It’s time to map the DC Universe! In June, I’ll be joining with Near Mint Condition to launch the Tigereyes Most Wanted DC Omnibus 2nd Annual Poll! This post explains every major DC Villain who could merit their own omnibus – all of which will appear as options on the 2025 poll.
Through the end of May I’ll be covering DC entire publishing history by mapping missing omnibus volumes to fill in every gap in your DC oversize shelf! That’s all leading to the kickoff of the Tigereyes Most Wanted DC Omnibus 2nd Annual Poll on Near Mint Condition the first week of June.
Here’s the full list of the characters this post covers: Bizarro, Black Adam, Brainiac, Clayface, Darkseid, Doomsday, Eclipso, Joker, Killer Croc, Kobra, Lex Luthor, Man-Bat, Mr. Freeze, Penguin, Punchline, Ra’s Al Ghul, Riddler, Scarecrow, Secret Society of Super Vilains, Solomon Grundy, Talia al Ghul
If you’re not sure of what to vote for, stick around for a list of books vetted by a gang of the biggest mapping nerds on the internet with explanations from yours truly – keeper of the most-definitive guides to collected editions on the planet.
Or, if you don’t care about omnibuses, just use this post to learn about DC history and find some great comics to read!
This post covers the following speculated omnibus volumes:
- Batman Villains Omnibus Mapping
- Joker, The Modern Age Omnibus Vol. 1 (1986 & on)
- Joker by James Tynion & Matthew Rosenberg (2021 – 2023)
- Punchline by Tynion et al (2020 & on)
- Batman – Villains: Clayface Omnibus Vol. 1 (1940 & on)
- Batman – Villains: Killer Croc Omnibus Vol. 1 (1983 & on)
- Batman – Villains: Man-Bat Omnibus Vol. 1 (1970 & on)
- Batman – Villains: Mr. Freeze Omnibus Vol. 1 (1959 & on)
- Batman – Villains: Penguin Omnibus Vol. 1 (1941 & on)
- Batman – Villains: Ra’s Al Ghul Omnibus Vol. 1 (1971 & on)
- Batman – Villains: Riddler Omnibus Vol. 1 (1948 & on)
- Batman – Villains: Scarecrow Omnibus Vol. 1 (1941 & on)
- Batman – Villains: Talia al Ghul Omnibus Vol. 1 (1971 & on)
- Bizarro, The Silver & Bronze Age Omnibus (1959 – 1986)
- Black Adam, The Modern Era Omnibus (2004 & on)
- Brainiac Omnibus (1958 & on)
- Darkseid Omnibus Vol. 1 (1970 & on)
- Doomsday Omnibus (1992 & on)
- Eclipso Omnibus Mapping
- Eclipso, The Classic Omnibus (1963 & on)
- DC Events: Eclipso: The Darkness Within, The Complete Omnibus (1992 – 1994)
- Kobra: The Complete Saga (1976 & on) [includes Danger Trail]
- Lex Luthor Classic Omnibus (1940 & on)
- Secret Society of Super Villains (1976 – 1978) [could include other Sinestro & Captain Comet material]
- Solomon Grundy: Born on a Monday Omnibus (1944 & on)
Remember: These titles and mappings are a suggestion of how DC could assemble these books. Your vote on the poll is a vote in favor of DC creating a book with that title or covering that period, NOT an endorsement of a specific map. Maps are presented as a proof of concept and to help you build your personal reading list.
Want to check out all of the other voting options for the 2025 Tigereyes Poll? Check out my 2025 Tigereyes poll options overview page that explains the poll, how to vote, and every title that will appear – including links to all of the posts in this series.
Intensely researched posts like this one are made possible via the support of Patrons of Crushing Krisis. For less than the cost of a single comic issue a month you can fuel my in-depth comics coverage, plus gain access to dozens of exclusive collecting guides & reading orders – including all of the Crushing Comics Guide to DC Comics.
Batman Villains Omnibus Mapping
No character in comics has a more famous rogues’ gallery than Batman! Joker, Catwoman, Penguin, Two-Face, Riddler, Poison Ivy… the list goes on and on!
Everyone putting together the DC Omnibus Poll was tempted to map every one of these characters completely. We mostly resisted the urge, but we do have mapping suggestions for a few of these books! I’ll start by listing a few books that aren’t purely “greatest-hits” collections, and then move on to those.
