From the desk of Matthew Meylikhov: Here’s a complete shocker: I’m a huge fan of the Criterion Collection. A continuing source of joy in my life, the Criterion Collection produce some of my favorite DVDs in existence, whether it be the unbeatable release of my all-time favorite film Le Samourai or any number of other high quality releases. To that end, I’ve always wanted to have something like it on our site as a recurring monthly column, something with a similar ideal in which we’d hypothesize collections of some of our favorite comics that we want to buy and recommend some comic classics all at once. So to those wondering what was coming to replace Friday Recommendation, this is for you.
Once a month, we’ll be releasing a list of fictional Multiversity Collection releases. A small group of staff will pick books that they believe are essential for every comic book collection, give you a short reason as to why and then create what we feel would be the ultimate release edition of that book. With that in mind, every one of these articles will start with the following note:
- None of these books are actually books that are in production, nor will they ever be in production. We don’t produce books, just articles.
- This is all very much and incredibly unsubtly based on the Criterion Collection, which actually produces high quality DVDs and Blu-rays of fine films that you can buy. If you haven’t already checked them out in the past, you should really check out their selection now.
So, with that in mind, we bring you the first wave of the Multiversity Collection.
The Multiversity Collection is dedicated to gathering the greatest comics from around the world and publishing them in editions of the highest artistic quality, with supplemental features that enhance the appreciation of the art of comics.
Previous months: May, June, July, August, September, October, November
#035: Quantum and Woody by Christopher Priest and Mark Bright
Collection curated by Matthew Meylikhov
Long lost to the sands of time and revered as a fan-favorite, the return of Valiant to the comic world has shined a new light on the previous works of the company, and none more deserving of recognition and praise than Priest and Bright’s Quantum and Woody. A satire of cape comics and an adult-oriented exploration of classic tropes and archetypes, Quantum and Woody starred the world’s worst superheroes in the best written scenarios. Deftly balancing cultural and racial issues alongside a wickedly witty narrative that still maintains its charm and humor today, Priest and Bright created two of the most accessible and wonderful in-joke comics of the 90’s, something that looked at all of what was bogging comics down then and today and celebrating it with jokes, censorship, goats and actual science.
Now, for the first time, the cult classic returns in an all-new hardcover format including all 22 issues, the Goat special and the #0 short in the biggest, most KLANG-iest edition of Quantum and Woody ever.
Special features
- “The Missing Quantum and Woody”, an additional hardcover containing issues #22-31, fully written and illustrated, with an additional over-sized #33 that brings all threads of the series to a close
- Sneak peek at “Q2: the Return of Quantum and Woody”
- “Noogie, Please!”, a feature-length documentary starring Priest, Bright and industry professionals discussing race-relations and the portrayal of people of color in comics
- “We’re Not a Couple,” a collection of all of the best gags from Quantum and Woody in a memorial video
- “Where Are They Now?”, a video showing where Quantum, Woody and the assorted cast would be if the series had never been cancelled and still ran in 2013
#036: BPRD – Vampire by Gabriel Ba, Fabio Moon and Mike Mignola
Collection curated by Brian Salvatore
- The over-sized book recreates the size of the original art pages in three different permutations: inked line art, full colors by Dave Stewart, and a special coloring to show off which twin, Bá (Red) or Moon (Blue), drew what
- A gallery of Mike Mignola vampire art, both in the Mignolaverse and beyond!
- Dave Stewart’s “Red” – a documentary on Stewart’s coloring prowess, and specifically, his iconic use of the color red
- A mini-comic featuring Lord Wilhelm from the Mignola/Bá/Moon team
- A collectible hummel figurine of Anders riding a demon bear.
#037: Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson
Collection curated by Vince Ostrowski
How could Bill Watterson ever know, when he was a young boy reading collections of Krazy Kat, Peanuts, and Pogo, that his work would some day stand among them? The sometimes philosophical, sometimes goofball world of “Calvin & Hobbes” could take us literally anywhere that Calvin’s big imagination wanted to. But it was Watterson who put himself on the page each day, even while reluctant to put himself out elsewhere in the public world. We live in a richer world for having been afforded the decade-long glimpse into Watterson’s brilliant mind. His dynamic cartooning, likewise, has immeasurably inspired strips and comic books long after its end. Watterson kept the world of “Calvin & Hobbes” light and malleable, while Calvin could dream up dark noir tales and impossible spacescapes to explore as the enigmatic Spaceman Spiff, with only his pragmatic tiger friend to bring him back down to Earth. No comic collection is complete without an appreciation of the comic strip art form, and Bill Watterson’s “Calvin & Hobbes” is as essential as any there has ever been.
