Because it's incomplete? There was an 80 page annual, plus 1963 1/2 was advertised but never came to be.

The series sold like crap, I know, but like you pointed out in your Marvel example, even crap-selling series get collected. Particularly if it’s a crap-selling series that happens to have a high-profile writer with a current gig from the company.

Is Tad Williams a high profile writer? I've never heard of him/her

stealthwise: your big crisis-style crossover is called Countdown.

Good gravy.

The series sold like crap, I know, but like you pointed out in your Marvel example, even crap-selling series get collected. Particularly if it's a crap-selling series that happens to have a high-profile writer with a current gig from the company.

Maybe I'm only bothered by this because I work at a bookstore, but I would like to able to make a display of novelists-turned-comickers with that title on it.

It's funny that people keep saying "If Mark Waid wants to blah blah blah" sense Mark Waid's the one who inevitably makes whatever multiversal concept unworkable. It's who has to have Kingdom Come show up everywhere and "be real", it was him who took the basic Hypertime idea and say "If someone sticks around too long in a different world, that messes up history", heck, he's been involved in all 3 LSH continuity reboots!!

As bad of an idea as that is, it'll never happen. I believe any further use of those characters by DC must be signed off on by Moore & Gibbons, thus why the action figures were cancelled.

With Mike Nelson as the series protagonist.

As for the multiverse thing, I think that DC realized they completely tossed out the baby with the bathwater and are making strides to capitalize on a pretty cool concept, which is why we'll probably see a big Crisis style crossover before you can say "Giffen drew a penis on Lobo's arm!"

The universe itself might exist - but I'm pretty sure every character from it is dead now, so it might be a little empty
(Is Blue Jay still alive? I've forgotten)

I agree with you to a point about the Multiverse- I will never understand why DC needs to make segmented alternate realities such a big part of their stories either- but this is an area where I think a lot of people just block out something that ruins their argument.

If Mark Waid wants to write an alternate Batman story without worrying which part of the multiverse it fits into, he can. It's called Elseworlds, and DC's been doing it for a really long time now. They've been bringing out the DCAU books ever since B:TAS started, too, which I guess counts as an 'uncategorised' alternate reality.

All DC comics between 197(8?) and 199(7?) are governed by different (and much higher than usual) royalty rates.

That is why few books are reprinted from then. They have to be such clear good sellers as to make it worth it (Miller’s stuff, the first Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League trade, Cosmic Odyssey, etc.), and not many books fit that criteria.

So THIS is what is keeping the original Amethyst Princess of Gemworld maxi-series stuck in a back issue box and not being reprinted in trade paperback (and digest form for today's fantasy obsessed pre-teen crowd)!?

I must go and do a lot of forlorn sighing.

Graeme

Image can only reprint what the owners of the property want to reprint. It usually comes out ofthe creators own pocket (they get most of profits though).

1963 I think the problem is Steven bissette and Alan Moore two of the owners of 1963 are not on speaking terms right now. Otherwise I'm sure Top Shelf or somebody would be reprinting it.

"I guess there’s some audience for everything, but I didn’t think *anybody* wanted to be reminded of that. (I believe they also never collected “Spawn/WildC.A.T.s”, though I have seen a trade for “Spawn: Blood Feud”; fans can argue forever over which of these three is the single worst Alan Moore thing ever.) They also promised a ‘Youngblood’ trade with Moore’s stuff.
The annoying thing about Image Moore trades is that they are incomplete; ‘Blood Feud’ is missing an 8 page prequel story, ‘Judgement Day’ is missing a lot of little stuff, and they never collected his story from ‘WildC.A.T.s’ #50; my understanding is, there are several places that could’ve fit."

Wildstorm is putting out a trade this month of his various Wildstorm storm stuff plus a trade of his WildCATs run that's out in a month or two.

A lot of that stuff ranges from good to mediocre.

http://www.amazon.com/Alan-Moore-Wild-Worlds/dp/1401213790/ref=sr_1_1/002-9849568-0229628?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1178758127&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Alan-Moore-Complete-WildC-Wildcats/dp/1401215459/ref=sr_1_2/002-9849568-0229628?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1178758192&sr=8-2

But at least I can count on DC to put out a brand new ultimate essential vital masterwork masterpiece director's cut this time we really mean it at least until next year collection of Neil Gaiman's Sandman again this year.

And where's the Herbie the Fat Fury trade, anyway?

I know it's basically a matter of the creator getting less money versus NO money at all, but I would still imagine a good deal of creators would be hesitant to sign such an agreement.