Absolute New Frontier? How'd that happen?

One of the most surprising -- and most welcomed -- books on DC Comics' list of upcoming trade paperbacks and graphic novels is the Absolute DC: The New Frontier hardcover, collecting Darwyn Cooke's 2004 miniseries.

It's so surprising because, as recently as Wizard World Chicago, DC's vice president of sales, Bob Wayne, said there were no plans for a hardcover edition.

Not that I'm complaining. Fans were clamoring for The New Frontier to be collected as a single hardcover even before the six-issue series finished.

Cooke, too, had lobbied for a single volume. But DC instead split the collection into two 208-page trade paperbacks.

Cooke addressed the decision in a January 2005 post at the Millarworld forums (and archived by Chris Butcher):

"The single issues are considered direct market product, and the version of the series aimed at die hard direct market consumers.

The trades, though available to the direct market, are really geared towards the bookchains and mass consumers.

Market research (why does that term make me want to castrate someone) indicates that Bookstore buyers have a psychological price threshold of about 20 bucks for and unproven product. If they like it, they will pick up volume two, but apparently a single volume would have a price that discouraged many casual (mass market) readers.

The two volumes are split by four months because again, a mass market audience goes into a bookstore 2 to 4 times a year. They aren't on the 30 day clock we direct marketers are.

It really breaks my heart, because I always wanted this to be a single volume from the start, and now even the collection is split.

I've lobbied DC heavily on every VP level I could, to proceed with a single volume. I have at least 500 pieces of development art for a back section and I've told DC that there are 48 pages of material that had to be cut for length that I would gladly complete for inclusion in an 'absolute' addition. So, as ever, the ball is in DC's court."

Thankfully, it looks as if DC finally ran with it.

The 464-page Absolute edition, which is set for October release, will include all six issues, plus a pin-up gallery and deleted story pages. It retails for $75.