Posted By Dan Greenfield on Dec 29, 2023 | 14 comments

DC is planning to re-release the Batman vs. Ra’s al Ghul treasury edition at full size, and the world’s foremost authority on the format weighs in…

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UPDATED 12/29/23: Earlier this month, we brought you the news that DC in March will be re-releasing Limited Collectors’ Edition #C-51 — aka the Batman vs. Ra’s al Ghul treasury — in full size. You can read the groovy details here but it also seemed a good time to “reprint” this piece from 2020. Oh, and make sure you check out No. 7 on the list below — especially my editor’s note. Dig it. — Dan

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In case you missed the news we broke the other day, DC is planning on re-releasing the classic 1970s Superman vs. Wonder Woman treasury edition in full size as a hardcover. (You can click here for the details.)

Groovy.

Of course, when something this cool happens, I immediately get greedy and think, “Well, gee, wouldn’t it be great if THIS happened too?!”

So naturally, I thought about THE TOP 13 TREASURY EDITIONS THAT NEED TO BE RE-RELEASED — RANKED.

And just as naturally, I asked Rob Kelly, the world’s top scholar on treasury editions — and the host of the superb TreasuryCast — to weigh in. He readily agreed.

So here’s Rob:

By ROB KELLY

Based on the (very) welcome news that DC will be publishing a hardcover treasury-size facsimile edition of its classic 1978 all-original oversized comic Superman vs. Wonder Woman by Gerry Conway, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (Praise Be His Name), and Dan Adkins, Dan Greenfield has asked me to compile a list of 13 other classic DC and Marvel treasuries that should—nay, need—similar deluxe treatment.

And while there are hundreds, if not thousands, of superb comics that would look great reprinted as treasury-sized hardcovers, I’m going to stick to just those books that were originally published at that glorious tabloid size — except for one, which we’ll lead off with:

13. Justice League of America #210-212: When A World Dies Screaming! This is my one exception to my treasuries-only rule for this list. But the reason I’m putting it here, aside from the fact that it’s a super widescreen, action-packed, planet-hopping story by Gerry Conway, Rich Buckler and Romeo Tanghal is that this three-parter was originally commissioned as a treasury edition! But by the time work on it was completed, DC had decided to scale back their all-original treasuries and the material was shelved for years, sitting in inventory until it was dusted off for three successive issues of the regular Justice League of America comic book series (I remember buying these comics off the stands, and wondering why newer members like Zatanna and Firestorm weren’t part of the fight against this massive alien invasion of Earth).

Once you know that it was planned as a treasury, you can see the moments where Rich Buckler was letting it rip, knowing how amazing it would be to see these pages at the treasury size. Alas, it was never to be. So DC could correct this mistake by reprinting it as a treasury, like it was meant to be.

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12. The Spectacular Spider-Man (Marvel Treasury Edition #1). I’m generally staying away from the all-reprint treasuries for this list, since that material has been reprinted elsewhere, in some cases many times. But Marvel knew for its first-ever treasury they had to do it right, and they did: This collection of classic Spidey tales makes for a great primer on the character, and it deserves a hardcover re-issue.

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11. Superman and His Incredible Fortress of Solitude (DC Special Series #26). One of the last Bronze Age DC treasuries, is this fun trip through Superman’s history, as exemplified by the artifacts found in his secret hideaway. As a doomsday clock ticks down, spelling the end of the planet, Superman tries to find clues to stop his adopted planet from blowing up. Roy Thomas, Ross Andru, and Romeo Tanghal deliver an Irwin Allen-style disaster epic that really makes good use of the extra-large page size.

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10. MGM’s Marvelous Wizard of Oz. The first publishing venture between DC and Marvel was this glorious adaptation of the iconic 1939 film, by Roy Thomas, John Buscema and Tony DeZuniga. With a film this enduringly popular, this would make a great keepsake edition for kids and adults alike.

