Marvel Epic Collection -- can someone explain?

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

I just did that! Looks like we'll be able to get Avengers: Operation Galactic Storm this year!

I guess my new question is: has Marvel said in any interview which series they plan to add to the line eventually? Like, for instance, the Eternals or Master of Kung Fu?

I think with Shang-CHi Master of Kung Fu, your best bet are the Omnibuses. I know that they're not cheap but I recall Cory Sedlmeier saying on the Marvel Masterworks forum that if you want the Shang Chi run, then you really need to pick up the Omnibuses. He seemed to be implying that the Omnibuses are a one done deal. Probably something to do with licensing rights.

I don't know where you live but if you're in the US, you can get Omnibuses from www.instocktrades.com at a 42-50% discount, which is pretty good indeed.

If I was to take a guess, I would say that The Eternals might end up as a Complete Collection TPB rather than in the Epic Collection line.

[SJNeal]

Personally, I hope they don't add any new titles to the line for quite awhile. Or at least until a few of the original series are completed.

[Hi-Fi]

I think with Shang-CHi Master of Kung Fu, your best bet are the Omnibuses. I know that they're not cheap but I recall Cory Sedlmeier saying on the Marvel Masterworks forum that if you want the Shang Chi run, then you really need to pick up the Omnibuses. He seemed to be implying that the Omnibuses are a one done deal. Probably something to do with licensing rights.

I don't know where you live but if you're in the US, you can get Omnibuses from www.instocktrades.com at a 42-50% discount, which is pretty good indeed.

If I was to take a guess, I would say that The Eternals might end up as a Complete Collection TPB rather than in the Epic Collection line.

Thank you for those tips! I live in Brazil, so I get my books through Amazon's Brazilian division. Omnibuses are way too expensive for me, sadly.

Personally, I hope they don't add any new titles to the line for quite awhile. Or at least until a few of the original series are completed.

I hope we get at least some spin-offs of main titles, like Web of Spider-Man, Peter Parker: Spectacular Spider-Man and West Coast Avengers. They seem to be doing it with X-Men (X-Factor, X-Force, New Mutants, Excalibur), so I'm confident.

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

Thank you for those tips! I live in Brazil, so I get my books through Amazon's Brazilian division. Omnibuses are way too expensive for me, sadly.


I hope we get at least some spin-offs of main titles, like Web of Spider-Man, Peter Parker: Spectacular Spider-Man and West Coast Avengers. They seem to be doing it with X-Men (X-Factor, X-Force, New Mutants, Excalibur), so I'm confident.

I live in Poland and have had to juggle around at times to get what I wanted. Fortunately, I can order from the amazon.co.uk and amazon.com marketplaces where I've managed to pick up some good deals. Also I've picked up some great deals from the main local online auction site. I remember a fellow poster from Brazil who would take advantage of the yearly Black Friday deal on Barnes and Noble. Barnes and Noble have pretty bad packaging but he would be pretty chuffed to get Omnibuses at a massive discount even though some would come with a squashed corner or two. The shipping costs from B&N are pretty reasonable also. I've recently being ordering from instocktrades when there's something I really want even though their shipping costs are high. I'm still constantly on the lookout for good deals.

I can definitely see titles like Peter Parker getting an Epic Collection line especially now that the first Marvel Masterworks volume has been announced.

Btw, my wife and I visited Brazil several years back. Wonderful place.

[Rincewind]

It seems that the Epic label is being applied to any larger paperback collection of long running characters for issues from the 60s - 90s. The exceptions being the Ultimate line (combining 2 or more smaller previous collections) or Complete line (planned collections that collect a title run in chronological order) are being labeled as and Epic. Even characters that did not have long running titles, such as Iron Fist and Black Panther have gotten releases.

I can see future releases for spin off titles like West Coast Avengers and Spectacular Spider-Man. I'm sure a lot of posters on the board would welcome and Epic collection of the Owl-Octopus War from Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man.

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

From what I've heard, the Ultimate collections are being phased our and any "reprints" will be labelled Epic or Complete. One of the main reasons is for buyers not to mix up the Ultimate Universe TPBs with the Ultimate line collections.

One example, I believe, is the Spider-Man Big Time collection. Originally the Ultimate line, now the Complete line.

