Marvel Collected Editions

[Brewman]

I post sales numbers quite frequently. Other than the lowest selling Omnibuses, most of them move over 1,000 units the first month of sales on the direct market. That doesn't count Amazon or Barnes and Noble. It doesn't add up what the books sell every month after. The idea that there are thousands of any single Marvel Omnibus out in the wild is not ludicrous in the slightest. Saga Volume 4 moved 24,661 direct market units in its first month. While that's definitely an outlier, it's quite possible you could have 100,000+ copies of Saga Vol. 4 out there within a couple of years taking into consideration the bookstore market and sales in subsequent months and years. Even the more "normal" collected edition books move several thousand copies in the DM their first month will have plenty of product floating out and about in the world.

There's no scarcity or shortage to the vast majority of trades and graphic novels being printed today. Even when publishers try to manipulate scarcity with LEs it fails. IDW has a bunch of ultra limited fancy signed and sketched editions of things like the TMNT books which they've had to put on sales before even though the print run was maybe 200 copies or something like that.

Just because a book gets labelled "rare" doesn't mean it's actually rare. High prices aren't always necessarily a valuation of scarcity. Even something like the Uncanny X-Force Omnibus, which may have a dozen reliable listings out there right now, isn't truly rare or scarce. There are thousands of copies of that book sitting on consumer shelves around the world and that's likely why no one is biting on extremely high priced listings, because they know there are more copies out there and eventually a more reasonable one will trickle onto the market. The internet makes true rarity or scarcity less of a thing. Instead of hoping your LCS ordered a certain book or that a certain book will miraculously be sold to a shop second hand in some small town and that may be the only copy you ever lay eyes on, you can instead go online and have access to far more copies. 50 years from now when Marvel still hasn't reprinted the Uncanny X-Force Omnibus and all of the thousands of consumer copies are raptured into Omnibus heaven and only the couple hundred ex-library copies remain left behind, then we can bemoan the long standing abusive treatment of library books and truly say that book has become rare/scarce.

Additionally, trade/GN sales are up these days while digital continues to grow. There's room for both and there's no real evidence that digital is displacing or making physical scarce at this time. It's not like declining DVD or CD sales. Could it happen in the future? Perhaps. But so far the sky isn't falling.

I have no reason to dispute your post and for that reason for omni's ohc's I as a collector would love to see actual production numbers. On the other hand lets say 100,000 copies of Death of Cap were printed without a reprint of that volume in ten years you cannot tell me that that volume in omni format would not still be a collector jewel.

[theegreatone]

So I'm finally reading all of New X-Men: Academy X, and while I like it, I'm not sure if I'm a fan of the art style. Go Rockslide though, he's my favourite. For this 2000s I only really read a bit of X-Men, I had grown tired of the growing cast.

The book got really solid when they brought in X-23 and especially the arc with Skotti Young on art.

[DrGregatron]

So do people really want omni reprints? I can understand the frustration with the price that these books are commanding on the secondary market but the hate and vitriol that are constantly espoused about the quality of paper and the lack of faux leather bindings on all the new prints leave me wondering where do the priorities lay. I personally was satisfied with reprints of Alias and Howard but I don't think I could do a reprint of any DD or SS I would pay the cost to have original higher quality book. Any other thoughts?

I've all but given up on the omnbus line at Marvel due to qualify concerns about book construction and what I feel is a lack of value in the line. When they started using cheaper materials and not watching the quality control, there should have been a drop in price across the line to reflect the drop in value. Hence, I'm not begging for reprints of OOP omnibuses and will either buy the MMW hardcover or go without. I'm not collecting books in order to fund my retirement (I'm a reader), but neither do I want to feel I've been ripped off by paying caviar prices for Filet o' Fish value.

[Canucked]

Want my predictions of what will see a reprint in the next 24 months? X-Men, Vol. 1. Brubaker Cap 1 and 2. Maybe Elektra. (Silver Surfer probably gets defused by its impending Epic.)

I need The X-Men volume 1. So I am taking your prediction as fact and will hunt you down if you're wrong.

Also, pretty please update your omnibus guide.

[Peter Parker]

I feel if they were using scarcity / secondary market as guides we would have had an Ultimates reprint by now.

[Marth555]

Which do you all hypothesize is more likely (or which do we get first):

New Mutants omni
Excalibur Omni

Seems to me another one of the X-spinoffs is about due for the treatment.

New mutants would be a day 1 buy

[Shinglepants]

So do people really want omni reprints? I can understand the frustration with the price that these books are commanding on the secondary market but the hate and vitriol that are constantly espoused about the quality of paper and the lack of faux leather bindings on all the new prints leave me wondering where do the priorities lay. I personally was satisfied with reprints of Alias and Howard but I don't think I could do a reprint of any DD or SS I would pay the cost to have original higher quality book. Any other thoughts?

I want reprints, and lots of 'em. I'm relatively new to omnibus buying and a lot of Marvels books have gone OOP. When new copies of Daredevil (Bendis and Bru), Punisher (Ennis), Wolverine, Elektra, Ghost Rider, Iron Fist, Thor..etc are usually listed at £100+ I'm not just frustrated with the market, I'm priced out of it.

