Omnibus, Absolute, Deluxe, and HC Thread 19 19

[miraclemet]

1 hour ago, F For Fake said:

Big day for collected editions! I had to limit myself to the Batman Road to No Man's Land Omnibus, and the direct market exclusive Excalibur Omni. I must have my calendar screwed up, because I wasn't expecting Excalibur until 12/1. But it popped up at IST today and I just about had a stroke trying to get the order placed as fast as possible! Looks like I needn't have worried, as it's still up for sale a few hours later.

I would have liked to have grabbed the JLA omni as well, but with Black Friday sales looming, and Christmas shopping to do, I had to limit my personal spending. That volume should be popular enough to hang around a while, fingers crossed.

It looks like things may finally be turning around. The IST site upgrade seems to be working well, and from what I've personally seen, and what I'm reading at MMW, it looks like the 3pm logjam isn't quite as interminable as it had become in recent months. I'm also seeing reports that Picking/Scanning is moving much faster these days.  Also, they got several books back in stock, including UXM 1, Green Arrow Longbow Hunters, Hulk PAD 2, She Hulk by SLott, etc. Maybe those shipping lines are finally opening up, and we'll see some regular restock and/or larger allocations available for ordering. Let's hope! 

Happy hunting!

I did the oppisite. Held off on Excalibur and picked up JLA by Morrison, mostly just out of preference. Alao got the new printing of Vision HC (now that its back in print) by King and the latest Barks Duck HC. And put in my DCBS order for the month (light HC month for preorders for me)

 

[F For Fake]

1 hour ago, miraclemet said:

I did the oppisite. Held off on Excalibur and picked up JLA by Morrison, mostly just out of preference. Alao got the new printing of Vision HC (now that its back in print) by King and the latest Barks Duck HC. And put in my DCBS order for the month (light HC month for preorders for me)

 

I like Morrison’s JLA a lot, but Excalibur was everything to me back in the day. Somewhere you’ll find my 7th grade yearbook with a picture of me proudly wearing my Excalibur t-shirt! Amazingly, I was never beaten up or bullied!

To me, that’s Alan Davis at his absolute peak. I haven’t revisited the stories in many years, so they may not hold up, but that was my most anticipated collection of the year, hitting all of my nostalgia buttons dead center!

I was all caught up on my Barks library, but forgot that a new volume was coming. Will have to add it to my wish list at IST!

Ordinarily my mother in law gets me a Barks gift set for Xmas, but I don’t think they’ve done one for the last several volumes. I know that this year I’m getting (via some combo of gifts from the wife and mother in law) the re-prints of the last three Rosa gift sets. I sold them off back in the Spring when prices were nuts (got $500 for ‘em) after reading from Rosa himself on FB that Fanta would be rereleasing them. I was a little nervous to let them go, but I figured Rosa was a pretty secure source. Apparently there are some minor revisions in the latest printings, as Don is something of a freak for details. (Big surprise, right?) 

[Ken Aldred]

24 minutes ago, F For Fake said:

I like Morrison’s JLA a lot, but Excalibur was everything to me back in the day. Somewhere you’ll find my 7th grade yearbook with a picture of me proudly wearing my Excalibur t-shirt! Amazingly, I was never beaten up or bullied!

To me, that’s Alan Davis at his absolute peak. I haven’t revisited the stories in many years, so they may not hold up, but that was my most anticipated collection of the year, hitting all of my nostalgia buttons dead center!

 

Davis is an excellent writer / artist.  His short run on Clandestine was another highlight from back then.

[Ken Aldred]

On 11/13/2020 at 6:43 PM, Skunkboy said:

Hi all - what's the verdict on the Gemstone EC Hardcover omnis?  I see some affordable copies on ebay, but saw a few mixed reviews online.

The only ones I've seen are the individual colour Archive hardcovers which were published by Gemstone and later by Dark Horse.

I didn't like the heavy, digital recolouring of the material, and would've preferred remaining truer to Marie Severin's original colouring.

 

Edited November 18, 2020 by Ken Aldred

[F For Fake]

13 hours ago, Ken Aldred said:

Davis is an excellent writer / artist.  His short run on Clandestine was another highlight from back then.

I haven't read that in forever. That's another one I need to revisit. Davis has always been (and continues to be!) terrific, but that late 80's/early 90's sweet spot, man, he was out of sight.

