General Omnibus/Hardcover Discussion

[AstonishingXMan]

People buying monthlies at LCS and paying cover for trades/HCs in the year 2012 at a LCS boggles my mind.

[CrazyOldHermit]

People buying monthlies at LCS and paying cover for trades/HCs in the year 2012 at a LCS boggles my mind.

I've looked into buying floppies online but shipping is too expensive for me.

[bit18986244]

Its safe to say that most comic book stores are opened by comic book fans, and its very possible hat these fans know more about comics than they do about things like customer service and other basic stuff.

The one thing that surprised me was that this relatively new comic shop had at least $10,000+ invested in comics and hardcovers; a lot of them probably just sitting there for a while. I've always wondered how they come across such a giant inventory in the first place; sets off eBay I figured, until I saw that Absolute Planetary, long OOP, just sitting on a top shelf out of view. Strange stuff. I wish I knew the business model behind these sorta places to where they profit.

edit: just found the 6 Shade issues I needed for $10 total on eBay. woooo.

[CrazyOldHermit]

I guess this is the message board equivalent of going to sleep in Shreveport and waking up in Abilene.

[Gittles]

People buying monthlies at LCS and paying cover for trades/HCs in the year 2012 at a LCS boggles my mind.

I want my LCS to stay my LCS. That only happens if I buy stuff there.

[chicainery]

I've looked into buying floppies online but shipping is too expensive for me.

I buy my regular issues along with hardcovers and trades that I want around release date at DCBService.com. They have flat rate shipping, so I can justify not waiting for mega deals on hardcovers, and they package their books really well.

They also offer deals every month on pre orders. For example: Last month I got the Spider-Island Companion HC for $21.99, where Amazon has it listed for $25.32. When you add savings like this up, the $6.25 monthly shipping rate (plus great packaging) basically disappears.

[chicainery]

I want my LCS to stay my LCS. That only happens if I buy stuff there.

If there were a good comic book store where I live I would buy my books there. Unfortunately, the stores that I used to enjoy have all gone out of business and the only local stores that sell comics are run by pompous jerks.

[CrazyOldHermit]

I buy my regular issues along with hardcovers and trades that I want around release date at DCBService.com. They have flat rate shipping, so I can justify not waiting for mega deals on hardcovers, and they package their books really well.

They also offer deals every month on pre orders. For example: Last month I got the Spider-Island Companion HC for $21.99, where Amazon has it listed for $25.32. When you add savings like this up, the $6.25 monthly shipping rate (plus great packaging) basically disappears.

I've looked into DCBS but since I'm in a different country shipping is a whole nother deal for me.

[chicainery]

I've looked into DCBS but since I'm in a different country shipping is a whole nother deal for me.

Ah, I see. I didn't realize shipping would be that much more for Canada. Sorry.

All shipments sent to Canada will be sent through the US Post Office by air mail. Depending on the weight and size of the package, packages will be sent in a flat rate box or regular shipping box. It takes approximately 7-10 business days to arrive. Although the shopping cart currently shows “estimated” shipping costs, all Canadian shipments are actual cost shipping. If the cost is more than the estimated cost, the adjustment will be made at the time of shipment. If you would prefer to receive your shipment by UPS, USPS Express mail or FedEx, please inquire for pricing.

[Hulk_Is]

Hi, guys. Im looking into getting my very first omnibuses/omnibi(?)...whatever. And, what I'd like to know is how well do they handle when you're reading them? After all, they contain tons of pages and so I imagine they are a bit heavy. And, what about that factor combined with it's size?

Thanks.

[Johnny P. Sartre]

This is going to be a good week for me!

My Before the Incal HC came in and man is it HUGE! Then my Crepax HC Vol 2(Jusine and the Story of O), Mister X and Hellspawn collection are on their way. :D :D :D

EDIT: I just got this

[Kaim]

Hi, guys. Im looking into getting my very first omnibuses/omnibi(?)...whatever. And, what I'd like to know is how well do they handle when you're reading them? After all, they contain tons of pages and so I imagine they are a bit heavy. And, what about that factor combined with it's size?

Thanks.

The huge ones (Simonson's Thor, Lee/Ditko Spider-Man, New X-Men to name a few) are nigh on impossible to hold while you read, unwieldy at best and unholdable at worst. You can open them and keep them on your lap, but you'll probably want a table under you. The binding is a factor with these ones - poorly bound books will not open flat and you'll experience a lot of gutter-loss. Best case, this will only effect the panel borders, but art and, more annoyingly, dialogue and caption bubbles can also get sucked into this. However, if they open well they're fine to read on a table or your lap, being an oversized book is only a plus if you're not physically holding it.

Moderate sized omnis, like most of what DC has put out or things like Marvel's Macfarlane Spider-Man or Captain Britain, the stuff in the 500-800 page range, can usually be held more comfortably. You'll probably start to get tired after awhile, but if you just want a few issues you should be fine. Otherwise, your lap beckons. Binding is still a factor here, but I find it's less problematic on books with lower page counts.

The smaller omnis - JMS Thor, any Daredevil vol. 2, or Jack Kirby's titanic Devil Dinosaur (collecting a whopping 9 issues) are often held as easily as any oversized hardcover. Unless you've experienced some fairly severe atrophying of the forearms, anything with a page count of around 450 or lower should be perfectly comfortable to hold and read.

Don't let the big ones intimidate you. They can be a little awkward even laid down for the first couple dozen pages, but once you get into it they're perfectly comfortable, and those big suckers are always the ones worth the cash.

[Hulk_Is]

Thanks alot, man. You've answered everything I had been wondering plus more. Yeah, the ones I'm looking at are in the 400 page range.

Thanks again for the speedy response.

[Johnny P. Sartre]

Best way to read those huge ones is to be on a couch, lay back on the couch arms (put a pillow behind you so you don't hurt your back) and put it between your legs. Not only are you comfy but it makes it easier to read and you don't hurt your neck a lot by constantly having it neck in an awkward position.

I did that for the Metabarons Omni that got released last year, made reading the behemoth bearable and could read for a lot longer.

[Kaim]

I've looked into DCBS but since I'm in a different country shipping is a whole nother deal for me.

I don't know what their shipping rates are like, or if they even exist, but Ryan Sohmer's 4th Wall runs a Montreal-based site, ComicPull. 15% off cover price, and since it's all in the family, so to speak, they may not charge to ship to BC.

Me myself, I like to support local. I can't justify it for the big books, but for floppies and the cheaper trades I prefer to buy from my LCS. Besides, the shop I go to offers discounts based on the number of titles on your pull, at I'm sitting pretty at 25% off cover. I haven't seen an online retailer that will either a) beat that discount or b) ship cheaply to Canada.