November 19, 2011
Philip Bates
Bargains, Omnibus Information
2012, 40%, about, amazing, amazon, andrew garfield, april, bargain, comics, coming, comparison, dr curt connors, emma stone, film, forbidden, green goblin, gwen stacy, issue, john, july, kingpin, lee, lizard, marvel, movie, mysterio, norman osborn, omnibus, peter parker, planet, rhino, rhys ifans, romita, soon, spider-man, stan, the amazing spider-man, the shocker, two, volume, wilson fisk

Art for ASM #49 by John Romita.
Stan Lee and John Romita’s run on Amazing Spider-man is a legendary must-read. And from April 2012, you can get ASM #39- 67, Annual #3- 5, Spectacular Spider-man Magazine (1968) #1- 2, and material from Not Brand Echh #2, 6 and 11 in a 968- page omnibus.
With an RRP of £75, the HC also features the art of Don Heck, Larry Lieber, Jim Mooney and Marie Severin, with alternate covers by Romita and Humberto Ramos.

And until Wednesday 23rd November, the Romita cover is available from forbiddenplanet.co.uk for just £45, a saving of 40%! You can get your copy here:
http://www.forbiddenplanet.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_music_info&products_id=67242
The Humberto Ramos cover – a homage to ASM #39 – can be pre-ordered from fp.co.uk for £50.25; the Romita cover is expected to increase to this price once the promotion is over.

While Amazon.co.uk hasn’t even listed it yet, forbiddenplanet.com has the two covers for £51.74 each.
Though it’s a continuation of 2007’s first ASM omnibus – with the art of Steve Ditko – this second hardcover can be read in isolation, with such milestone issues as “How Green Was My Goblin!” – in which the Green Goblin’s true identity is first revealed – “The Sinister Shocker!” (which introduces one of my favourite villains) and “Spider-man No More!” The latter, in ASM #50, introduced the Kingpin of Crime, Wilson Fisk, a major criminal in the Marvel Universe, and partly inspired the film, Spider-man 2.

Cover art by John Romita.
Personally, it includes some of my favourite issues, so I will definitely have the omnibus in pride of place. One of the first Spider-man comic storylines I remember is, in fact, from ASM #48- 49, a grim but thrilling tale of a very ill Spider-man facing off against Kraven the Hunter and the new (-ish) Vulture, Brackie Drago.

Coming July 2012...
Of course, the omnibus comes just in time for the release of The Amazing Spider-man film in July 2012, a reboot starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Rhys Ifans.

Andrew Garfiled on set with Emma Stone.

Like this:
Like Loading...
October 22, 2011
Philip Bates
Omnibus Information
1960s, 2012, about, amazing, amazon, asm, avengers, background, blade, captain america, captain stacy, carlos pacheco, christmas, comics, coming, creator, dates, ditko, don, francis, ghost rider, green goblin, gwen stacy, hawkeye, heck, humberto, information, iron man, issue, january, john, kingpin, lee, leinil, mark, marvel, mary jane watson, millar, mysterio, norman osborn, numbers, omnibus, page, ramos, red skull, release, rhino, romita, shield, snr, soon, spider-man, spider-man 3, spider-man no more, stan, steve, steve dillon, thor, two, ultimates, vampires, volume, yu
Marvel has just released details of what’s coming in January 2012… and it looks like Amazon.co.uk was right with their prediction of Mark Millar’s run on Ultimate Comics Avengers. It seems that December will be a quiet time for Omnibus fans, but the New Year will continue the trend of two releases a month. Here are the solicitations for Ultimate Comics Avengers and – get ready to be excited – The Amazing Spider-man Volume Two…!
ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS BY MARK MILLAR OMNIBUS

