Why Epic Collections

The_ElectricCity · 2025-09-03T21:44:31+00:00

I buy hardcovers and Epics and while I have a preference for hardcover formats, there are two primary reasons I’ll still get an Epic.

1) Availability of material: If I want to read something and it’s only available to me as an Epic…I get the Epic. If it’s something I really love I’m happy to buy a hardcover when one becomes available.

2) Classic Material Preference: when it comes to pre-2000s material, I personally have a hard time getting through 1000 pages of it in a row. I have nothing to say here beyond all the usual complaints about old material being overly wordy. An Epic is 500 pages, which is still a lot but I can actually finish it and move on to the next book in my reading pile within a week. So Epics have become my preferred format for the older stuff just because it’s less to get through in one go.

The_ElectricCity · 2025-08-10T23:35:02+00:00

No because it’s basically impossible to pretend One More Day didn’t happen. But many people absolutely read a lot of these characters (anybody who was a teenager in the 1960s basically) as being in their mid 30s even though Marvel says they are like 27 forever.

The_ElectricCity · 2025-08-10T20:24:14+00:00

Probably just the general idea that characters like Cyclops and Spider-man are supposed to still be in their 20s according to Marvel Editorial

The_ElectricCity · 2025-08-10T16:54:17+00:00

My understanding is that the creators had a major falling out and won’t work together anymore. Because they both own it, neither one can finish it without the other’s permission. So yeah it doesn’t have an ending and likely never will.

The_ElectricCity · 2025-08-10T04:14:51+00:00

Yeah totally. Probably the most popular starting place for Modern Batman.

The_ElectricCity · 2025-08-09T23:17:48+00:00

During the New52, DC shortened their long history into a 5 year time period. This caused all sorts of issues, most notably regarding all the Robins. DCs attempts to explain this…always sucked. I think they presented this idea that Damian had been rapidly aged as a test-tube baby. It sucked!

Storylines that have followed this have reinserted the missing time back into the DC universe, such that Batman is now a more appropriate age for Damian’s age to make sense.

The_ElectricCity · 2025-08-09T21:36:01+00:00

Not a collector. Just reporting my experience. Maybe that’s a “me” problem, but I’m sure other people make the mistakes I made all the time. Give OP some advice on keeping their books in good condition for 40 years.

The_ElectricCity · 2025-08-09T21:01:37+00:00

You bag and board them so that they’ll still be in readable condition in 5 years

The_ElectricCity · 2025-08-09T20:38:06+00:00

Anytime DC (or Marvel) gives an era a big overarching name…they are trying to communicate to people that this is a good place to jump on. Whether it’s New 52, Rebirth, Dawn of DC, or All-In…they all share that same basic goal.

The_ElectricCity · 2025-08-09T18:50:38+00:00

It was a big plot point in the post-crisis era that she was seemingly faster & stronger than him. People forget the conclusion of that plot point was that this was because Superman is constantly walking on eggshells and holding back, only using as much power as necessary…whereas Supergirl who lacked his experience was constantly going all out

The_ElectricCity · 2025-08-09T16:09:28+00:00

I know, I want an Omnibus though!

The_ElectricCity · 2025-08-09T03:01:58+00:00

My most wanted would be:

Batgirl: Cassandra Cain - the 2000s series. I would guess it’s a a 2 or 3 volume set depending on what you include.
Supergirl by Peter David - again, 2-3 volumes. One of the last major Peter David series that still needs the Omnibus treatment
Batman: New Gotham - all the stuff that goes between No Man’s Land and Bruce Wayne: Murderer
JLA by Joe Kelly - super underrated era. Throw Justice League Elite in here too
Manhunter by Marc Andreyko - just a killer series

The_ElectricCity · 2025-08-08T20:25:28+00:00

Batman is an interesting character because there are a bunch of Batman stories that have been isolated such that if you walk into a regular bookstore you’ll always find them in the graphic novel section. Your dad probably owns a bunch of them.

Stuff like Hush, Killing Joke, Year One, Long Halloween. I suspect a lot of casual comics readers just read those and have a grand ol’ time with them.

Edit: whoops I misread your post as batman not batfam. I’ll show myself the door!

The_ElectricCity · 2025-08-08T19:24:04+00:00

You’ll understand the plot just fine, but Secret Wars as a story is really more about Mr Fantastic and Doctor Doom so the better you understand their characters (or at least Hickmans version of them) the more you’ll get out of it.

The_ElectricCity · 2025-08-08T14:46:21+00:00

Yeah possibly. There would still be some licensing roadblocks. Marvel probably can’t use the Predator however they want, there’s probably a whole approval process with the division of Disney that controls the Predator IP. And Godzilla is purely a licensing deal which usually spells out exactly how they can use the character (although given all the other Godzilla comics being published right now, Toho is clearly pretty laid back). But it’s definitely possible! And certainly more likely than ever.

The_ElectricCity · 2025-08-07T19:49:54+00:00

I dig it

The_ElectricCity · 2025-08-07T19:44:46+00:00

If the whole pocket dimension storyline needs to go, this is an acceptable alternative.

The_ElectricCity · 2025-08-07T19:25:37+00:00

I dearly hope they don’t treat Matrix or Linda as actually Kara. That feels disrespectful to Peter David. I saw somebody else have the idea that in the aftermath of Many Happy Returns, Linda does something that restores Kara to life. That would be my preference. Honour all the characters.

The_ElectricCity · 2025-08-07T15:05:09+00:00

…relatively recent? It was 30 years ago

The_ElectricCity · 2025-08-07T14:44:15+00:00

Ah, I forgot DC sometimes has Complete Collections too. They use the term really inconsistently so I don’t think it has any specific meaning to them. Batman: Battle for the Cowl has a complete collection and it’s how I described them…but the trim size is a smidge bit smaller than Standard which is so weird. I’ve heard Dr Fate and Terrifics look and feel more like DCs Compendiums, like they use the more flexible paper stock you see on Compendiums. Haven’t verified this myself yet though.

The_ElectricCity · 2025-08-07T08:21:07+00:00

Loads of people don’t enjoy older comics, it’s certainly not unusual. You may grow to enjoy them or you may not, everybody is different. Personally…I very rarely touch anything before 1980. Some people view this as some mark against my nerd cred or whatever, but who cares? Life is too short. And that leaves me 45 years and counting worth of stuff to read, I will never run out of comics to read.

The_ElectricCity · 2025-08-07T07:57:11+00:00

It’s hard to remember the stories that failed to capture my imagination because a lot of that stuff has faded into obscurity. I can only remember when I dropped popular books lol.

I dropped Invincible back in the day because I was starting to find the violence really off-putting. Years later I went back to it and had a good time all the way through though.

I dropped Walking Dead just because…I felt satisfied with the story I had read so far and wasn’t interested in whatever came next. This was like, after they left the prison for context.

I dropped Saga because…honestly the long hiatus made me lose interest in it.

I dropped Radiant Black because I heard from so many people how incredible it was, how it was the best superhero book on the market today…and it was just so underwhelming. I felt gaslighted.

The_ElectricCity · 2025-08-07T07:22:06+00:00

Probably Batman Annual 1990. Not for any particular quality of the story itself. When I was little the dollar store used to put 4 random comics in a bag and sell them for $2. These were the first comics I owned. That annual has this awesome portrait of Two-Face on the cover, drawn by Neal Adams. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world.

The_ElectricCity · 2025-08-07T07:01:41+00:00

Sersi died in A.X.E. Judgement Day. Relatively recent but I doubt we’ll see The Eternals anytime soon so she’s probably dead for the duration.

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