Special Features
- Contains every “Calvin & Hobbes” strip in their original newspaper presentation, in 3 bound hardcover volumes
- A separate bound hardcover volume also contains: “A Nauseous Nocturne”, “The Yukon Song”, “Spaceman Spiff: Interplanetary Explorer Extraordinaire!”, and a variety of other stories and poems from previous collections, as well as a reprint of the “10th Anniversary of Calvin & Hobbes” book complete with Bill Watterson’s captions and remarks
- “Your Childhood: Not For Sale” – a 30 minute documentary about Bill Watterson’s fight to keep his art his own and the worldwide phenomena involving bootlegged “Calvin & Hobbes” merchandise
- A high-definition virtual, clickable tour of Bill Watterson’s “Calvin & Hobbes” art museum exhibit on blu-ray disc. Includes audio-narrated captions
- Includes a signed & numbered print of a random “Calvin & Hobbes” strip with every copy
- Contains a copy of the extremely rare, never-before-reprinted “Teaching with Calvin and Hobbes”
#038: Thor, God of Thunder – The God Butcher and Godbomb by Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic
Collection curated by Walter Richardson
After Gillen and Fraction’s “Everything Burns” tied off any remaining plot thread for Marvel’s Thor franchise, writer Jason Aaron and artist Esad Ribic were given a completely blank slate on which to work with Marvel’s god of thunder. They didn’t start small: their first story together was one of ambitious scope, following the rampage of the mysterious God Butcher as he attempted to scourge the universe of deities and usher in a new, godless age. Who is the Butcher? How does he intend to accomplish this seemingly impossible goal? What is his history with Thor Odinson? One thing is for certain, this threat might be too much for a lone god of thunder to best… and that’s why he’s bringing two others with him.
The first year of Aaron and Ribic’s “Thor, God of Thunder” is one of the finest, modern examples of what makes Marvel’s Thor stand apart from other iterations of the headstrong god, and is perhaps Marvel’s best Thor story since the days of Walt Simonson. The scale of the story and the weight of the dialogue shows a side of Aaron hitherto unknown, and Ribic’s style brings a mythic heft to the comic that few artists could pull off. An enjoyable read for fans new and old that bears more intellectual depth than your average superhero comic, “The God Butcher” and “Godbomb” is a Thor story that will be remembered for years to come.
Continued belowSpecial Features
- Enjoy the first two arcs of Aaron and Ribic’s Thor run collected as the single story they were intended to form.
- Printed in deluxe size in order to display Ribic’s artwork at its finest quality
- “Are the Gods Good?,” an essay by Aaron about the moral and ethical dilemmas about a setting where multiple gods are known to exist
- “The God Gallery,” Ribic’s character designs and Aaron’s notes about the past and future Thor, as well as regarding the hundreds of minor gods created expressly for this story
#039: The Encyclopedia of Early Earth by Isabel Greenberg
Collection curated by Michelle White
A series of nested narratives that seem to circle and merge with one another, “The Encyclopedia of Early Earth” centers on a storyteller figure – a boy who’s missing a piece of his soul, and must travel far beyond his homeland to find it. As he encounters dangers far and near, he tells stories in order to survive – and winds up ruffling the feathers of the all-powerful BirdMan.
Isabel Greenberg’s deceptively simple art, presented alongside light and humorous dialogue, infuses this world with both charm and an appealing strangeness; and while much of it is informed by elements of Inuit and Norse mythology, and even some Biblical tales, “The Encyclopedia of Early Earth” ultimately puts forth a vision all its own. Both intellectually confounding and profoundly moving, “The Encyclopedia of Early Earth” is an unforgettable journey through a forgotten world.
Special features
- Character profiles giving background detail on the gods and inhabitants of Early Earth
- Expanded, fold-out timeline of Early Earth’s history
- Frameable print featuring the first humans living in Kiddo’s hair
- Miniature model of Early Earth and its three moons
