I loved this series. It was my favorite comic of the ABC line. I had no idea people hated it until listening to this overview. The art was great and I loved how it was more light hearted than most comics while still telling a great story. I've ordered my copy and I look forward to reading this again.
I really like Tom Strong. I took it for what it was, Alan Moore trying to get back to the fun comics he remembered from his youth and as a reaction to the dark age of comics he had helped usher in with Watchmen. Also - in answer to your question - Providence is a bad Alan Moore comic.
Providence is a great comic with a very, very narrow audience. As a massive Lovecraft fan, it's possibly my favorite thing Moore has ever written. But I can't imagine it appealing to anyone who isn't extremely well-versed in both Lovecraft's life and works.
One of my favorite Alan Moore stories! I just ordered my copy this morning. I hate that they aren't releasing omnibuses for America's Best Comics. This is better than nothing, and I've been wanting to replace my single issues. It's just a bummer having to buy these flimsy softcovers.
I loved this book and I’m glad to finally have everything all collected in one edition. This is what comics should be about a fun enjoyable experience:) Chris spouse’s art work is just beautiful….
Now we need one final compendium to collect the rest of the america best comics books like Tommorow Stories amd Terra Obscura. And if DC is fine with reprinting older books in this style, maybe one day a WILDcats compendium.
Really enjoyed Tom STrong...captures the retro pulp wave that started with Batman Animated/DCAU and continued on afterwards with movies like The Incredibles.
I always liked what I read of this series. It was like a homage to the old pulp heroes like Doc Savage & Tarzan. It definitely goes on the to-buy list. What I would like to see a compendium of would be the Jose Luis Garcia Lopez/ Gerry Conway Atari Force series. That's probably tied up in copyright hell though.
Finally. I’ve been waiting for this for what feels like forever. I adore what I’ve read of this run. Though I’ve only read about a quarter of it. Two trades. Can’t wait to be able to finish it. Great job, as always.
my library has a bunch of the trades so i read them in the lead up to thise release. Honestly, it's the most fun Alan Moore ever is. Like, He regularly makes phenomenal work but when is he ever FUN?? This and 10 Ten, I feel like he's having fun with genre. Just solid fucking comics. Hope to pick this up soon. Thanks!
It's so disappointing to see amazing stuff like "Top 10" and "Tom Strong" not be given the deluxe HC treatment. Especially "Top 10" which has such amazing art that should be appreciated in the best quality possible. I am NOT onboard with this recent compendium wave at all. It just seems cheap to me.
For that matter, it's maddening that we're being forced to act like giant unwieldly TPBs and omnibus are a normal thing now. A hardcover that's 1.5K pages? A paperback that's 900 pages? No!! Get it together, FFS.
@@anthonyparkinson4517 It did, years ago, very expensive, and has been out of print for a decade now. "All-Star Superman" got an Absolute edition and was recently rereleased as a Deluxe Edition HC. I was hoping they'd do the same for "Top 10", but instead we got a flimsy compendium TPB.
Loved Tom Strong when it originally came out;, a smart, fun update of the classic pulp adventure hero genre. I still have the HCs so I don't need this softcover.
I'll be picking this up, I very much enjoyed the issues early in the run I read and have never gotten through the whole lot. BTW I saw this in a UK comic shop over two weeks ago, so it looks to have been out for a bit. As for maybe not being Moore's best, I would disagree with that one and also add that Moore has a well known love of silver age comics, plus this is no different (from the issues I've read) to his excellent Superman stories he wrote (in tone), which are some of the best ever of the character.
The two-part Michael Moorcock story was great for me because they featured two characters that Moorcock created: Sir Seaton Begg, a metatemporal detective, and Count Zodiac, a distant relative and archenemy.
There was this series back in the 90's called Adventures in the DC Universe that was stories done in the Bruce Timm animated style, and they showcased characters outside of just Batman & Superman. It predates the Justice League cartoon, and to my knowledge has never been collected in trade form. It's 19 issues and an Annual so it would make for a neat compendium. I own all the issues, but having it on the shelf would be nice.
Apologies for going off topic, but is there ANY chance of DC FINALLY releasing (from purgatory I guess) the Phantom Stranger Omnibus? In regards to your video, I never knew anything about Tom Strong. And now I do. I might even pick this compendium up. Thanks again for all you do.
@@mattpen No negativity towards your fine self, but DC have been saying that ( or close to that date) for the last 3 years. Have you any “inside baseball” for that date?
I like the idea of getting these books out at a reasonable price. I do wish that these books were hardcovers, but at the same time they put hardcovers on the Invincible compendiums and they are too expensive.
I loved this series! It’s a shame DC never released the third volume of the oversized hardcover. I have the first two and it would have been great to have the whole series in that format. I’m glad this compendium is being released so it’ll bring more attention back to the character.
