I finally broke down and got the Crime Noir omnibus by Bendis.
I always figured this would hit the bargain bin but so far it really hasn't. CGN had it at $50, which is more than half off. Ebay sellers are drunk off their assess and asking for more than $100. Amazon has it in the high $50 and IST in the low $60.
I'm surprised that CGN was the winner. But, to justify paying the shipping I went ahead and also ordered a $30 Howard the Duck omnibus. Hey, you can't beat that.
Also, before folks start slamming Bendis, the Crime Noir is really good stuff. I read it (sought out the floppies and trades) back in the early 2000s when he was brought onto Ultimate Spidey. I'm not saying it's up there with Brubaker and Rucka, but if you like their crime stuff, then this is a good recommendation.
Bendis is really a tale of two writers for me. I think his Ultimate stuff was fantastic , I liked his Daredevil, and his real early Avengers stuff. But then he just got annoying. I really started hating his writing about the time he killed Ultimate Spider-man and his mainstream stuff was just so repetitive and cutesy characters. I at first loved Jessica Jones but in the Avengers she was so distracting. Just really burned out on me. I couldn't even read his Xmen and Guardians stuff. And I know I'm in the minority here, but I hate Miles Morales--not so much in the story or character beats, its still probably Bendis best current writing---I just hate when a modern writer patches an update on a pre existing (and still ongoing) character--make your own damn character! I dunno---this is all my opinion. Maybe a new start at DC would be helpful, but I'm not really dying for a Bendis Batman...maybe Superman
trying to be nicer
I like most of his stuff but not his X-Men and his guardians was readable but very weak. He really was kicking some ass on Iron Man, particularly his take on Dr. Doom. Oh, and Defenders was good, too! I am pretty excited about him going to DC and getting the chance to play in the toy box.
I almost bit on the Bendis omni as well. If I'd not have spent so much the last couple months probably would've. But with CGNs shipping it wasn't bargain enough for me. Torso (included in the Crime Noir) is an excellent work of historical fiction if no one's read it.
I agree with much of what you've written bar Jessica Jones, as I've hardly read any of her. His Daredevil was very good BUT I'm not a fan of superhero identities being out in the open and it was Bendis who got the ball rolling on DD's secret identity reveal. Waid sometimes gets flak for his identity being fully revealed but it was pretty much already out there. The "damage" had been done in Bendis' run.
I read that Bendis when asked several years ago who he would like to write at DC said Zatanna.
Please don't let him touch Superman.
My guess would be he's gonna start with The Flash or Green Lantern, which I'm not sure I would be happy with, because Flash is one of my all-time favorites. Like most of you I'd liked the first years he did at Marvel, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, etc. The second half of his Avengers run I was not really thrilled about. I'd have to start at the Marvel Now era, but from what I read it's pretty bad
The complete estimated comic book sales figures for October 2017 are in (please note this list only details those comics sold to North American Comics Shops as reported by Diamond). I’ve listed below the Marvel OHC/Omnibus/MMW’s as well as the larger TPB collections such as the Epic, Ultimate and Complete lines that made the list, detailing the position, title and estimated sales. I haven’t included any reentries.
13. Civil War II TPB - 3,030
23. Secret Empire OHC - 2,279
37. Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu Omnibus Vol. 4 - 1,759
48. Hulk: World War Hulk Omnibus - 1,607
58. The Mighty Thor By Walter Simonson Omnibus (2nd Printing) - 1,430
60. The Tomb of Dracula: The Complete Collection Vol. 1 - 1,419
69. Thor Vs. Hulk TPB - 1,275
80. Marvel Horror: The Magazine Collection TPB - 1,164
81. Werewolf By Night: The Complete Collection Vol. 1 - 1,159
83. The Mighty Thor: Heroes Return Omnibus Vol. 1 - 1,138
86. Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor HC Vol. 16 - 1,118
95. Doctor Strange Epic Collection Vol. 13: Afterlife - 1,060
104. The Incredible Hulk Epic Collection Vol. 2: The Hulk Must Die - 991
105. Thor: Ragnaroks TPB - 990
121. Avengers Standoff TPB - 824
124. The Incredible Hulk By Jason Aaron: The Complete Collection - 811
167. Thor: Gods & Deviants TPB - 623
177. Avengers By Brian Michael Bendis: The Complete Collection Vol. 2 - 573
244. Howard The Duck: The Complete Collection Vol. 4 - 370
For the sake of comparison, below are DC's estimated Omnibus sales for October:
Swamp Thing: The Bronze Age Omnibus - 1,481
Justice League International Omnibus Vol. 1 - 1,208
Justice League Darkseid War Saga Omnibus - 1,034
Grayson The Superspy Omnibus – 629.
Uncanny X-Force omnibus - Why would Marvel not reprint this immediately? Has an omnibus ever sold out quicker?
The lack of reasoning is more frustrating than the lack of book itself.
Grah!