Hovy over at Gotham Lounge pointed out that Comics Continuum has an until-the-end-of-the-year rundown on Marvel’s trade paperback schedule. As you can imagine, I’ve got a few things to say about this, as this company’s release policy drives me mad in its inconsistency.
First of all, I want to say that yes, I love the fact that so many collections are coming out so quickly now. I think it’s great that non-collectors can get a bookshelf version of a story they might like, even if it’s Bendis and Finch’s Clenched-Jaw New Avengers. The problem is the proliferation of the seemingly-obligatory hardcover edition. I do think hardcovers have their place and can be pretty neat - I myself buy the Ultimate Spider-Man hardcovers because they’re a bang-up value - $30 for around a dozen issues all supersized and shelvable and, like Hovy, I think some things beg for that format, like the currently-in-two-trades-fuck-you-DC New Frontier.
I do find myself wondering who the hell was begging for a Young Avengers hardcover; not that it’s a bad comic at all - I really enjoy it far more than most would expect - but this is a title that would benefit directly from being cheapish and available quickly, much like DC’s Teen Titans reprints, which are all in the $10 range for 6 or 7 issues. This is the approach that they’ve taken on the Marvel Knights Spider-Man title - three trades that came out pretty quickly that are now being collected in a big hardcover for the Christmas market, in a nice little matched set with Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men, whose title I find a complete misnomer outside of the rather excellent art by Cassaday.
Oh, and if I happen to see you buying that NYC/X-23 hardcover, I will beat you to death with it on the spot. The Millarverine one might buy you an extra two or three seconds before I freak out, because I might mistake it for the Classic Wolverine trade that has some stories I enjoyed more than I should.
I’m also wondering who’s going to buy all seven House Of M trades - this is the sort of event that weekly visitors to a shop are going to get and then thing to themselves “Self, I don’t need the trade for that, as my longboxes are bulging with my many, many issues, and only a few of them relate to my father.”
I will say that I am liking these digest titles - Machine Teen and Livewires are things I can see appealing to a broad audience while their other titles will have their niches - the manga kids, the kids what want to read about Spidey, etc. However, Mighty Morphin’ Marvel Rangers AKA Megamorphs getting any sort of reprint treatment makes about as much sense as collecting the cartoons and puzzles from the side of Happy Meal boxes into a book.
As far as older material goes, it’s nice to see that shiny Alan Davis art on Excalibur (despite the Claremont scripts not being very good, if I recall correctly) and Peter David getting love with Hulk Visionaries and that X-Factor book, along with the Spider-Man Versus Silver Sable Volume 1 trade. (Speaking of, not that I’m complaining, but what an odd trade. Is there a Silver Sable related event that I’m not aware of? Has she been Dibnyed?)
Oh, and all those Essentials? I’m on it, dogg, across the cliched board. That Marvel Two-In-One collection is something I’ve been demanding in Jesse-Baker styled rants to Marvel editorial. Nice to see they’re continuing the near-Halloween monster-themed releases with Werewolf By Night, too - did they ever make that movie?
OK, work beckons, so I am going to write about debt consolidation loans now.
