Marvel Omnibus/Oversized Hardcover Discussion Part V

[Squallid Snake]

you guys are scaring me with talk of physical book releases slowing down.

It DOES seem like the omnis of late are of less popular material...why the heck would they go to the trouble of making those when UXM 2, Hickman FF, Uncanny X force, ect are obvious choices? What can we be missing here?

[CrazyOldHermit]

you guys are scaring me with talk of physical book releases slowing down.

It DOES seem like the omnis of late are of less popular material...why the heck would they go to the trouble of making those when UXM 2, Hickman FF, Uncanny X force, ect are obvious choices? What can we be missing here?

Probably proximity to the ongoing series or movies. We obviously won't get UXM 2 this year because it's going to come out next year with Days of Future Past. And Hickman's FF just wrapped up, it'll be a while before they start on that.

[Shinobi100]

NEW WARRIORS OMNIBUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !

Ahahahahahaha. Seeing as I'm the official Defender of the Early 90s, you cannot imagine how insanely geeked up I am about this. Bagley is a legendary penciller. You know, a penciller, back when you could actually tell they were drawing with pencils. And Nicieza, though he was borderline awful trying to mimic Liefeld's testocerone charged ideas on X-Force, he proved he had some awesome writing skills on New Warriors. The team really feels like a bunch of teenagers, each with different personalities and drama, and believe you me there is a lot of drama. And the roster of the team is spectacular. Namor's niece, Speedball (of Civil War fame), and the future leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy. The quality of stories was incredibly high throughout, from the alternate dimension Sphinx story to the classic feeling free-for-all with the Warriors & FF vs. Terrax. Tons of cool guest stars, but none in a way that feels forced or contrived.

With Marvel slimming down their hardcover output, I NEVER would've suspected this omni. This reignites my hopes that early 90s blockbusters Maximum Carnage and Operation Galactic storm will get their rightful place as OHCs. And it even creates hope I never really had that Thunderstrike, Darkhawk, Deathlok, and even Sleepwalker could one day be Omni'd.

The NW Omni should also get some Hulk fans excited. This Omni goes up to issue #26 of the regular series and the New Warriors Classic TPBs only go up to #17. That means Marvel has broken their stance on not releasing material in HC until they've finished up a TPB line. So we could be seeing Peter David Hulk Omniboos anytime from here on out.

[NZ_InFerno]

Just taking a wild stab, but perhaps Marvel has seen their digital sales go up, and their print sales go down (including for the BIG books) and so they're stepping down their physical print runs of trades. HCs are falling by the wayside, TPBs are the norm now as they're cheaper to make (I'm assuming) and cheaper to sell: i.e. probably the same if not better profit margin, move more books at lower retail price = make more money than HCs at a higher price.

I have not gone digital yet, as I don't think the prices are that good, but I do have some of the old GITCORP PDfs on DVD, which I read on my IPAD, and that's awesome. If they could get the prices down, I'd think about going that route (digital "trades"). Dumb question, but do they offer digital 'trades' that are downloadable? I want to have the files on my system, not in the "cloud" somewhere. But I realize this would make copying/pirating more rampant. Just a question. One of the things I love about these DVDs is that I OWN the files, have them on my PC, and on the IPAD, don't even need to connect to the internet, just read them when I want to. *Sorry, got off topic there a bit...

Comixology does offer trades and even Omnibuses of digital comics, you still don't own the content though like your gitcorp DVDs.

The NW Omni should also get some Hulk fans excited. This Omni goes up to issue #26 of the regular series and the New Warriors Classic TPBs only go up to #17. That means Marvel has broken their stance on not releasing material in HC until they've finished up a TPB line. So we could be seeing Peter David Hulk Omniboos anytime from here on out.

Well that's one positive to take away, opens up some interesting Omnibus options.

[momaw]

It still brings back the question of, "What is the point of the omnibus line?"

I thought the commonly regarded answer was "books/runs of significant importance, or from top-shelf creators"
And then also to reprint the early SA stuff, soo, I guess..

Re John Carter omnibus.