Cover art by Leinil Francis Yu.
Written by MARK MILLAR
Penciled by CARLOS PACHECO, LEINIL FRANCIS YU, STEVE DILLON & STEPHEN SEGOVIA
COVER BY LEINIL FRANCIS YU
All of superstar Mark Millar’s ULTIMATE AVENGERS sagas, collected in one volume!
• Captain America goes rogue to learn the truth about the Red Skull, and S.H.I.E.L.D. commissions a new team to bring him in!
• A 7-foot-tall biker with a flaming skull has been brutally murdering the rich and powerful, and the White House orders the Avengers to take down the Ghost Rider!
• The various vampire clans have united under a charismatic new leader encased in a salvaged Iron Man suit. Can Blade and the Avengers work together to stem the blood-red tide?
Collecting Ultimate Avengers #01-06; Ultimate Avengers 2 #01-06; Ultimate Avengers 3 #01-06; and Ultimate Comics Avengers vs. New Ultimates #01-06.
608 PGS./Parental Advisory …$75.00
ISBN: 978-0-7851-6132-5
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN OMNIBUS VOL. 2

Cover art by John Romita.
Written by STAN LEE
Penciled by JOHN ROMITA with DON HECK, LARRY LIEBER, JIM MOONEY & MARIE SEVERIN
Covers by HUMBERTO RAMOS & JOHN ROMITA
The Stan Lee/John Romita era starts here! Lee and Romita transformed the web-slinger into Marvel’s top title with stories that raised your spirits, tore at your heartstrings and kept you on the edge of your seat. From the revelation of the Green Goblin’s secret identity to the unforgettable entrance of Mary Jane Watson, these classics define Spidey to this day — with star-studded debuts including the Kingpin, the Rhino and Captain Stacy; Spidey’s disastrous first tryout with the Avengers; the iconic “Spider-Man No More!” issue; the true story of Peter Parker’s parents; and an epic battle against the Green Goblin!

Cover art by Humberto Ramos.
Collecting Amazing Spider-man#39-67 and Annual #03-05; Spectacular Spider–man Magazine #01-02; and material from Not Brand Echh #02, 06 and 11.
968 PGS./Rated T …$99.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-5857-8 (Ramos cover) and ISBN: 978-0-7851-6014-4 (Romita cover).
The first ASM omnibus was released in 2007, and collected the entire Steve Ditko run, so it’s about time we had a follow-up, featuring the brilliant art of John Romita.

Amazing Spider-man #67
Obviously, with this omnibus finishing on ASM #67, there’s plenty of Lee and Romita’s legendary run remaining, so maybe we’ll see even more of the web-head in 2012. Who else is hoping for a follow-up to Uncanny X-Men Volume One or other classic omnibuses?
January’s going to be a great month – especially for those with excess money from Christmas!
Like this:
Like Loading...
September 20, 2011
Philip Bates
Bargains, Omnibus Information
2011, 2012, 40%, about, amazon, america, ant man, avengers, background, bargain, book depository, buyer, captain, comics, coming, comparison, conqueror, creator, deal, devil dinosaur, direct market, dm, don, eternals, fantastic, february, forbidden, four, giant man, hawkeye, heck, hulk, information, iron man, issue, john, kang, kirby, lee, marvel, masterworks, movie, numbers, offer, omnibus, page, planet, price, quicksilver, release, scarlet, sell, september, soon, stan, the king, thor, volume, wasp, witch, wonder man
“And there came a day, a day unlike any other, when Earth’s mightiest heroes and heroines found themselves united against a common threat. On that day, the Avengers were born—to fight the foes no single super hero could withstand! Through the years, their roster has prospered, changing many times, but their glory has never been denied! Heed the call, then—for now, the Avengers Assemble!”

Avengers #16
I haven’t been this excited about an omnibus in a while.
February 2012 sees the release of The Avengers omnibus, collecting Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Don Heck’s Avengers #1- 30, which introduces several characters including Kang the Conqueror, Wonder Man and, of course, the re-introduction of Captain America! (It’s odd, however, that the omnibus finishes at #30; Lee went on to write and edit until issue 35.) The HC will be the equivalent of buying the first three volumes of the Marvel Masterworks: Avengers editions.

