A nice mix of Golden, Silver and Modern Lex stories - even the Silver stories are pretty solid, although I'll never stop laughing at the sight of Lex Luthor crying in the presence of an Albert Einstein statue!
I was talking to a friend one day, and he observed a big difference between American comics and manga. Namely, that if somebody watches Cowboy Bebop and likes it, he can go to Barnes & Noble, find Cowboy Bebop vol. 1 through vol. whatever, and follow it with ease. No radical style changes, an easy progression of story to follow. This led to the comparison - if somebody sees Superman Returns and loves it and goes looking for Superman comics at B&N - well, we were wondering, does this sort of thematic, but wholly unrelated to any sort of ongoing, suck-you-in saga, type of collection lead to any new readership, or is this strictly a for-the-hardcore-fans book?
Or does anybody inside Marvel or DC even question the difference?
I guess I should have more insight into this, but it is a question that I ponder frequently - how much thought, pro or con, is given to creating a cogent, approachable, and accessible line of tpbs for casual readers? (and obviously Marvel or DC couldn't have the single narrative approach of a creator-owned series or manga, but would differing trade dress distinguish classics from moderns, or would a series like the Byrne Man of Steel books - pushed a little harder - create a more cohesive vision for newcomers walking in the door? I don't know. But I think about it. Probably more than I should.)