Marvel Essentials not very durable

[Hensley300]

I am a fan of Marvel's b&w essentials line. I read em everynight to catch up on 30 years of history with x-men, spidey, and hulk among others. But I have noticed atleast the newer releases of the popular paperback fall apart. The cover routinely comes off first, then pieces of the book itself come unglued. I have had this problem with 2 books so far, Essential Spider-man 4 and Uncanny X-men 1 (the giant size to #120 issue). Anyone else seen this in those same books or other essentials?

[Hobgoblin]

I am a fan of Marvel's b&w essentials line. I read em everynight to catch up on 30 years of history with x-men, spidey, and hulk among others. But I have noticed atleast the newer releases of the popular paperback fall apart. The cover routinely comes off first, then pieces of the book itself come unglued. I have had this problem with 2 books so far, Essential Spider-man 4 and Uncanny X-men 1 (the giant size to #120 issue). Anyone else seen this in those same books or other essentials?

 

Do you routinely play catch with your essentials books?

[Sharkey]

It's a common binding flaw when very thick books are bound inexpensively. When you open the book fully, you crack the miniscule amount of glue holding the individual pages onto the spine. The Essentials series is printed softcover, on cheap paper, in b/w, with el cheapo binding so what you've experienced is "bound" to happen.

[Tango 'n Cash]

I keep some glue handy whenever I am reading a new Essentials volume. I have never had the book itself fall apart but the covers come off like magic.

[blowout]

I am a fan of Marvel's b&w essentials line. I read em everynight to catch up on 30 years of history with x-men, spidey, and hulk among others. But I have noticed atleast the newer releases of the popular paperback fall apart. The cover routinely comes off first, then pieces of the book itself come unglued. I have had this problem with 2 books so far, Essential Spider-man 4 and Uncanny X-men 1 (the giant size to #120 issue). Anyone else seen this in those same books or other essentials?

 

I have about 15 of the Essentials and they are all still intact.

[Norrin_Radd]

It's a common binding flaw when very thick books are bound inexpensively. When you open the book fully, you crack the miniscule amount of glue holding the individual pages onto the spine. The Essentials series is printed softcover, on cheap paper, in b/w, with el cheapo binding so what you've experienced is "bound" to happen.

 

Don't open them fully.

 

Mine have held up just fine.

[Currin Comics]

The "Essential Titles" are basically giant "Giant Size" B&W comics, and the GS had some bindery problems.

[Hensley300]

No catch so far but Im thinking about it. Cool, just wondering how everyone else's were holding up. I found the first run of essentials are holding up better than the newer ones coming out.

[Tango 'n Cash]

I found the first run of essentials are holding up better than the newer ones coming out.

 

Me too and it is only the latest ones I got for Christmas that the covers are falling off.

[Hobgoblin]

Actually, I just sat down to read ASM #6 in my ASM Essentials Vol 1, and noticed the front cover has somewhat separated itself from the book.

[Norrin_Radd]

Recently read through Essential Iron Man Volume 1 (for the third time). So I needed a Volume 2. Bought on on eBay from a book dealer. It arrived in mint condition.

 

Now after reading it for two weeks, the cover is separating and a major tear in the glue has developed.

 

WTF!!!

 

My well-read copy of Volume 1 never had a problem. Why did they change their binding process??? Cheap B@stards!!!

 

 

BTW - I love reading this series in B&W. Great line art by Heck and, later, Colan.

[mica]

I have loose pages in the Essential Ant-Man. The cover is actually hanging on, but pages fall out when opened. And I barely open it no where near all the way.

I wish there were a Masterworks volume of Antman. Some of those stories could use some color, what with already bland villians like egghead.

[Solar]

Agreed. I am just about the worlds most careful reader. I've had my reader copies of modern books grade CGC 9.8 after multiple read throughs, and yet pretty much all of my Essentials are tattered half way through my first reading. They're bargain priced for a reason.

[deathlok]

I have read about 7 of my Essentials books and haven't had a problem yet with the binding. The most recent one I read was Defenders.

 

The price is so low, I wouldn't really care if it did fall apart, as I would just buy another copy.

 

 

btw, I am looking forward to some of the new ones scheduled. Essential Ghost Rider.

[Norrin_Radd]

I keep some glue handy whenever I am reading a new Essentials volume. I have never had the book itself fall apart but the covers come off like magic.

 

What kind of glue could be used to glue it back together?

[Wally's Comics]

This is VERY strange!

 

First off I must of been napping when this thread was created because everytime I recalled mechioning the essentials someone talked down to me because they were color purists!

 

I have about 30 of these Essentials... almost all of what they have.

 

I read them this way because this is an inexpesive way to find comics that I like and buy those

in color to read.

 

All of these I own are intact except one I let a freind of mines kid borrow over the summer.

 

This leads me to believe that it is the way you handle them.

 

 

 

[joe_collector]

This leads me to believe that it is the way you handle them.

 

Wow, a HUGE test case of 30 books leads you to that conclusion? Amazing, considering millions of these have been sold.

[awe4one]

Amazing, considering millions of these have been sold.

 

Do you really think millions have been sold? I'd be surprised if the number was over 1 Mil total...

 

Jim

[Wally's Comics]

This leads me to believe that it is the way you handle them.

 

Wow, a HUGE test case of 30 books leads you to that conclusion? Amazing, considering millions of these have been sold.

 

 

leading me to believe isn't scientific fact J.C. !!!

 

 

keep your thong panties on brother!

 

 

 

 

[Norrin_Radd]

This is VERY strange!

 

First off I must of been napping when this thread was created because everytime I recalled mechioning the essentials someone talked down to me because they were color purists!

 

I have about 30 of these Essentials... almost all of what they have.

 

I read them this way because this is an inexpesive way to find comics that I like and buy those

in color to read.

 

All of these I own are intact except one I let a freind of mines kid borrow over the summer.

 

This leads me to believe that it is the way you handle them.

 

 

 

 

That's what I thought. My older Essentials (volume #1s) are holding up just fine.

 

Then, I just got a 2004 volume #2 of Essential Iron Man and the binding process is utter SH|T compared to my volume #1s! There is a very obvious drop in the quality. After reading it for a week the cover separated.