Art by Jack "The King" Kirby!
The 728-page book has an RRP of £75, but anyone after the Jack Kirby DM – that’s Direct Market – cover (a re-coloured version of Avengers #01) should go to forbiddenplanet.co.uk for a 40% saving:
http://www.forbiddenplanet.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_music_info&products_id=66206
The offer stands until 21st September; as anyone with a calendar in their peripheral will know… that’s tomorrow, so get over there straight away!

The DM Kirby cover.
If you’ve missed it, don’t panic; amazon.co.uk has a pre-order price of £45.54:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Avengers-Omnibus-1-Jack-Kirby/dp/0785158464/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316517898&sr=8-1
Bookdepository.co.uk currently has it for £47.46, while forbiddenplanet.com has a price of £51.74.

Avengers #20
John Romita Jr. (my favourite artist by a mile) provides a variant cover, which promises to be just stunning. Forbiddenplanet.co.uk has this available for £50.25, which I expect will be the price of the Kirby cover after tomorrow.

The JRJR variant cover
Despite Amazon predicting 29th, the omnibus is expected around 15th February, plenty of time before the release of the The Avengers Movie. There are obviously a few omnibuses out there for Kirby fans, including his runs on Captain
America, Fantastic Four, Devil Dinosaur and The Eternals.

Original Eternals advert
The first Avengers comic I read was the milestone #16, which heralded a new line-up for Earth’s Mightiest, and since then, I’ve loved them, just like every Marvel fan. While the original team – debuting in September 1963 – comprised of Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Ant man and the Wasp (with Cap joining the team in #4), issue 16 saw the roster change, with Captain America headlining a team of Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver.

The final panel of Avengers #01.
Like this:
Like Loading...
September 13, 2011
Philip Bates
Bargains, Interesting articles, Omnibus Information
2011, 2012, 40%, a princess of mars, about, alan, andru, background, bargain, burroughs, buyer, carter, chris, claremont, comics, coming, comparison, creator, dates, davis, deal, doctor who, edgar, fantastic, february, forbidden, four, gil, information, issue, john, kane, langridge, magazine, mars, marv, marvel, new warriors, numbers, offer, omnibus, page, pay, planet, price, release, rice, roger, ross, rrp, simonson, skottie, soon, thor: the mighty avenger, walter, warlord, wizard of oz, wolfman, young
February’s John Carter, Warlord of Mars Omnibus release is an unexpected one, though there is a new film in the mix, but I’m sure will be welcomed by many. The science-fiction series ran from 1977 to 1979, and won the 1978 Eagle Award for ‘Favourite New Title.’

Cover art by Gil Kane
The omnibus collects John Carter, Warlord Of Mars #1- 28 and Annual #1 -3, written by fan-favourites Marv Wolfman, Chris Claremont, Peter B. Gillis, Bill Mantlo and Alan Weiss, and pencilled by Gil Kane – who provides the cover to the HC – Dave Cockrum, Carmine Infantino, Ernie Colon, Frank Miller, Mike Vosburg, Walter Simonson, Ross Andru, Larry Hama, Sal Buscema, Ernie Chan and Alan Weiss. English artist, Alan Davis, best known for his work on Fantastic Four, provides a variant cover.

Cover art by Alan Davis
The 624-page omnibus will have an RRP of £75, but you can pre-order it from forbiddenplanet.co.uk for £45 – a saving of 40% – if you pre-order it by tomorrow, 14th September – so what are you waiting for?!
http://www.forbiddenplanet.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_music_info&products_id=66090
If you’re reading this on 15th September though… don’t panic! Amazon.co.uk has it available for £45.54:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/John-Carter-Warlord-Mars-Omnibus/dp/0785159908/ref=cm_lmf_tit_9_rsrsrs1
Thanks to Matschi for commenting on my previous X-Men post, recommending bookdepository.co.uk, which has the John Carter omnibus for £45.54 too.
http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/John-Carter-Warlord-Mars-Omnibus/9780785159902
Alternatively, the Alan Davis cover is available from forbiddenplanet.co.uk for £50.25, which is what the Gil Kane one will probably rise to after tomorrow. Forbiddenplanet.com has it on pre-order for £51.74.

