Concrete
Dark Horse. All written & drawn by Paul Chadwick.
1 The Complete Concrete (1-10). [From Dark Horse
Comics: No other character or creator has received so many honors and
awards as Concrete by Paul Chadwick. Now longtime fans can relive the wonder,
and new readers can discover what Harlan Ellison called, "...the best
comic being published today by anyone, anywhere," in The Complete Concrete.
This massive 320-page book collects the original first ten black-and-white
issues of Concrete -- including Concrete's origin, and his assault on Mt.
Everest -- and makes an ideal companion to The Complete Concrete Short Stories.
Get your Concrete all in one big block!] 
2 Fragile Creature (4-issue mini). [From Dark
Horse Comics: Trapped in an indestructible alien body composed of living
rock, Concrete looks like a special effect come to life! So it's only logical
when an ingenious film crew hires him to create the unbelievable wonders
of their latest screenplay, the sci-fi epic Rulers of the Omniverse. Logic
is out the window, however, when he finds himself having to perform even
greater wonders off the set! Glamour, politics and duelling egos begin to
take an emotional toll on the crew just as a series of suspicious accidents
take a decidedly more physical toll on them, and our 1200-pound hero becomes
much more than just a special effects master!] 
3 Killer Smile (4-issue mini). [From Dark Horse
Comics: All Larry Munro wanted was a tank of gas. What he got was a
gun to his head. Now he's being forced to play chauffeur to a pyromaniac
looking to burn L.A. to the ground! Can Concrete race fast enough to stop
the bullet aimed at his best friend? Writer/artist Paul Chadwick takes Concrete
to a new level of art and a new level of action in the four-color thriller
Concrete: Killer Smile.] 
4 Think Like a Mountain (4-issue mini). [From
Dark Horse Comics: It seemed so harmless at first. Concrete was just
going to observe a group of Earth First!ers -- to see firsthand what they
were all about and to write about their efforts to save an old-growth forest.
But that was before the group talked Concrete into illegally entering Canada,
and before they "monkey-wrenched" some logging equipment, and
before the owners of that equipment unexpectedly showed up. Now Concrete
has to decide why he's really here -- to observe these people, who would
risk lives to save the planet or to join in their crusade. Award-winning
writer-artist Paul Chadwick delivers his most thoughtful and compelling
work to date. This collected six-issue series explores the history of Earth
First! and the moral questions it raises in a heady mix of suspense, humor,
sexual tension, and painless doses of natural history.] 
5 Strange Armor (4-issue mini). [From Dark Horse
Comics: Abducted by extraterrestrials and his brain transplanted, Ron
Lithgow needs help if he is to understand his new body and his new life.
The NSA and the CIA lend a hand . . . in exchange for exclusive rights to
study his alien form. Yet the agencies exhibit little concern for the man
trapped inside -- except for one researcher, the beautiful Maureen Vonnegut.
Lithgow, a.k.a. Concrete, is headed for a fall. . .] 
1 The Complete Short Stories, 1986-1989 (Short stories).
[From Dark Horse Comics: This volume collects all of the concrete
short stories that have appeared in Dark Horse Presents since that title's
first issue, including "Burning Brightly, Brightly," which introduced
Melissa Strangehands, and "Next Best," featuring Concrete's three-legged
dog, Tripod. This multi-award-winning character is presented here in a deluxe
format, making this book a must-have item for any serious collector of high-quality
comics.] 
2 The Complete Short Stories, 1990-1995 (Short stories).
[From Dark Horse Comics: Ron Lithgow's new 1,200-pound body has its
good points -- even he admits that. Strong, tough, indefatigable. It lets
him do some things, see some places. But it draws a line, clear and distinct,
between him and normal people. He's helped make the world a better place,
been able to save his closest friends from grave danger. But in the end,
he'd much rather be just plain Ron Lithgow . . . and not Concrete. Paul
Chadwick's Concrete is one of the oldest and most beloved creator-owned
comics. Today, almost ten years after its first appearance, Concrete remains
as strong and compelling as ever, with its sensitive portrayal of realistic
characters. In Concrete: Short Stories 1990-1995, Dark Horse compiles all
of the previously uncollected short stories into a single volume, the perfect
companion piece to Concrete: The Complete Short Stories 1986-1989 and The
Complete Concrete. Whether you're an old fan or an interested newcomer,
Concrete: Short Stories 1990-1995 is sure to find a home on your bookshelf.]
1 Depths (1-5; short stories "Orange Glow,"
"Vagabond"). [From Dark Horse Comics:
Part man, part...rock? Over seven feet tall and weighing over a thousand
pounds, he is known as Concrete but is in reality the mind of one Ronald
Lithgow, trapped inside a shell of stone, a body that allows him to walk
unaided on the ocean's floor or survive the crush of a thousand tons of
rubble in a collapsed mineshaft...but prevents him from feeling the touch
of a human hand.] Old Book of the Week 2/1/06: ...and here's the book that launched the new collection. Originally, Concrete was published as a big volume with the ten-issue original series, and two volumes collecting the short stories. The new series takes all the stories in chronological order; Volume 1 contains the first five issues of the series plus a couple of shorts, while Volume 2 collects the rest of the first series, a couple more shorts, and a Color Special. Obviously, if you're new to Concrete, Volume 1 is the place to start! 