My copy of Sandman Mystery Theatre had the same build as this and frankly it's terrible. Pages warped and flopping all over the place. If this were a hardcover it would be a must-by but as it is I'll pass. I feel like when physical is competing with the digital experience some more effort needs to be put into the construction or the price needs to be made a lot more budget friendly!
I'm glad DC is making this material available but hate the lack of quality we are getting them with these half-arse compendiums. This material deserves the top notch treatment when it comes to collecting them. I think this era of Moore's work began with the brilliant and still incomplete 1963 series from Image which Moore carried over to his Supreme run before making his masterpiece America's Best Comics series.
Yeah you nailed it I love a lot of the books they've been releasing, like this and Sandman Mystery Theater, and it does make it more affordable, but these are such oddball choices its like do i wait and see if they do a hardcover later? But its so niche and unknown i feel like if everyone whos interested isnt picking up the softcovers, itll never be a big enough blip for them to notice a demand for an upgraded reprint. But then if they do you got two volumes and one might be falling apart paperback which basically means good luck recouping costs off it. Oh the fun stuff of collecting 🤣🙃
They already made the absolute. So the premium editions thing has already been done for this series. They could go back and reprint the absolutes again at a future point, that point just doesn't happen to be right now. Some people want to read content and they're not interested in paying top dollar for it. I don't know why there's this attitude where people are railing at a publisher wanting to get material out there that doesn't cost $150 cover price.
I am so excited this release finally happened. My only complaint is I wish the cover stock on compendiums were a touch heavier weight especially at $60.
It's annoying the two deluxe oversized hardcovers weren't finished off with a third, instead they abandoned it but looking at this woefully substandard compendium they're still the best way to collect this fine series. Finish off the run with the standard size hardcovers/softcovers rather than this poor quality compendium.
If Alan Moore fans were dissapointed by this series than it's something I definitely need to check out 😂 since I was dissapointed by almost every other one of his other series 😅 although that was maybe because they were all so hyped up...
How can it be that hated if it ran for several years and spawned spin-offs? I liked it quite a bit, though the anthology Tomorrow Stories was my favorite of the ABC line, specifically Greyshirt and Jack B Quick.
The idiots who lambasted Tom Strong are myopic fools who want to pigeon hole Moore as a horror writer. Tom Strong is a great pulpy tribute to 40s Doc Savage and blended with some 60s Silver Age elements to make it a fun engaging genre defying tribute to the heroic ideal. Should've been an Omni. Best way to enjoy this series is the 2 Tom Strong OHC.
If DC are not gonna make Superman omnis than please let them start making compendiums. Starting after death and return of Superman. There’s so many great stories that should be collected.
I've learnt to skip the first six minutes or so of waffle in every vid as I would rather know what the book is about instead of being told about the quality of the glue used in its manufacture.
Probably one of my top 10 comics of all time.
That's funny because Top Ten is one of my Top Ten comics of all time.
@@Mr_Rob_otto Actually, they're *both* among America's best comics...
@@KenLiecklol 😂
I loved this series. It was my favorite comic of the ABC line. I had no idea people hated it until listening to this overview. The art was great and I loved how it was more light hearted than most comics while still telling a great story. I've ordered my copy and I look forward to reading this again.
I really like Tom Strong. I took it for what it was, Alan Moore trying to get back to the fun comics he remembered from his youth and as a reaction to the dark age of comics he had helped usher in with Watchmen. Also - in answer to your question - Providence is a bad Alan Moore comic.
I don't think Providence is bad as much obtusely dense and specific. Now Neonomicon, that is BAD.
@@jearl75290 Fair. It was the density of it that was lessening my reading enjoyment. Although I didn't really love the subject matter either.
I think Providence is the pinnacle of his career. It’s a masterpiece
Providence is a great comic with a very, very narrow audience. As a massive Lovecraft fan, it's possibly my favorite thing Moore has ever written. But I can't imagine it appealing to anyone who isn't extremely well-versed in both Lovecraft's life and works.
PROVIDENCE IS BAD!!! ARE YOU INSANE!! IT"S FUCKING BRILLIANT.
I think Black Label has become their Mature Readers line. If something is appropriate for a younger audience they will publish it under Vanilla DC.
It's the new vertigo essentially
Nice overview, Omar! I understand about the soft cover compendiums not standing perfectly, unless we spread the pages.
HC omnibus or nothing! :) I love this series. Alan Moore does not need to always be gritty, adult and depressing.
I loved it. Tons of imagination. Great energy coming from this book.
One of my favorite Alan Moore stories! I just ordered my copy this morning. I hate that they aren't releasing omnibuses for America's Best Comics. This is better than nothing, and I've been wanting to replace my single issues. It's just a bummer having to buy these flimsy softcovers.
