And now the big TPBs:
BLACK PANTHER BY CHRISTOPHER PRIEST: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION VOL. 4 TPB
Written by CHRISTOPHER PRIEST
Penciled by DAN FRAGA, JORGE LUCAS,
JIM CALAFIORE, PATRICK ZIRCHER & JOE BENNETT
Cover by PATRICK ZIRCHER
Christopher Priest takes the Black Panther in a whole different direction! With T'Challa gone, who will inherit the mantle? Could it be...the guy with the trench coat and guns? Kevin "Kasper" Cole is out for revenge against the people who hurt his family, and his quest will bring him into conflict with corrupt cops and a brutal hunter. It's the all-new Black Panther vs. the White Wolf as a crime novel in comic form begins -- but nothing in a Priest tale is ever black and white. This gritty, street-level Panther saga will conclude with revelations about the fate of T'Challa -- and set up Cole to join a whole new Crew! But can Cole, War Machine, Junta and Josiah X handle Big Trouble in Little Mogadishu? Collecting BLACK PANTHER (1998) #50-56 and #59-62, and THE CREW #1-7.
416 PGS./Rated T+ ...$34.99
ISBN: 978-1-302-90058-8
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY CLASSIC:IN THE YEAR 3000 VOL. 1 TPB
Written by MICHAEL GALLAGHER & MARIANO NICIEZA
Penciled by KEVIN WEST, COLLEEN DORAN & FRED MENDEZ
Cover by KEVIN WEST
Continue exploring the Marvel Universe of the 31st century with the original Guardians of the Galaxy! But will the team survive a Major blow when Vance Astro walks out? Meanwhile, Charlie-27 fights for his life against a Captain Universe-powered Badoon, and Starhawk makes her dramatic return -- as do the heavyweight Galactic Guardians! Even with the cosmic power of Firelord, a Phoenix, a Spirit of Vengeance and the thousand-year-old former Wonder Man, can two teams of Guardians stop the Dread Dormammu? Perhaps with some help from this era's Sorcerer Supreme...or a strangely recognizable Ancient One! But the most surprising arrival of all is Rita DeMara, the second Yellowjacket! Will this former Master of Evil find her redemption in the far future? Collecting GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (1990) #30-39 and ANNUAL #3, and material from MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS (1988) #134.
320 PGS./Rated T ...$34.99
ISBN: 978-1-302-90061-8
MACHINE MAN BY KIRBY & DITKO: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION TPB
Written by JACK KIRBY, MARV WOLFMAN, TOM DeFALCO & ROGER STERN
Penciled by JACK KIRBY & STEVE DITKO with SAL BUSCEMA
Cover by JACK KIRBY
A military machine with a soul, a thinking computer in the form of a man -- X-51 is the Machine Man! Abel Stack gave a government-created robot a human face, nurturing the man inside the machine and calling him son. But Stack's death left that son, Aaron, alone and running for his life. The military wants to strip him apart, and mankind doesn't understand him -- but in exploits crafted by two of the medium's greatest talents, he'll still redefine humanity. Few comic books were lucky enough to be graced by the work of Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. Machine Man never saw an issue that wasn't illustrated by one of these creative titans. Now, the complete MACHINE MAN epic is collected for the first time, and in one complete volume! Collecting MACHINE MAN (1978) #1-19 and INCREDIBLE HULK (1968) #235-237.
440 PGS./Rated T ...$39.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9577-1
MOCKINGBIRD: BOBBI MORSE, AGENT OF S.H.I.E.L.D. TPB
Written by ROY THOMAS, MIKE FRIEDRICH, STEVEN GRANT, MARK GRUENWALD, GERRY CONWAY & MORE
Penciled by HERB TRIMPE, BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH, JOHN BUSCEMA, GIL KANE, RICH BUCKLER, DAN ADKINS, DON HECK, JIMMY JANES, MARK GRUENWALD & GEORGE EVANS
Cover by PAUL RENAUD
Discover how Barbara Morse became the Avenger known as Mockingbird! She's a S.H.I.E.L.D. scientist who's trained for action and destined for greatness, and she's hunting down the Man-Thing in the Savage Land -- with a little help from Ka-Zar! But what happens when the wild man follows Bobbi back to the urban jungle, and onto the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier? Agent Morse hones her super-hero skills as a Huntress before donning her signature garb as Mockingbird for a run-in with Spider-Man! But will romance blossom when she meets the Avenging Archer Hawkeye, or will the two hot-headed heroes find themselves at odds on a vital mission? Collecting ASTONISHING TALES (1970) #10, #12-13 and #15-20; KA-ZAR (1974) #3-5; MARVEL TEAM-UP (1972) #95; HAWKEYE (1983) #1-4; and material from ASTONISHING TALES (1970) #8, SAVAGE TALES (1971) #8 and MARVEL SUPER ACTION (1976) #1.
