Marvel Omnibus/Oversized Hardcover Discussion Part IV

[Indiegypsy]

When it comes to choosing which books to buy, what are your biggest influences? Do you often buy books you already own in another format, because of the good looks of an omnibus/OHC?

Personally, I never buy floppies. Made an attempt this summer to subscribe to the Death of Spider-Man arc, but waiting for the next issue was always so unbearable, so I quit and completely went over to hardcovers. It's the same phenomena as owning a box set of a tv series, and not having to wait a week to see what happens next.

And when you've read the latest OHC and waiting for the next collection to arrive, there's always the possibility to go off and explore something older or different you haven't read.

[kodave]

Does anyone know for certain if there are plans to release the next volume of Brubaker's Captain America in the omnibus format? It seems unlikely that they wouldn't, given the three already released, but it concerns me that I haven't seen even a mention of it in any of the upcoming releases.

Hermit is probably on the money with the 2013 speculation. But what will it collect? Anyone have any guesses?

The Captain America Lives Omnibus went up to #601. Volume 5 goes up to #619 before it switches to the "Captain America and Bucky" team up series and Volume 6 begins.

So I assume we get something like an 18 issue Omnibus to finish off Brubaker's Volume 5 of Captain America.

Brubaker's Volume 6 is solicited through #10 in April according to this page I'm looking at on Marvel.com, so assuming Brubaker continues writing it through 2012, that'll be enough material for ANOTHER Captain America Omnibus probably late 2013 and beyond.

Again, assuming Brubaker keeps writing and nothing is cancelled, sometime by mid 2013 there should be enough material for a Winter Soldier Omnibus which would look like a 2014 or beyond release.

And what of Captain America & Bucky? That'll run #620-628 before the book takes a team up format rotating Bucky out for Hawkeye in #629. Will we get a nine issue Captain America & Bucky OSHC? Or will Marvel see how long the series runs and maybe put it all together in a Captain America Team Up Omnibus? If the series runs all the way through 2012 we'll again have enough issues for an Omnibus sized book.

I guess the point of this speculation is... There are a lot of possible Captain America / Brubaker related Omnibuses that could drop between now and 2015 or 2016

[Squallid Snake]

When it comes to choosing which books to buy, what are your biggest influences? Do you often buy books you already own in another format, because of the good looks of an omnibus/OHC?

Personally, I never buy floppies. Made an attempt this summer to subscribe to the Death of Spider-Man arc, but waiting for the next issue was always so unbearable, so I quit and completely went over to hardcovers. It's the same phenomena as owning a box set of a tv series, and not having to wait a week to see what happens next.

And when you've read the latest OHC and waiting for the next collection to arrive, there's always the possibility to go off and explore something older or different you haven't read.

I avoid what I'm not interested in, character wise: I don't like Daredevil, Iron Man, Cap, Avengers, Punisher....But I love Spidey, Fantastic Four, X-Men, and Cosmic.

I also have a HUGE shelf list, so I would never catch up before getting my next shipment.

Most stuff I'm buying in either OHC or Omni format I have not read yet, however. I was a comic fan as a kid but I never read that MUCH. I own Mcfarlane Spidey in floppies so that was a must, and some Jim Lee X men issues. Sometimes I upgrade from trades because of the look and the durability of OHC as well. But I pass sometimes as well. It just depends on how much I love the story (if it was a previous read).

[CrazyOldHermit]

When it comes to choosing which books to buy, what are your biggest influences? Do you often buy books you already own in another format, because of the good looks of an omnibus/OHC?

Personally, I never buy floppies. Made an attempt this summer to subscribe to the Death of Spider-Man arc, but waiting for the next issue was always so unbearable, so I quit and completely went over to hardcovers. It's the same phenomena as owning a box set of a tv series, and not having to wait a week to see what happens next.

And when you've read the latest OHC and waiting for the next collection to arrive, there's always the possibility to go off and explore something older or different you haven't read.

It comes down to a few things for me.

For floppies, I buy less than I wish I did but I really can't afford to buy more than three series monthly. The series I do buy I buy because I want to bind them and its easier to get a better book from floppies than it is from trades. Floppies let you sew through the fold, referred to around these parts as sewn binding, while trades force you to either glue or oversew, which is the worst option to avoid gutterloss. So when I buy floppies I do so knowing that I won't be upgrading to a new hardcover (in fact, with DC series this is a big part of why I don't trade wait them. Can't trust that DC binding). Its either-or for me. The only real restriction I put on floppies is price. 3.99 for 20 or 22 pages = Not buying unless its just part of a crossover, like the Spidey/DD crossover last month.