I’m in love with this format. I will definitely buy this. Maybe they make the initial compendiums strong but over time they make them more cheaply…
From what you tell, this may be like Kirby and Lee's Fantastic Four, and boy do I love these kind of stories. You convinced me.
I loved this book and I’m glad to finally have everything all collected in one edition. This is what comics should be about a fun enjoyable experience:) Chris spouse’s art work is just beautiful….
definitely one of my favorite runs of all time. Probably my favorite Alan Moore, and the most accessible
Love so much the Legend of Zelda soundtrack on the background!
Now we need one final compendium to collect the rest of the america best comics books like Tommorow Stories amd Terra Obscura.
And if DC is fine with reprinting older books in this style, maybe one day a WILDcats compendium.
Really enjoyed Tom STrong...captures the retro pulp wave that started with Batman Animated/DCAU and continued on afterwards with movies like The Incredibles.
I always liked what I read of this series. It was like a homage to the old pulp heroes like Doc Savage & Tarzan. It definitely goes on the to-buy list. What I would like to see a compendium of would be the Jose Luis Garcia Lopez/ Gerry Conway Atari Force series. That's probably tied up in copyright hell though.
Where is the 3rd deluxe edition?
Grateful for the review! Was thinking about picking this up, and this video has definitely helped inform my decision!
Finally. I’ve been waiting for this for what feels like forever. I adore what I’ve read of this run. Though I’ve only read about a quarter of it. Two trades. Can’t wait to be able to finish it.
Great job, as always.
my library has a bunch of the trades so i read them in the lead up to thise release. Honestly, it's the most fun Alan Moore ever is. Like, He regularly makes phenomenal work but when is he ever FUN?? This and 10 Ten, I feel like he's having fun with genre. Just solid fucking comics. Hope to pick this up soon. Thanks!
I'd love to get this, but Omnis and OHCs have now ruined me for TPBs!
Really wanting an absolute or omnibus vol 1 and 2 including it all
It's so disappointing to see amazing stuff like "Top 10" and "Tom Strong" not be given the deluxe HC treatment. Especially "Top 10" which has such amazing art that should be appreciated in the best quality possible. I am NOT onboard with this recent compendium wave at all. It just seems cheap to me.
For that matter, it's maddening that we're being forced to act like giant unwieldly TPBs and omnibus are a normal thing now. A hardcover that's 1.5K pages? A paperback that's 900 pages? No!! Get it together, FFS.
I'm 100% in agreement brother
Huh? Top 10 got the Absolute treatment.
@@anthonyparkinson4517 It did, years ago, very expensive, and has been out of print for a decade now. "All-Star Superman" got an Absolute edition and was recently rereleased as a Deluxe Edition HC. I was hoping they'd do the same for "Top 10", but instead we got a flimsy compendium TPB.
Loved Tom Strong when it originally came out;, a smart, fun update of the classic pulp adventure hero genre. I still have the HCs so I don't need this softcover.
I'll be picking this up, I very much enjoyed the issues early in the run I read and have never gotten through the whole lot. BTW I saw this in a UK comic shop over two weeks ago, so it looks to have been out for a bit. As for maybe not being Moore's best, I would disagree with that one and also add that Moore has a well known love of silver age comics, plus this is no different (from the issues I've read) to his excellent Superman stories he wrote (in tone), which are some of the best ever of the character.
The two-part Michael Moorcock story was great for me because they featured two characters that Moorcock created: Sir Seaton Begg, a metatemporal detective, and Count Zodiac, a distant relative and archenemy.
There was this series back in the 90's called Adventures in the DC Universe that was stories done in the Bruce Timm animated style, and they showcased characters outside of just Batman & Superman. It predates the Justice League cartoon, and to my knowledge has never been collected in trade form. It's 19 issues and an Annual so it would make for a neat compendium. I own all the issues, but having it on the shelf would be nice.
You sold me on the Sandman mystery theater book and now this one
Will they make a Promethea Compendium?
Thanks, Omar. A great series, a long time coming, but... release an omnibus, cowards! It's deserving of that treatment.
Apologies for going off topic, but is there ANY chance of DC FINALLY releasing (from purgatory I guess) the Phantom Stranger Omnibus?
In regards to your video, I never knew anything about Tom Strong. And now I do. I might even pick this compendium up.
Thanks again for all you do.
August 22
@@mattpen No negativity towards your fine self, but DC have been saying that ( or close to that date) for the last 3 years. Have you any “inside baseball” for that date?
just ordered mine cant wait to read it
I would also love to get Moore's Supreme and Wild Cats runs collected!
There ara tpbs of his wildc.a.t.s run! There's 2 Supreme tpbs but they're printed by Checker and they're notoriously badly done
@@karlosn5579 I know, but those tpbs are selling for crazy $!
More like Tom Flimsy?
