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  1. #1
    Mighty Member tib2d2's Avatar
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    Default Are omnibuses economical?

    Do omnibuses (omnibi?) make economic sense? how many issues typically include around 50-60 issues? 1000-1200 pages? I think they typically retail for around $150 right?

    I'm wondering if you were to break these out into individual trade paperbacks (if available), if purchasing 8-9 trades would be less expensive, and probably a lot easier to hold and read haha.

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    Astonishing Member Shinglepants's Avatar
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    I think one or two have sold for $150 but the top end is usually $125. Some obviously less than that. Depending on where you are in the world you can find them for 30-50% cheaper online too.

    All that said, as a collector myself, I’ve honestly never thought of the economics. I just like the oversized art in a hardcover collection and sexy looking shelves haha.

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    Latverian ambassador Iron Maiden's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tib2d2 View Post
    Do omnibuses (omnibi?) make economic sense? how many issues typically include around 50-60 issues? 1000-1200 pages? I think they typically retail for around $150 right?

    I'm wondering if you were to break these out into individual trade paperbacks (if available), if purchasing 8-9 trades would be less expensive, and probably a lot easier to hold and read haha.
    Before Marvel came out with these larger versions, I collected the Visionaries version. Sometimes they would be by title/creator. I have the John Byrne Fantastic Four Visionaries which came out before the omnibus versions. But long before that I was buying the Marvel Masterworks edition. I have all of the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby Fantastic Four run in that format. You got a nice slipcover in this HC verison. You can probably still find some on eBay and the prices are very reasonable these days. I recall the originals from the late 1980s used to go for as high as $200 on eBay. Nowadays Marvel has put out softcover versions of the Masterworks. I like them because they are easier to read then a heavy omnibus. The only omnibus I have is the Jonathan Hickman Fantastic Four #2 because in was only about $40 at 2nd and Charles. I should have gone back for volume 1 but it was gone on my next visit.



    Last edited by Iron Maiden; 09-24-2020 at 07:54 AM.

  4. #4
    Mighty Member jb681131's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tib2d2 View Post
    Do omnibuses (omnibi?) make economic sense? how many issues typically include around 50-60 issues? 1000-1200 pages? I think they typically retail for around $150 right?

    I'm wondering if you were to break these out into individual trade paperbacks (if available), if purchasing 8-9 trades would be less expensive, and probably a lot easier to hold and read haha.
    Well it all depends what you call an "Omnibus". Any somewhat big compiled book or onle the big HC books ?

    Let's say a comics is around 3$ and 24pages - so .125$ a page.
    With a 1000 page book at 125$ it makes .125$ a page. So you will gain a little by having somewhat better paper and a HC. But you loose by having a heavy book, a fragile book, hard to carry book and sometimes spine problemes and difficulty to read the center pages.
    With smaller books, usually in softcover you have around 20 issues for 30$. Which makes around 500pages for 35$. Which does 0.07$ a page. Much much more economical !

    But then if you go into oversize HC or Masterwork editions, you are loosing in comparason to buying each issues one by one.

    All all that is implying that issues cost 3$, which is the current selling price of issue, but in the 30's it was 10c and in the 60's a dollar something.
    Last edited by jb681131; 09-24-2020 at 12:04 AM.

  5. #5
    Mighty Member tib2d2's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jb681131 View Post
    Well it all depends what you call an "Omnibus". Any somewhat big compiled book or onle the big HC books ?

    Let's say a comics is around 3$ and 24pages - so .125$ a page.
    With a 1000 page book at 125$ it makes .125$ a page. So you will gain a little by having somewhat better paper and a HC. But you loose by having a heavy book, a fragile book, hard to carry book and sometimes spine problemes and difficulty to read the center pages.
    With smaller books, usually in softcover you have around 20 issues for 30$. Which makes around 500pages for 35$. Which does 0.07$ a page. Much much more economical !

    But then if you go into oversize HC or Masterwork editions, you are loosing in comparason to buying each issues one by one.

