We went live on July 28 last year and we slipped into year two without much fanfare.While I don’t get many posted comments, I have received many, many kind words from people I know from all corners of my life who do check in now and then.I’m fairly pleased with how this has gone and don’t see any reason not to keep going.To celebrate, I’ll take questions through Friday and then next weekend post the replies. Anything you want to know? Obviously, as a DC employee there will be some things I can’t discuss, but just about everything else is on the table.
Gee…a whole year? Congrats on setting up your blog, Bob! I check in nearly every day, and I’m sure I’m not alone.As for questions…hmmm….I have a couple:1) It’s July 31, after 4pm. How do you like your Mets?2) Absolute editions are hard to resist. They’re really a great format. 2005 sees four such volumes set on the schedule, including three in the last half of the year! This seems to me to be evidence that this is a format that DC is really excited about. Can we expect a similar output of Absolute editions next year?
Bob, enjoying the blog immensely. My question is this:What advice would you have for someone looking to break into the industry as an editor?
Happy belated blogiversary, Bob!
Yeah, I got a question.Who cuts your hair?
Any plans for the ’70s All-Star/Adventure JSA/Super Squad stories? The Wood-inked stories would fit nicely in one volume with the Staton stuff filling volume 2. This would be a great follow-up to the recently completed All-Star archives!
1) What are the factors when deciding which books DC decides to collect into TPB? I ask as one of those people still waiting for the next editions of Gotham Central and Greg Rucka’s Wonder Woman…
2) What sort of work goes into editing a collected edition of material already published in the magazine format? The actual story’s already been done, but I’m sure there’s more to it than that when it comes to the TPB, extras or no extras…
Happy belated birthday and congrats on your blogging anniversary!
Happy anniversary. My question is, with all the work you do in the comics *field,* did you ever want to write more (or any) comics yourself?
Hi and thanks for doing this,I have several questions, I hope you don’t mind, and numbered for your convenience (smile).1) Do you see any chance for softcover versions of DC Archives ever happening?2) With the Showcase books coming up, (which I have preordered and will continue to with each one — I have been waiting for something like this from DC for a long time) how obscure can the characters showcased (pun not intended) get? Not that I expect to see Bwana Beast, Congo Bill, or Ultra the Multi Alien, but is Eclipso or Bat Lash possible? What about Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen or dare I ask, Superboy or Sugar and Spike?3) Continuing with Showcase — how often will a second Superman, Green Lantern, Justice League et al follow after the first? And are the stories chronological and are they line art or gray toned?I hope the sales warrant the continuation of these for many years to come. I enjoy reading your blog, and I appreciate the work you do to at DC to help us many decade long fans get affordable quality copies of the stories we grew up with.Rick Mohr
Any non-superhero reprints (a la Jonah Hex and Rock’s Battle Tales) that you can tell us about? I’m especially interested in old romance comics (though I doubt there’s much of a market for ’em), Bat Lash, and Mark Chiarello’s idea for a Best of Toth collection …Thanks for the an entertaining and informative blog … And thanks for your appearances at the cons!
Happy anniversary and a belated happy birthday.I would like to let you know how excited I am about the new DC Showcase books. I have often told many of my friends that the Marvel Essential books are the best value in comics. I can now do the same with DC Showcase.1) Is DC going to try different genres with Showcase besides super-heroes (e. g., Sugar & Spike, Sea Devils, “The War That Time Forgot” from Star-Spangled War Tales, Rip Hunter, plus countless others)?2) Are obscure super-heroes (such as Metamorpho) more likely to debut in DC Showcase versus DC Archives?Thanks for everything that you do!
You know, I read this and tend to forget there IS a Comments feature… :(YEAR TWO, huh? Does this mean you get a sidekick now? Now wait, “Yellow Circle” first — then sidekick.The ABSOLUTE format has been great, (and I consider JLA/AVENGERS and the ALEX ROSS collection unofficial Absolutes.) I’m hoping for NEW FRONTIERS above anything else.I’m also been thankful for collections of older material; SUPERMAN VS FLASH, ZATANNA, and the GREATEST collections, and hope we’ll see more storylines/themes released.For SHOWCASE: Can you tell us the expected ratio between releases which have some material already Archived and those which will be collected for the first time?
Bob, thanks for your blog, for taking these questions, and for all the great stuff coming out of DC’s Collected Editions department. I hope it’s always apparent how much we all appreciate it.
My questions
1) I’ve enjoyed a seeming change in DC’s trade paperbacks over the last three years more toward resembling graphic novels; for example, the retitling of issues as “chapters” in Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, and the removal of author credits at the beginning of each issue in Teen Titans: A Kid’s Game. Was this a conscious effort, and if so, what were some of the catalysts or thinking behind it? What changes or improvements do you think we’ll see in trade paperbacks over the next three years?
2) What is some of the division of labor in the Collected Editions department? Do the Collected Editions editors both copyedit and, say, choose the color and embossing of a hardcover’s endpapers, or does that go to a design department? How much input does a monthly title’s editor have on their titles’ trade paperbacks?
