Omnibus, Absolute, Deluxe, and HC Thread 19 19

[bane]

[Ken Aldred]

7 hours ago, bane said:

A nice delivery this morning 

Three of the best artists ever to work on Batman.

The remastering of the Bronze and Copper Age stories is excellent.  Particularly impressed with the presentation of the Jim Aparo material; a simpler style than Breyfogle and, for me, much more of a noticeable enhancement when compared to the original newsprint version.

[F For Fake]

How did we let this thread fall to page four? We must return it to front page glory!

My latest pick-ups. Pile on the left courtesy of the B2G1 free sale at Target last week, getting caught up on some volumes I'd been sleeping on. Gail Simone Omni was an Amazon pick-up as I realized stock had dried up at the usual places, figured I'd better jump on it before it disappears! (Though with Simone's popularity, I could see them sending this to reprint soon. Wish we'd get a Secret Six Omni.)

 

[F For Fake]

And then there's this, a bittersweet addition.

I really enjoy the Floyd Gottfredson Mickey Mouse strips, but had let the collection fall to the wayside as staying on top of the Barks and Rosa Duck sets had been my priority.

A while back I realized I'd procrastinated too long, as this set had gone out of print, and was suddenly commanding dumb prices. We all know Amazon's third party prices are generally ridiculous, and this was no exception, as asking prices for this set reached $600-900. I'd take that to mean that at auction the set would probably sell for closer to $150-$200, which was still more than I wanted to pay.

So, a year or two ago, i set up an eBay alert, and began the waiting game.

I was too slow on the trigger when a set popped up with a BIN of about $38, it sold before I even knew it had been listed! I was pretty bummed about that.

But then a couple of weeks ago a seller listed this one for $40 BIN, so I jumped fast as lightning! I'm assuming the seller used the $38 sale as a guidepost, as they otherwise seemed to sell estate sale items, clothes, junk, etc. No other comics stuff. So that sale that I missed still paid off!

I was stoked that I was finally getting this set, and at a steal. But karma is real, so when the book finally arrived, I was crestfallen to find that the seller hadn't even put it in a box! They'd just wrapped it up in brown craft paper and sent it off as is! Oof. eBay gonna eBay, I guess.

I was scared of what I'd find once I removed the paper, but luckily it's not TOO bad. I'm not thrilled about the bumps it received to the corners, but for $40, considering the rarity, I wasn't about the tempt the gods by complaining.

And besides, it still looks pretty sharp on the shelf!

 

Edited June 23, 2020 by F For Fake

[Erndog]

I've been collecting omnibuses for years and have a pretty cool bookshelf full now but I admit, I've yet to read one! 

For those that do read them, do you find them heavy and cumbersome?  I usually read in bed and I dont know if it would be comfortable holding these things.  Having said that, they collect a lot of cool issues and I want to start enjoying them more.

They look awesome on a shelf though!

[F For Fake]

34 minutes ago, Erndog said:

I've been collecting omnibuses for years and have a pretty cool bookshelf full now but I admit, I've yet to read one! 

For those that do read them, do you find them heavy and cumbersome?  I usually read in bed and I dont know if it would be comfortable holding these things.  Having said that, they collect a lot of cool issues and I want to start enjoying them more.

They look awesome on a shelf though!

Honestly, they can be a chore to read. The appeal to me is to have entire storylines collected in one place in a format that won't degrade the way trades do. (It used to drive me crazy when paperbacks got stress lines on the spines!)

The important thing is to open them up slowly (there are a couple of good tutorials on YouTube about the best way to loosen up the binding the first time you crack open an Omni) and support the spine when you read. It's probably easiest to read them seated at a table or with a book stand, but who wants to read at a table? I usually read them on the couch with a couple of pillows in my lap to support the book. Some aren't so bad. The omnis that clock in around 1400+ pages can be hard on the wrists for sure!

[piper]

I preordered the Silver Surfer Omnibus that comes out at the end of the month!

[Erndog]

15 minutes ago, F For Fake said:

Honestly, they can be a chore to read. The appeal to me is to have entire storylines collected in one place in a format that won't degrade the way trades do. (It used to drive me crazy when paperbacks got stress lines on the spines!)

The important thing is to open them up slowly (there are a couple of good tutorials on YouTube about the best way to loosen up the binding the first time you crack open an Omni) and support the spine when you read. It's probably easiest to read them seated at a table or with a book stand, but who wants to read at a table? I usually read them on the couch with a couple of pillows in my lap to support the book. Some aren't so bad. The omnis that clock in around 1400+ pages can be hard on the wrists for sure!

