This is the write-up of the book that appeared in The Amazing World of DC Comics #9. It mentions this being "probably the finest single comics magazine ever done." That line got used a lot in reference to the treasuries, but in this case it just might be right!

To a comics fan in the 1970s, probably the most exciting comic book ever produced. The first time superheroes from DC and Marvel met.

By Gerry Conway, Ross Andru, Dick Giordano, and lots others, this was the battle to end all battles! Who would win?

Well...obviously, Superman would win. Spidey-Sense is nice and all, but Supes could microwave Spidey's insides from another continent. So smartly, the creators of this book kept the "vs." part of the book pretty minor, before they get into the let's-team-up-and-defeat-the-villains part (Lex Luthor and Dr.Octopus--what a great pair: "You're fat!" "At least I'm not bald!").

This remains a real classic of superhero comics. It has a good sense of humor, the plot is huge enough to warrant the first-ever DC-Marvel crossover, and Ross Andru was the perfect guy to handle this tale. His crazy, off-kilter layouts were perfect for the non-gravity-bound Superman and Spider-Man.

And what a cover! The book comes with a evolution-of-a-cover page, and you can see it was worth all the effort. This is a really beautifully executed cover and book. The first DC-Marvel crossover, and still the best.

96 thrill-packed pages!

Rollover the cover image to see the back cover!

Bonus! Courtesy Treasury Hunter TJ Ligammare are photos of a signed and numbered limited edition of Superman Vs. Spider-Man, autographed by DC and Marvel head-honchos Carmine Infantino and Stan Lee.

According to the Overstreet guide, this edition was numbered and limited to 5000 copies, but TJ says he can find no number anywhere on this book. Anyone else have a copy of this?

The most awesome treasury cover ever. No one puts Alex Toth in the corner! (Even if Superman's face was touched-up by Murphy Anderson--move over Supes' S-shield to see Alex's original rendition of the Man of Steel. Thanks to Craig W. for the scan)

DC was really hitting on all cylinders now---to do this one right after the Dick Tracy one, and only a few after the Batman one--wow. Forget the 1940s--this was the Golden Age of Comics!

Inside a really fun wrap-around story drawn by Toth starring the Super Friends, this book contains the JLA stories: "Operation: Jail the Justice League!" and "The Case of the Disabled Justice League", two of the best of the early JLA stories.

Also has an 11-page article, written and drawn by Toth, about the animation business. How does he fit all that writing in so perfectly? Ends with a pin-up of the Super Friends sending their Best Wishes...what more could anyone ask for?

Oh, by the way...nice to see Aquaman finally make a friggin' appearance in a DC treasury! All us Aquaman fans (all seven of us) have to thank our respective gods he made it into the Super Friends!

68 pages.

Alex Toth, master artist, passed away on May 28th of this year. There are literally dozens of excellently written obituaries on him online, and I won't try to equal them here. Suffice it to say, Alex Toth's work was a true inspiration to me--his was one of the first artists whose style I recognized and wanted to copy (never quite pulled that off). He was a giant in the field, and he will be sorely missed.

At left is a detail from the pre-colored version of the Super Friends cover, from The Amazing World of DC Comics #7.

Clearly, along with Superman's face, his S-shield was deemed too Toth-ish, so it, too, was re-drawn, but not at the same time, since the Murphy Anderson Superman-face is already in place, but the S-shield is not.

Courtesy Treasury Hunter Alex Johnson comes a shot of the original art to this cover, along with an aside from the artist himself("Forgive the editorial surgery"). Click the graphic see it!

The piece is currently part of the collection of one David Mandel who is displaying it on Comic Art Fans, the lucky S.O.B.!

I am running out of things to say about these Rudolph books, even though I know I have many, many more to go. Nevertheless, this is a fun book for kids!

Features multiple stories, plus games, puzzles, and a pin-up. If Rudolph was so damn popular, why didn't he join the JLA or something?

68 pages.

Rollover the cover image to see the back cover!

Courtesy Treasury Hunter and Sheldon Mayer Collector Extraordinaire Alex Johnson is an original cover drawing by Mayer: "Always a meticulous artist, Sheldon Mayer penciled this alternate, preliminary design for the cover to Limited Collector's Edition #C-42. The final version featured the rest of Santa's reindeer crew, and the Santa figure was drawn much smaller in the printed cover than in this scene." Click the graphic to see it, and, as always, thanks Alex!

