Not all trades get hard covers?

[JoeWithoutFear]

Hey all.

Not sure exactly where to put this thread so, if any mods feel the need to move it, go on ahead!

I recently dove into Ant-Man and really loved what I found in this series. I want to get it in hardcover but, as you can see from that link, it doesn't seem to be available in hardcover. In my experience, the trades I've collected have always been available in hardcover. So, is that just not the case sometimes?

Do the hardcovers just come out later sometimes?
Is it possible the hardcover for this volume is available somewhere else but not on Amazon for some reason?

Any/all information is appreciated! Thanks!

[Expletive Deleted]

Not every series gets collected in hardcover editions.

[JoeWithoutFear]

Not every series gets collected in hardcover editions.

To spare myself future confusion, are there any general rules that tend to dictate what will or will not get a hardcover? For instance, if this Ant-Man run had continued beyond the 5 issues and turned into a real on-going, would that have maybe changed things?

[LadyLutece]

Generally, a series will only get a hard cover printing if the they think enough of them will sell. So some of the less popular series just go to paperback. And in every case, hard covers always come out before paperbacks.

[Talkie Toaster]

To spare myself future confusion, are there any general rules that tend to dictate what will or will not get a hardcover? For instance, if this Ant-Man run had continued beyond the 5 issues and turned into a real on-going, would that have maybe changed things?

Hardcover releases are based on sales, not longetivity of the series. I've collected Marvel series that started with hardcover releases and then a few volumes on only had paperbacks

[Expletive Deleted]

To spare myself future confusion, are there any general rules that tend to dictate what will or will not get a hardcover? For instance, if this Ant-Man run had continued beyond the 5 issues and turned into a real on-going, would that have maybe changed things?

It's purely a sales thing, and Marvel is understandably opaque about their criteria. As frustrating as it is, there really aren't any rules.

[Great O.G.U.F.O.O.L.]

The opposite is true as well, some hardcovers never get a softcover edition (usually comics from previous decades). I gravitate towards softcovers, mostly for monetary reasons, and whenever a hardcover I like gets published I'm always thinking "should I get it now or will there be a paperback edition"? Case in point Englehart's 3rd volume of West Coast Avengers (the previous 2 got paperback editions), "Nothing can stop the Juggernaut etc.

It's not even a Marvel thing since DC put out Jack Kirby's OMAC and The Demon in hardcover but only OMAC got into paperback eventually.

[DT Winslow]

It's purely a sales thing, and Marvel is understandably opaque about their criteria. As frustrating as it is, there really aren't any rules.

Its not even a sales thing, really. Superior and Amazing have been at the top in sales but straight to paperback. Then OHC. I know Gabriel had talked about lowering the amount of books in PHC after the Fear Itself debacle. Every book in PHC and very few sold any units. Eesh. Now it seems big ticket writers get PHC unless it's a big ticket concept to sell, like Superior Iron Man. Cap, Thor, Avengers are big titles with big writers and got PHC. Gillens Iron Man, Bendis books, and vanity projects they think they can sell to the bookstore market for larger returns.

The Star Wars books are straight to paperback, so I have no idea what's going on. An extra five bucks for every unit sold, and they will sell, sounds attractive to the bottom line.

[Nomads1]

Not every series gets collected in hardcover editions.

And not every series gets the Tradepaperback treatment also.
Some books are only released in HC. Some only in TPB. Some get released in HC and TPB versions. And some never get the collected treatment at all (though, I have to say, at Marvel, at least, I find that this happens very rarely).

Peace

[Expletive Deleted]

Its not even a sales thing, really. Superior and Amazing have been at the top in sales but straight to paperback. Then OHC.

When I say sales, I mean sales of the collected editions, not sales of the singles. If Marvel thinks they'll make more money by selling more copies at a lower price point, that's what they'll do. If they think they'll make more by selling fewer copies at a higher price point, that's what they'll do. If they think they'll make more combining approaches, with a cheap mass market version followed by a higher quality version for collectors, that's what they'll do. And all of that is based on market forces which we can only vaguely glimpse, in a variety of distribution channels.

The Star Wars books are straight to paperback, so I have no idea what's going on. An extra five bucks for every unit sold, and they will sell, sounds attractive to the bottom line.

In terms of Star Wars, I think it's more about the bookstore market than anything else. And in that context, a lower price point is probably more attractive.

[Iron Maiden]

I feel the same way about how unpredictable this is decided as to which series get HC. For example, Doom 2099 and Spider-Man 2099 were probably the best selling of the 2099 titles. This was back when comics were regularly selling in the 100,000s. But both have only had softcover editions. The Children's Crusade came in the oversized format, which I have. But there is a softbound edition also. Also, I think only Marvel "classic" comics from the Golden and Silver Age get the Masterworks treatment.