I’m interested in getting into Grendel before the new mini comes out. Can ayone recomend a good single trade of Grendel?

I honestly don’t know what’s in print from Dark Horse… the hardcover reviewed above, while an illustrated prose kind of thing, is probably a really good intro, as it covers Hunter Rose, the first Grendel and the one who is going to be featured in Wagner’s new mini.

Or, if you want a sampling of the character with some great short stories and a wide variety of great artists, check out the Grendel: Red, White and Black trade paperback.

As far as other stuff, I would recommend the recently released Conan and the Songs of the Dead trade. I had become somewhat bored with the regular Conan series, but I really enjoyed this series. If you’re looking for a fresher take on the character, be sure to check this out. Lansdale and Truman should be doing a regular book together.

Masterworks- $54.99 gets you 10-12 issues worth of Silver Age/Golden Age material on high quality slightly oversized paper stock. Can easily be compared to DC’s Archives.

Omnibus- 75-100 bucks gets you mega-oversized, mega-high quality paper stock, of a good chunk of a character’s history. In the cases of the $100 HCs, you’re looking at 30-40 issues worth of material; in the $75 HCs, more like 19 issues worth. Letters columns, bizarrely enough, are included.

Although, weirdly, not in the Daredevil Omnibus. Which was actually kind of sparse on extras in general.

Premiere- started last year, I have no idea why they do this- regular comic sized hardcovers, like DC puts out, collecting 4-6 issues worth of material for 20 bucks.

I think you just answered your own question. They’re following a successful trend from DC, which lets them tag an extra $5 or so onto a smaller collection, sell it at premium prices for a limited time and then get the softcover out for long-term shelf life. It’s a practice similar to the book market, and it’s one I really dislike. I’d rather be able to choose whether I want hardcover or softcover, not be forced into hardcover if I want to read the book without an additional 6 month wait.

Like I said, he’s my favorite writer (certainly in my top 5), and I’ve read almost everything he’s done that’s out in trades. The only major work of his I’ve never read is Hitman. Most of those trades are out of print, but maybe I’ll track them down on Amazon or Ebay sometime soon. I hear it’s pretty great stuff, too. There are still some other works I haven’t checked out, most notably his Hellblazer run, but I’ll get there eventually.

Seek out Hitman. It is, to my mind, the best thing Ennis has ever written. And his Hellblazer stuff is pretty good too. In fact, in order, my favorite Ennis stuff is probably:

1. Hitman
2. Preacher
3. Hellblazer
4. Punisher MAX

Like you, I’m excited about the possibilities of Ennis and JR JR on Punisher.

Like I said, he’s my favorite writer (certainly in my top 5), and I’ve read almost everything he’s done that’s out in trades. The only major work of his I’ve never read is Hitman. Most of those trades are out of print, but maybe I’ll track them down on Amazon or Ebay sometime soon. I hear it’s pretty great stuff, too. There are still some other works I haven’t checked out, most notably his Hellblazer run, but I’ll get there eventually.

In fact, The Boys is probably the first thing from him I haven’t really enjoyed as much, and I don’t even completely hate it like folks around here do. It’s a bit TOO mean-spirited, but I can still enjoy it to some extent.

Also, a bit random, but JRJR is supposed to do a Punisher book with Ennis sometime in the next year or so, and I’ve very excited about that - he’s one of my favorite artists, and he draws a great Punisher. I just wish he and Dillon would some more work together soon.

I can definitely understand that. The book’s biggest flaw was the shift in setting, tone, and purpose in the second half, which really came out of nowhere too. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the book a lot. Ennis is perhaps my favorite writer, and The Boys hasn’t exactly been my favorite, so this was a very pleasant surprise for me.

I haven’t read 303 yet but it’s somewhere on my list of things to read. That list is pretty long at the moment but I do agree with you that Ennis is one of those writers that when he’s on, man is he on. Kiel, you may have answered this question in previous posts but have you read any of Ennis’ Punisher Max stuff. That’s probably my personal favorite of his, only trumped by his Preacher which I just re-read and found to hold up very well.

I checked out both of these, and while I very much agree with you on Wormwood, 303 didn’t do it for me. I actually liked the first half of it quite a bit, but the shift in focus in the second half and the story it told just left me cold. The art was quite good throughout, though.

I can definitely understand that. The book’s biggest flaw was the shift in setting, tone, and purpose in the second half, which really came out of nowhere too. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the book a lot. Ennis is perhaps my favorite writer, and The Boys hasn’t exactly been my favorite, so this was a very pleasant surprise for me.

Dan C. - that’s funny about Moon Knight. I really did NOT like that book, and it didn’t have to do with the fact that I hate Finch’s style.

Omnibus- 75-100 bucks gets you mega-oversized, mega-high quality paper stock, of a good chunk of a character’s history. In the cases of the $100 HCs, you’re looking at 30-40 issues worth of material; in the $75 HCs, more like 19 issues worth. Letters columns, bizarrely enough, are included.

