Marvel Collected Editions

[victorxd1999]

Which is ironic, because Claremont wanted Wolverine to evolve and change.

That was mostly Byrne though, Claremont wasn't that fond of Wolvie but Byrne wanted to make one of the few Canadians in comics a badass.

[grahamgg]

Not true. I give praise where praise is due. I just know WATXM is far from awesome--it's future quarter-bin filler. I've heaped praise on recent books like Whedon's Astonishing X-Men, X-Statix, Fear Agent and Y-The Last Man which actually deserve praise for great art and story.

Well, not THAT recent...AXM & Y both ended in 2008. X-Statix ended in 2004. Haven't read Fear Agent.

I don't know if the Star Wars Omnibus HC variant cover by Hildebrant has been posted yet, anyway here it is.

Attachment 10180

Nice! That's the version I'll grab!

Which is ironic, because Claremont wanted Wolverine to evolve and change.

Most creators want to see characters evolve and change, otherwise they're just writing the same story over and over and their job becomes boring. It's the fans that won't let them.

Interestingly enough I read somewhere that CC had plans in the works to kill off Wolverine & replace him (or something to that effect). The story goes something happened to Wolverine's healing factor and eventually he croaks. You can see some of this in the XM:C/Lv1 Omni where Logan is near death & not healing properly after his battle with the Reavers & crucifixion. It never really panned out and CC was fired/left the books. Interestingly, you can see where he might've gone with the X-Men Forever series where Wolverine actually dies and is replaced on the team by Sabretooth.

Funny, since that's pretty much what Marvel is doing now with the Death of Wolverine story. I might eventually pick it up in HC if it's cheap enough on release week. I saw a rumor on bleedingcool that they'll replace Logan with Sabretooth for about 6 months, then X-23 will be the new Wolverine.

[Mobe1969]

I really like all the Black Widow stuff I've read and can't recall anything I disliked, but I don't doubt that I'm judging it all against itself to a degree. I just wanted an excuse to post that clip.

I agree. I just read a bundle of them. I can't believe how badly the releases have been, even to try figure out reading order. Like every trade seems to restart at "Black Widow Issue 1". I mean there were some Bill Sienkiewicz trades too with great story and art. And take Devin Grayson books, in TP and HC, they have a pretty cheesy cover art, and you read it, and half of it is beautifully painted by Scott Hampton.

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

My Marvel haul from the last month or so:

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

I managed to pick up the Captan America Brubaker Omnibus for cover price i.e. £55. However, when it arrived, there was a slight tear on the bottom of the dustcover and the dustcover itself was slightly creased in parts. I wrote a courteous but firm email to the seller as it had been described as a Very Good copy. After quite a few emails to and fro, the seller refunded me £24 which I believe isn't too bad at all.

[DrGregatron]

I had no problem with the kid helfire club in the beginning when they were a weird, goofy villain but lost interest in them during the Hellfire Academy story line when they became more of a "serious" threat. I found most of WatXM enjoyable even if it wasn't great. I bought the omnibus because of the sheer amount of issues for the price and was willing to give it a try. I wouldn't buy it again though.

In order to enjoy it though, you have to buy into the premise that Wolverine can evolve as a character. People who love the Wolverine of Claremont and don't like seeing him change as a character (which is understandable) than you'll have a hard time.

I do think it's silly to take issue with "pre-pubescent children killing their parents for their wealth and membership into a club of ribald, psychopathic child-assassins" in comics or think it indicates bad writing. I think everyone here, including you Gregatron, could think of crazy, sillier, darker, stupider things that have occurred in comics we enjoy.

Just because I might be able to think of "crazy, sillier, darker, stupider things" doesn't necessarily mean they were good comics or that I enjoyed them. Rob Liefeld used to be able to sell the hell out of a comic, but I've never enjoyed anything he's ever done...that's actually a good comparison..Jason Aaron, the Rob Liefeld of comic book writers!

[Legion564]

I managed to pick up the Captan America Brubaker Omnibus for cover price i.e. £55. However, when it arrived, there was a slight tear on the bottom of the dustcover and the dustcover itself was slightly creased in parts. I wrote a courteous but firm email to the seller as it had been described as a Very Good copy. After quite a few emails to and fro, the seller refunded me £24 which I believe isn't too bad at all.

Dang congrats on the haul and refund. My thor omnibus has a bent corner that causes the pages to go up a bit. Are there any techniques to fix this? Also when did marvel start to put pictures on omnibi? I like how infinity gauntlet and annihilation aren't just black hardcovers.

[Captain Planet]

Just because I might be able to think of "crazy, sillier, darker, stupider things" doesn't necessarily mean they were good comics or that I enjoyed them. Rob Liefeld used to be able to sell the hell out of a comic, but I've never enjoyed anything he's ever done...that's actually a good comparison..Jason Aaron, the Rob Liefeld of comic book writers!

That's why I specifically said that those things exist in comics THAT WE ENJOY and not just comics are full of that stuff. X-Static has some pretty silly stuff in it. Frog Thor! List your top 20 comic collections and I bet we could all find some crazy stuff in them along the same lines. If you like Morrison's run on X-Men you automatically loose a leg to stand on!

It could just not be the kind of crazy you like and it's mixed with an author you don't like and a premise for a book you don't like.