[Ken Aldred]

3 hours ago, F For Fake said:

I haven't read that in forever. That's another one I need to revisit. Davis has always been (and continues to be!) terrific, but that late 80's/early 90's sweet spot, man, he was out of sight.

Justice League : The Nail, and Justice League : Another Nail are great as well.

There was a collected edition.

[F For Fake]

5 minutes ago, Ken Aldred said:

Justice League : The Nail, and Justice League : Another Nail are great as well.

There was a collected edition.

Yes, loved those! I've still got the prestige formats around here somewhere, but you're right, I'm pretty sure they did a deluxe hardcover within the last year or so. I also enjoyed his Superboy's Legion mini, though not as much as The Nail.

[theCapraAegagrus]

I really gotta thank the boards for getting me into collected editions. Mainly @HollyJollyOne and his X-Mas exchange. The first person who gifted me got me into the DC Golden/Silver age TPBs, and the person I gifted got me into the PS Artbooks stuff. I was collecting almost all floppies until then.

[Funnybooks]

Collected editions are the trend and here to stay. Floppies will go the way of the dodo.

[theCapraAegagrus]

6 minutes ago, Funnybooks said:

Collected editions are the trend and here to stay. Floppies will go the way of the dodo.

I'm not sure about that. I admit that I often enjoy reading single issues more than trades. I love the full covers and general ease of viewing them. Trades are just generally cheaper/story, take up less room, and are easier to organize. There are often volumes that include additional content, too, which is usually a welcomed bonus.

Floppies are awesome but inefficient.

[Funnybooks]

48 minutes ago, theCapraAegagrus said:

I'm not sure about that. I admit that I often enjoy reading single issues more than trades. I love the full covers and general ease of viewing them. Trades are just generally cheaper/story, take up less room, and are easier to organize. There are often volumes that include additional content, too, which is usually a welcomed bonus.

Floppies are awesome but inefficient.

Agreed. I also read a fair amount of Manga and I think this will eventually be the model that comics will adopt and if so, the inefficiency of single issues will be the collateral damage. I hope that this is not the case, but, it's hard to argue a format like Manga that sells in the millions every year.

[F For Fake]

A shelf full of collected editions looks cooler than a bunch of white boxes, IMO. I love my comics, and I have many I'll never let go of, and there are still several individual issues I plan on pursuing. But the largest part of my collecting budget goes to collected editions. I believe I shared my "origin story" recently, but I was pulled in by the smell of the leather binding, the crisp white pages, and the hardcovers, way back when I was around 12 or so. And design of these things has gotten so creative in the may years since. Who could have foreseen the Omnibus, the Absolute, or the Artist Edition? So many cool formats within this little section of the hobby.

I think for a long time, many comic collectors were turned off by collected editions because of the misconception that they held no value. They were seen as being for "readers", as opposed to "collectors". For good or ill, a big part of comic collecting mentality has always been related to the idea that they're "worth something". People are starting to realize that collected editions are susceptible to the same market whims as the floppies, so now you see more collectors, scalpers, flippers, etc, to go along with the readers. I'm a bit of both. Definitely a reader, but also a collector and sometimes a seller. It hits all of the sweet spots of my comic affliction!

Collected editions certainly make more sense to me, from a money perspective. New comics cost, what, $4 a pop these days? If I'm willing to wait a few months, I can get a nice hardcover collection of the story for 40% off the cover price, in a more enduring format. I'd rather read the stories all in one sitting anyway.

[Funnybooks]

12 minutes ago, F For Fake said:

A shelf full of collected editions looks cooler than a bunch of white boxes, IMO. I love my comics, and I have many I'll never let go of, and there are still several individual issues I plan on pursuing. But the largest part of my collecting budget goes to collected editions. I believe I shared my "origin story" recently, but I was pulled in by the smell of the leather binding, the crisp white pages, and the hardcovers, way back when I was around 12 or so. And design of these things has gotten so creative in the may years since. Who could have foreseen the Omnibus, the Absolute, or the Artist Edition? So many cool formats within this little section of the hobby.