It's that time of year again! Supes does the hevay-lifting for the reindeer this year (Rudolph must be tired, starring in all those other treasuries).

Stories include the untitled Supes-Meets-Santa, "The Silent Night of the Batman", "Night Prowler" (from House of Mystery), an untitled Wonder Woman story, "Santa Fronts For the Mob" (Sandman), plus "Sing-Along with the Superheroes", puzzles, games, and "Season's Greetings from the DC Editors"! Ever want Murray Boltinoff to wish you a happy holiday season? Well, here's your chance...

Art by, among others, Neal Adams, Bernie Wrightson, Simon & Kirby, and H.G. Peter.

68 pages.

This really interesting tidbit from Treasury Hunter Mark Perez: "Did you notice that the ad for C-43 Christmas with the Super Heroes has Capt. Marvel Jr. riding on the back of the sleigh, but the actual issue did not? This was because the page counts dropped. The story eventually was reprinted in Best of DC Digest 22, another edition of...Christmas with the Super Heroes."

Mark is right! Rollover the cover at left to see the original cover art!

One of the most famous Batman stock images adorns this fine collection of stories: "Castle With Wall-to-Wall Danger", "Trademarks of Crime", "The Deep-Sea Diver Mystery", "Paint a Picture of Peril", plus a schematic of the Wayne Foundation building, and some classic Batman pin-ups.

Art by Carmine Infantino, Dick Sprang, and Neal Adams. Cover penciling by Infantino and painting by Wally Fax(not John Wells, as was previously stated; see below). According to the great book Batman: Cover To Cover, this painting hung in the DC offices' reception area for years before being used as this cover.

68 pages.

Rollover the cover image to see the back cover!

This cover painting was used again on DC Blue Ribbon Digest #2.

Update! Even though DC themselves credit the painting to John Wells(in their Batman: Cover to Cover book), Treasury Hunter Waren Prindle told me it was, in fact, painted by Wally Fax.

How does he know this? Well, as Warren told me:"The reason I am sure about this is I witnessed it being painted in Fax's studio in CT when I was a teenager. (I was a budding artist who would hang out in Fax's studio). Fax attended the Art Students League, and was friends with Joe Orlando. Although Fax's main work was as a paperback book cover artist (Romance, Gothic, Westerns), he got periodic work from DC through Orlando."

Duly corrected, thanks Warren!

DMore villain origins, and yet Aquaman is still a no-show. *Sigh*

Anyway, the stories: "The Secret Life of the Catwoman", "The Master of Mirrors", "The Ghost of Jor-El" (a Mxyzptlk story), and "Wonder Woman and the Cheetah."

Also has a double-page spread of super-villain "wanted" posters, which features Captain Boomerang, Vandal Savage, Scarecrow, Matter Master, The Shark, Bizarro, Penguin, Solomon Grundy, Giganta, Grodd, Brainiac, Two-Face, Felix Faust, Queen Bee, The Top, Pied Piper, Sonar, and Kanjar Ro. Who's missing from this list? Howabout a freakin' Aquaman villain? They've got space for losers like Sonar and the Shark (who you'd think would be an Aquaman villain!), but not the bad-ass Black Manta? Where's the justice?

I've gotten a bit off-topic, and I apologize. Anyway, this has a fun cover, again by Dick Giordano.

68 pages.

Rollover the cover image to see the back cover!

Another all-time classic treasury--look at that cover! If you wanted an exciting, eye-catching, multiple-hero cover, Dick Giordano was your man.

A book made up of classic JLA tales, "Decoy Missions of the Justice League" and "The Deadly Crimes of Dr.Destiny."

Also has some really cool Super Friends model sheets by Alex Toth, and a JLA pin-up (Party at the JLA satellite! Even that weirdo Phantom Stranger is invited!).

Neat mirror-image back cover of the JSA, also by Giordano.

68 pages.

Rollover the image to see this book's back cover!

Bonus! Click here to see the double-page JLA pin-up from this book!

The most awesomest back cover ever--a history of the US presidents! I learned who the presidents were from this cover more than any history class. ...Oh, I guess I should mention the front cover and the insides, shouldn't I?

