I found my copy of The Sandman: Endless Nights yesterday, which will apparently be ten years old next year. I remember having pre-ordered it several months in advance. After a wait that seemed unendurable, I finally picked it up, opened it with no lack of ritual, read it once and then again and again. I kept buying comics after that, but it was the beginning of the end of a serious comic-buying habit that began around 1990.
As much as I enjoyed reading Neil Gaiman, however, it was really Grant Morrison who was my favorite back then. His run on Doom Patrol was my introduction to (the Brotherhood of) Dada and pretty much soured me on most superhero comics that were, well, normal. Later, when Flex Mentallo: Man Of Muscle Mystery came out, I bought that and felt it was an even better way of introducing people to Morrison’s work.
Now comes news of a Deluxe Edition of Flex Mentallo, of which Morrison himself says, “I was really happy to see it. And Pete Doherty has done such a great job on the new coloring. It’s like a whole new book.” I’m certainly going to buy it, but I don’t think I’ll forget about my single-issue copies. The new coloring isn’t without controversy, as can be seen here and here. Still, it’s Flex Mentallo, and it would be nice to revisit it with a little more serious analysis than I’ve given it myself so far. I’m hoping it’ll be cheaper than the 1500-page The Invisibles Omnibus, which I also want unfortunately.
Here’s what I don’t want though: Archie Meets KISS (preview here). If I want an outrageous pairing of Archie and something else, it would have to be the now-iconic Archie Meets The Punisher. That was hilarious.
Editions Of You 