The Marvel Comics Illustrated Version of Star Wars - 1977

Marvel partnered with several different paperback publishers in the 70s and 80s to issue these digest-sized collections. With Star Wars being the biggest thing around, it only made sense that they collected their movie adaptation in every format possible--big and small.

This b/w book reprints Star Wars #s 1-6 by Roy Thomas, Howard Chaykin, Steve Leialoha, and others, with an introduction by (of course) Stan Lee. May the Force be with you!

Captain America Battles Baron Blood

I realize these paperback reprint editions aren't really "digest comics", but they're too nifty to ignore and besides, they're in the spirit of the alternate comic book formats that I find so charming.

This book reprints Captain America #s 250, 253, and 254, back when the book was being done by Roger Stern, John Byrne, and Josef Rubinstein, who did superb work on the title. Capped off with a cover by Bob Larkin, and you've got one great little collection.

I had distinct memories of reading the Baron Blood issues while we were on vacation in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, which was always in August. Then when these issues were discussed on an episode of Mike Bailey's Views From the Longbox podcast, I looked them up online, and saw they were released in October and November. What the?

Then I remembered that one of the newsstands in that area that I frequently haunted sold paperbacks as well, and had this book there in August, which was what I bought and devoured at the time. I found another copy on Amazon and enjoyed it all over again!

The Amazing Spider-Man Pocket Book #3 - 1979

The third titanic volume of classic Spider-Man adventures, featuring an often-re-used--but still awesome--cover by Jazzy John Romita!

Stories include:
"The Grotesque Adventure of Green Goblin", "Kraven, the Hunter", "Duel with Daredevil", "The Return of the Green Goblin", "The End of Spider-Man", "Spidey Strikes Back", and "The Coming of the Scorpion", all by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

These books were printed on high-quality paper, so they hold up extremely well, considering paperbacks are never really meant to be permanent editions.

160 pages.

The Amazing Spider-Man Pocket Book #2 - 1978

The second edition, reprinting--in sequence--the next six issues of The Amazing Spider-Man. The comics industry's first trade paperbacks!

Stories include:
"The Return of the Vulture", "The Living Brain", "Spider-Man Tackles The Human Torch", "The Man Called Electro", "The Enforcers", "Turning Point", "Unmasked by Dr. Octopus!", and "The Menace of Mysterio!", all by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

160 pages, with a front cover by Jazzy John Romita!

The Amazing Spider-Man Pocket Book #1 - 1977

The first of Marvel's cool paperback line, printed by the fine folks at Pocket Books.

As I said many months ago when talking about a Hulk Pocket Book, these editions were the only comics that ever showed up at the book fairs they had at my elementary school every so often. I assume the page count and the Pocket Books logo gave these an air of respectability that a 40 cent floppy didn't have.

This book reprints the first six, groundbreaking issues of The Amazing Spider-Man, by (of course) Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, plus Amazing Fantasy #15.

160 whopping pages!

The Incredible Hulk Pocket Book #2 - 1979

...and we're back!

A while back, Digest Fan(nope, still haven't thought of anything better) Chris Franklin asked if I would be covering any of the DC or Marvels that were later repurposed into paperback books --both companies did an extensive number of them, and they were pretty much digest-sized, and...

I initally said no, since there were a lot of them and I felt like I had to draw the line somewhere. But as the weeks wore on, I heard this Hulk Pocket Book cry out to me from my bookshelf, asking "Why not Hulk get talked about on puny comic blog? Why you hate Hulk? Should Hulk smash stupid computer?"

I couldn't refute that logic, so here we go...

I bought this at a book sale at my elementary school when I was in fourth or fifth grade; looking back its sort of amazing they sold comics at all--maybe the "Pocket Books" logo gave it an aura of respectabillity that a normal comic book wouldn't have.

This one-hundred fifty-page + book reprints a series of Hulk adventures from Tales To Astonish and boy are they fun! I remember reading these(in class!) and literally hanging on every word, wondering where the story was going next.

Stories include:
"The Missile and the Monster" by Stan Lee, John Buscema, and John Tartaglione
"The Birth of the Hulk-Killer!" by Lee, Buscema, and Mick Demeo
"The Humanoid and the Hero!" by Lee, Buscema, and Mick Demeo
"Boomerang and the Brute!" by Lee and Gil Kane(I loved Kane's brutish take on the green goliath!)
"Then, There Shall Come A Stranger!" by Lee and Kane
"The Abomination!" by Lee and Kane
"Whosover Harms the Hulk!" by Lee and Kane
"Turning Point" by Lee, Marie Severin, and Frank Giacoia
"He Who Strikes The Silver Surfer!" by Lee, Severin, and Giacoia
"To The Beckoning Stars!" by Lee, Severin, and Herb Trimpe
"A World He Never Made!" by Lee, Severin, and Trimpe
"What Have I Created?" by Lee, Severin, and Trimpe
"The Legions of the Living Lightning" by Lee, Severin, and Trimpe
"The Puppet and the Power!" by Lee, Severin, and Trimpe
"When The Monster Wakes!" by Lee, Severin, and Tartaglione

...it ends with the Hulk buried in rubble. Is this the end of the Hulk??*


*No, but at that age it seemed like it.

