DC's THE STEVE DITKO OMNIBUS VOLUME ONE, featuring Shade, Stalker and various non-series short stories from 1966 to 1982, should be available in comic shops tomorrow. I'll have a copy soon, but anyone who gets one right away feel free to use the comment section here to discuss the contents and quality, including the obvious question regarding the last issue of Shade.
[update, confirmed that the unpublished story intended for Shade #9 is included, in black and white]
The last issue of Shade was great. A much better sendoff than the final published issue, which had Shade frozen in a Color Coma for most of the story. This "new" last issue is a rather self-contained little adventure, with Shade finding himself in a Doctor Strange-esque situation, caught in a fight between two extra-dimensional tyrants. It would've been nice if they colored the story. It would've been even nicer if they commissioned Steve Ditko to do a couple more chapters and give the series a proper ending. I bought this hardcover just for that extra 17-page Shade issue. It was worth it.
ReplyDeleteGood to hear that the unpublished Shade issue is included. Looking forward to getting a copy even more now.
ReplyDeleteThe last issue of SHADE is published in black and white which is a bit strange. However the rest of the stories are bathed in bright and beautiful retro-colour. Stalker by DITKO/WOOD never looked better. This is a fantastic collection.
ReplyDeleteI think all the unpublished stories that were intended to be in color should be colored. For some reason the current policy is to publish the stories as they were originally presented, but the reason they were printed in black and white was because they appeared in low profit fanzines (CPL, Charlton Bullseye) or in the case of Shade, a house publication that only photocopied the stories. It is great to have these stories in hardcover collections, but I hope soemday those stories will be presented in color.
ReplyDeleteNick Caputo
The book contains a disgraceful intro which refers to Ditko in the past tense, as if he is dead! Of course, as we all know, he is very active, and over past 4 years has produced much good work!
ReplyDeleteI just received my Omnibus today and I was really happy with the staggering amount of material in there. About 50 stories and 478 pages. Tons of material I haven't seen before. Of course I knew Shade and Stalker, but so many of those one-offs Ditko did for DC's fantasy/sci-fi titles I had not read before.
ReplyDeleteReally loved the story from PLOP, inked by Wally Wood. Ditko's style transitions so smoothly over to humor stories. And those two 'Day after Doomsday' stories inked by Vinnie Coletta...Wow! Neat stuff.
Yeah, I jumped around reading some of these shorts, like the proverbial kid in the candy store grabbing random things like crazy! Will have to finally read the entire Shade saga. And I totally agree with Anonymous, the Stalker story has never looked better. One of my favorite Dikto series ever.
Really love this newsprint paper and coloring DC uses for the Kirby/Ditko Omnibus books. Very much looking forward to Vol 2.
Got volume 1. Pretty good. I wasn't expect it to be so thick.
ReplyDeleteVolume 2 looks good. Seems we'll be getting all the rest of Ditko's DC Superhero stuff: Hawk & Dove, Starman, Demon, Man-Bat, Odd Man, Legion of Super Heroes, Fourth World, etc.
I guess between the Creeper volume and these 2 Omnibuses, we will have ALL of Ditko's DC work.
And I see FBI is doing a third Ditko Archive early next year, too!!
I had never read Shade before (Gasp)... This run is right up their with Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol! What if DC gave Shade to Ditko, but had a contract that they got to release all forthcoming Shade stories for the next 8 years...
ReplyDeleteOne can dream!