2 Heights (6-10; Concrete Color Special, short stories "World
Beneath the Skin," "Brighter"). [From
Dark Horse Comics: Big as a boulder and strong as an ox, he's Concrete,
seven-feet of stony celebrity. That he's a government-created cyborg is
the cover story, but in truth he's the mind of one Ronald Lithgow trapped
inside a rocky shell of alien origin. Possessing powers allowing him to
scale the highest mountain unaided or peel back the roof of a car like a
pull tab, he is yet denied the simple human pleasures of fragile flesh.]
3 Fragile Creature (4-issue mini, short stories "Little Pushes," "Fire at Twilight," "Byrdland's Secret," "The Artistic Impulse," "Burning Brightly, Brightly," "Next Best," and "The Gray Embrace"). [From Dark Horse Comics: When you're seven-feet plus of walking, talking stone, you're bound to draw the media spotlight, especially when you live in Tinseltown. Concrete's celebrity status is sometimes a pain in the buttress . . . but it does bring the occasional paycheck gig. When the producer of a low-budget science-fiction film approaches Concrete to use his prodigious strength to help save money on the film's FX budget, the siren call of Hollywood draws Concrete like a moth to a flame . . . a seven-thousand-dollar-a-week flame, that is.] Book of the Week 2/1/06: Of the creator-owned series that proliferated in the early 90s, Concrete has acquired less acclaim than its flashier siblings like Sin City. But its quiet, understated intelligence shines through both in story and in art. The series' premise is that a political speechwriter is transformed into a Thing-like big rocky guy. Chadwick explores the effects of such a transformation on an average guy much more deeply and intelligently than most super-hero comics. This volume reprints the Fragile Creature mini-series, in which our hero goes Hollywood, plus a number of short stories. This seems to be a black and white reprint of a color series, but if so, that will probably improve it; the coloring of the original mini was odd, experimental, and to my eyes not very successful. This is a great series, and it's nice that it will be re-collected in its entirety in an affordable format, including the many shorts that have appeared over the years. 
4 Killer Smile (4-issue mini, short stories "Under the Desert Stars," "Four-Wheeled Sleeping Pill," "King of the Early Evening," "Enough World," "Family Night," "American Christmas" and "100 Horrors"). [From Dark Horse Comics: When you're seven-feet plus of walking, talking stone, you're bound to draw the media spotlight, especially when you live in Tinseltown. Concrete's celebrity status is sometimes a pain in the buttress . . . but it does bring the occasional paycheck gig. When the producer of a low-budget science-fiction film approaches Concrete to use his prodigious strength to help save money on the film's FX budget, the siren call of Hollywood draws Concrete like a moth to a flame . . . a seven-thousand-dollar-a-week flame, that is.] 
5 Think Like a Mountain (6-issue mini, short stories "Like Disneyland, Only Toxic," "Stay Tuned for Pearl Harbor," "A Billion Conscious Decisions," "Objects of Value," "Steel Rain," various "A Sky of Heads" stories). [From Dark Horse Comics: Celebrity has its benefits . . . and its costs. Due to his status as the world's most unusual travel writer--being a thousand pounds of walking, talking rock will do that--Concrete is approached by a group of radical eco-warriors to see firsthand and write about their efforts to save old-growth forest. What begins as a lark soon turns into a harrowing struggle, and Concrete must decide whether to dispassionately observe or to join these people who would risk anything, even life itself, to save the planet. Paul Chadwick's critically acclaimed Concrete is at once rousing fantasy and grounded reality, as thought-provoking and challenging as it is entertaining. Think Like a Mountain collects the 1996 Parents' Choice Award winning series along with bonus short stories, some collected here for the first time.] 
6 Strange Armor (4-issue mini). [From Dark Horse Comics: A troubled man seeking spiritual renewal in the wilderness experiences a wholly unexpected rebirth‹as a walking monolith, half a ton of animate stone able to perform astonishing feats of strength and endurance but forever denied many of life's fundamental pleasures. As Concrete, Ronald Lithgow becomes an overnight celebrity and the focus of dark government operatives desperate to keep the secret of his metamorphosis from the public. Concrete must struggle with the loss of his humanity while discovering, perhaps for the first time, what it truly means to be human.] 
7 The Human Dilemma (6-issue mini). [From Dark Horse Comics: Life as Concrete knows it is about to change forever. Former speechwriter Ron Lithgow returns as the title character in Paul Chadwick's critically acclaimed and award-winning miniseries. Trapped in an alien's rock-hard body, Lithgow is an accidental celebrity whose high profile is being courted by a front-page CEO. Though Concrete believes overpopulation to be an important issue, does he want to become the spokesperson for a controversial population control program? While Concrete mulls this generous proposition over with his biologist, Maureen, his longtime aide Larry Munro mulls over an entirely different sort of proposal. Life and violent death take center stage in this compelling new collection from an industry-renowned creative master, and the subject of overpopulation is given the trademark thoughtful exploration that Chadwick fans have come to expect.] 