I like the idea of getting these books out at a reasonable price. I do wish that these books were hardcovers, but at the same time they put hardcovers on the Invincible compendiums and they are too expensive.
I loved this series! It’s a shame DC never released the third volume of the oversized hardcover. I have the first two and it would have been great to have the whole series in that format. I’m glad this compendium is being released so it’ll bring more attention back to the character.
It is the first time that I've heard about this guy. Looks nice.
My copy of Sandman Mystery Theatre had the same build as this and frankly it's terrible. Pages warped and flopping all over the place. If this were a hardcover it would be a must-by but as it is I'll pass.
I feel like when physical is competing with the digital experience some more effort needs to be put into the construction or the price needs to be made a lot more budget friendly!
I liked Tom Strong back in the day it was coming out
Softcover? For this story? And for Top 10... someone need to be fired at the company.
I'm glad DC is making this material available but hate the lack of quality we are getting them with these half-arse compendiums. This material deserves the top notch treatment when it comes to collecting them. I think this era of Moore's work began with the brilliant and still incomplete 1963 series from Image which Moore carried over to his Supreme run before making his masterpiece America's Best Comics series.
Yeah you nailed it
I love a lot of the books they've been releasing, like this and Sandman Mystery Theater, and it does make it more affordable, but these are such oddball choices its like do i wait and see if they do a hardcover later? But its so niche and unknown i feel like if everyone whos interested isnt picking up the softcovers, itll never be a big enough blip for them to notice a demand for an upgraded reprint. But then if they do you got two volumes and one might be falling apart paperback which basically means good luck recouping costs off it. Oh the fun stuff of collecting 🤣🙃
They already made the absolute. So the premium editions thing has already been done for this series. They could go back and reprint the absolutes again at a future point, that point just doesn't happen to be right now.
Some people want to read content and they're not interested in paying top dollar for it.
I don't know why there's this attitude where people are railing at a publisher wanting to get material out there that doesn't cost $150 cover price.
I am so excited this release finally happened. My only complaint is I wish the cover stock on compendiums were a touch heavier weight especially at $60.
It's annoying the two deluxe oversized hardcovers weren't finished off with a third, instead they abandoned it but looking at this woefully substandard compendium they're still the best way to collect this fine series. Finish off the run with the standard size hardcovers/softcovers rather than this poor quality compendium.
Is the paper stock matte instead of glossy? Is that why it’s flimsy?
Tom Strong is probably one of Alan's more purely fun comics.
I will try to get this glad it’s coming out
Shade the Changing Man - In an collected form
Agreed, either a couple of Compendiums or omnibuses!
A pair of Omnibus of Shade are much, much needed. Years and years uncollected!!
just got mine today it's great
If Alan Moore fans were dissapointed by this series than it's something I definitely need to check out 😂 since I was dissapointed by almost every other one of his other series 😅 although that was maybe because they were all so hyped up...
Is it just a crazy flex to keep using the Spider-Man 2099 Omni for size comparisons or is that actually out now?
It comes out next week.
Isn't this the Alan Moore version of "Doc Savage"?
I hear Zelda in the background:)
How can it be that hated if it ran for several years and spawned spin-offs? I liked it quite a bit, though the anthology Tomorrow Stories was my favorite of the ABC line, specifically Greyshirt and Jack B Quick.
This needed a hard cover.
Certainly seems a lot more optimistic than the balance of his bibliography
Oh interesting!
Great comic!
Anyone who says this is his worst comic has never read his stuff by Avatar press or his run on wildcats. Just sayin.
The idiots who lambasted Tom Strong are myopic fools who want to pigeon hole Moore as a horror writer. Tom Strong is a great pulpy tribute to 40s Doc Savage and blended with some 60s Silver Age elements to make it a fun engaging genre defying tribute to the heroic ideal. Should've been an Omni. Best way to enjoy this series is the 2 Tom Strong OHC.
I actually prefer Tom Strong to much of Moore’s work. Mostly because it is different for the darker stuff.
I hope we get another compendium with all the mini series (And of Promethea, why not)
Just think, DC could be putting all this time and money into making more Omnis instead of these massive trades, but oh well.
Why don't they do hardcover. I hate that.
No omnibus, no thanks DC...😅
We don't all collect omnis though....
Stories are great but worst paper quality I have ever seen😢
If DC are not gonna make Superman omnis than please let them start making compendiums. Starting after death and return of Superman. There’s so many great stories that should be collected.
Hopefully we see a Promethea Compendium someday too!
I've learnt to skip the first six minutes or so of waffle in every vid as I would rather know what the book is about instead of being told about the quality of the glue used in its manufacture.
Thanks for watching. Everyone wants something different .
Flexing with Spider-man 2099 omni
You mispronounced Strong.
I didn't like it. Stories were too simplistic.