Joker, The Modern Age Omnibus Vol. 1 (1986 & on)
The Joker: The Bronze Age omnibus collected right to the edge of Post-Crisis material for Joker – including Batman (1940) #400, which came just a few months before Frank Miller’s Year One. That means we’re primed for a second all-Joker omnibus to collect his more modern hijinks – focusing on key stories and arcs, rather than trying to collect entire stories like Underworld Unleashed or Joker: Last Laugh.
For reference, that Bronze Age omnibus contained Batman (1940) #251, 260, 286, 291-294, 321, 353, 365-366, & 400; Detective Comics (1937) #475-476, 504, 526, & 532; The Brave and the Bold (1955) #111, 118, 129-130, 141, & 191, The Joker (1975) #1-10, and Wonder Woman (1942) #280-283
We’ve had several “Greatest Hits” style Joker collections, which gives us a smattering of what this could contain:
Batman (1940) #429, 613-614, Batman (2011) #40, Batman: Europa (2015) #1, Detective Comics (1937) #613 and 833-834, The Spectre (1992) #51, and Batman: The Long Halloween (1996) #4.
To that, I’d add the obvious Wonder Woman (1987) #95-97 and Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (1989) #65-68, but I’d need a Joker expert to fill in more!
Joker by James Tynion & Matthew Rosenberg (2021 – 2023)
Joker has recently had his own series which cast him as almost a protagonist during the period of James Tynion’s run on Batman (2016) – although the real star of the book was Jim Gordon! All of the material across this two-year run of comics was written by either Tynion or Matthew Rosenberg.
Voter beware – some or all of this material could wind up in the Batman by James Tynion IV omnibus line!
This would collect The Joker (2021) #1-15 & Annual 1,The Joker Presents: A Puzzlebox (2021) #1-7, The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing (2022) #1-12, and Knight Terrors: The Joker (2023) #1-2.
Punchline by Tynion et al (2020 & on)
When James Tynion took over Batman (2016) from Tom King, he introduced a new Joker acolyte named Punchline. She was like an amped up, crueler version of Harley Quinn to contrast with the more heroic and lighthearted version of Harley we’ve become accustomed to over the past 20 years.
Punchline’s story has been spread out amongst so many back-up stories, sub-plot pages, guest appearances, and one-shots that she could really benefit from having a single omnibus!
This would include material from Batman (2016) #89, 92-101, & 106 and Batman: Fear State: Omega, Batman Secret Files #3, Batman: Joker War Zone, Nightwing (2016) #72-74, various Year of the Villain stories, Infinite Frontier (2021) #1, Punchline Special, Punchline: The Gotham Game (2022) #1-6, Batman Secret Files: Clownhunter, Knight Terrors: Punchline (2023) # 1-2, The Joker 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular # 1, The Joker (2021) #1-15, Detective Comics (2016) #1039, and more!
Batman – Villains: Clayface Omnibus Vol. 1 (1940 & on)
Clayface first appeared in Detective Comics (1937) #40 in June 1940.
A trade called Batman – Arkham: Clayface offers us a good start on this material:
Batman (1940) #550, Batman Villains Secret Files & Origins 2005 (2005) #1, Batman: Gotham Knights (2000) #68-71, Batman: The Dark Knight (2011) #23.3 [Clayface], Catwoman (2001) #4, Detective Comics (1937) #40, 298, 478-479, Secret Origins (1986) #44, The Outsiders (1985) #21, to which we’d surely add the classic “The Mud Pack” story from Detective Comics (1937) #604-607.
Batman – Villains: Killer Croc Omnibus Vol. 1 (1983 & on)
Killer Croc first made cameo appearances in Detective Comics (1937) #523 (February 1983) and Batman (1940) #357 (March 1983), with his full first appearance in Detective Comics (1937) #524 (March 1983).
A trade called Batman – Arkham: Killer Croc offers us a good start on this material:
Batman (1940) #358-359, 471, 489, 512, & 521-522; Batman and Robin (2011) #23.4; The Batman Chronicles (1995) #3; Detective Comics (1937) #525, 660, & 808-810, Joker’s Asylum II: Killer Croc (2010) #1, and material from Who’s Who in the DC Universe (1990) #7 and Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe (1985) #5.