For trades/HCs, I like thicker books and that mentality keeps me from buying a lot of trades. Even though I really want to check out Aaron's Punisher MAX I won't do it because I know its the perfect size for an omnibus and odds are it'll get one sooner or later. This mentality is really hard for a really young series (like Aaron's Hulk) becuase it could mean waiting years to read something. My only other real policy recarding Collected Editions is no glued omnis.

Regarding what content appeals to me, it usually comes down to characters. Since I'm still a relatively green comics reader I don't have past experience with a lot of writers so I can't always say "Well I liked so-and-so's previous work so I'll get this!" Generally I look out for what other people are saying. Thats the handy thing about collecting HCs, you can guarantee people have read it before and they can give feedback. So if its a character I like and someone gives it praise then thats usually enough for me to take the plunge.

[Squallid Snake]

I don't buy floppies aside from anything marvel cosmic. Just because I find it near impossible to get into any earthside books, as they are bogged down in a shitload of continuity and confusing events. Cosmic, on the other hand, can be managed. I am pissed that I have nothing to follow right now from this sector of the MU.

A recent exception has been Uncanny X-Force, which, surprisingly, is easy to follow for someone unfamiliar with the current X books.

That series is phenomenal. (Although I'm less impressed with the post-dark angel saga arc)

[slaine]

Makes me consider another book from around the same era - Byrne's Fantastic Four. Now, I haven't given FF a real chance besides a couple of Hickman's floppies, but I had only read JMS's Thor before buying Simonson's. So do you think the Byrne omni is a good place four a fairly new FF reader to start?

Byrne's FF is again one of those very special things that made a huge impact back in the day. I bought the omni of course, but found the first third a bit difficult to read after all these years. Then the art & story gets considerably better, and all in all it's a wonderful collection.

And on the topic of living in the north in a land far far away, skål på den saken It may be a bit inconvenient when it comes to ordering stuff from the US, but otherwise it's the best location on earth

[Capey]

My local got in the Spidey Artist's Edition today. Freakin' GORGEOUS. Now I have to wait for mine to arrive in the post direct from IDW :/

[slaine]

When it comes to choosing which books to buy, what are your biggest influences? Do you often buy books you already own in another format, because of the good looks of an omnibus/OHC?

Personally, I never buy floppies. Made an attempt this summer to subscribe to the Death of Spider-Man arc, but waiting for the next issue was always so unbearable, so I quit and completely went over to hardcovers. It's the same phenomena as owning a box set of a tv series, and not having to wait a week to see what happens next.

And when you've read the latest OHC and waiting for the next collection to arrive, there's always the possibility to go off and explore something older or different you haven't read.

I think I bought my last floppy in the early 90's. Then starting from the mid-90's I went on a comic book break for a looong time. Can't even say why, just did.

Then in 2009 I saw the light again, as I found Ennis' Punisher omni on a business trip in Manila, the Philippines. From there things started to get out of control...

Now I buy collected editions and omnis, with a couple HC's here and there. I've also branched out quite a bit, looking for good reads outside the usual DCU and MU stuff, based on top seller lists & internet gossip. Take Habibi for instance, really looking forward to that.

[Indiegypsy]

Byrne's FF is again one of those very special things that made a huge impact back in the day. I bought the omni of course, but found the first third a bit difficult to read after all these years. Then the art & story gets considerably better, and all in all it's a wonderful collection.

And on the topic of living in the north in a land far far away, skål på den saken It may be a bit inconvenient when it comes to ordering stuff from the US, but otherwise it's the best location on earth

I see... Would be cool to get more of a hang of Fantastic Four, so maybe this will be the gateway drug.

So true. It's kind of like Narnia this time a year. (Skål för Norden!)

[Fallentaco]

Has anyone read the old Marvel John Carter comics that are in the Omnibus? I was debating picking it up as I needed some new reading material and wanted an opinion of it.

Other than that I just finished the 3 OHC's of Jeff Loeb's Hulk run, all I can say is glad I got them for about $10 a piece because wow...not my cup of tea.