I think for a long time, many comic collectors were turned off by collected editions because of the misconception that they held no value. They were seen as being for "readers", as opposed to "collectors". For good or ill, a big part of comic collecting mentality has always been related to the idea that they're "worth something". People are starting to realize that collected editions are susceptible to the same market whims as the floppies, so now you see more collectors, scalpers, flippers, etc, to go along with the readers. I'm a bit of both. Definitely a reader, but also a collector and sometimes a seller. It hits all of the sweet spots of my comic affliction!

Collected editions certainly make more sense to me, from a money perspective. New comics cost, what, $4 a pop these days? If I'm willing to wait a few months, I can get a nice hardcover collection of the story for 40% off the cover price, in a more enduring format. I'd rather read the stories all in one sitting anyway.

Well said. I'm just worried that the singles will no longer be a viable option for ATT and/or Disney and that we will only be able to purchase a story in it's entirety as a collected edition type format. Am I being chicken little?

[piper]

I'm also finding that I take chances on reading material that I wouldn't give a second thought to when I only collected floppies.

As an example, I just read Ms. Marvel Vol 1 (the new one).  What a fun read!

[F For Fake]

40 minutes ago, Funnybooks said:

Well said. I'm just worried that the singles will no longer be a viable option for ATT and/or Disney and that we will only be able to purchase a story in it's entirety as a collected edition type format. Am I being chicken little?

No, not chicken little. I can't 100% join the Comics Are Doomed club, but they have some pretty strong arguments. I think at the end of the day it comes down to how much these behemoth corporations value comic shops. The weekly comic reader is the lifeblood of the comic shop. Take that away, and I'm not sure how many of these places could stay afloat based simply on the sales of collected editions, toys, card games, etc. Some certainly would, but the vast majority would close up shop pretty quickly. True, comic sales are miniscule in the eyes of these corporations, so you could argue that they wouldn't miss the revenue generated by comic sales. BUT, and I think it's a big but, comic shops aren't just delivery vehicles for comics. They are also the lifeline that gets new fans hooked, and keeps old fans coming back, to these properties. The overwhelming majority of the consumers of comic-based movies, tv shows, video games etc have never set foot in a comic shop, and that likely won't change, BUT that fandom and fanaticism has to start somewhere. The local comic shop is the little tugboat pulling the whole industry along. Do Disney and ATT/Warner/Whatever realize that? Do they care? That's the real question. I think a lot of red flags went up when DC severed ties with Diamond. It looked like it could be the test balloon for prioritizing collections and digital and YA books over monthlies. Is that true? So far, we don't know. But it'll be interesting to see play out.

Edited November 19, 2020 by F For Fake

[miraclemet]

Not HCs but im sure the shelfporn lovers will appreciate that my 15 volumes of the Pocket editions of Lone Wolf and Cub lined up perfectly in width on top of my 20 volumes of Bakuman manga.

[Funnybooks]

1 minute ago, miraclemet said:

Not HCs but im sure the shelfporn lovers will appreciate that my 15 volumes of the Pocket editions of Lone Wolf and Cub lined up perfectly in width on top of my 20 volumes of Bakuman manga.

Love shelfporn, but, I went limp after seeing the spine of Bakuman #11...OCD

[miraclemet]

1 minute ago, Funnybooks said:

Love shelfporn, but, I went limp after seeing the spine of Bakuman #11...OCD

Just a little dip! 

[F For Fake]

5 minutes ago, miraclemet said:

Not HCs but im sure the shelfporn lovers will appreciate that my 15 volumes of the Pocket editions of Lone Wolf and Cub lined up perfectly in width on top of my 20 volumes of Bakuman manga.

Love it! I was planning on collecting that series, got off track, and then fell too far behind. Have considered picking them up again, I believe they also released a larger set of reprints didn't they? These tiny, chunky collections are really cool, but my eyes would probably be happier with me if I read a larger version.

[miraclemet]

5 minutes ago, F For Fake said:

Love it! I was planning on collecting that series, got off track, and then fell too far behind. Have considered picking them up again, I believe they also released a larger set of reprints didn't they? These tiny, chunky collections are really cool, but my eyes would probably be happier with me if I read a larger version.

The omnibus version (12 volumes i think, 600 or so pages each) are still only 5x7 sized! Problem with the omnibuses is after the first few volumes they're all way OOP and run about $50 each to pick them up on the secondary market. Meanwhile i got the first 15 volumes of the Pocket editions for $30!