Premiere- started last year, I have no idea why they do this- regular comic sized hardcovers, like DC puts out, collecting 4-6 issues worth of material for 20 bucks.

Marvel Premiere Classic- Same price as Premiere, only collecting beloved Marvel storylines like Kraven’s Last Hunt and Wolverine Origin. The big difference is Masterworks quality paper stock.

Oversized hardcovers- collections of usually 12 issues worth of material, in a nice big thick package. Sometimes this is also used for smaller projects, such as Beyond! or big bookstore HCs like Moon Knight: I’m So Insecure About Still Liking this Character I’ve Got to Make Him a Deranged Homophobic Bloodthirsty Maniac Who Hallucinates and Hits His Girlfriend.

303 - I harped on this in a Top Five Fridays, and I think it came out in Feb. actually (maybe). It’s a story of a Russian soldier fighting a British squad in search of the unknown contents from an American plane shot down in Afghanistan. The second half deals with the Russian acting on those contents in America, and the ending is unsettling and uncompromising. The implications in the story are a bit extreme far-left for my tastes, but thought-provoking nonetheless. Jacen Burrows’ art is attractive, though a story like this would have been well-served with some ‘grittier’ art. Throw in some great Ennis-action (like we’ve seen in the Punisher or Midnighter) with his military sensibilities (like we’ve seen in War Stories), and you’ve got a damn fine read. From Avatar.

Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse - again, I’ve mentioned this before, but a nice trade just came out from IDW recently. I really love Templesmith’s art the more I see it - it’s just so pleasing to my eyes, in a way I can’t quite explain. Obviously, not everyone feels this way, coughRandycough, but if you liked his work in Fell or 30 Days of Night, you’ll probably enjoy this. There’s also some great, dry humor which really clicks with me. And I can’t fail to mention how nice the trade is (ooooh, embossed cover!) - you wouldn’t expect less from IDW.

I checked out both of these, and while I very much agree with you on Wormwood, 303 didn’t do it for me. I actually liked the first half of it quite a bit, but the shift in focus in the second half and the story it told just left me cold. The art was quite good throughout, though.

Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse - again, I’ve mentioned this before, but a nice trade just came out from IDW recently. I really love Templesmith’s art the more I see it - it’s just so pleasing to my eyes, in a way I can’t quite explain. Obviously, not everyone feels this way, coughRandycough, but if you liked his work in Fell or 30 Days of Night, you’ll probably enjoy this.

Actually, Dave’s much more the Templesmith hater than me. I can enjoy his art from time to time, and really like his work on Fell. In fact, I was going to give Wormwood a look, based on general good vibes and an interesting concept, but when we got the book in, Dan bought it right up… so it’ll have to wait for later in the week when there’s a new copy available.

On Empowered… I read it, and quite enjoyed it. Not as much as Dan, but more than D3 and maybe Nick. It takes a turn for the better about midway through when it becomes less about the jokes and more about the relationships between Empowered, her new boyfriend and Ninjette, who is basically her gal pal. It’s nowhere near as good as Livewires, in my opinion, but if Warren does another one, I’ll pick it up without hesitation.

Oh, and I got the Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane and Daredevil Omnibus hardcovers this month, and both are absolutely worth it. Daredevil in particular was richer, more action-packed and denser than I remember it being. I’ve read those stories two or three times, and there were still story elements and whole issues that I’d forgotten, and it was nice getting to re-acquaint myself with them in such a deluxe format.

Some recent trades I read that should be read:

303 - I harped on this in a Top Five Fridays, and I think it came out in Feb. actually (maybe). It’s a story of a Russian soldier fighting a British squad in search of the unknown contents from an American plane shot down in Afghanistan. The second half deals with the Russian acting on those contents in America, and the ending is unsettling and uncompromising. The implications in the story are a bit extreme far-left for my tastes, but thought-provoking nonetheless. Jacen Burrows’ art is attractive, though a story like this would have been well-served with some ‘grittier’ art. Throw in some great Ennis-action (like we’ve seen in the Punisher or Midnighter) with his military sensibilities (like we’ve seen in War Stories), and you’ve got a damn fine read. From Avatar.

Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse - again, I’ve mentioned this before, but a nice trade just came out from IDW recently. I really love Templesmith’s art the more I see it - it’s just so pleasing to my eyes, in a way I can’t quite explain. Obviously, not everyone feels this way, coughRandycough, but if you liked his work in Fell or 30 Days of Night, you’ll probably enjoy this. There’s also some great, dry humor which really clicks with me. And I can’t fail to mention how nice the trade is (ooooh, embossed cover!) - you wouldn’t expect less from IDW.

I recently got the Mary Jane HC in the mail, and while I haven’t read it yet, I was pleasantly surprised at the isue selection. When the solicits said ‘first 13 issues’, I assumed it meant of the ongoing series, and not the 2 minis. This is great for me, because I started reading with the ongoing, and haven’t read the minis yet. Here’s hoping to a second volume.

Phew.