More Bronze Age Justice League

 

DC is soliciting a Justice League of America: The Bronze Age Omnibus Volume 4 for October. This collects issues published in 1980-1982 and features the work of Conway and other writers, plus a host of artists, including George Perez. In here is the Conway/Perez Apokolips saga, which I think first moves Darkseid from being sort of a siloed menace in New Gods related titles (if we don't count his earliest appearance in Jimmy Olsen) to more of a general DC villain. There's also the Secret Society of Super-Villains three-parter from #195-197 that I really dug as a kid (and it holds up today).

I've seen discussion of this on YouTube that suggests this takes things right up to the Detroit Era omnibus, but if that solicitations are accurate, that's not correct. Issues 207-232 (1982-1984) are left uncollected, some of which are more Conway stories, and Justice League of America Annual #1. I don't know if that's enough for a volume 5, but maybe they could find other stuff to stick in there. Hopefully, they don't plan to leave it uncollected.

The Warlord Omnibus and Paper Stock

Though I've mentioned it before, I haven't talked about DC's Warlord by Mike Grell Omnibus Vol. 1 here since it came out, which is kind of a lapse given how many years I spent blogging about Warlord! 

Anyway, the first thing one notices about this omnibus is how much lighter it feels than most. Opening it, you can see why: it's on a different type of paper than most omnis. When it came out, there was a lot of discussion of it being "on newsprint" with some fans angry it wasn't on the glossy paper they were expecting, and others appreciating it being closer in appearance to the original issues. Well, it isn't on newsprint, but it is on a slightly off-white paper with a matte finish. I'm sure I've seen some trade paperbacks from DC on this sort of paper before.

Here's some images I snagged from reddit:

And here's a comparison with the interiors of an old issue. The omni is on the right:

Apparently, this new paper stock is the wave of the future for Bronze Age omnis at DC. According to Near Mint Condition, the Swamp Thing: Dark Genesis two-volume omnibus will be printed on a similar paper stock (with (re-)remastered color to match the original comics), and the solicitation for the new 2026 edition of the Kamandi by Jack Kirby Omnibus says it will be printed on "period appropriate paper."

I'm sure some fans don't like this paper, but I feel like it is truer to the original comics, so I think it's a step in a positive direction. I'd like to see Marvel do this, too.