All New Marvel Collected Editions

[Pete Wisdom]

I would've preferred some focus on uncollected stuff, but for people who want their JMS > SpideyTrust > Slott run in Complete Collections, it's happening.

We can have both: along with BND CC, there's Spider-Man: Tombstone vol. 1, which has got to be Gerry Conway's run on Web and Spectacular from late80s/early 90s. Only that title makes me think they might not collect all of it, just the parts with Tombstone, and that's an idea I don't agree with.

[Ari Gold]

Incredible Hulk Epic Ghost to the Past, is part of PAD's acclaimed run?

Do you think it's worth getting as a means of collecting PADs Hulk, or will it be so long between new releases and not all PAD that it won't be filled for many years?

Also, does it stand alone as a great set of stories having never read PAD Hulk?

Thanks in advance, sincerely appreciate anyone's thoughts on this book.

[Cap'n_RDM]

It's not his best but by Wolverine standards I think it's quite a good story. I liked that it took the boring, indestructible Wolverine and made him interesting by turning him into a villain. It had a sense of danger, and the Hand seemed like a legit threat because they could turn anybody to their side.
But Old man Logan is superior obviously.

I feel EotS is the better story. OML is way overrated in my opinion.

[Balakin]

Do you think vol 2 will go OOP fast?

Cgn still has vol 1 for well under cover so I don't think it will go ridiculously fast.

just checked and speedyhen has it in stock as well, so I will hold off buying vol2 for now. I remember shortly after it came out it seemed like it gonna go oop ridiculously fats but probably the shops got more stock or they quickly reprinted it.

[awayne83]

I feel EotS is the better story. OML is way overrated in my opinion.

^This. IMO OML was a great concept, which is also why i think it was/is held in such high regard, but EOTS was the better written, more fleshed out story of the 2.

[Tony]

Incredible Hulk Epic Ghost to the Past, is part of PAD's acclaimed run?

Do you think it's worth getting as a means of collecting PADs Hulk, or will it be so long between new releases and not all PAD that it won't be filled for many years?

Also, does it stand alone as a great set of stories having never read PAD Hulk?

Thanks in advance, sincerely appreciate anyone's thoughts on this book.

Peter David has I believe has 8 hulk Hulk trades that run perfectly into this epic collection. I really doubt Marvel will keep the line going long enough to finish any of the real lines. Get books you want however you can is my thinking. As to the epic itself the annuals were really bad but the regular issues were really good/brought back fond memories. I'd recommend it to any Peter David fan.

Edit: Hmm I don't know as a new fan if it would be a problem to jump in here. Lots of new people like Marlow and the pantheon. Hulk having a different personality. I do think the writing and art is excellent.

[Peter Parker]

This week marks the first of the Secret Wars mini-series collections hitting the stands, with Age of Apocalypse. Do you plan to buy any of them?

I can count on one hand the series I've heard any good hype on, and less than that appear to have any sway on ongoing continuity. Seems like a great chance to save money on half-a-year's worth of releases to me! With the last few pre-SW books trickling out now, it'll be March before we're even close to collections of the ANAD stuff.

Ongoing continuity is now a giant clusterf&!$. Anything goes now. The universal No-Prize is now "Battleworld".

[Shinglepants]

This week marks the first of the Secret Wars mini-series collections hitting the stands, with Age of Apocalypse. Do you plan to buy any of them?

I can count on one hand the series I've heard any good hype on, and less than that appear to have any sway on ongoing continuity. Seems like a great chance to save money on half-a-year's worth of releases to me! With the last few pre-SW books trickling out now, it'll be March before we're even close to collections of the ANAD stuff.

If they were doing OHC, I'd be in for a few, 1872, Marvel Zombies, Siege, Infinity Gauntlet, Weirdworld, House of M, Korvac Saga...
As it is, I'll take a pass for now. Strange that Young's AvX is the only one getting the oversized treatment.

[WinterSoldier76]

I feel EotS is the better story. OML is way overrated in my opinion.

I'm glad to see some love for Enemy of the State. I hadn't been reading modern comics for a long time when I picked it up on a whim and it really drew me in to exploring more of what Marvel was offering at the time (i.e.: Brubaker Cap, JMS Thor, Civil War, etc...). While I actually enjoyed both of these Wolverine stories, I think I liked EotS a little bit better. That said, Steve McNiven is the real MVP here though on OML.