Daffy Duck #1 - 2005

Not to be outdone, Daffy Duck got his own digest volume. And like Bugs', just this one issue. I've always loved Daffy Duck--I just wanted to say that.

Stories include:
"The Trouble with Mars", "A Pizza On My Mind", "Wise Quacker", "The Devilish Desperado", "Speed Trap", "One for the Books", "Be My Pest", "Stiff Upper Beak", "All's Weight That Ends Weight", "The Midnight Ride of Duck Revere", "A Vase in the Crowd", and "So You Want A Million Bucks, Eh?"

...and that's it for the modern-day digests DC tried their hand at during 2004-2006. Like I said when we started these, I bought every one that came out either for myself or to give away.

I wanted this digest format to work out so bad that I bought books I would normally not get, and I'm frustrated at the weird choices DC made on how to market these--limited distribution, erratic publishing schedule, and high price-point. Now that the newest collections are standard TPB size, I guess we officially say the digest format at DC is done and gone.

But who knows? Maybe some future comics superstar who grew up on the digests will come along and demand his or her books be put in a digest, like Alex Ross did for the treasury-sized comic. I won't hold my breath, though.

Tomorrow we go back to the past and talk about DC's very first digest!

Bugs Bunny #1 - 2005

There was time when Bugs Bunny was a staple of comic book publishing, appearing as regularly as Mickey Mouse, Tarzan, or Superman.

Sadly, that time is long past and even though Bugs still does appear in the monthly DC Looney Tunes title, that book is done by official decree from the higher-ups at Warner Bros. and all the enthusiasm that comes from being forced to do something. DC once admitted to Kyle Baker, who expressed interest in doing some Bugs material, that the book doesn't make a dime and they only do it because they have to.

That led Baker to muse(in an interview with The Comics Journal about five-six years ago) that if you're an up-and-coming creative, you'd give your right arm to create a character a tenth as popular and enduring as Bugs Bunny. He said his kids love Bugs Bunny, and that any company that can't make money from Bugs "should get out of the business." Well said, Mr. B.

Anyway, on that sad note, Bugs and the other Looney Tunes star in:
"Working Out the Bugs", "Hari-ed By The Mob", "Hat Trick", "Precious Cargo", "Bad Hare Day", "Rocky Road", "The Old Brawl Game", "Twuce or Consequences", "X Marks the Bugs", "Femme Fatale", "Ten Pin Alley", and "Rabbit Recovery."

This was the only volume published, sadly.

Cartoon Network Block Party! #1 - 2005

I'm not sure what the difference was supposed to be between this anthology book and the earlier Cartoon Cartoons, since it contains pretty all much all the same features as that book.

Stories include:
Dexter's Labratory in "Beast Master" and "Dee-Dee Fo-Fum"
Ed, Edd, and Eddy in "Eds on Wheels" and "Luck of the Ed"
Courage the Cowardly Dog in "Vegan Invasion!" and "Small Problem"
Johnny Bravo in "To Sea or Not To Sea" and "Twinkle Toes"
Grim & Evil in "Central Junction: Where's Your Function?"
Kids Next Door in "Operation A.I.R.P.L.A.N.E.", "Operation G.R.A.N.D.A.D.", and "Operation S.O.D.A."

This title lasted four issues, again published at an erratic rate. The last one came out in 2006, so I assume if they ever did another one it would be in the standard TPB format DC is now using for Cartoon Network collections.

Scooby-Doo #1 - 2003

DC's biggest Cartoon Network comic star, beloved icon to several generations, it's Scooby-Doo! Scooby is such a star that his book is still being published, even though most of the other CN books have long since ended. They just celebrated their 100th issue, leaving big-time heroes like Aquaman, Hawkman, and the Atom in the dust.

Stories in this first volume include:
"Scooby in the Booby Hatch" by Terrance Griep, Ned Sonntag, and Gary Fields
"Scooby Snooze" by Chris Duffy and Ivan Brunetti
"The Roswell Riddle" by Griep and the legendary Ernie Colon!
"Stubble Trouble" by Duffy and Tim Harkins
"The Truth" by Griep, our pal Joe Staton, and Andrew Pepoy
"Wax Attacks" by Barbara Slate and Bob Smith
"The Old Ways" by Griep and Colon
"How I Spent My Winter Break" by Sam Henderson and Harkins
"Legend of the Silver Scream" by Dan Slott, Staton, and Pepoy

...to further show what an enduring star Scooby is, this digest title lasted six issues, longer than any other. More than Superman, Batman, or the Justice League! Zoinks!