Written by Marv Wolfman, Chris Claremont and others

Drawn by Gil Kane, Walter Simonson and others. Heck even an issue drawn by Frank Miller.

I think that meets the bolded criteria you set out.

[grahamgg]

It DOES seem like the omnis of late are of less popular material...why the heck would they go to the trouble of making those when UXM 2, Hickman FF, Uncanny X force, ect are obvious choices? What can we be missing here?

This was also one the factors which caused the demise of the MPC line. Marvel churned out volume after volume of junk no one demanded month after month. Eventually the market was flooded and you had comic stores with literally walls of MPCs lined up that no one would buy even at huge % off. Sales dropped and the line was cancelled. The same thing APPEARS to now be happening with the Omnis. I give the Omni line another year to a year-and-a-half.

Just because you CAN reprint something doesn't necessarily mean that YOU SHOULD.

[Rimmer]

The Guardians of the Galaxy movie will most likely cause Marvel to published a GOTG omnibus of the EARLIEST stories and not the really good, more recent stuff that the movie will most likely be based on ...

While that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, since none of those characters will be in the movie, it wouldn't surprise me. But ideally it'll either be an ommnibus of the full GotG series (it was like 25 issues, PERFECT size!) and/or an omnibus of Ahhihiliation/Annihiliation Conquest (which featured Peter prominently and the latter spawned the GotG itself). One can only hope, but that's a long way off.

[Rimmer]

Comixology does offer trades and even Omnibuses of digital comics, you still don't own the content though like your gitcorp DVDs.

Thanks, that's good to know. I guess I'm just being old-fashioned on this stuff. I'm willing to go digital, but I want to own/keep the files. I see that with AmazonMP3 and others, they're trying to go with way with music, too. you PAY for the songs, but you don't GET the songs, it's in your "cloud" account or whatever. No thanks, I'll go digital but I want the files, mp3s, etc... on my computer/tablet. With MP3s, there is rampant theft, borrowing, trading, etc... and with comics it's the same with CBR/CBZ files, etc... But the music folks are still making money, so why can't the comic folks do something similiar? Again, I'm old, and old-fashioned...

[Rimmer]

Sorry for the barrage of posts this morning, but I wanted to share this for those interested.

I think there was a note in THIS thread (maybe it was a dif. one) about the book: Marvel Comics: The Untold Story by Sean Howe. It came out a few weeks back.

I picked it up from my local library last night, am gonna read a bit to see if it's something I'd want to buy (think I'm gonna put it on my Christmas list). The sucker is really large, lots of pages, smaller print, so there should be a lot of info in there. It's scoured from lots of interviews over the years, both by Howe and others. It's unauthorized, which means some of it could be BS, but most likely not, and it won't be sugarcoated by the Marvel PR dept. They had an excerpt of it online somewhere awhile back, I read it, and fell in love with the idea. Being older, I find the back workings of these things more interesting now, whereas when I was a kid reading Marvel, I could care less who wrote it, who drew it, etc... Should be a good book.

[Whip Whirlwind]

This isn't really an omnibus / oversized question, but I figured this would be the best place to ask.

What is the general order for Marvel's releases? Is it: Premier HC -> Trade Paperback -> Deluxe Hardcover / Omnibus? And how frequently are the hardcovers printed?

I wanted to get the hardcovers for JiM, but all the Premier HCs are sold out. Should I expect them to be reprinted, or will there be another hardcover set released?

[passer-by]

I think there was a note in THIS thread (maybe it was a dif. one) about the book: Marvel Comics: The Untold Story by Sean Howe. It came out a few weeks back.

There is a thread in the Classic Comics forum - that's where I heard about it.
http://forums.comicbookresources.com...d-Hand-of-Fire

I'm reading it now and I'm delighted. This is the book I was hoping for about the history of Marvel.

As for suspicions that there could be BS, the book is based on over 100 interviews with creators and other people in the know over decades, so I'd say it's well researched - by the way, when there are diverging accounts of an event, it is pointed out.

And it's precisely because it's unauthorized that you can expect a more sincere account of Marvel history, especially concerning creator interactions.

