Now, DC collects this series in the popular Deluxe Edition format.
- Includes sketches, bonus material and a new introduction by artist Dave Gibbons.
- Collects WATCHMEN #1-12.
Along with a new cover by Gibbons, this volume features the high-quality, recolored pages from WATCHMEN: THE ABSOLUTE EDITION, restored by WildStorm FX and original series colorist John Higgins.
Include[s] 48 pages of supplemental material produced exclusively for the Graphitti Designs WATCHMEN hardcover edition and not seen since their original publication. Included therein is a cornucopia of rare and historically valuable treasures, including samples of Moore's WATCHMEN scripts, the original WATCHMEN proposal, Gibbons's conceptual art, cover roughs, and much, much more!
This collection has been in print more or less constantly since DC first collected the series in the late '80s. It's cheap and it's readily available, and that's all most readers need to hear. - [Contains the collected 1-12 issues]
In the same week that DC reprinted the Absolute Edition, they also issued a new hardcover in the standard trim size. Presumably, DC hopes to appeal to that segment of the audience that wants a sturdy hardcover edition of Watchmen but doesn't want to fork over the dough for the Absolute Edition. In terms of content, this hardcover falls more in line with the paperback. It has the newer color job, and lacks the copious extras of the Absolute Edition.