Most likely means they are out and it is gone for some time.
Most likely means they are out and it is gone for some time.
"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings" - Optimus Prime
Thanks. From the first Excalibur omni, I've heard good things about the Cross Time Caper, and I see issues 12-30 are collected in one TP. Is that readable on its own?
Also, man, I cannot get into Clandestine. I've read the X-men/Clandestine mini and the recent annuals that Davis wrote for FF/Thor/Wolverine. They're too out there and... meh. haha
What I'd love is a Warren Ellis omnibus. He's done so many awesome short runs here and there; Extremis, Astonishing X-men/Ghost Boxes, Moon Knight, Secret Avengers.
Yes, great news re: FF Vol. 4. I'm really hoping for a Daredevil Vol. 2 Omnibus (even though I have all the MMWs ) and a Captain America Vol. 3 is long overdue.
And I think I might just go with the Barry Windsor-Smith cover.
The first volume of the NR era is OOP and pretty expensive after market (say, $65 give or take) and covers the SotE sequel and Mara Jade comic, among other things. It's kind of a hodge podge, rather than a thematic collection (like the next 4 NR era volumes). I think there will be three more NR era volumes after Dark Empire - one for Crimson Empire, one for Leviathan/Union/Boba Fett, and one for Chewbacca/Invasion (or that will be a singular volume of the NJO era).
SotE isn't collected yet because they appear to be going v1, v2, ... through each era individually. SotE is certainly "Rebellion" era, probably v5 or v6 but maybe even v7 (I'm having trouble parsing what all has or has not been collected in this era, but it seems like Shadows of the Empire will be in the last Rebellion volume, however the numbering works, unless they put all the Dark Forces books together in this era).
Blue text denotes sarcasm
What else'd be awesome?
A Young Avengers omni, with all of Heinberg' run, Civil War and Secret Invasion tie-ins, YA Presents, and other misc appearances here and there. Hell, throw in the Gillen run too.
I was incorrect on the Excalibur omnibus being 1/4 trash, 3/4 quality stuff (The Alan Davis portions).....I looked at the contents of the omnibus and it goes to issue 49. Davis left after issue #24 (With some fill-in issues by other artists here or there during Davis's run), then Davis didn't come back until issue #42.......So that means it's half-quality/half-trash, if I'm being generous. What's cool is the omnibus contains about 8 issues of Davis's second run.
In regard to the number of fill-in artists for the early run of Excalibur, I remember Davis saying he had completed his work on the comic ahead of schedule, but instead of releasing the comic monthly so Alan could continue being ahead of schedule, Marvel decided to take advantage of the extra work Davis put in by putting Excalibur on a bi-weekly release, which resulted in him falling behind........Hence the fill-in artists during that early run.
As for your question, if you don't want to get the omnibus, it's best to get the first TP ("The Sword is Drawn") if you can find it at a reasonable price, then Cross-Time Caper. "The Sword is Drawn" is somewhat important as it has some of the best sections of the early days of Excalibur, and sets up a lot of stuff for down the road. I consider "The Sword is Drawn" to be better than "Cross-Time Caper", overall.
The portions of ClanDestine you read were the weakest (X-Men mini & those somewhat recent Davis annuals). The best ClanDestine storyline was the original run (Until Davis left). I'd suggest checking it out, but if the X-Men mini & those annuals put a really sour taste in your mouth, it's up to you.
That's from an early, incorrect listing. The omni collects up to #34 of the main series, plus two specials, and some appearances in other series (Thor, Quasar, and a serial in Marvel Comics Presents). Of those issues, Davis did the art for #1 to 7, #9, #12 to 17, and #s 23 & 24 of the main series, as well as one of those specials. So you're still right that he did about half the art in the omni. Davis's return as writer/artist will be in a second omni, and should be collected in its entirety if the omni is a similar size to Vol 1.
Personally speaking, I'm giving this omni a miss and sticking with the Epics (barring any price glitches or deep discounts). Davis' art is great, and some of the other artists are no slouches either, but too much of the material overall feels like filler to me to justify the expenditure. I'd be far more interested in the second omni though.
Couple of questions on Excalibur and Absolute Carnage:
- Excalibur - I want to collect the entire run and I don't care about hardcover vs. softcover. Having said that, does it make more sense for me to buy the Omnibus and then wait for the 2nd Omnibus (will it get published for sure?) or should I just buy the Epic Collections? I have also seen that the content is slight different between those two
- Absolute Carnage - is it worth going for the Omnibus or is the simple TPB enough and the rest are fillers? (again, I don't care hardcover vs softcover)
Not that this decides whether you should buy it, but the Masterworks will look different from the omnibus version - those versions were recolored in a slightly more modern way, while the Masterworks will look more like the other Masterworks color reconstructions.
Compare the version of issue #158 in the last Masterworks volume to the way it looks in the Omnibus, and then decide if you think the different coloring approach is worth investing in the new volumes (I'm not sure, myself).
The benefit of the omnibus is having the art in an oversized format plus all of the extras - I'd watch Omar's video if you're on the fence.
Nothing is ever guaranteed when it comes to finishing series but Marvel has been quite good in recent years so I wouldn't worry too much. The biggest uncertainty would be with the final part of the run by Ben Raab as that's probably the hardest sell unless you're a completist.
Regarding the contents, the first Epic also includes some key Marvel UK Captain Britain stories which introduced Brian and Meggan. These were included in earlier Captain Britain collections (such as the Captain Britain Omnibus) so they're not included in the Excalibur Omnibus.
The Excalibur Omnibus does include Excalibur's guest appearances from Thor & Quasar but they're not essential to have.
Thanks. I’ve just watched Omar’s video and while the oversized format is definitely a plus, I like the fact that the Epics have already gone further in collecting the series (even if a 2nd omnibus is collected, when will that happen? Who knows) plus that point that you just made about the Marvel UK Captain Britain stories has clinched it for me.
Thanks for the help!
Guys, I need your wisdom.
As you've no doubt heard me whine earlier in this thread about how I blinked and missed out on the War or the Realms Omnibus (that I had been patiently waiting for).
What little of it there is online (pretty much only ebay) goes for over $180 (after shipping). Amazon-UK has it for $160 (after shipping), which is pricey, but the cheapest I can find it right now.
Should I bite, or wait?