Very pleasant writing style too, the author Sean Howe is a former editor and critic at Entertainment Weekly.

Current Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #926 in Books
#3 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Graphic Novels > Superheroes
#5 in Books > Business & Investing > Skills > Communications
#6 in Books > Business & Investing > Economics > Economic History

http://www.amazon.com/Marvel-Comics-...e+untold+story

From what I see, the editorial reviews are pretty positive - no one has called BS so far. ;)

[krisis]

This isn't really an omnibus / oversized question, but I figured this would be the best place to ask.

What is the general order for Marvel's releases? Is it: Premier HC -> Trade Paperback -> Deluxe Hardcover / Omnibus? And how frequently are the hardcovers printed?

I wanted to get the hardcovers for JiM, but all the Premier HCs are sold out. Should I expect them to be reprinted, or will there be another hardcover set released?

The only guarantee about anything is that it will eventually appear in TPB. Otherwise, never expect a hardcover or a reprint or another edition.

Currently and for Marvel now, the formula is:

- Premiere HC (Not all titles; for Marvel Now, only released if the book is $3.99) OR Deluxe Hardcover AKA Oversized Hardcover (OHC) (Rarely; generally for line-wide events or key limited series)

- TPB (for Marvel Now, released >9mnths after PHC)

- Deluxe Hardcover or Omni (Only for titles that have reached critical mass, such as Bendis Avengers, new Daredevil, etc) OR Ultimate Collection (Recollects 2-3 TPBs)

- Omni or Deluxe Hardcover or Ultimate Collection (i.e., they can do either first and then the other)

[ER Prest]

The only guarantee about anything is that it will eventually appear in TPB. Otherwise, never expect a hardcover or a reprint or another edition.

Currently and for Marvel now, the formula is:

- Premiere HC (Not all titles; for Marvel Now, only released if the book is $3.99) OR Deluxe Hardcover AKA Oversized Hardcover (OHC) (Rarely; generally for line-wide events or key limited series)

- TPB (for Marvel Now, released >9mnths after PHC)

- Deluxe Hardcover or Omni (Only for titles that have reached critical mass, such as Bendis Avengers, new Daredevil, etc) OR Ultimate Collection (Recollects 2-3 TPBs)

- Omni or Deluxe Hardcover (i.e., they can do either first and then the other)

Or after the deluxe/omnibus books we can also get the Ultimate Collections

[Gittles]

Sorry for the barrage of posts this morning, but I wanted to share this for those interested.

I think there was a note in THIS thread (maybe it was a dif. one) about the book: Marvel Comics: The Untold Story by Sean Howe. It came out a few weeks back.

I picked it up from my local library last night, am gonna read a bit to see if it's something I'd want to buy (think I'm gonna put it on my Christmas list). The sucker is really large, lots of pages, smaller print, so there should be a lot of info in there. It's scoured from lots of interviews over the years, both by Howe and others. It's unauthorized, which means some of it could be BS, but most likely not, and it won't be sugarcoated by the Marvel PR dept. They had an excerpt of it online somewhere awhile back, I read it, and fell in love with the idea. Being older, I find the back workings of these things more interesting now, whereas when I was a kid reading Marvel, I could care less who wrote it, who drew it, etc... Should be a good book.

I read it. There's a ton of great content on the 50s through 70s. Less so thereafter, although the Shooter era and the launch of.Image are coveted pretty well. I enjoyed what I read, but was hoping to read more about 2000 to present.

The contuining saga of Stan Lee throughout is pretty fascinating.

Minor critiques aside, it's a really good read.

[Rimmer]

I read it. There's a ton of great content on the 50s through 70s. Less so thereafter, although the Shooter era and the launch of.Image are coveted pretty well. I enjoyed what I read, but was hoping to read more about 2000 to present.

The contuining saga of Stan Lee throughout is pretty fascinating.

Minor critiques aside, it's a really good read.

Thanks to those who replied. Looking forward to reading it. Does it talk much about Jack Kirby and the lawsuits and all that about "who created the characters" and all that?