The front cover re-uses a classic Superman cover by Fred Ray. That original appears in the new book Superman Cover to Cover as an example one of the finest Superman comic covers.

This book is a bit of a cheat--great front cover, but the insides are all reprints of DC's Tomahawk series. (and not even those cool Tomahawk issues by Frank Thorne with the Kubert/Adams' covers! *Yawn*)

Sorry, I don't mean malign the fine efforts of the writers and artists who crafted all those years of Tomahawk comics. Its just that, if you're gonna call the book Superman Salutes the Bicentennial, it's gotta be Superman doing the saluting.

Rollover the image to see this book's back cover!

Another classic treasury--Superman vs. The Flash! Collecting the two (at that point) races, "Superman's Race with The Flash", and "The Race to the End of the Universe." Who wins, you ask? Buy the book and find out for yourself!

Also features a 6-page tour through the Fortress, courtesy Superman (and Neal Adams), and a page of "Flash Facts", all about distance and speed (appropriate).

Art by Curt Swan and Ross Andru. I had originally thought the cover was by Nick Cardy, but Treasury Hunter Kevin Nowlan informs me it was by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez and Bob Oksner. Thanks, Kevin!

By the way...Wonder Woman rooting for Flash? Surprising.

68 pages.

Rollover the cover image to see the back cover!

The Legion finally earns it's own treasury comic! Stories include "Mordru the Merciless" and "The Devil's Jury" (insert OJ joke here), plus a schematic of the Legion Clubhouse, and a 2-page spread of the wedding of Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel (insert sleazy honeymoon joke here).

The wedding was attended by all of the Legion, 'natch, plus the Martian Manhunter (?), and Tars Tarkas (maybe they carpooled). Story art by Curt Swan and Jack Abel.

Why is this book stamped Joe Kubert School Library? I...uh..good question! Let's move on.

68 pages.

Rollover the cover image to see the back cover!

"Kids can't get enough Rudolph."--Carmine Infantino, 1976.

All-new stories, plus lots of puzzles and games! Merry Christmas!

Oh, and inflation finally hits the treasuries--LCE goes from $1.00 to $2.00 with this issue--a 100% price increase. Ouch! Let's all try to Whip Inflation Now! Also, DC traded in its old-timey logo for the (now-defunct) "DC Bullet."

The times, they are a-changin'.

68 pages.

Rollover the cover image to see the back cover!

Awesome, no other word for it. The first Ra's Al Ghul saga, by Denny O'Neil, Neal Adams, Dick Giordano, and Irv Novick.

Reprinted from Batman #s 232, 242-244, this is one of the finest Batman stories ever done--and DC knew it, too. This issue has an inside cover frontspiece by Jenette Khan about how classic this story arc was. Stories: "Daughter of the Demon", "Bruce Wayne--Rest in Peace", "The Lazarus Pit", and "The Demon Lives Again!" No need for puzzles or games this time.

On top of all that, Adams whipped up an all-new, totally gripping cover! Classic.

84 pages.

Rollover to see this book's back cover!

I remember buying this comic right off the stands in 1977--the Woolworths in (I think) the Nashaminy Mall, when my dad took my sister and I out for a movie.

Overtime, I lost the original copy of it (how the hell did I let that happen?). Years later, while sitting in class first year at Kubert School, we started talking about comics we had as a kid. I mentioned this book, and how I didn't have it anymore.

The next day, one of my classmates, an annoyingly talented guy named Eric Lund, handed me this copy. He had one from when he was a kid, and for some reason he saw fit to give it to me. To this day, that small act of generosity still moves me. I lost touch with him after school ended, so, if he ends up somehow reading this--Eric, thanks again.

Needless to say, there is some great material here--Neal Adams, Jim Aparo, Alex Toth, Joe Kubert! Stories include "Night of the Reaper", "The Demon Within", "Doorway Into the Unknown", "Dirty Job", "Firehair", and "The Last Days of Superman." Best of DC, indeed!

In particular, "The Demon Within", by Joe Orlando, John Albano, and Jim Aparo, still creeps me out. It's about a little boy who can change shape at will, and how his upwardly-mobile parents choose to deal with it. A very unsettling story, told with efficient clarity by Aparo(and the other stories aren't exactly slouches, either!).

84 pages.

Rollover to see this book's back cover!