440 PGS./Rated T+ ...$39.99
ISBN: 978-1-302-90086-1
STAR BRAND: NEW UNIVERSE VOL. 2 TPB
Written by JOHN BYRNE, HOWARD MACKIE, MARK GRUENWALD & JEFF PARKER
Penciled by JOHN BYRNE, KIERON DWYER, SAL BUSCEMA & JAVIER PULIDO
Cover by JOHN BYRNE
Ken Connell wields the awesome power of the Star Brand! But will he be remembered as the New Universe's greatest hero, or its most terrible threat? Ken gets a whole new look -- but when he goes public with his uncanny abilities, the consequences are far beyond anything he ever expected! The mysterious old man returns, the true nature of the White Event is revealed, and Ken's son is born! But when he tries to rid himself of the Star Brand, it's goodbye Pittsburgh! You will not believe who takes on comics' finest tattoo. What will the new owner mean for life, death and everything in the New Universe? Plus: A lost tale from Ken's stint as the Star Brand, told 20 years on! Collecting STAR BRAND #11-19, THE PITT and UNTOLD TALES OF THE NEW UNIVERSE: STAR BRAND.
320 PGS./Rated T+ ...$34.99
ISBN: 978-1-302-90087-8
THOR EPIC COLLECTION: RUNEQUEST TPB
Volume 12 in the Thor Epic Collections
Written by DOUG MOENCH & ALAN ZELENETZ with STEVEN GRANT & BOB HALL
Penciled by ALAN KUPPERBERG, BOB HALL & MARK BRIGHT with KEITH POLLARD, JOHN BOLTON, GREG LaROCQUE, HERB TRIMPE, DON PERLIN & ERNIE CHAN
Cover by BOB LAYTON
Thor confronts a barrage of foes -- from Storm Giants and the Crusader to Graviton and the Lord of Darkness himself, Dracula! The battle for Asgard -- the battle for life itself -- is set when Loki and war god Tyr steal the Golden Apples of Immortality and unleash the Midgard Serpent. Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three must face a world-destroying menace and prevail -- or age and die like mortal men! Then, to save Jane Foster, Thor and Sif embark on a quest into the cosmic depths of the Runestaff! Also featuring a rare black-and-white Thor adventure and retellings of classic Asgardian tales: the birth of Thor, the forging of Mjolnir, the humbling of Thor and more! Collecting THOR (1966) #320-336 and ANNUAL #11, and BIZARRE ADVENTURES #32.
456 PGS./Rated T ...$39.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9445-3
THUNDERBOLTS CLASSIC VOL. 3 TPB (NEW PRINTING)
Written by KURT BUSIEK, KARL KESEL & BARBARA KESEL
Penciled by MARK BAGLEY & GEORGE PÉREZ
Cover by MARK BAGLEY
The Thunderbolts return to Earth after an interdimensional journey to Kosmos, but there's no rest for the weary as they find themselves pursued by S.H.I.E.L.D. -- as well as a recovering Baron Zemo who's out for their blood! Has this team of villains posing as heroes truly reformed? And even so, will anyone believe them? One person might -- a surprising figure from the ranks of the mighty Avengers, who briefly went down a villainous road himself many years before: The Avenging Archer, Hawkeye! He could offer the T-Bolts redemption, but at what price? Plus: Atlas must face the mighty Hercules, who seeks revenge for injuries suffered in years past! Guest-starring the Masters of Evil, Captain America and the Avengers -- and introducing the new Citizen V! Collecting THUNDERBOLTS (1997) #15-22 and #0, CAPTAIN AMERICA & CITIZEN V ANNUAL 1998 and AVENGERS (1998) #12.
