Review- THE ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN: COMPLETE COLLECTION

THE ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN: COMPLETE COLLECTION (Image, First Printing, 2017; Hardcover)

Collects The Astounding Wolf-Man #1-25 and Invincible #57 (cover dates May, 2007- November, 2010)

Writer: Robert Kirkman

Artists: Jason Howard with Ryan Ottley* and Cliff Rathburn* (*Invincible #57)

Colorists: Jason Howard, Fco Plascencia, and Ivan Plascencia

Life is a funny thing. You just never know. You can think that you have everything all sewn up nice and neat and then something happens and your life is forever changed. Something like...I dunno, being attacked by a werewolf and becoming one yourself.

The Astounding Wolf-Man, while having a supporting cast and recurring antagonists, is about Gary Hampton and his rise, fall, and redemption. This was both a double dip and a re-read and it held up extremely well the second time through. Sadly I have come to the realization that I will likely never reread any book that I own unless I double dip on an upgrade, since my OCD compels me to read every book that I buy, and I have so many unread books in my backlog waiting to be read.

You can see what I thought about Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3, and Volume 4 back when they were first released. Maybe I'll upgrade to another super duper deluxe edition and read it again someday. I really enjoyed this ultraviolent, fast-paced, action-packed superhero comic for the 21^st century.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials used in physical media. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or women who are pregnant should exit my blog at their earliest convenience, as their safety cannot be guaranteed beyond this point.

Paper stock: Thick coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding: Sewn binding. While the book block does flex so it lays about 80% flat, the square casing prevents 100%. Who ever thought that these super squared spines were any good? They look great on your shelf but dig into your hand when you are reading them.

Hardback cover notes: The image is printed on the the laminated casewrap.

Review: Invincible- Ultimate Collection Vol. 1

My backlog is out of control. I got this as a gift for my birthday in July...of last year. My friend bugged me for the entire year, asking me what I thought of it. Well, here is the answer:

INVINCIBLE ULTIMATE COLLECTION VOL. 1 (Image, Third Printing, 2008; Hardcover)
Collects Invincible Nos. 1-13 (cover dates January, 2003- May, 2004)
Invincible is a modern take on the superhero. Robert Kirkman's writing is pretty decompressed, with lots of wasted pages and plenty of filler. There was 5 or 6 issues worth of story padded out to 13. Kirkman has good ideas, but is lazy with his writing. The artwork and coloring are both decent but not mind-blowingly good. I know that this predates my favorite Kirkman series, The Astounding Wolf-Man, but I read that one first and prefer it to this. SPOILERS Kirkman seems to follow the exact same formula in AWM that he laid out in Invincible. Guy becomes hero. Older, more seasoned veteran comes along and helps show him the ropes, only to reveal that the mentor is really the villain. Gasp! What shocked me in AWM came off as oh, that shtick again? here in Invincible. Again, that reaction should be reserved for AWM, but I read that title first. I have only read the first 11 or 12 issues of The Walking Dead, so I can't say if Kirkman employs this trick there as well. All in all, this was a good read, and I am more than a little curious to see what is going to happen next.
On the production side, this is a beautifully made high end hardcover, with luxurious paper and sewn binding. There are gobs of DVD-style extras in the back, from character sketches to thumbnails to cover roughs. This is an impressive package that is worthy of having a home on your bookshelf.