DC started using all-new material for this book, so they changed the title to All-New Collectors' Edition with this issue. Once in a while they went back to reprints, and the old title, but pretty much from here on in it was all-new material.

You gotta say, Rudolph was enduringly popular. Maybe since the stories were by Sheldon Mayer, who was a superb writer and artist, and creator of Sugar & Spike.

All-new stories, puzzles, games, and a giant pin-up!

Interesting fact: as you can see by clicking the print ad for this book (below), the original cover to this book has a completely dark sky, as opposed to the light blue they eventually went with.

68 pages.

Rollover the cover image to see the back cover!

Courtesy Treasury Hunter Alex Johnson is a(slightly) alternate version of this cover by Sheldon Mayer! As Alex explains:"This Yuletide scene was drawn in ink for publication, and later hand-colored with watercolor by Mayer. The image area is 12" x 15". The paper was trimmed right to the top edge of the image, and the other borders were trimmed irregularly outside of the image area; otherwise the art is in excellent condition. A sensational show-stopper for a Sheldon Mayer enthusiast!

However, if your eyes are good, you can see minor discrepancies between the published cover and the artwork. A simple example is the height of the tallest package in the pack. I think it is a Sheldon Mayer watercolor over an inked drawing, but it's not quite the original art for the cover."

Update! Alex came through once again, and has now provided us with a scan of the original back cover art by Sheldon Mayer, as well! Thanks again Alex! Click the graphic to see both!

The first of the Superman title fights. All-new, by Gerry Conway and Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, one of the finest artists comics has ever had.

Must have been tough writing and drawing this story, if for no other reason than you couldn't really let Supes go full-tilt on Diana. Sure, she's nearly as strong as he is, but only nearly. Plus, it would make Supes look bad to see him pounding away on Wonder Woman's face with his super-powered mitts. Kudos to Lopez for still making the fight look pretty nasty.

Villainy is provided by Baron Blitzkrieg (not his real name), with cameos by FDR and Albert Einstein!

Beautiful splash pages and cover, also by Lopez and Dan Adkins. The cover rightfully appears in the new book Superman Cover to Cover as an example one of the finest Superman comic covers.

76 pages.

Rollover the cover image to see the back cover!

All-new story by Paul Levitz and Mike Grell--"The Millennium Massacre!" The Legion takes on the Time Trapper, Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad get married, and lots of fights and flying around!

Also has a section on the origins and powers of the Legion members, and a 2-page pin-up.

Great cover.

76 pages.

Rollover the cover image to see the back cover!

One of the greatest, craziest comics ever! Story and art by the classic team of Denny O'Neil, Neal Adams, and Dick Giordano.

Arguably the most famous treasury comic ever published, this book has developed a cult following, well beyond any other comic of its type. Probably the cross-pollination of comics and sports has earned this book its extended life (Adams even did a riff on this cover for an issue of ESPN magazine a few years back).

Everyone knows the story by now--it's taught to schoolchildren, I think--aliens come to Earth and demand a champion to fight them. Both Ali and Superman claim that title, so they have a fight to determine who really is Earth's top fighter.

Supes fights under a red sun, to make it fair, though to me that's completely ridiculous--Superman can punch Ali's head off on Earth, that's the way it is--why give him a handicap? Anyway, Ali actually beats Superman! And the story gets even weirder from there. Head over to ebay and get one of these for yourself.

Great, classic cover by Adams (of course) featuring dozens of celebrities--real and fake--watching the fight. Where else do you get to see Batman, President Jimmy Carter, Johnny Carson, the Sweathogs, and Kurt Vonnegut mingle?

76 pages!

Rollover the cover image to see the back cover!

Fun Fact! Below is the unpublished original cover to this book by the legendary Joe Kubert. From what I read, DC wasn't crazy about the likeness of Ali, and the overall more grim feeling of the piece (and as you can see, the tagline was changed as well). While it's a nice cover, you can't fault the ultimate decision to go with Neal Adams' version.

Fun Fact #2! I was interviewed by Joe Kubert himself about going to his school in early 1989. Showing my pathetic chicken-scratchings to Joe Kubert was incredibly intimidating, and I remember my eyes darting all over the room, trying not to completely panic. Hanging in a glass case on the wall behind Joe was this original cover! I didn't know then he had done a version, and I think I even lost track of what Joe was saying as I stared at it.