288 PGS./Rated T ...$34.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9687-7
X-23: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION VOL. 1 TPB
Written by CRAIG KYLE, CHRIS YOST,
JAY FAERBER, MARJORIE LIU & SI SPURRIER
Penciled by BILLY TAN, MIKE CHOI,
FRANCIS PORTELA, FELIPE ANDRADE,
NUNO ALVES, WILL CONRAD, SANA TAKEDA
& DAVID LAFUENTE
Cover by BILLY TAN
The origin of X-23! Cloned from Wolverine's cells and raised to be the perfect killer, young Laura Kinney never knew a life free from the harsh masters at the Facility. But now she's broken loose at last and must forge her own path in the world! Free of her chains and determined to live, Laura will write the next chapter of her story herself. But can X-23 escape her training and her instincts, or will the gallons of blood spilled in her violent past drag her down? And can she truly begin a new life until she faces the man whose shadow has loomed over her for years? Enter: The Wolverine! Collecting X-23 (2005) #1-6, X-23: TARGET X #1-6, CAPTAIN UNIVERSE/X-23, X-23 (2010) ONE-SHOT and #1-3, and material from X-MEN: TO SERVE AND PROTECT #2.
456 PGS./Parental Advisory ...$34.99
ISBN: 978-1-302-90116-5
Guys, I'm seriously torn on whether to buy the Civil War hardcover.
Is the writing as bad as the internet claims?
Is the movie hype just getting to me?
It's certainly not Marvel's worst event of the past decade, that's for sure!
The writing is okay. The art is terrific. The plot is sort of a greatest hits of what's happening in the Civil War, and then whatever seems most interesting to you you can read in its own TPB.
From that perspective, it was actually one of Marvel best executions of an event in the decade. Secret Invasion had the same scattered main series but the tie-ins weren't as universally interesting. Siege didn't really need to be a line-wide event. Fear Itself was okay but widely-maligned. Avengers vs. X-Men wasn't really linewide, and was awful for X-fans. Infinity was okay, but mostly stayed contained to Avengers. Original Sin's tie-ins had nothing to do with the main series.
Seriously: we look the Civil War gift horse in the mouth. I'm not sure what everyone is holding up as their paragon of good Marvel events if they think it's so bad. I mean, yes, the plot is dumb, but that hasn't stopped comics from being good in the past.
Do you read comics in TPBs, HCs, and omnibuses - or are just not sure where to start? Check out my definitive guides to DC (including Rebirth!), Valiant Comics, and Marvel - including every X-Men and Avengers team and each Marvel Event.
You'll find definitive reading guides including every issue of every major Marvel hero and team, like Black Panther, Captain America, Captain/Ms. Marvel, Daredevil, Deadpool, Spider-Man, & and more!
He is from beyond.
Secret+Wars+II+003-13.jpg
Just finishing up Avengers by Busiek omni 2 and people always talk about "the best" Ultron story, but The Kang Dynasty... that is comics. Avengers Forever and that arc are just great reads. I stopped collecting in 94 or so and this was my first read through on this Avengers run and just all around solid.
About Civil War: that was the event that got me seriously back into comics by collecting the TPBs, and I agree with krisis that it was a well orchestrated event for how far reaching it was. I don't necessarily agree that the plot was dumb, maybe some characterization issues, but I thought the premise was solid.
I brew the beer you drink. What's your super power?
MS. MARVEL OMNIBUS VOL. 1 Cover:
Collecting MS. MARVEL (2014) #1-19, S.H.I.E.L.D. (2014) #2, and material from ALL-NEW MARVEL NOW! POINT ONE #1 and AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2014) #7-8.
DEADLY HANDS OF KUNG FU OMNIBUS VOL. 1 GABRIELLE DELL'OTTO Cover:
DEADLY HANDS OF KUNG FU OMNIBUS VOL. 1 NICK CARDY Cover (DM ONLY):
Collecting DEADLY HANDS OF KUNG FU (1974) #1-18 and SPECIAL, and DEADLIEST HEROES OF KUNG FU.
Both covers are great but I find the regular Dell'Otto cover that little bit cooler than the DM Cardy cover.
STAR WARS: HEROES FOR A NEW HOPE OHC Cover:
Collecting PRINCESS LEIA #1-5, LANDO #1-5 and CHEWBACCA #1-5.
STAR WARS: EPISODE II — ATTACK OF THE CLONES OHC Cover:
Collecting STAR WARS: EPISODE II -- ATTACK OF THE CLONES #1-4.
STAR WARS: JOURNEY TO STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS - SHATTERED EMPIRE OHC Cover:
THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL VOL. 1 OHC Cover:
Collecting UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL (2015A) #1-8 -- plus material from MARVEL SUPER-HEROES (1990) #8, GLX-MAS SPECIAL, THING (2006) #8 and AGE OF HEROES #3.
Are those Star Wars OHC's the new Marvel books? Or are they still the reprints of the Dark Horse series?
Also those Masters of Kung Fu covers are beautiful... makes them a tempting blind buy!