I like the printed covers and have no problem with the paper. I'll take a $125. reprint over a £100+ copy from the secondary market any day of the week.

[Johnatellodi]

What Marvel Now series would you like to see in the new OHC format?

I'm personally hoping for Moon Knight! Loving this series to the moon and back.

Secondly, I'd like to see Daredevil Vol. 4, Amazing Spider-Man/Learning to Crawl, and SpidrSpider-Man 2099 - if they can get enough issues to fill it out.

[Shinglepants]

An OHC collecting Ellis and I guess Wood's run would be most appreciated. Shalvey's art was immense and definitely deserves some oversized love.

Similarly, Noto has been immense on Black Widow so I'd like that to get an OHC too.

Going back to the start of Now, would love to see Arena get collected and more recently Rocket Raccoon.

[Peter Parker]

What Marvel Now series would you like to see in the new OHC format?

I'm personally hoping for Moon Knight! Loving this series to the moon and back.

Secondly, I'd like to see Daredevil Vol. 4, Amazing Spider-Man/Learning to Crawl, and SpidrSpider-Man 2099 - if they can get enough issues to fill it out.

Moon Knight would be good. Superior Foes without a doubt. Ms. Marvel.

I really hope we eventually get the entire Hickman incursion Avengers/NA storyline in a chronological Omnibus.

[The_Dark_Knight]

Moon Knight would be good. Superior Foes without a doubt. Ms. Marvel.

I really hope we eventually get the entire Hickman incursion Avengers/NA storyline in a chronological Omnibus.

Your wish is coming true later this year. Ms. Marvel OHC was announced in the last rounds of solicits.

I'm almost positive we'll get Hickman omnis. Secret Warriors omni went OOP pretty quickly and my understanding is his pair of FF omnis have done very well. No way Marvel doesn't omni one of their flagship writer's runs on their flagship franchise.

I think it will be a set of two omnis splitting NA and Avengers like the FF omnis split FF and F4. They'll probably include Infinity and Secret Wars, but I guess they could be like the Bendis NA omni and not include any of the events the book(s) tie into.

Also, where the hell is Bendis NA omni v2? Should have been announced to tie in with the movie (along with the 3-4 other Avengers-related omnis that were announced for the spring/summer timeframe). I know the first book was overstocked, but the same was true of Byrne FF v1 and we still got a v2.

[Canucked]

So do people really want omni reprints? I can understand the frustration with the price that these books are commanding on the secondary market but the hate and vitriol that are constantly espoused about the quality of paper and the lack of faux leather bindings on all the new prints leave me wondering where do the priorities lay. I personally was satisfied with reprints of Alias and Howard but I don't think I could do a reprint of any DD or SS I would pay the cost to have original higher quality book. Any other thoughts?

I don't have as much hate for the current quality of marvel. I'm a little disappointed but I've had worse from other companies. But I also only buy them at amazon prices or lower. I wouldn't pay comic shop prices.

I feel if they were using scarcity / secondary market as guides we would have had an Ultimates reprint by now.

Yeah, marvel is pretty fine with not reprinting most of their omnis. They'll more than likely put the material in another format for future releases. Only certain omnis will get reprints. Krisis nailed it on the head.

I want reprints, and lots of 'em. I'm relatively new to omnibus buying and a lot of Marvels books have gone OOP. When new copies of Daredevil (Bendis and Bru), Punisher (Ennis), Wolverine, Elektra, Ghost Rider, Iron Fist, Thor..etc are usually listed at £100+ I'm not just frustrated with the market, I'm priced out of it.

I like the printed covers and have no problem with the paper. I'll take a $125. reprint over a £100+ copy from the secondary market any day of the week.

I would like reprints of some things too, but I'm not expecting any. The material will come out in other ways. Omnis are for enthusiasts and not a mass market. Marvel doesn't have them on priority.

What Marvel Now series would you like to see in the new OHC format?

I'm personally hoping for Moon Knight! Loving this series to the moon and back.

Secondly, I'd like to see Daredevil Vol. 4, Amazing Spider-Man/Learning to Crawl, and SpidrSpider-Man 2099 - if they can get enough issues to fill it out.

Superior Foes. Black Widow.

[victorxd1999]

What Marvel Now series would you like to see in the new OHC format?

I'm personally hoping for Moon Knight! Loving this series to the moon and back.

Secondly, I'd like to see Daredevil Vol. 4, Amazing Spider-Man/Learning to Crawl, and SpidrSpider-Man 2099 - if they can get enough issues to fill it out.

Moon Knight, X-Force, Loki AoA and of course Superior foes of spider-man

[Shinglepants]

I would like reprints of some things too, but I'm not expecting any. The material will come out in other ways. Omnis are for enthusiasts and not a mass market. Marvel doesn't have them on priority.

Yeah, I'm not expecting them all to get reprints, at least not in the forseeable future. Wouldn't be surprised though if the likes of Iron Fist or Bendis' Daredevil get reprinted at some point. If it doesn't happen in the next five years I'll just pick 'em up digitally.

[Cold Water]

All New X-Factor.
Amazing X-Men.
All New Invaders.