Batman – Villains: Man-Bat Omnibus Vol. 1 (1970 & on)
Man-Bat first appeared in Detective Comics (1937) #400 in June 1970.
A trade called Batman – Arkham: Man-Bat offers us a good start on this material:
Batman Black and White (2013) #2, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (1989) Annual 5, Detective Comics (1937) #400, 402, & 407, Detective Comics (2011) #23.4, Man-Bat (1975) #1-2, Man-Bat (1996) #1-3, Secret Origins (1986) #39, Showcase ’94 (1994) #11, and Who’s Who in the DC Universe (1990) #12 – to which we’d surely add Man-Bat (2006) #1-5!
Batman – Villains: Mr. Freeze Omnibus Vol. 1 (1959 & on)
Mr. Freeze first appeared in Batman (1940) #121 in February 1959.
A trade called Batman – Arkham: Mister Freeze offers us a good start on this material:
Batman (1940) #121, 308, 375, 525, & Annual 1, Batman: Gotham Knights (2000) #59, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (1989) #190-191, Batman: Mr. Freeze (1997) OGN, and Detective Comics (1937) #373 & 595
Batman – Villains: Penguin Omnibus Vol. 1 (1941 & on)
Penguin first appeared in Detective Comics (1937) #58 in December 1941.
A trade called Batman – Arkham: Penguin offers us a good start on this material:
Batman (1940) #155, 374, & 548-549, Batman: Penguin Triumphant (1992) OGN SC, Detective Comics (1937) #58, 610-611, & 842, and Joker’s Asylum: Penguin (2008) #1.
Batman – Villains: Ra’s Al Ghul Omnibus Vol. 1 (1971 & on)
Ra’s Al Ghul first appeared in Batman (1940) #232 in June 1971.
This omnibus could collect Detective Comics (1937) #411, 485, 489-490, & 838-839; Batman (1940) #232, 235, 240, 242-244, 332-335, 670-671, & Annual 26; the Demon Trilogy of OGNs (Birth of the Demon, Bride of the Demon, Son of the Demon), Ra’s al Ghul: Year One, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (1989) #142-145, The Batman Chronicles (1995) #8, Batman: Death and the Maidens #1-9, Robin (1993) #168-169 & Annual 7, Nightwing (1995) #138-139, and DC Special Series #15. It could add non-continuity material from Batman Arkham: Ra’s Al Ghul and Ra’s Al Ghul One Bad Day.
Batman – Villains: Riddler Omnibus Vol. 1 (1948 & on)
Ridder first appeared in Detective Comics (1937) #140 in October 1948.
The magnificent BrandXK took a shot at solving the riddle of this omnibus’s contents, and here’s what he came up with:
Detective Comics (1937) #140, 142, 362, 364, 373, 377, 493, 705-707, 822, 837, & Annual 8; Batman (1940) #171, 179, 263, 279, 292, 317, 362, 452-454, 490, & 698-699; Brave and the Bold (1955) #183 (in 1982); Question (1987) #26 (in 1989), Batman: Run, Riddler, Run (1992) #1-3, Batman: The Riddler – The Riddle Factory (1995), Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (1989) #109-111 & 185-189, Impulse #48 (1999),, Harley Quinn #6-7 (2001), Green Arrow #35-37 (2004), Joker’s Asylum II: The Riddler (2010) #1, Batman (2011) #23.2 [The Riddler], The Riddler: Year of the Villain (2018) #1, and material from Secret Origins Special (1989) #1, Batman Chronicles (1995) #3 (1996), Batman 80-Page Giant (1998) #1-2, Gotham Knights #6 & 47, and Legends of the Dark Knight 100-Page Super Spectacular #2.
Batman – Villains: Scarecrow Omnibus Vol. 1 (1941 & on)
Scarecrow first appeared in World’s Finest Comics #3 (September 1941).
A pair of trades called Batman: Scarecrow Tales and Batman – Arkham: Scarecrow offer us a good start on this material:
Batman (1940) #189, 262, 296, 523-524, & Annual 19, Batman: Gotham Knights (2000) #23, Detective Comics (1937) 73, 389, 503, & 571, Detective Comics (2011) #23.3, The Joker (1975) #8, Joker’s Asylum: Scarecrow (2008) #1, Scarecrow (Villains) (1998) #1, World’s Finest Comics (1941) #3, and World’s Finest Comics (1941) #3.