Burrough's original 'A Princess of Mars' book
The series takes place during the novel, A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, which is being turned into a comic books series by Roger Langridge (Thor: The Mighty Avenger; Doctor Who Magazine) and Skottie Young (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; New Warriors: Reality Check) this month.
“With our new partnership with Marvel Entertainment, we believe we have found the best creative force to revive the thrills and adventures in the 21st Century of the legendary John Carter of Mars. We are looking forward to introducing this original interplanetary adventurer to a new generation of fans and await the first issue with great anticipation,” said James Sullos, President of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.

Skottie Young's cover to 'John Carter: Princess of Mars' #01.
For more on this, take a look at the Marvel website here: http://marvel.com/news/story/16055/john_carter_a_princess_of_mars_coming_in_september
Like this:
Like Loading...
September 10, 2011
Philip Bates
Omnibus Information
2011, 2012, about, ant man, avengers, background, black widow, captain america, comics, coming, creator, dates, don, february, hawkeye, heck, information, iron man, issue, john, kirby, lee, loki, marvel, nick fury, numbers, omnibus, release, soon, stan, thor, volume, wasp
Marvel has revealed the preliminary covers to the upcoming Avengers omnibus, due for publication in February 2012. The normal cover is a recoloured version of Jack “The King” Kirby’s Avengers #01…

Art by Jack Kirby.
The variant edition will feature a cover by John Romita Jr. in homage to Kirby’s.

Art by John Romita Jr.
JRJR is my favourite artist, so I’m especially looking forward to this release, which is set to collect Avengers #01-30, by the legends that are Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Don Heck. The HC will be 728 pages, with an RRP of £75.
The Avengers omnibus is scheduled for release just before the movie of the same name… which is bound to be a massive hit, right?

