Posted By Dan Greenfield on May 30, 2023 | 8 comments

Oh, it’s about time!

I’ll get right to this one because this is the most exciting comics news I’ve heard in forever: DC and IDW finally have a deal to produce Artist’s Editions and leading the charge in 2024 will be a Neal Adams volume that includes classics like Batman #232 and Green Lantern #76 (at the very least the covers) as well as a Batman: Year One volume.

Dig the official IDW press release:

IDW Publishing Expands Artist Editions with New Releases From DC

First Two Books, David Mazzucchelli’s Batman Year One and Neal Adams’ DC Classics, To Publish in Mid-2024

SAN DIEGO, CA (May 30, 2023) – IDW Publishing has signed an agreement with DC to produce Artist’s Editions releases based on highly celebrated works from legendary comic book icons David Mazzucchelli and Neal Adams. The first two books, launching in mid-2024, will be DAVID MAZZUCCHELLI’S BATMAN: YEAR ONE ARTIST’S EDITION and NEAL ADAMS’ DC CLASSICS ARTIST’S EDITION. More Artist’s Editions by stellar artists will be announced over the next few months.

“The books in this new initiative with DC are near and dear to my heart,” said Artist’s Editions editor Scott Dunbier. “Many of the volumes announced, and the ones that have yet to be announced, showcase some of the finest art ever published in the comic book form.”

David Mazzucchelli’s Batman: Year One, written by industry legend Frank Miller, is considered to be one of the greatest Batman stories ever told. Mazzucchelli, a man who prefers to let his work speak for itself, said, “This is a book you were never meant to see.” Dunbier added, “David has been intimately involved with the planning of this Artist’s Edition and has personally scanned all the contents. In addition to the covers and interiors, all the layouts from the series will be included.” Iconic designer Chip Kidd will be designing the book.

Neal Adams’ DC Classics Artist’s Edition will feature a wide assortment of classic Neal Adams art from the late 1960s to the mid-1970s, which is generally considered to be Adams’ greatest period. The book will include five complete stories and an amazing assortment of covers and pages. The book will feature two covers, Green Lantern/Green Arrow #76, the first issue of the classic run by Denny O’Neil and Adams, and Batman #232, the first appearance of Ra’s al Ghul. “My family and I could not be happier to have this book happen,” said Kristine Adams-Stone. “We’ve had so many of my dad’s fans literally begging us to do an Artist’s Edition. We have every confidence that they—and the Adams family—will love the results.”

Setting the industry standard for high-end archival collectibles, IDW’s Artist’s Editions provide comic lovers everywhere with the most authentic original comic art experience possible. Each oversized hardcover in the line collects pages from acclaimed comic book runs, with each page scanned in high resolution from the actual storyboard artwork of such legends as Todd McFarlane, Jim Lee, John Buscema, Dave Stevens, and many more. Enthusiasts are able to clearly see all the distinctive creative nuances that make original art unique. In a perfect representation of the work in its original form, each page is printed the same size as drawn, and the paper selected is as close as possible to the original art board.

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A few thoughts:

— If you’re gonna start a line of IDW/DC Artist’s Editions, this is pretty much where I would start. (There have been other DC editions but this is a substantial expansion. Fans have, as Kris Adams Stone points out, been begging for this, including yours truly.)

— Pricing and release dates are to be announced.

— Why no Dark Knight Returns? It was done by Graphitti Designs some years back.

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MORE

— NEAL ADAMS: FORCE OF NATURE — An Appreciation by PAUL LEVITZ. Click here.

— 13 PANELS That Capture the Brilliance of BATMAN: YEAR ONE. Click here.