Fun Fact #3! This book too so long to produce that by the time it came out, Ali was no longer the champ, instead it was Leon Spinks! Marvel took a swipe at DC via Spider-Man in Amazing Spider-Man #186, as you can see here. Ouch!

Fun Fact #4! Newly added is the rarely-seen version of the book prepared for the Whitman imprint--I never exactly understood why the DC bullet was removed, as if Whitman published it themselves. The whole Whitman/DC thing gives me a headache.

In November 2010, DC released two brand-new versions of this iconic book, one in a "deluxe" format, which was a 7x11" hardcover featuring a partially-new cover by Adams and some ancillary material.

The other edition, the one seen below, was also a hardcover, but printed at the original 10x13.5" treasury-size, with new coloring by Adams' Continuity Studios. It was great to see this wonderful comic dusted off and being put back into print after all these years!

Back to reprints for this issue, so the title reverts to Limited.

Reprinting issues from the DC Welcome Back, Kotter regular series, by Mark Evanier (who also wrote for the show), Elliot S. Maggin, Tony Isabella, and artists Jack Sparling, Ric Estrada, and Bob Oksner.

Also has a 4-page "On the Set" sequence by Evanier and his longtime collaborator, the great Dan Spiegle, and a photo gallery of the show.

Great, Mad magazine-esque cover by Oksner.

76 pages.

Rollover the cover image to see the back cover!

All-new again! Another knock-down drag-out for Superman by Gerry Conway and Rich Buckler. Supes must be getting tired by now--fighting Wonder Woman and Muhammad Ali in just a few months, and now Captain Marvel!

The villain the named-with-a-straight-face Karmang the Evil. You know how evil Karmang is? He's got eyeballs for earrings!! Now that's evil! Also features the made-of-sand Superman duplicate Quarrmer (yes, you read that right) and Black Adam, for kicks.

This issue also stars Supergirl and Mary Marvel, who help the heroes out of their jam before reverting back to boy-crazy females!

Supes and Cap really do pound the holy moley out of each other in this. Pages 36-37 feature a splash with an enraged Superman threatening the Captain. I dunno--I think anybody less than The Spectre would wet themselves if they saw Superman staring down at them like that.

76 pages.

Rollover the cover image to see this book's back cover!

Back to reprints again! But it's ok...its classic Batman material by Neal Adams, Dick Giordano, Bernie Wrightson, Irv Novick, and Frank Robbins!

Stories include "Red Water, Crimson Death" (Batman "and" The House of Mystery), "A Vow From the Grave", "The Demon of Gothos Mansion", the totally charming "The Batman Nobody Knows", and "Night of the Bat" (Batman and Swamp Thing).

Also features another top-notch, all-new cover by Adams.

76 awesome pages.

Rollover the cover image to see this book's back cover!

One more Rudolph for good measure. Proving that Rudolph isn't a one-issue candidate, here he has some summertime adventures! All-new shiny-nosed excitement by Sheldon Mayer!

I know I kind of goof on these Rudolph books, but I don't mean to. I actually think it's charming DC was still doing these kinds of books, aimed right at wee little kids, all the way into 1978.

I think comics, as a whole, lost something when the kids these books were aimed at stopped reading them, and then the comics, in turn, stopped making them for those kids who were left.

Goodbye, Rudolph, we hardly knew ye.

76 pages.

Rollover the cover image to see this book's back cover!

Photos, articles, and other stuff all about the greatest comic book movie of all time! (spare me your contenders)

Features photos, articles, actor profiles, comic-to-film comparisons, and lots of other behind-the-scenes stuff about the making of Superman: The Movie.

Considering how many comic book movies there are nowadays, it's really too bad DC or Marvel don't do these souvenir treasury books anymore--these would be a real blast for big-budget extravaganzas like Spider-Man, X-Men, Batman Begins, or, of course, Superman Returns (hey, DC--there's still time!)

While this wasn't the last DC treasury comic, it is the last issue of Limited/All-New Collector's Edition.

One final note--this book has a couple of photos of the pulchritudinous Valerie Perrine as Miss Tessmacher. Good thing DC didn't have to run these treasuries by the Comics Code...

68 pages.

Rollover the cover image to see this book's back cover!