Avengers Assemble!
Like this:
Like Loading...
June 6, 2011
Philip Bates
Price lists
2010, aaron, about, acts of vengeance, alex, america, atlantis, background, bargain, bendis, bill, brian, britain, brubaker, bryan, buyer, captain, comics, coming, comparison, creator, daredevil, dates, deal, devil dinosaur, dracula, ed, elektra, eternals, fantastic, fantasy, forbidden, four, frank, ghost, hitch, howard the duck, hulk, information, iron fist, iron man, issue, jason, john, kirby, lee, list, maleev, mark, marvel, micheal, millar, miller, numbers, october, offer, omnibus, page, pay, planet, price, punisher, release, rider, romita, secret wars, sell, sienkiewicz, silver, simonson, spider-man, squadron, stan, straczynski, supreme, surfer, thor, tomb, two, ultimates, update, updated, volume, walt, walter, wolverine, women of marvel, x-men
Here’s October 2010’s price list for future reference. Take a look at the updated price list when you’ve got a mo, and tell me what you think!
Omnibus |
Amazon.co.uk |
Forbiddenplanet.co.uk |
Forbiddenplanet.com |
Fantastic Four V1 |
71.25 |
— |
46.80 |
Alias |
— |
— |
— |
Uncanny X-Men V1 |
— |
— |
— |
The Eternals |
— |
— |
— |
New X-Men |
— |
— |
— |
Miller’s Daredevil V1 |
— |
— |
— |
Amazing Spider-man V1 |
53.67 |
— |
— |
Silver Surfer |
— |
— |
— |
Fantastic Four V2 |
— |
— |
— |
Devil Dinosaur |
— |
— |
— |
Amazing Fantasy |
41.99 |
41.99 |
32.99 |
Brubaker’s Captain America V1 — |
— |
— |
— |
Miller’s Daredevil Companion |
— |
— |
— |
Invincible Iron Man V1 |
— |
48.75 |
— |
Incredible Hulk V1 |
— |
50.25 |
41.23 |
Howard the Duck |
— |
— |
43.55 |
Bendis’ Daredevil V1 |
— |
— |
— |
Elektra |
— |
33.49 |
34.49 |
Tomb of Dracula V1 |
— |
— |
44.85 |
The Punisher |
— |
— |
— |
Secret Wars |
56.49 |
50.25 |
42.90 |
Wolverine |
63.75 |
50.25 |
48.46 |
The X-Men V1 |
56.49 |
50.25 |
51.75 |
Secret Wars 2 |
56.49 |
50.25 |
51.75 |
Brubaker’s Daredevil V1 |
— |
— |
37.51 |
Immortal Iron Fist |
47.59 |
37.51 |
37.51 |
The Ultimates |
— |
— |
— |
Captain Britain |
— |
50.25 |
49.99 |
Astonishing X-Men |
47.59 |
37.51 |
44.16 |
Golden Age of Marvel |
63.39 |
63.65 |
— |
The Death of Captain America |
30.40 |
33.59 |
33.59 |
Tomb of Dracula V2 |
52.59 |
50.25 |
51.75 |
Bendis’ Daredevil V2 |
42.71 |
50.25 |
51.75 |
Invincible Iron Man V2 |
63.75 |
50.25 |
51.74 |
Brubaker’s Daredevil V2 |
41.99 |
37.51 |
38.63 |
Tomb of Dracula V3 |
52.50 |
50.25 |
51.74 |
Straczynski’s Thor |
— |
32.82 |
33.80 |
Ghost Rider |
26.59 |
25.45 |
26.21 |
Squadron Supreme |
39.19 |
37.51 |
38.63 |
|
|
|
|
On Pre-Order: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Women of Marvel |
66.5 |
63.65 |
64.85 |
Acts of Vengeance |
— |
50.25 |
51.74 |
The Mighty Thor |
56.25 |
50.25 |
51.74 |
Captain America Lives! |
34.99 |
32.82 |
33.8 |
Atlantis Attacks |
47.59 |
37.51 |
38.63 |
Kirby’s Captain America |
41.99 |
37.51 |
38.63 |
Simonson’s Thor |
71.25 |
63.65 |
64.85 |
X-Men V2 |
63.75 |
50.25 |
— |
X-Men: Fall of the Mutants |
56.25 |
50.25 |
— |
UPDATED: 25th October 2010. All prices are in British Pound (£), unless otherwise stated.
NOTES:
Bold: Best deal.
–: Omnibus not available/ OOP (out-of-print)
V: Volume.
Fp: Forbidden Planet ie. fp.co.uk = forbiddenplanet.co.uk.
Italics: Item not in stock at fp.com, but available to order. There is no guarantee that you will get the omnibus, so it will not be considered the best deal, even if the price is the lowest, unless amazon.co.uk and fp.co.uk do not have stocks available either.
Underlined: Variant edition only. Generally, variants copies have a more limited printing, so are rarer to find.
Things to remember:
Look at regular blog for deals at other stores, like whsmith.co.uk, and waterstones.com. All prices are correct at time of update. Prices do not include postage and packaging.
Like this:
Like Loading...
May 24, 2011
Philip Bates
Uncategorized
2011, 2012, aaron, about, acts of vengeance, adamantium, allred, amazing, august, avengers, background, byrne, chris, claremont, coming, creator, dark, dates, david, don, doop, evolutionary, fantastic, february, four, garney, heck, information, issue, jae, january, jason, jim, john, july, kirby, lee, marvel, mcfarlane, michelinie, mike, milligan, november, numbers, october, omnibus, peter, price, release, ron, september, soon, spider-man, stan, todd, tower, two, upcoming, updated, volume, wolverine
The solicitations for the next five months have been released, and there’s a few nice surprises in there! Here’s your month-by-month guide:
July 2011
Acts of Vengeance: Crossovers.
Collects: Fantastic Four (1961) #334-336; Wolverine (1988) #19-20; Dr. Strange, Sorceror Supreme (1988) #11-13; Incredible Hulk (1968) #363; Punisher (1987) #28-29; Punisher War Journal (1988) #12-13; Marc Spector: Moon Knight (1989) #8-10; Daredevil (1964) #275-276; Power Pack (1984) #53; Alpha Flight (1983) #79-80; New Mutants (1983) #84-86; Uncanny X-Men #256-258; X-Factor (1986) #49-50; Damage Control (1989) #1-4; and Web Of Spider-Man #64-65.
August 2011
Amazing Spider-man By Michelinie and McFarlane.
Collects: Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #296-329 and material from Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #10.
September 2011
The range is set to step up a gear this September, with TWO omnibuses released per month. Obviously, this could change, probably depending on how successful these three months prove; are you looking forward to this? Or is it gonna be bad for the wallet? Let me know your thoughts!
Dark Tower: Slipcase Edition.