3) A little fan speculation: The trend this year appeared to be two trade paperbacks for many titles (Catwoman, Flash, Adventures of Superman and Action, Superman/Batman, JLA), with JSA even seeing three, moving toward lining all the trade paperbacks up with Identity Crisis by the year’s end. Was this indeed intentional? Is there a move (or any interest) toward lining up the collected editions with milestones (bringing them all to the same timeframe as Countdown, then bringing them all to the same timeframe as Infinite Crisis)? What will the focus or some of the goals of the mainstream DCU trade paperback program be next year, during the year of Infinite Crisis?
4) How much emphasis is placed when making the trade paperback schedule on catching the trade paperbacks up with “real time”? Is there a length of time that you feel is too soon for a trade to come out after the monthly issue? Too long after?
Thanks, Bob! To another successful year!
Bob,Do you find it difficult to focus at work and not just start reading all the great classics you get to work with? I could never do your job… I’d be distracted!Do you find that re-reading the classics is not as fun as it used to be now that it is your job?
Hello Bob. Congratulations on the year! Long time no see.Is there any work for a young dynamic old-timer like me back at the home-ranch?
Happy anniversary.Just a few quick question/comments:You did a great job on the Batman covers book that came out a few months back. If you ever do one for Superman, please try to include a chapter with the “Superman is a dick” covers. (Of course, you’d probably have to retitle it “Superman behaving badly” or something similar).Any chance of using the new Showcase format to reprint the Rozakis-era SSOSV books and related JLA issues? I think it would make a nice tie-in to the Villains United collection.I really appreciate the extras you put into the TPBs you edit. (For example, the JSA intro pages and the bonus cover repros in the imaginary stories book). I would like to ask if you could try to include something that really shouldn’t be considered extra — page numbers. Unlike other publishers, DC is usually pretty good about putting page numbers on their books, but lately I’ve noticed more and more seem to be lacking this basic feature.I always enjoyed the Questions for Bob Greenberger thread on the old DC Archives board and it would be great if this becomes a semi-regular feature on your blog.Thanks for reading and writing.
Happy anniversary.Just a few quick question/comments:You did a great job on the Batman covers book that came out a few months back. If you ever do one for Superman, please try to include a chapter with the “Superman is a dick” covers. (Of course, you’d probably have to retitle it “Superman behaving badly” or something similar).Any chance of using the new Showcase format to reprint the Rozakis-era SSOSV books and related JLA issues? I think it would make a nice tie-in to the Villains United collection.I really appreciate the extras you put into the TPBs you edit. (For example, the JSA intro pages and the bonus cover repros in the imaginary stories book). I would like to ask if you could try to include something that really shouldn’t be considered extra — page numbers. Unlike other publishers, DC is usually pretty good about putting page numbers on their books, but lately I’ve noticed more and more seem to be lacking this basic feature.I always enjoyed the Questions for Bob Greenberger thread on the old DC Archives board and it would be great if this becomes a semi-regular feature on your blog.Thanks for reading and writing.
Happy anniversary.
Just a few quick question/comments:You did a great job on the Batman covers book that came out a few months back. If you ever do one for Superman, please try to include a chapter with the “Superman is a dick” covers. (Of course, you’d probably have to retitle it “Superman behaving badly” or something similar).
Any chance of using the new Showcase format to reprint the Rozakis-era SSOSV books and related JLA issues? I think it would make a nice tie-in to the Villains United collection.I really appreciate the extras you put into the TPBs you edit. (For example, the JSA intro pages and the bonus cover repros in the imaginary stories book). I would like to ask if you could try to include something that really shouldn’t be considered extra — page numbers. Unlike other publishers, DC is usually pretty good about putting page numbers on their books, but lately I’ve noticed more and more seem to be lacking this basic feature.
I always enjoyed the Questions for Bob Greenberger thread on the old DC Archives board and it would be great if this becomes a semi-regular feature on your blog.
Thanks for reading and writing.
Here’s a question:You work for media company (DC Comics) and you also do writing projects for other companies and publishers (the Eisner bio, your Star Trek novels, etc.)Obviously, the “outside” writing you’re doing isn’t really competitive with anything’s DC’s doing. But I’ve come to realize that every media company has different policies and attitudes toward employees’ extra projects. Does DC have any (formal or informal) opinion or approval over your other projects?–T.R.
Still taking questions? Here’s one:Does DC plan to do a TPB of Tony Isabella’s Black Lightning? And if not, can you push for one? It’s the book I would most like to see from DC.
Here are some questions. I hope it is not too late.1. Are there any plans at DC to reprint the Jack Kirby Fourth World titles in colour?2. Marvel recently published a Steve Ditko Visionaries volume. Are there any plans for DC Comics to publish any of Ditko’s DC works in trade paperbacks or hardcovers?3. Do you follow The Phantom in the recent newspaper strips? How do you feel about the comic series after Lee Falk passed away?4. You have written and co-written some great comic books. Will you do any freelance work for DC in the nearest future?5. Are there plans for more Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League trade paperbacks?
Question number 3 should sound like this:You have written and co-written some great comics related books. Will you do any freelance work for DC in the nearest future?
Mr Greenberger:I´d appreciate if you could tell me if there is any chance of dedicating future Showcase editions to the Martian Manhunter and Dial H for Hero. Thank you, and all the best.