Batman – Villains: Talia al Ghul Omnibus Vol. 1 (1971 & on)
Talia al Ghul first appeared in Detective Comics (1937) #411 in May 1971.
A trade called Batman – Arkham: Talia al Ghul offers us a good start on this material:
Batman (1940) #232 & 656, Batman (2016) #34-35, Batman and Robin (2009) #12, Batman Incorporated (2012) #2 & 13, Batman Villains Secret Files & Origins 2005 (2005) #1, Batman: Death and the Maidens #9, Batman: Death and the Maidens (2003) #9, Batman: Son of the Demon (1987) OGN, Detective Comics (1937) #411, President Luthor: Secret Files and Origins (2011) #1, and Red Hood: The Lost Days (2010) #1.
Bizarro Omnibus Mapping
Bizarro, The Silver & Bronze Age Omnibus (1959 – 1986)
This was a voter suggestion that we don’t have fully mapped. Anyone have any suggestions? This would collect Bizarro’s appearances from from Action Comics (1938) #254 through Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Black Adam Omnibus Mapping
Black Adam, The Modern Era Omnibus (2004 & on)
This rough mapping is courtesy of BrandXK in the Near Mint Community, who figured out if there was enough Black Adam solo material and key arcs to make this worthwhile. Of course, we’ve already missed the release window of the film, so this might never happen for us!
This would collect JSA #56-58, Hawkman #23-25, World War III #1-4, Black Adam: The Dark Age #1-6 Justice Society of America vol. 3 (2007) #23-25, Year of the Villain: Black Adam #1, Black Adam (2022) #1-12, and material from 52 (2006) #1-3, 6-10, 12-16, 18-26, 29-34, 36-40, 43-50, & 52.
Brainiac Omnibus Mapping
Brainiac Omnibus (1958 & on)
Brainiac first appeared in Action Comics #242 in July 1958. He has had several key stories (extending through this month!) and a “vs. Superman” trade, so there is plenty of material from which we can pull.
Darkseid Omnibus Mapping
Darkseid Omnibus Vol. 1 (1970 & on)
Darkseid first appeared in Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 in December 1970. While much of his early material is collected as a part of Kirby’s “Fourth World,” a Darkseid omnibus could collect his key appearances in other books continuing through Crisis and beyond.
Doomsday Omnibus Mapping
Doomsday Omnibus (1992 & on)
Doomsday is an eternally-popular Superman foe thanks to his role in the Death of Superman. He has been used sparingly in the 30 years since then, which means we could likely assemble a lean, mean omnibus of his material.
A previous paperback “omnibus” collected Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey (1994) #1-3 (a premium-format, OGN-style mini-series), Doomsday Annual (1995) #1 (a Year One annual), Superman: The Doomsday Wars (1998) #1-3, Adventures of Superman (1987) #594 (2001), and Superman (1987) #175 (2001).
That’s already 344 pages, so even 2-3 additional arcs would fill this out to full size – and there’s always all of the New 52 “Doomed” crossover to include, if we need to fill space!
Eclipso Omnibus Mapping
Eclipso, The Classic Omnibus (1963 & on)
A Showcase Presents black-and-white volume collected Eclipso stories from House of Secrets (1956) #61-80.
That’s just 296 pages, but the Silver Age Eclipso – Dr. Bruce Gordon – continues making appearances through Crisis and beyond. This volume could collect all of those stories.
DC Events: Eclipso: The Darkness Within, The Complete Omnibus (1992 – 1994) [Includes all of Eclipso 1992]
Another of DC’s “Annuals Crossovers” events in the same model as Armageddon 2001. Yet, unlike Armageddon, this story was very much in continuity as it built Eclipso into a major villain of the Post-Crisis era. This event lead directly to an ongoing series for Eclipso, which could also be collected here in full!
