Oni Press has released solicitations for their three special Local Comic Shop Day editions, and while all three look worth your time, two of them are noteworthy not just for their content but for being released in a special format, as treasury comics.
The Rick and Morty LCSD Treasury Edition and the Invader Zim LCSD Treasury Edition are both described as being 8.5″x 13″, which doesn’t sound like being that large until you realize that the comics you collect are 6.625″x10.25, and a big magazine, like Martha Stewart Living, is only 9″x10.8″ These two comics are going to be bigger than nearly any magazine currently being printed.
While the treasury comic book format has been around since the 1930s, it was a rare bird until the seventies and early eighties, when the traditionally 10″x13″ treasury comic book towered over its 7″x10.5″ neighbor on newsstand and convenience store magazine racks. Since around 1982, treasury comics have rarely been seen, and you can read some interesting articles on Rob Kelly’s website devoted to them as to why they went away. While they were around, they made for an excellent comic book reading experience, with either new material crafted for the more “widescreen” experience (e.g. Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man), or old reprints selected due to looking particularly impressive when inflated to the larger size (Curt Swan’s Superman/Flash race from Limited Collectors’ Edition C48 comes to mind). Once you’ve grown to like reading comics in that format, you want the publishers to make more of them, and you can thank Oni Press for these two coming into being.
Interested collectors (or friends of collectors looking for holiday gift ideas) should note that these are being described as “print on demand,” so you need to ask your participating comic shop to get one for you.
Official release:
Yes, sometimes we at Oni Press like to be funny or clever, but right now, we’d like to put that aside and say with the utmost sincerity, THANK YOU. Thank you to the locally owned independent comic book specialty stores. Thank you for supporting Oni Press comics. Thank you for providing the fans with an experience: the excitement of walking into a brick-and-mortar, the welcoming smell of freshly printed comic pages, being greeted by a familiar face, and having that rush when a cover for something you’ve never heard of catches your eye. We couldn’t do it without you.
To the fans, THANK YOU for shopping at your local comic shop, for seeking out the personalized experience, and for creating a diverse and unique community. We couldn’t do it without you, either.
To support ComicsPRO’s Local Comic Shop Day™, Oni Press is thrilled to offer three exclusive items: Rick and Morty Local Comic Shop Day Treasury Edition, Invader Zim Local Comic Shop Day Treasury Edition, and Exodus: The Life After #1 Local Comic Shop Day Edition.
Oni Press’ exclusive LCSD editions will arrive in registered stores on November 28th, coinciding with Small Business Saturday. To discover participating stores, please visit the Event Locator page at localcomicshopday.com.
Each exclusive item will be print to order.
Exodus: The Life After #1 LCSD Edition
Writer: Joshua Hale FialkovArtist: GaboCover Artist: Francesco Francavilla
Price: $9.99
Cover Dimensions: Standard Comic BookContinuing the critically acclaimed series The Life After, the Exodus: The Life After #1 LCSD Edition will be available at $9.99, with an exclusive Francesco Francavilla metallic ink cover. The Francavilla cover pays beautiful homage to Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms. Jump into the series that Bleeding Cool called “one of the most original and entertaining comics of the past year” in an all-new first issue released in a deluxe edition for Local Comic Shop Day™!Exodus: The Life After #1 LCSD Edition: Jude has been sent right back where he started: Purgatory. With no memory of his previous adventures or relationship, Jude’s existence is stark and empty. Yet, just outside his awareness, his friends—including the late, great Ernest Hemingway and a very tenacious preteen girl—struggle to free him. Because in the quest to overthrow God himself, the only person who stands a chance is his son.
Rick and Morty LCSD Treasury EditionWriter: Zac GormanArtist: CJ Cannon with Ryan Hill and Marc EllerbyCover Artist: Sabrina Mati
Price: $14.99
Cover Dimensions: 8.5″ x 13″The special FULL COLOR, SOFTCOVER Rick and Morty double-sized treasury edition includes Part One and Two of “The Wubba Lubba Dub Dub of Wall Street,” along with two “Summer Spectacular” bonus shorts! This edition will be available at the reader-friendly retail price of only $14.99.
Rick and Morty LCSD Treasury Edition: Dan Harmon & Justin Roiland’s hilarious hit Adult Swim animated show RICK & MORTY has its own comic book series from Oni Press! Join degenerate superscientist Rick Sanchez as he embarks on all-new insane adventures with his awkward grandson Morty, his teenage granddaughter Summer, his veterinary surgeon daughter Beth, and his hapless son-in-law Jerry.
Invader Zim LCSD Treasury EditionWriter: Jhonen Vasquez & Eric TrueheartArtist: Aaron Alexovich & Megan Lawton with Simon TroussellierCover Artist: Rob Guillory
Price: $14.99CoverDimensions: 8.5″ x 13″The FULL COLOR, SOFTCOVER double-sized treasury edition of Invader Zim contains not one issue of Invader Zim, but TWO! ZIM’s long-awaited return and subsequent space travels are all here for your eyes, heart, and stomach to enjoy. Available at $14.99.
Invader Zim LCSD Treasury Edition: ZIM and his filthy evil ways have been gone for what feels like years. And Dib has grown fat and smelly waiting for his return. BUT WHAT IF… ALL ALONG… THAT WAS THE PLAN?
