SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL VOLUME 8 ANNOUNCED!

Recently (which automatically dates this post but that’s how this game is played) DC released Superman: The Man of Steel Volume 7.  Volume 6 came out in 2008 so Volume 7 coming out in 2013 was a pretty big deal for me and other fans of this era.  The question soon became would there be a Volume 8?  Looks like from a solicitation standpoint that question was answered.

Volume 8 is up for pre-sale over at Amazon.

Notice that the image provided is listed as Not Final Cover, which makes a lot of sense.  I mean that’s a great cover but it doesn’t quite fit with the trade dress they have been using for these collections.  Anyone that knows me will not be surprised that I think they should stick with a Jerry Ordway cover.  In my heart of hearts I would like to see an original like Volumes 1-6 had but I would be okay with a re-purposed cover like they used on Volume 7.  According to the listing they are reprinting Adventures of Superman issues 439 and 440 in this trade, so those are two options.  439 has a pretty decent cover.

I did yank this from the Grand Comics Database because I haven’t scanned this one yet and at the moment I am not in a position to do that.  So credit where credit is due and all that.  I had to do the same with issue 440, which has a more dynamic cover.

Now that would make for a sharp cover.  The thing is they are reprinting Action Comics #600 and the “Clark has a thing for Wonder Woman” sub-plot which had been running since Superman (Vol. 2) #5 was finally paid off in that book.  Considering Superman and Wonder Woman are currently an item in the New 52 it would make sense to try and tie this trade into that story, which means this sort of art will more than likely appear on the cover.

Now I really like this bit of art.  It is very dynamic and would make for a fine cover but part of me wants them to stick with the Ordway theme.  Luckily there is some art that would fit that bill and like the two covers above I did use  Google to find this.

So if they were going with Superman and Wonder Woman kissing as a theme then this would work just fine.

The break down of the issues is interesting and once again I think DC has gone in the right direction.  Not only will you get the first appearance of Skyhook, Checkmate and the Post-Crisis Prankster but they’ve also included Superman (Vol. 2) #18, which is not only an amazing story involving Superman returning to Krypton but it is also the conclusion to the final story in Action Comics #600, so you don’t have to wait for the next trade to see how that story plays out.  I am curious if they will include the Bonus Book from Action Comics #599, which wasn’t all that memorable but would be interesting to see.  I am also curious if they are going to reprint every story from Action Comics #600.  I think they should but I can see them maybe cutting the Lois Lane story or the Lex Luthor/Maggie Sawyer confrontation though it would be a damn shame if they did because it was probably my favorite tale from that issue.

No matter what they decide I hope this trade goes through.  Sometimes they will solicit a trade but not publish it because pre-orders are so low.  I rarely do this but if you are thinking of buying this book please pre-order it now.  Use this link to head over to the Superman Homepage and use their store as they have a thing with Amazon.  So not only would you be supporting this book but that site as well.  I won’t make a dime off of it but I’ve been with the Homepage for over a decade now and they’ve been really good to me.

So this leads to another question; where could they go from here with the Superman: The Man of Steel trades?  Come back tomorrow and find out how I would break down the next few volumes in this line.

Or click on the link to go to the next page if you are reading this in the future.  Either way…To Be Continued.