Powerpuff Girls #1 - 2003

Between this and a lot of the other shows on Cartoon Network, I feel like kids nowadays really get some high-quality shows to watch. Sure, there was The Super Friends and Scooby-Doo when I was a kid, but we also had the Happy Days cartoon and Rubik The Amazing Cube. Yeeesh.

Anyway, like the Cartoon Cartoons book, this collection is from the regular CN title, and features lot of fun stories. Also like the Cartoon Cartoons book, it only lasted two issues, sadly:
"Squirrely Burly" by Jenifer Moore, Sean Carolan, and Phil Moy
"Buttercup's Boyfriend" by Abby Denson, Dan Fraga, and Mike DeCarlo
"Power Play" by Moore, Carolan, and Moy
"Video Maim" by Denson, Stephanie Gladden, and DeCarlo
"Holy Molar" by Moore, Carolan, and Moy

...I remember being at a con and seeing PPG penciler Moy at a table. I dig his work so I approached him preparing to ask for an Aquaman sketch, figuring it'd be really cool to have one in his style.

I introduced myself and told him I "love the Powderpuff Girls", making a slip of the tongue. To which he snapped back "that's the Powerpuff Girls."

I didn't ask him for a sketch.

Cartoon Cartoons #1 - 2004

A gen-u-ine anthology series! A lost art in comics nowadays.

Cartoon Cartoons stars Dexter's Labratory, Johnny Bravo, Ed, Ed, and Eddy, A Sheep in the Big City, Courage the Cowardly Dog, and Cow and Chicken. Shouldn't the CW get them all together and do a new version of the Laff-A-Lympics?

Anyway, stories include:
Dexter in "Comic Relief" and "Meanwhile"(the first is really fun, where Dexter enters a comic book world and all of a sudden looks like he was drawn by Jack Kirby!)
E3 in "Last Nail in the Edhouse" and "Half-Baked"
Johnny Bravo in "Johnny On The Spot", "See No Johnny", "Johnny in Paradise", and "Johnny Big-Foot"
Courage in "The Gods Must Be Nosy"
Cow and Chicken in "Who Are Baboon?" and "Chicken and the Beanstalk"
Sheep in "Sheep in the Big City"

This was another title I bought to give out to the kids I know. Definitely a fun book, a real shame it only lasted two measly issues!

The Batman Strikes! #2 - 2005

The title that replaced Batman Adventures across the board, Batman Strikes!

I watched a few episodes of the show but it left me sort of cold, but it seems to be quite popular. From what I've heard they're going to work Aquaman and other DCU heroes into the new season, so maybe I will tune in again.

Anyway, even though the show didn't do much for me, I liked the comic; it had the same basic fresh-yet-classic approach to the Batman the previous tie-in book had.

Stories in this issue include:
"The Cat's Prize" by Bill Matheny, Christopher Jones, and Terry Beatty
"Ice Storm" by Matheny, Jones, and Beatty
"Firefall" by Matheny, Jones, and Beatty
"Sanity Plea"(guess which villain this story centers on?) by Matheny, Jones, and Beatty
"Illumination" by Matthew Manning, Wes Craig, and Beatty

...I had all the issues of this series but gave them away to Trace's nephew since he digs Batman. I had forgotten that when it came time to index this series, so I rebought one of the issues to post it. See how hard I work for you digest fans?

Teen Titans Go! #5 - 2006

Teen Titans Go! managed to last longer than any other DC superhero digest, longer than Superman, Batman, or the JLU. Props to the Titans.

Stories include:
"Garsaurus Rex!" by J.Torres, Todd Nauck, and Larry Stucker
"The Book" by Torres and Sean Galloway
"Knockoff!" by Torres, Mike Norton, and Stucker
"Power Failure!" by Torres, Nauck, and Stucker
"Secret Santa" by Torres, Nauck, and Stucker

These DC digests seemed to be published...erratically, at best. There'd be none for months and then three or four titles in one week. Like I said earlier, I admire DC for trying them again, and especially for aiming them at younger readers, but I think they shot themselves in the foot by the odd publishing schedule, price point, and relatively limited availability to the target audience.

Obviously, all that and more took its toll, since it seems this digest format is all but officially dead. DC is currently soliciting a sixth TTG! collection, but it is not a digest, its a standard-size trade paperback.

