Deadman Omnibus

Deadman (1985) #1-7

by Neal Adams

The adventures of one of DC's most distinctive heroes, Deadman, are collected in a decades-spanning hardcover edition.

Originally introduced in 1967, Deadman was a circus performer known as "Boston" Brand who was murdered while on the high-wire. In the afterlife, a mysterious being known as Rama Kushna gifted his spirit with the ability to possess the bodies of the living so he could discover the identity of his killer and bring him to justice. Featuring spectacular art by Neal Adams, José Luis García-López and others, these tales take Deadman across the DC Universe in search of justice.

This massive hardcover collects Strange Adventures #205-216; The Brave and the Bold #79, #86, #104 and #133; Aquaman #50-52; Challengers of the Unknown #74 and #84-87; Justice League of America #94; World's Finest Comics #223 and #227; The Phantom Stranger #33 and #39-41; Superman Family #183; DC Super-Stars #18; DC Special Series #8; Adventure Comics #460-466; DC Comics Presents #94; Detective Comics #500; Deadman #1-4 (1986); Secret Origins #15; and covers from Deadman #1-7 (1985)

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics

944 pages, Hardcover

Published December 8, 2020

About the author

Neal Adams was an American comic book and commercial artist known for helping to create some of the definitive modern imagery of the DC Comics characters Superman, Batman, and Green Arrow; as the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates; and as a creators-rights advocate who helped secure a pension and recognition for Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

Adams was inducted into the Eisner Award's Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1998, and the Harvey Awards' Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1999.

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This omnibus begins with Neal Adams and ends with Jim Aparo and José Luis Garcia-López, and it's hard to top that. It's an extremely comprehensive volume, which means there's some saggy stuff in the middle for the sake of completeness. And the more convoluted Deadman's backstory gets, the less interesting it becomes. But it's such a brilliant concept for a character that, when the writers get out of their own way and just tell stories about a ghost hopping from body to body in search of justice, it's almost impossible to do poorly. (And his unlikely Bat-friendship is just the best.)

[Matt Sautman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Deadman Omnibus is difficult to rate, as though Boston Brand is amongst DC's most interesting characters, the storytelling throughout this omnibus is a bit uneven--making it better suited for those interested in the history of the character rather than a coherent narrative that builds chronologically. Those interested in Orientalism's influence in comics may also find this omnibus worthwhile as a textbook example of problematic representations of Asian cultures in white-centered media.