I've read a few compendiums (Invincible!) And rest them on a few pillows as well.  That does help.. but I get the majority of reading done now in bed after the kids are asleep and my wife passes out

Can prob try the pillow thing in bed anyways

[F For Fake]

Just now, piper said:

I preordered the Silver Surfer Omnibus that comes out at the end of the month!

I'm happy they're reprinting it! I had the first edition, sold it when it went out of print and prices went nuts. Always regretted it. So I'll be jumping on this. If they'd reprint the Captain Britain Omni, I'd be all set!

[Erndog]

2 minutes ago, piper said:

I preordered the Silver Surfer Omnibus that comes out at the end of the month!

I think they printed that one before and it sold out.  I went looking for it and prices were real high.

I need to preorder this still

[Erndog]

Just now, F For Fake said:

I'm happy they're reprinting it! I had the first edition, sold it when it went out of print and prices went nuts. Always regretted it. So I'll be jumping on this. If they'd reprint the Captain Britain Omni, I'd be all set!

Haha yup.  As I was saying, the prices for that (and many of the first print omnis) went bananas after they sold out.

I still need a few DD if anyone has any they are willing to sell me 

[Erndog]

2 minutes ago, F For Fake said:

I'm happy they're reprinting it! I had the first edition, sold it when it went out of print and prices went nuts. Always regretted it. So I'll be jumping on this. If they'd reprint the Captain Britain Omni, I'd be all set!

Let me check tomorrow if I have that one... if so, we can come up with something  if you want it 

[F For Fake]

1 minute ago, Erndog said:

Haha yup.  As I was saying, the prices for that (and many of the first print omnis) went bananas after they sold out.

I still need a few DD if anyone has any they are willing to sell me 

I have my original Miller DD, Companion and Elektra Omnis. Couldn't bring myself to let them go, they look gorgeous together. Those and Simonson's Thor were the only ones I never sold/rebought. Those are all part of,the permanent library.

Marvel does tend to reprint these things, it's just that sometimes they take 10+ years to do it! So glad they're reprinting so many X-Men omnis this fall.

[F For Fake]

3 minutes ago, Erndog said:

Let me check tomorrow if I have that one... if so, we can come up with something  if you want it 

Hey, I appreciate the offer! But I'm content to wait for the day they reprint it. I'm not in any hurry, which is good, since they aren't either apparently!

[MagnusX]

10 hours ago, Erndog said:

I've been collecting omnibuses for years and have a pretty cool bookshelf full now but I admit, I've yet to read one! 

For those that do read them, do you find them heavy and cumbersome?  I usually read in bed and I dont know if it would be comfortable holding these things.  Having said that, they collect a lot of cool issues and I want to start enjoying them more.

They look awesome on a shelf though!

I have a rule for buying omnibus:
I don't buy a new one unless I read half of the previous purchase.

I read them sitting in the dinner table...

[Dave2739]

23 hours ago, piper said:

I preordered the Silver Surfer Omnibus that comes out at the end of the month!

It came out last Wednesday. I picked it up this past weekend

[piper]

28 minutes ago, Dave2739 said:

It came out last Wednesday. I picked it up this past weekend

My copy is coming from Amazon...

[piper]

Two more omnibus on my radar are Eternals and Phantom Stranger.

I just wish they would reprint ASM Vol 2 & 3.

[F For Fake]

11 hours ago, Dave2739 said:

It came out last Wednesday. I picked it up this past weekend

Wow, after your post I went and looked around, and it looks like it came and sold out in minutes at IST and the other usual sources. Dang! Looks like the only option is to pay nearly retail price for it at Amazon when it hits next week. That stinks. It's crazy how inconsistent distribution has been in the post-COVID world. Several volumes have come and gone in a flash, yet there are others that continue to be easy to find. The problem seems to just be with Marvel, as most DC releases from the last couple of months continue to be easy to find.

Oh well, I guess $90 is better than $200-$300 it could hit once it sells out, better place my Amazon preorder!

[F For Fake]

On 6/23/2020 at 9:07 AM, MagnusX said:

I have a rule for buying omnibus:
I don't buy a new one unless I read half of the previous purchase.

I read them sitting in the dinner table...

I admire your discipline! For me, I just can't let myself wait to order them, because these days print runs are so low that they tend to sell out quickly. Plus with IST offering 50% many new releases in the first week (and additional 2% for their loyalty discount) you're usually never going to find a better price on these things than when they first hit. So, I tend to let them accumulate and some have to wait months (or even years!) before I read them. The upside to that is sometimes they sell out and skyrocket in price before I read them, so I have a chance to decide if I'd rather have the book of the $$$ ha