Marvel Masterworks

[Foolkiller]

I'm a huge fan of the Marvel Masterworks series and spent a lot of time trying to acquire a full set of the originals about 5 years ago. I sold them off recently, and have been buying the new printings. It's how I was introduced to the best stuff Marvel had to offer in the early days, and it made it somewhat affordable for me.

 

The new printings are very nice... and a slight upgrade, especially in relationship to the coloring. I actually like the new dust jacket design better as well.

 

I'm thrilled that Marvel is putting stuff like this back into print, and is reportedly issuing new volumes because although I love the originals, I'm much more into the "library" aspect of the trades.

 

Check out this site:

 

http://www.marvelmasterworks.freeservers.com/home.html

 

It gives news on both Masterworks and the Archive editions. Check it out, instead of handling your thousand dollar books, there's always these editions.

[jkrk]

I prefer the older masterworks. The page quality on the newer books appears to be much thinner and seems as if it will wear poorly. Just my opinion.

[500Club]

I love the Masterworks as well. I'm hoping the ASMs can go well into the 100s with new editions....

[Fan4Fan]

I collected about 12 or so of the originals and recently sold off mine as well.

 

The lure of additional art and better coloring was too much.

 

I have also heard folks say that the paper is thin, but haven't really noticed that much difference myself.

 

What I would like is if the Masterworks folks would use the off-white, less glossy stock that is in the DC Archives. This one time, I'd like less gloss, please!

 

Thanks,

Fan4Fan

[Foolkiller]

Ah... great point about the Masterworks vs. Archives... that's why DC still has the better reproduction quality.

 

But with the new series, I think the thinner paper actually has improved for some reason the visuals on the books and the colors. Maybe it's not the paper at all... it's certainly flimsier, but the colors aren't as flat, and although glossy still, the recolors are just done a little better and a little sharper.

 

But I love those DC archives too.

[Ariamus]

I love the Marvel Masterworks as well. They give me hopes of actually completing entire collections of many titles that I would never otherwise have any hope of doing so. Besides, if and when I can afford to purchase early SA Marvel books, I would never trust myself against recklessness enough to actually handle them to read.

 

I have 9 of the volumes released in the current series (for some reason, my local shop didn't get any copies of X-Men vol 1 and FF vol 2 but I'll scare those up soon enough) and intend to get all the volumes for all the titles that I collect.

 

As for the DC Archives, the only one I have is a Batman one that was on special a couple of months back; the price was too good to pass up and yes, I will eventually get into these as well. Reading collections of my fave DC character, Batman, would otherwise take a fortune to complete.