In total, this could collect Eclipso: The Darkness Within (1992) #1-2, Action Comics Annual 4, Adventures of Superman Annual 4, Batman Annual 16, Deathstroke: The Terminator Annual 1, The Demon Annual 1, Detective Comics Annual 5, The Flash Annual 5, Green Arrow Annual 5, Green Lantern (1990) Annual 1, Hawkworld Annual 3, Justice League America Annual 6, Justice League Europe Annual 3, L.E.G.I.O.N. ’92 Annual 3, The New Titans (1988) Annual 8, Robin (1993) Annual 1, Superman (1987) Annual 4, Superman: The Man of Steel Annual 1, Wonder Woman Annual 3, plus Valor (1992) #1 and Eclipso (1992) #1-18 & Annual 1. See Guide to DC Universe Events – Eclipso: The Darkness Within for a full reading order.
Kobra Omnibus Mapping
Kobra: The Complete Saga (1976 & on) [includes Danger Trail]
A voter submitted this map, which I need to go through with a finer-toothed comb.
This could collect some or all of Kobra (1976) #1-7, DC Special Series #1, and then some or all of the following Aquaman #58-61, Superman #326-327, Wonder Woman #271 & 273-278, DC Comics Presents #81, Batman and the Outsiders #24-27, Crisis on Infinite Earths #9, Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #12, The Outsiders #6, 21-22 & Annual 1, Adventures of the Outsiders #44 (reprint?), crossover (Suicide Squad #28, Checkmate #17, Suicide Squad #29, Checkmate #18, Suicide Squad #30) Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #87, Manhunter #15, Secret Origins #44, Detective Comics Annual #2, Suicide Squad #33, Captain Atom #40, Suicide Squad #45-47, Who’s Who in the DC Universe #13, Armageddon: Inferno #3, Showcase ’93 #1 & 6-1, Danger Trail (1993) #1-4, The Flash #92-93, The Spectre #21, The Flash #96-101, Outsiders #16, Impulse #1 & 9, The Flash #116 & 124, JLA: Secret Files & Origins #1, Birds of Prey: Black Canary / Batgirl #1, JLA 80-Page Giant #1, The Flash #142, Birds of Prey #4 & 6, JLA: Foreign Bodies, The Flash #160, JSA #11-12, Robin #89-91, JLA: Incarnations #3, The Power Company: Sapphire #1 & The Power Company #5, JSA #45 & 51, Batman: Gotham Knights #48, JSA #56 & 77, Black Canary #2, The Flash: Rebirth #1-6, Action Comics #895, Faces of Evil: Kobra (2009) #1
Lex Luthor Omnibus Mapping
Lex Luthor Classic Omnibus (1940 & on)
Lex Luthor first appeared in Action Comics #23 in April 1940. He has enough key Pre-Crisis appearances for a full book, rather than just the anniversary deluxe editions DC has given him the past few years. However, when it comes to Post-Crisis material, he may be too integrated into long-running Superman stories for a coherent collection.
Secret Society of Super Villains Omnibus Mapping
Secret Society of Super Villains (1976 – 1978) [could include other Sinestro & Captain Comet material]
Secret Society of Super Villains stories from: Secret Society of Super Villains #1-15, Cancelled Comic Cavalcade #2, DC Special Series #6, Justice League of America #166–168, Super-Team Family #14, and Captain Comet stories from: DC Special #27 and Super-Team Family #13
Solomon Grundy Omnibus Mapping
Solomon Grundy: Born on a Monday Omnibus (1944 & on)
Near Mint Condition community member and mapping superhero BrandXK took on the challenge of mapping the very best of Solomon Grundy into a single omnibus!
This would collect All-American Comics #61 (1944), Comic Cavalcade #13 & 24, All-Star Comics #33 (1947), Showcase (1956) #55 (1965), Justice League of America (1960) #91-92 (1971), Superman #301 & 676, DC Comics Presents #8 (1979), Infinity, Inc. #3, 36, 39, 46, 51, & 53, Swamp Thing #67 (1987), Batman: Shadow of the Bat #39 (1995), Starman #10, 15, 32-34, & 49,, Green Arrow #17-18 (2002), Faces of Evil: Solomon Grundy #1 (2009), Solomon Grundy #1-7 (2009), Superman/Batman #66-67 (2010), Earth 2 #15.2: Solomon Grundy (2013), and material from Wonder Woman #271-273, Green Lantern Corps Quarterly #4, Batman: The Long Halloween #2, JSA Secret Files #2, and Batman: Hidden Treasures #1.
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