(1999) Neil Gaiman and various artists, Titan Books, £12.99, trdpbk, 140pp, ISBN 1-840-23106-8
Gaiman, being a star these days (as opposed to a star-in-waiting), is enough of a hot property (from the industry’s perspective) for a ragtag collection like this to be published. Featuring a whole 10 new pages -- a Swamp Thing tale that re-unites Bissett and Totleben on art -- this is otherwise a reprint of Swamp Thing Annual #5, Hellblazer #27, and the Sandman Midnight Theatre special. I think this collection is very overpriced for what it is, even though the stories (and art) is very good. The words "cashing in" spring to mind, as in "Wow, we’ve finally started selling comics to non-comics fans. Let’s screw them for every penny they’ve got." £8.99 would have been a more reasonable price, especially given the shit cover stock that Titan use, and it’s doubtful that anyone other than Gaiman (with one or two exceptions only) would have been priced this high. While all the stories are very good, I certainly had them all the first time around, and the 10 new pages are just not worth the investment of 13 quid. A little more thought and a little less greed would be welcome methinks... For sad completists only.
Tony Chester
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