    All all that is implying that issues cost 3$, which is the current selling price of issue, but in the 30's it was 10c and in the 60's a dollar something.
    Thats a good point. Honestly TPB's are much easier to read, and I do like them broken into smaller volumes. Unfortunately you can't always find a run of TPB's that include the full run of issues you're looking for.

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    Latverian ambassador Iron Maiden's Avatar
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    Another format that Marvel came out with recently are the Epic Collections. Bigger than some TPBs but smaller than an omnibus. The ones I have are hardcover but the do come as TPBs. It has the large page size but not as large as the omnibus format. They are usually about $35
    Last edited by Iron Maiden; 09-24-2020 at 08:16 AM.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by tib2d2 View Post
    Do omnibuses (omnibi?) make economic sense? how many issues typically include around 50-60 issues? 1000-1200 pages? I think they typically retail for around $150 right?

    I'm wondering if you were to break these out into individual trade paperbacks (if available), if purchasing 8-9 trades would be less expensive, and probably a lot easier to hold and read haha.
    For a library YES.

    I have seen some for John's JSA run.

    I would guess it would be better to have that omnibuse of 60 issues versus 5 or so TPB that no one reads or gets damage too easy.

  8. #8
    Mighty Member jb681131's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by skyvolt2000 View Post
    For a library YES.

    I have seen some for John's JSA run.

    I would guess it would be better to have that omnibuse of 60 issues versus 5 or so TPB that no one reads or gets damage too easy.
    If you put a protection over your tpbs as you do with your schoolbooks, a tpb is still much better for a library.
    How are people gonna carry 1000+ pages books. How long are they gonna rent the books ? They'll never finish it before the time is due.

  9. #9
    Mighty Member jb681131's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Iron Maiden View Post
    Another format that Marvel came out with recently are the Epic Collections. Bigger than some TPBs but smaller than an omnibus. The ones I have are hardcover but the do come as TPBs. It has the large page size but not as large as the omnibus format. They are usually about $35
    Yes, those formats are really economical. They are just a big smalll, with very cheap paper. But the Epic books never come as hardback. Only the "Complete Epic" does and are not therefore economical.

  10. #10
    see beauty in all things. charliehustle415's Avatar
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    I think they totally are with one caveat: if they are still in print.

    This is how I got into so many seminal runs because sometimes finding storylines can be obtuse with incomplete trades and a lot of double dipping. However, when a omni is out of print you are SOL since the mark up is soo high; which is a turn off for a lot of readers. Yet there are other options especially with digital, so the days of rare omnis may be over.

  11. #11
    Mighty Member jb681131's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by charliehustle415 View Post
    I think they totally are with one caveat: if they are still in print.

    This is how I got into so many seminal runs because sometimes finding storylines can be obtuse with incomplete trades and a lot of double dipping. However, when a omni is out of print you are SOL since the mark up is soo high; which is a turn off for a lot of readers. Yet there are other options especially with digital, so the days of rare omnis may be over.
    Maybe, but it's the point of the Marvel Epic collection, bring in cheap format the totality of the stories form the begining, with regular reprints.

  12. #12
    see beauty in all things. charliehustle415's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jb681131 View Post
    Maybe, but it's the point of the Marvel Epic collection, bring in cheap format the totality of the stories form the begining, with regular reprints.
    I wonder if "Epic Collections" would be considered omnis?

  13. #13
    Latverian ambassador Iron Maiden's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jb681131 View Post
    Yes, those formats are really economical. They are just a big smalll, with very cheap paper. But the Epic books never come as hardback. Only the "Complete Epic" does and are not therefore economical.
    The some of the early ones did. I have the HC version of The Overthrow of Doom. Amazon has the HC listed for $22

  14. #14
    Swollen Member GOLGO 13's Avatar
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    I still want big honking HC Omnibus books to be reprinted. I only want to read & share these monster-books, not collect.

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