Once again Titan have done us proud and this has been well worth the wait. A cracking showcase of Kennedy's work (with support from Mike Western). On the production front, Titan have ditched the dust cover in favour of the European style printed hardback. Since I don't have volume 1 (although I am now seriously tempted) this is not kicking in the shelving OCD. Ennis gives an intro to the volume in general and each story in particular. I have to agree with his contention that there is a lot of filler in Battle that hasn't aged particularly well. The policy of cherry picking the best is by far the more sensible strategy.
Titan have also done a pretty good job on the repro front. One or two pages look a little 'muddy' but for the most part the images are crisp and clear, benefiting from the superior paper quality to the original. Artwork is clear and detailed and shows off Kennedy's obsessive technical detail.
The story itself stands up well considering the age. Ennis notes some of the flaw in the introduction but by and large it reads well. It is clear why it has been considered for inclusion and justly so. If Titan are going to be both selective in their choice and attentive to detail in their production then there is a lot to be said for long gaps between volumes (volume 1, 2014).
