David Mazzucchelli Hopes People Don't Buy Batman Year One

There have been a few worrisome notes expressed by a number of people over DC's recent handling of archive items. From missing words in Absolute Kingdom Come, to the Challengers Of The Unknown story in Secret Origins just… stopping halfway through, to the continual lateness and rescheduling of the Flex Mentallo hardcover, to the binding issues on hardcovers that have become YouTube semi-sensations.

And now David Mazzucchelli has entered the fray talking about next week's deluxe edition reprint of Batman: Year One to the Comics Journal;

DC just sent me this book last week, and I really hope people don't buy it. I didn't even know they were making it, and I don't understand why they thought it was necessary —  several years ago, DC asked me if I'd help put together a deluxe edition ofBatman: Year One, and Dale Crain and I worked for months to try to make a definitive version. Now whoever's in charge has thrown all that work in the garbage. First, they redesigned the cover, and recolored my artwork — probably to look more like their little DVD that came out last year; second, they printed the book on shiny paper, which was never a part of the original design, all the way back to the first hardcover in 1988; third — and worst — they printed the color from corrupted, out-of-focus digital files, completely obscuring all of Richmond's hand-painted work. Anybody who's already paid for this should send it back to DC and demand a refund.