC. The Odd Man story in it WAS published, later in World's Finest (I believe). Regardless, that should be included.
As to other stuff not included (but this IS a "Volume 1") was a Demon backup series from, I think, Flash. I would certainly like to see H&D and Starman. Maybe those could be highlighted in v2.
The Odd Man story was published in DETECTIVE COMICS #487, but that version was partially re-scripted for some reason. It would be nice to see both versions included in these collections.
ReplyDeleteJust for the record, possible contents for a "Volume 2":
The Hawk & The Dove (Showcase and #1-#2)
Man-Bat (first issue)
Pages from Wonder Woman story in DC Special Series
Demon (three stories from Detective)
Legion of Super-Heroes (seven stories over two years, actually would make up the longest section of the book)
Starman (12 chapter adventure)
Superman (pin-up from #400)
Black Lightning (Outsiders backup)
Green Lantern (chapter from Action Comics Weekly story)
Spectre (Legends of the DCU story)
New Gods (drawn years ago, only recently published in a collection of other stories)
Probably also a good idea to include the Who's Who entries for Starman and The Question (and maybe that unused Plastic Man one that's floating around) and Ditko's illustrated profile page from BATMAN #322. And if they could get some Green Lantern coloring book pages in there, that would be the icing on the cake.