Next up is either John Carter of Age of Apocalypse, AoA is a must, John Carter will depend on recommendations.

[josh straightedge]

I want the AoA omni but I have the issues in my storage somewhere. I want to just do a couple custom bound volumes for them.

[One More Day]

The people here generally like the oversized art and the value you get with the amount of issues in an Omnibus. Yes some of them can be a little hard to hold but just go to the gym a little more and you will be fine.

does anyone here collect Masterworks? I'm still confused on the different versions of the masterworks

[krisis]

does anyone here collect Masterworks? I'm still confused on the different versions of the masterworks

Maybe I can help. I collect Masterworks for both X-Men and Fantastic Four and understand the versioning (I think!).

Format & Release Schedule
Generally, each MMW is released in the Silver (or, for other eras, a different color like gold or red) dust jacket, with a variant version dust jacket with the same exact book underneath. Some of the oldest editions first appeared with different dust-jackets and later saw a reprint in the standard silver (FFv1 is like this). MMWs come out roughly once a month, with some titles fast-tracked to appear in the lineup once a year (including Amazing Spider-Man, Uncanny X-Men, and FF).

Trade Paperback Version
Marvel also issues TPBs of the MMWs roughly in the same order that the original HCs were released, but at an accelerated pace. The TPBs have a relatively high print/production quality for the low cost. There were some scattered MMW TPBs prior to the launch of this new line, but the new line all have black covers with a painted version of the comic cover from the original MMW.

MMWs & Omnibuses
For silver age comics, MMWs precede Omnibuses, because the Omnibus editions need the carefully restored linework and coloring from the MMWs. The MMW line editor recently advised that roughly three MMW correspond to a single subsequent Omnibus (prior Omnis included as many as four).

Continuous Lines
Finally, all of the MMWs lines are continuous - meaning, if you collect an entire line it will leave no gaps in the story/issues for that character. That will sometimes include issues from other titles, and may involve duplication between MMWs (such as the new Avengers MMW reprinting the Avengers/Defenders War from a Defenders MMW). Generally, Uncanny X-Men is much farther along than all of the other MMW lines, because Marvel issues MMWs from the 1974 #94 relaunch alongside of the classic MMWs - filling two gaps at once! No other single title has received similar treatment. Here is a chart showing the standings of all of the open lines of MMW reprint, ordered by age of material.

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Does that help at all? If not, what is your specific question or confusion?

[One More Day]

I collect Masterworks for both X-Men and Fantastic Four, and generally understand the versioning (I think!).

Generally, each MMW is released in the Silver (or, for other lines, a different color) dust jacket, with a variant version dust jacket with the same exact book. Some of the oldest editions first appeared with different dust-jackets and TPBs and saw a reprint in the silver (FFv1 is like this).

They also are issuing TPBs of the MMWs roughly in the same order that the original HCs were released, but accelerated. The TPBs have a relatively high print/production quality for the low cost. There were some scattered MMW TPBs prior to the launch of this new line, but the new line all have black covers with a painted version of the comic cover from the original MMW.

Finally, all of the MMWs lines are continuous - meaning, if you collect an entire line it will leave no gaps in the story/issues for that character. That will sometimes include issues from other titles, and may involve duplication between MMWs (such as the new Avengers MMW reprinting the Avengers/Defenders War from a Defenders MMW).

Does that help at all? If not, what is your specific question or confusion?

I am looking to collect only hardcovers. I saw the tpb of the Masterworks, they do look nice for the price but I prefer hardcover. I heard the variants are numbered differently than the non-variants? I don't suppose you have a picture of the spines of the Masterworks?

Does it matter what edition/printing you get for the Masterworks? What do you suggest for someone starting out? I am looking to collect Spider-Man first and then possibly the Fantastic Four and go on from there.

[Captain Planet]

Just finished reading Iron Man v2 from Fraction. Not nearly as good as vol 1 but still mostly entertaining. Its pretty slow after the initial 5 issue arc.

My main beef is the art. Larroca cannot draw people anymore. They all look like wax people. And he must love the tv show Lost because he draws Tony stark to look just like Sawyer from Lost. Totally ruins it for me.

Iron Man does show up through most of the issues. Its mostly Stark/Sawyer building a company again and while the new dynamic is interesting it must have been terrible reading that in monthlies.