Art by David Finch.
Collects: Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #1-7, The Long Road Home #1-5, Treachery #1-6, Sorcerer #1, The Fall Of Gilead #1-6 and The Battle Of Jericho Hill #1-5.
Okay, so what exactly is this? Well, short answer: I don’t really know. Longer answer: There are slipcase editions for trade paperbacks, so why not with the Omnibus range? I’ve heard on the grapevine (well, okay, Amazon.co.uk) that the
pack will consist of a 296-page omnibus, and a 600-page companion. Perfects for any ka-tets out there!
Evolutionary War.
Collects: Material from X-Factor Annual #3, Punisher Annual #1, Silver Surfer Annual #1, New Mutants Annual #4, Amazing Spider-Man Annual (1964) #22, Fantastic Four Annual #21, Uncanny X-Men Annual (1970) #12, Web Of Spider-Man Annual #4, West Coast Avengers Annual #3, Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #8 and Avengers Annual #17.
October 2011
X-Men By Claremont and Lee Volume 1.
Collects: Uncanny X-Men #244-269, X-Men Annual (1970) #13 and Classic X-Men #39.
Wolverine By Jason Aaron.

Art by Ron Garney.
Collects: Wolverine (2003) #56 and #62-65; Wolverine: Manifest Destiny #1-4; Wolverine: Weapon X #1-16; Dark Reign: The List Wolverine; and material from Wolverine (2003) #73-74, Dark X-Men: The Beginning #3 and Wolverine (1988) #175.
November 2011
X-Statix.

Art by Mike Allred.
Collects: X-Force (1991) #116-129, Brotherhood #9, X-Statix #1-26, Wolverine/Doop #1-2, X-Statix Presents Dead Girl #1-5 and material from X-Men Unlimited (1993) #41, I [Heart] Marvel: My Mutant Heart and Nation X #4.
Fantastic Four By John Byrne.
Collects: Marvel Team-Up (1972) #61-62, Marvel Two-In-One #50, Fantastic Four (1961) #215-218, #220-221, #232-262 and Annual #17, Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man (1976) #42, Avengers (1963) #233, Thing (1983) #2, and Alpha Flight (1983) #4.
I’m sure most of these will be very well received, especially November’s two releases.
No word on December yet, but there are rumblings (again, thanks to Amazon.co.uk) about two early releases in 2012; in January, a follow-up to October’s Claremont/Lee X-Men omnibus, and – in February, apparently – an Avengers HC, to whet appetites for the upcoming movie! Jack Kirby is listed as an author for the latter omnibus, so it’s likely the book will feature the early tales of Iron Man, Wasp, Ant Man, Hulk (et al.), as Kirby illustrated issues #01- 08. Kirby also provided the layouts for #14- 17, with pencils by Don Heck. Really looking forward to this one!
Let me know your thoughts by posting comments below. Which of these can’t you wait to get your hands on? Which of them is a bad move on Marvel’s behalf? And what omnibuses would you like to see in the pipeline?
Stay tuned for a brand-new price list, coming to a website near you…!
Like this:
Like Loading...
Older Entries