*sigh*

Teen Titans Go! #4 - 2006

The cover is by Sean Galloway, and looks like a cell from the show. Interesting effect, even if the coloring is a little dark and muddy. C'mon, give us some bright reds and yellows!

Stories include:
"Beauty and the Wildebeest" by J.Torres, Mike Norton, and Larry Stucker
"Anger Management" by Torres, Norton, and Stucker
"When Chibis Attack!" by Torres, Todd Nauck, and Stucker
"Song of the Dead" by Torres, Nauck, and Stucker
"Secret Moves" by Torres, Nauck, and Stucker

..."When Chibis Attack!" is especially cute, since we get to meet alternate, lil' kid versions of the Titans, called the Tween Titans.

Trust me, it reads funny.

Teen Titans Go! #3 - 2005

Say it with me--Teen Titans! Teen Titans! Teen Teen Teen Titans!

Stories include:
"Countdown" by J.Torres, Todd Nauck, Larry Stucker
"Magic and Misdirection" by Torres, Nauck, and Stucker
"What Time Is It, Mr.Wolf?" by Torres, Nauck, and Stucker
"If You Can't Beat 'Em..." by Torres, Nauck, and Stucker
"Pop Quiz" by Torres, Nauck, and Stucker

The "Beat 'Em" story brings Speedy into the TTG! universe, but I best most of Roy's other behavior won't be included in a Cartoon Network title...that boy ain't right.

Teen Titans Go! #2 - 2004

More Teen Titans fun!

Stories include:
"Storm" by J.Torres, Todd Nauck, and Larry Strucker
"How You Play the Game" by Torres, Nauck, and Strucker
"Naked City" by Adam Beecher, Erik Vedder, and M3TH(?)
"War Machine" by Torres, Nauck, and Strucker
"Finding Nero" by Torres, Nauck, and Strucker, introducing Aqualad into the TTG! universe

These stories also add Thunder and Lightning and Starfire's sister Blackfire to the world, in their usual fast-paced, loony style.

Teen Titans Go! #1 - 2004

I have to admit I'm a little confused as some of the very negative reactions I've seen to the Teen Titans Go! cartoon--from the little I've seen of it, it looks to me like a solid, well-done show, keeping the basic elements of the characters but putting them in a context and a language more attractive to a new generation. But a lot of fanboys like me seem to hate it. Curious.

The comic has the same tone and energy that the show does, and even though it doesn't really appeal to me all that much, I can understandy kids and teens really took to it. Stories for this first volume include:
"Demo" by J.Torres, Todd Nauck, and Larry Stucker
"The Beast Boy Who Cried Wolf" by Torres, Nauck, and Stucker
"Lame-O" by Torres, Tim Smith, and Stucker
"My Crummy Valentine" by Torres, John McCrea, and John Hodgkins
"Monster Zit" by Torres, Smith, and Stucker

...the comic has these occasional "joke" asides during the action, that remind me of Sergio Aragones' Mad Marginals:
...adorable!

I also enjoy how they work in other elements from the Teen Titans universe--Deathstroke, The Fearsome Five, even Trigon! A fun show and a fun comic.

Superman Adventures #4 - 2006

The final Superman Adventures digest...*sniff*

Stories include:
"Never Play With Toyman's Toys" by Mark Millar, Aluir Amancio, and Terry Austin (to me, this Toyman was the coolest, creepiest version of the character, in any medium)
"This Is A Job For Superman" by Millar, Amancio, and Austin
"Clark Kent, Public Enemy" by Millar, Amancio, and Austin
"If I Ruled The World" by Millar, Amancio, and Austin
"Reunion" by Evan Dorkin, Sarah Dyer, Bret Blevins, and Austin, guest-starring Supergirl, who Dorkin and Dyer seemed to have a real affinity for

Fun stories all. I wish DC had continued the Superman Adventures digest and reprinted the entire regular comic's run. Give any of these to a kid for the first time, and they'd come away being a Superman fan!

Superman Adventures #3 - 2006

After an almost two-year hiatus, the Superman Adventures digests returned for two more issues. Only Brainiac could figure out such an odd publishing schedule...

Stories include:
"Family Reunion" Parts 1 and 2 by Mark Millar, Amancio, and Terry Austin
"Sullivan's Girlfriend, Lois Lane" by David Michelinie, Neil Vokes, and Ron Boyd
"Clark Kent is Superman--And I Can Prove It!" by Millar, Vokes, and Austin
"Sanctuary" by Millar, Mike Manley, and Austin

This issue features guest appearances by Batman and Dr. Fate, another thing the Superman animated show did well--incorporating other members of the DCU. Who else is ready for Dr.Fate: The Animated Series?