[Canucked]

I'm thinking of picking up the brubaker cap America stuff. Are the complete collections basically the omnis? Are they missing anything? Is there a winter soldier series to tie into it?

I've developed a love of brubaker's work. I have the icon books and sleeper as well as his small portion of Secret Avengers in hardcover.

[krisis]

I'm thinking of picking up the brubaker cap America stuff. Are the complete collections basically the omnis? Are they missing anything? Is there a winter soldier series to tie into it?

I've developed a love of brubaker's work. I have the icon books and sleeper as well as his small portion of Secret Avengers in hardcover.

The Completes are not 1:1 to the omnis (and trail off early), but they do collect the same material - and it is pretty awesome. It was my first time reading both Cap and Brubaker, and I tore through it at top speed.

Also, thanks to all who have been linking folks to my comic guides recently! I've been hyper-busy at work, so I haven't been reading many comments or chatting here, but I have a whole day this week dedicated to updating my guides (and maybe launching a few new ones).

[Bri]

I'm thinking of picking up the brubaker cap America stuff. Are the complete collections basically the omnis? Are they missing anything? Is there a winter soldier series to tie into it?

I've developed a love of brubaker's work. I have the icon books and sleeper as well as his small portion of Secret Avengers in hardcover.

There was a WINTER SOLDIER spin-off. Brubaker wrote the first 14 issues. Marvel has reprinted them in a complete collection. If you dig Brubaker you have to get his two IMAGE comics series FATALE and VELVET. They are both excellent.

[TomSlick]

Just because I might be able to think of "crazy, sillier, darker, stupider things" doesn't necessarily mean they were good comics or that I enjoyed them. Rob Liefeld used to be able to sell the hell out of a comic, but I've never enjoyed anything he's ever done...that's actually a good comparison..Jason Aaron, the Rob Liefeld of comic book writers!

Howard Mackie is the Rob Liefeld of writers.

[Canucked]

The Completes are not 1:1 to the omnis (and trail off early), but they do collect the same material - and it is pretty awesome. It was my first time reading both Cap and Brubaker, and I tore through it at top speed.

Also, thanks to all who have been linking folks to my comic guides recently! I've been hyper-busy at work, so I haven't been reading many comments or chatting here, but I have a whole day this week dedicated to updating my guides (and maybe launching a few new ones).

Thanks! And thanks for the guides too. I refer to them every once in a while when I feel I'm missing something.

There was a WINTER SOLDIER spin-off. Brubaker wrote the first 14 issues. Marvel has reprinted them in a complete collection. If you dig Brubaker you have to get his two IMAGE comics series FATALE and VELVET. They are both excellent.

I just got the Fatale OHC a few weeks ago, can't wait to read it. Is Velvet in hardcover at all?

[DarkBeast]

Is Velvet in hardcover at all?

Not yet. Only one TPB out so far. I'm reading it monthly.

I had no problem with the kid helfire club in the beginning when they were a weird, goofy villain but lost interest in them during the Hellfire Academy story line when they became more of a "serious" threat.

Yeah, I think Aaron mismanaged things because on one level you're supposed to take things more seriously... but on another level it's all getting increasingly goofy.

That was mostly Byrne though, Claremont wasn't that fond of Wolvie but Byrne wanted to make one of the few Canadians in comics a badass.

What Byrne did was more about finding out how the character could be really successful in the first place, not changing what had been established.

Byrne liked Wolverine more than Claremont did (at the time). And Byrne did his part to push for Wolvie to be used more. And Byrne showed how the character could be more awesome. But I don't think Byrne should be associated with the idea that "Wolverine is a character who can CHANGE". Byrne helped establish the baseline understanding of the character, though. Even then, Cockrum had to come in before Byrne started drawing X-Men regularly and sit Byrne down and teach him how to draw Wolverine right, because apparently Byrne's first attempts were off-model and he didn't really understand what he looked like or how his costume worked. I think Frank Miller's later tweeking of the character contributed as much if not more so than Byrne's work.

But when you factor in what Claremont did later, making Logan a mentor for younger characters, making him leader of the X-Men for a time, giving him a secret agent identity, showing the really animalistic side of Wolverine in terms of where he came from (not just "This guy is mean like an animal!" but "This guy can literally revert into a subhuman mindset"), and playing it all off of each other in ways that created the man-vs-animal killer-vs-mentor dynamics, it's hands-down because of Claremont that the whole "Wolverine can change" thing started happening.

I'm not anti-Byrne. I think Byrne's FF run is the best Marvel run of the '80s and better than any individual Claremont/[artist] X-Men run. But for whatever reason the pro-Byrne anecdotes are all people remember. On the other hand, the anecdote about Cockrum having to sit Byrne down, tell him about Wolverine and teach him how to draw the character, because Byrne had been getting it wrong in Marvel Team-Up (or whatever it was) -- anecdotes like that one always seem to slip through the cracks.

[Legion564]

The Completes are not 1:1 to the omnis (and trail off early), but they do collect the same material - and it is pretty awesome. It was my first time reading both Cap and Brubaker, and I tore through it at top speed.

Also, thanks to all who have been linking folks to my comic guides recently! I've been hyper-busy at work, so I haven't been reading many comments or chatting here, but I have a whole day this week dedicated to updating my guides (and maybe launching a few new ones).

Yay new guides!