DC 'Archives Edition' vs 'Showcase Presents'

[DJWhamo]

Personally, I never really understood the need for both, at least in instances where they both feature the same series. In these particular instances, is there overlap between the two in terms of the stories? In particular, I am wondering about the 'Enemy Ace' and 'Blackhawk' editions.

[MWGallaher]

The Blackhawk volumes contain completely different material: the Archives features the earliest Blackhawk material ever published (from the 1940s), while the Showcase features issues from the late 1950s (when DC bought the characters from Quality Comics, which was going out of business).
Everything in the two volumes of Enemy Ace Archives is also reprinted in the Showcase Presents Enemy Ace.

[Cei-U!]

The two formats mentioned exist to serve two different demographics. The Archives are for the upscale reader who wants the durability of a hardcover and the gloss of full color, the Showcases for the casual and/or thrifty reader who simply wants to read these old stories and not go broke in the process. And some of us swing both ways. I buy the Archives for the Golden Age reprints and Showcases for Silver/Bronze.

Cei-U!
I summon the best of both worlds!

[DJWhamo]

Thanks for the replies, they have both been very useful!