[WinterSoldier76]

I was looking forward the FalCap but was disappointed. Even with Immonen's art the costume just looked silly, didn't really looked like a Cap costume, it's Patriotic Falcon. Also the wings AND the shield is just too much. Can't believe he is not imbalanced with it.
Maybe if he only had a jetpack without the wings. I get it that his fighting style is based on flying but you don't need the wings if you have the shield and there are plenty of examples in the MU of people using wingless jetpacks without difficulty.
Also, and feel free to educate me if I'm wrong, but I always thought you should have some kind of super strength to throw that shield properly. I mean, you can throw it once or twice if you are fit enough but to constantly do it in battle that must be tiresome. That's why Bucky with the cybernetic arm made sense. But AFAIK Sam doesn't have super strength.
Also, how the hell can the bloody bird carry the shield? Surely it weights too much for a bird, if it would be lightweight it wouldn't have the same impact when it gets thrown at an opponent.

Yeah, I'm in this boat regarding FalCap. I love Sam as a character, especially after Brubaker's run, but it just feels a little forced and with the shield throwing and the flying and the lack of explanation it just feels a little thin. I wish they made the plot lines a little smoother and also didn't throw Steves characterization down the drain in a weak attempt to make it all stick.

[grahamgg]

Incredible Hulk Epic Ghost to the Past, is part of PAD's acclaimed run?

Do you think it's worth getting as a means of collecting PADs Hulk, or will it be so long between new releases and not all PAD that it won't be filled for many years?

Also, does it stand alone as a great set of stories having never read PAD Hulk?

Thanks in advance, sincerely appreciate anyone's thoughts on this book.

My review from earlier in the thread & amazon:

I've been reading the Incredible Hulk Epic Ghost of the Past by Peter David this past week and these stories really take me back to my early high school comic book collecting days! I haven't read these issues since they were originally published over 20 years ago! Below are some of my takeaways:

The annual crossover stories at the beginning of this volume are as weak as I remember them. I am not a fan of Maguire's loose cartoonish art style and I never particularly enjoy the silly "oh my! I have someone else's brain in my body!" shtick they pull with Namor and Rick Jones. I skimmed the Hulk chapter, then skipped the Namor, Dr. Strange, and Silver Surfer annuals totally before diving straight into the Incredible Hulk issues.

I'd forgotten how much of a horror movie slant the Ghost of the Past arc had at the time and it holds up remarkably well in re-reading. I can still recall the disappointment I felt when Dale Keown left the book immediately before the big 400th anniversary issue for greener pastures over at Image Comics. To me, Keown is one of my all time favorite Hulk artists (along with Gary Frank also featured in this volume!) Keown really set the standard for the Hulk's visuals in the early 1990s. Surprisingly however, Jan Duursema's art holds up remarkably well, far better than I recall it doing so. You can see she was trying to ape Keown's style in a few areas but it's sold storytelling and really hits the emotional story beats when required. Considering the dark nature of the content in the early issues, that's no small task. By the end of the volume, Gary Frank comes on board, the book looks great again, reads great, & we the readers get an extremely emotionally satisfying ending.

This volume sums up nicely what I miss so much about Peter David's Hulk comics compared to modern Hulk comics: Great artwork, with an equally great cast of characters & story that never takes its readers intelligence for granted. The subplots pay off gradually and organically, nothing is rushed, and in the end the reader feels satisfied and completely invested in the characters. Keep 'em coming Marvel! I'd buy one Hulk by David volume a month!

So to summarize: Yeah, it's great. Go buy one.

[grahamgg]

Anyone have an idea when the new Hachette catalog will be out?

[Near Mint]

I don't think this is a "glitch" price. It's more likely an "oops we overprinted a mediocre Star Wars run and charged twice what it's worth and therefore need to unload a shitload of unsold books" price.

Agreed. I should have included the quote marks around the word glitch like the OP.

This middle volume is the only one that lacks a movie adaptation, and because it takes place just after ESB, (1980 spoiler alert) Han is necessarily missing from these issues.

[Near Mint]

Anyone have an idea when the new Hachette catalog will be out?

Historically, the May-Aug catalog had been released in mid-to-late January. However, this year's was published on December 23, 2014, and subsequent catalogs have been running about a month earlier than the prior pattern. Hopefully we'll see it by no later than mid-December, but it could be earlier. The most recent one came out on July 31st, so any time after late November seems like fair game, based on the four-month interval.

[Canucked]

Yeah, I'm in this boat regarding FalCap. I love Sam as a character, especially after Brubaker's run, but it just feels a little forced and with the shield throwing and the flying and the lack of explanation it just feels a little thin. I wish they made the plot lines a little smoother and also didn't throw Steves characterization down the drain in a weak attempt to make it all stick.

I'm very interested to see what Nick Spencer does with Sam as Cap. I know the first issue got some feathers ruffled, I haven't read it or spoiled it for myself, but I really like Spencer's writing and the art looks great. Perhaps he can make same the Captain America that Sam should be. We'll see when it hits unlimited.