[Rincewind]

The main thing I enjoy about the Epic Collection line is that it collection large runs that have not been collected anywhere else. I love that the first Iron Man Epic picked up right where the Layton/Michilinie Omnibus ended. The first Thor picked up right after the Walt Simonson Omnibus ended. And the first Fantastic Four picked up right where the Byrne Vol 2 Omnibus ended.

I have no interest in picking up the Volume 1 Epics because the material has already been released in the Essential line, the Masterwork line, and the Omnibus line. I don't need the material in yet another format.

I realize that many collectors prefer one format (with a consistent design), but that really doesn't matter to me.

[Hi-Fi]

I live in Poland and have had to juggle around at times to get what I wanted. Fortunately, I can order from the amazon.co.uk and amazon.com marketplaces where I've managed to pick up some good deals. Also I've picked up some great deals from the main local online auction site. I remember a fellow poster from Brazil who would take advantage of the yearly Black Friday deal on Barnes and Noble. Barnes and Noble have pretty bad packaging but he would be pretty chuffed to get Omnibuses at a massive discount even though some would come with a squashed corner or two. The shipping costs from B&N are pretty reasonable also. I've recently being ordering from instocktrades when there's something I really want even though their shipping costs are high. I'm still constantly on the lookout for good deals.

I can definitely see titles like Peter Parker getting an Epic Collection line especially now that the first Marvel Masterworks volume has been announced.

Btw, my wife and I visited Brazil several years back. Wonderful place.

Thank you for the Barnes and Noble tip. I did purchase a bunch of TPBs during Amazon's Black Friday last year. It kinda got out of control!

And thanks for the kind words about Brazil. It can be a very difficult place to live, but also pretty great.

[DrGregatron]

Personally, I hope they don't add any new titles to the line for quite awhile. Or at least until a few of the original series are completed.

Wasn't it estimated to take well over 10 years to complete any of the original six series? And that was before they were slowed down by the addition of many more series.

[Gotham Thrasher]

Where did you guys hear that the complete line is merging with the epics? I mean I don't care as long as stuff is collected in bigger and cheaper formats so it's cool I guess.

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

Where did you guys hear that the complete line is merging with the epics? I mean I don't care as long as stuff is collected in bigger and cheaper formats so it's cool I guess.

As far as I know, the complete line is not merging with the Epics. It's the Ultimate line (not to be confused with the Ultimate Universe) that's ceasing and any material that was originally started in the Ultimate line, if continued, will be done under the Complete label.

[Antari]

Epic line quality is decent in my opinion and they're not as pricey as Masterworks.

I'm huge fan of Silver Surfer vol.3 (1987) so I was really happy they released two Epics so far collecting Surfer. Ron Lim art steals the show for me in vol.3 ever since I read Herald Ordeal story arc. Then I started to dig deeper into his work and decided I have to read whole vol.3. Second Epic collects Silver Surfer vol. 3 #1–14 which is a good place start but on the other hand Lim work starts from 15 and there's much more to go since vol.3 contains pretty big number - 145 issues.

There're other collected editions which includes some issues from vol.3 like Infinity Gauntlet Omnibus (vol.3 34-38, 40, 44-60) or slightly thinner Rebirth of Thanos (vol.3 34-38) but it lacks consistency.

Week ago they solicited SILVER SURFER EPIC COLLECTION: THE INFINITY GAUNTLET TPB which will collect #51-66 from vol.3. There're only 6 new issues compared to Infinity Gauntlet Omnibus. The move is kind of obvious, they want to boost sales of incoming movie. I recon from the same reasons they'll rerelease Infinity Gauntlet Omnibus (which became OOP recently) the year the movie strikes. It's kinda hard for me to understand why didn't they release #15-33 instead though since most of the issues are alike in Omnibus and incoming Epic.

[Mace Dolex]

The convenient thing about the Epic Colleciton is also that I can rid myself of the single issues and give them to my LCS for store credit.

[SJNeal]

Wasn't it estimated to take well over 10 years to complete any of the original six series? And that was before they were slowed down by the addition of many more series.

Probably. But if they stuck to the O6 series and bumped up production to 3 a year, they'd shave a few years off of that estimate.

[Gotham Thrasher]

As far as I know, the complete line is not merging with the Epics. It's the Ultimate line (not to be confused with the Ultimate Universe) that's ceasing and any material that was originally started in the Ultimate line, if continued, will be done under the Complete label.

That I knew. Some collected ultimate collections that went OOP have already been re-released as Complete collections .