"500 (more) pages of the Phantom Stranger..." Topic

I picked up Showcase Presents the Phantom Stranger vol 2 this past weekend. I've already finished the first four or five issues reprinted in it, included the first meeting between Batman and the Stranger, plus his appearance in JLA #102.

I've picked up a few other Showcase titles lately (Challengers of the Unknown and Jimmy Olsen), and this one is definitely the best of the three. Whereas the others are kind of dull, this one really keeps me wanting to read more. It's not all great… those "Dr. Thirteen" backup stories get a bit repetitive after awhile, but I suspect they wouldn't seem as bad if they were spaced out every other month, as they would have been when first published.

I must say, I'm very happy that they're reprinting these comics in this format. They're very affordable (500 pages for about $17-$20), and usually the artwork looks great because it's in b&w, which really lets you make out the detail and craftsmanship of the artists' work.

link

Check here for the books at $12. USD Great service from them. I'm getting Booster Gold.

Watch out because the newsprint can yellow.

At the prices they're charging for the Showcase range, they can yellow as much as they want and I just don't care. Such a bargain batch of nostalgia.

Second volume of Superman Family is out too. Do *not* play the drinking game where you take a shot every time Jimmy or Lois manifests a superpower with this one. Alcohol poisoning is no fun at all.

BTW, have you ever noticed that Dr. 13 is effectively delusional to the point of lunacy? Denying the existence of the supernatural simply isn't rational in the DC Universe, and yet Terry sticks to his guns. He's such a jerk about it I'm surprised Deadman doesn't spend his free time pranking him.

Then again, I'm sure Terry would have a scientific explanation for why he keeps waking up in jail, dressed only in a g-string and clown shoes…

Hundvig: There was actually a one-shot Vertigo title that had poor Terry wind up in a mental institution after his encounter with the Spectre. It had its moments, but in general it was really mean-spirited and I didn't enjoy the book.

Thanks SwampFox, I'll check them out. I'm really looking forward to getting the "Saga of the Super Sons" collection from those old Worlds Finest books (these feature the fictional(?) stories of Superman Jr. and Batman Jr. They're cheesy, but fun.

The Showcase books are a real bargain.
I've got the ist Haunted Tank Volume, and a 2nd volume is due soon. Plus there is a Sgt Rock Volume also coming out.

And just to give the other guy his due, the Marvel "Essentials' line is good too. I just picked up the third volume of Iron Man.

Tom: I started with the Essentials books, and have about three times as many of those. These are all great bargains (oh, and I also don't care if they turn yellow -- I got my enjoyment out of them already).

Tom the sgt.Rock one is out I've had it for over a month now

Sure is. Great read, too. "It's never easy…in Easy Company!"