Various Artists

The Flash: The Silver Age Omnibus Vol. 3 closes the classic Barry Allen Silver Age shelf with The Flash #164-199, a run that pushes the character into bigger guest-stars, stranger science and a more crowded DC universe. The appeal is momentum: Kid Flash, Reverse-Flash, Gorilla Grodd, Green Lantern, Superman and the Golden Age Flash all show how central Barry had become to DC continuity.

Batman Black & White Omnibus is not a continuity book; it is Batman as a creative test. The format strips the character down to shadow, silhouette, eight-page tension and pure authorial voice, letting creators such as Neil Gaiman, Bruce Timm, Alex Ross, Paul Dini, Jim Lee, Brian Bolland, Eduardo Risso and Paul Pope attack the myth from different angles. For collectors, its appeal is artistic identity rather than plot completion.