Shazam! Deluxe Hard Cover reviews part 1
I've fallen behind on my blogging, but a recent spate of reviews about the Shazam Deluxe Hard Cover like this one in in the Sunday Book section of The San Francisco Chronicle, Friday's Columbus Dispatch, and today's review on the website The Daily Cross Hatch snapped me out of it. This book is getting reviewed everywhere. To see the complete list that DC sent me, click here.
But before I can even begin to go through that list, I want to give you a quick tour of the Deluxe Hard Cover collection…
To start with, the book was put together by original series designer Louis Prandi, and he's done another great job of tying together bold graphics and nostalgic fun, especially on the 40 pages of behind-the-scenes material in the back.
Alex Ross reinvigorated the character for me with his portrayal of the Big Red Cheese in Kingdom Come, and was my first choice to write the introduction. He did a great job of putting the character into the context of the 1940s as well as the 21st century.
Alex also seemed to like my portrayal of Billy Batson and Captain Marvel as two beings in one body, something that has been surprisingly controversial with some readers.
A side by side comparison between the Deluxe Hard Cover and the original comic page: first, you can see how much larger the new book is; a full inch taller and 3/4" wider. These pages were shot from completely new film, so not only is the artwork noticeably larger, its colors are much truer (which almost never happens!). The Deluxe Hard Cover on the left looks exactly the way colorist Steve Hamaker intended. Compare that to the darker, browner version of the comics on the right.
Of course my favorite thing is the dust jacket. When you take it off, you find a folded over, beautifully printed, double sided poster…
…on the front you have the original series covers…
…then when you flip it over, it's a poster of the back cover puzzle from the comics. The Seven Deadly Enemies of Man are inside the letters of the SHAZAM! logo! I love that!
The whole double sided giant poster thing was cooked up between DC's collection editor Bob Harras and designer Louis Prandi in an attempt to recreate the original mini-series feeling of fun. They put a lot of love into this book and I appreciate it.
The whole package which includes the oversized new artwork, dustjacket, and 40 pages of extras like sketches and notes is priced at $29.95.
In Part 2: The Haters, I'll look at some of those controversial elements…
A friend of mine got a copy for his birthday. It’s a really nice package.
Comment by tom w. — November 14, 2007 @ 7:31 pm
Working in comics, I’ve found my reading habits to get worse and worse. So waiting for the HC collection was inevitable and worth the wait. Fantastically produced collection. Aside from the fun story, I absolutely love the back section…the process stuff. Seeing the blue pencil pages along with the inks on them, was a treat. I’m glad DC really did a good job on production of this.
Comment by Derek — November 15, 2007 @ 1:38 am
DC did an excellent job on production, that’s for sure. I love having the whole story packaged together, and the extra size is also quite awesome. That thing about the color comparison is strange but true! I never would have thought just to compare that and see what they both looked like! I’m with Derek on the blue line pencil stuff – it makes me ridiculously happy!
Love the photo tour of just how cool this collection is and the design thought and process that DC put into it. It’s a lot better than what I tried to describe in words. If you allow me, you can click on my name that’ll link to my little blurb on my website about the book as well as some other Jeff Smith / Bone news.
Comment by Brandon — November 15, 2007 @ 3:26 am
Haha Christmas gift, this book looks awesome.
Comment by Marcus — November 15, 2007 @ 9:13 am
Wow that is way cool!! I’ll definitely be picking this one up. Thanks for the update.
Comment by Jeanette — November 15, 2007 @ 1:26 pm
I was fortunate enough to get my hands on all 4 trades and get the first one signed. I recently saw this hardbound edition at B & N. It was wrapped in plastic, so I couldn’t “inspect” it. So, these photos come in handy! I mean, I would’ve bought it anyway without evening thinking twice, but man…fan-friggin-tastic!
out~N
Comment by Noah Albrecht — November 15, 2007 @ 3:12 pm
everyone gets this from me for christmas this year!
Comment by Ming — November 16, 2007 @ 6:05 am
I’ve read my copy a couple of times and I love it — Thanks for such an enjoyable re-imagining of Captain Marvel!
Comment by Matt — November 16, 2007 @ 8:29 am
Jeff,
You sold me on buying this all over again in the hard cover addition! Bigger, better colors, more material, and not a bad price.
Comment by Brad — November 16, 2007 @ 7:38 pm
This one is on my ‘to buy’ list.
Comment by MHR — November 20, 2007 @ 10:36 pm
A great work from Jeff, inside a great package from DC!
This is a winner!!!!
Comment by Andreas — November 25, 2007 @ 10:25 am