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9. Dick Tracy (Limited Collectors’ Edition #C-40). OK, I admit I’m playing favorites with this one. A bomb when published, this was DC’s one and only attempt at a Dick Tracy comic book. Still, it’s a lot of fun, collecting the complete Flattop arc and featuring lots of cool bonus material.

Hey, if it’s good enough for the Clash’s Joe Strummer…

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8. Captain America’s Bicentennial Battles (Marvel Treasury Special). A treasury-sized, all-original Captain America story by Jack Kirby? Do I need to say more? (No.) (Dan adds: Marvel did release this one as a hardcover in 2021.)

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7. Batman (Limited Collector’s Edition #C-51). Aside from the fact that Dan Greenfield would no longer talk to me if I didn’t include this book on the list, the Neal Adams cover alone deserves to be on an oversize hardcover. In an age when reading an entire storyline spread over many issues was really hard if you happened to miss an installment (dang spotty newsstand distribution!), DC helpfully collected the best of the original Ra’s Al Ghul saga between a glorious wraparound cover. One of the company’s best. (Dan adds: This should have been #1. Just sayin’.)

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6. Superman and Spider-Man (Marvel Treasury Edition #28). Though not as viscerally exciting as their first team-up, this second meeting of the Man of Steel and the wall-crawler does feature appearances by Wonder Woman and the Hulk, plus it was drawn by Big John Buscema. Plus, wouldn’t that nifty painted cover by Bob Larkin look great on a hardcover?

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5. Savage Fists of Kung Fu (Special Collector’s Edition). With the MCU Shang-Chi movie coming down the pike, Marvel should reprint this fine collection of stories for a new audience. Since this book was, for some reason, given its own title (Special Collector’s Edition instead of being an issue of Marvel Treasury Edition), a lot of comics fans don’t even know Shang-Chi got his own treasury!

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4. Superman vs. Shazam! (All New Collectors’ Edition #C-58) A slam-bang, rip-roaring team-up by Gerry Conway, Rich Buckler and Dick Giordano. Why Superman was so angry in the 1970s, I can’t say, but you can enjoy the comic anyway! (UPDATED 12/29/20: This story IS being reprinted — but at standard size. Click here for info.)

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3. Star Wars (Marvel Special Edition #3). Marvel knew that putting its Star Wars comics in any format would sell, and they weren’t wrong. Originally published in the treasury format as a two-issue series, this edition combines both comics with some added material and a new front and back cover. Now that the House of Ideas has the Star Wars license in house again, this seems like a no-brainer.

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2. Batman vs. The Hulk (DC Special Series #27). Another classic DC and Marvel match-up, this time by Len Wein, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (him again!) and Dick Giordano. This was the last classic treasury DC would produce, and they sure went out on a winner. A facsimile edition of this would look great next to the #1 pick…

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1. Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man. Pretty much the ultimate treasury comic, this is the first time DC and Marvel paired two of their characters together. And of course the two companies knew this titanic tussle just couldn’t be in any old comic, it had to be big, big, BIG! Gerry Conway (him again!), Ross Andru and Dick Giordano brought their best, delivering a story worthy of these two iconic characters. If any treasury deserves a hardcover, it’s this one.

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So that’s my list! With Marvel releasing treasuries here and there nowadays (Silver Surfer: Black, Heroes of Power: The Women of Marvel), I hope these facsimile editions are DC’s way of getting back in the game, as well. As I try and make the case in every single episode of my show TreasuryCast, I still say treasuries are the greatest comics format ever devised, and there’s a lot of great material out there just waiting to be enjoyed all over again.

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Rob Kelly is a writer/artist/podcaster. He is the host/co-host of several shows on The Fire and Water Podcast Network, including Aquaman and Firestorm: The Fire and Water Podcast, The Power Records Podcast, Superman Movie Minute, Pod Dylan and, most importantly, TreasuryCast.

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MORE

— Classic BATMAN-RA’S AL GHUL TREASURY EDITION to Be Released As a Facsimile Edition — IN FULL SIZE. Click here.

— The Brilliant Majesty of the BATMAN-RA’S AL GHUL Treasury. Click here.