Strapped4Cash

Midtown Update:
This order was a real mixed bag. 10 of the 15 HC's and Trades are good-to-great, 40% off publishers that go on sale less often. 1 DH Omnibus has a large dent on the bottom right, about an inch long and a 1/3 of an inch high. One Dynamite HC has a some "ruffling" on the top, with lots of creases and areas where the paper curves outward. It doesn't go very far down either cover. Both are annoying, but I guess I can live with them, and try to smooth them out.

Sitting less well with me are the remaining 3. An IDW TPB warped on the top from water (I'm assuming) and 2 Dynamite TPB's with thumb marks through the books, and rather large ones on the back cover. Whoever thumbed through them left over an inch long bend in one, and close to that in the other. I hate how many comic stores seem to treat obviously read Books as New. I know that traditionally that's acceptable for comics, but I really feel that Books should be treated differently. Their terms state we can only contact them for damage during shipping, I guess I'll see.

I made a B&N order on Dec. 19th, and that went well. 2 Astro City HC's, Tales of the Batman, and Dark Matter S1 Blu-ray for $56.69 shipped with coupon. They split them into 3 shipments, but they all eventually arrived and I'm very happy with that deal.

But I just made another B&N order, and I guess I waited too long to get gc's. Several of my most wanted Omnibus' and Absolute's are oos or at/near full msrp. I really wanted the Uncanny X-Men Volume 1, but apparently it went oos a day or two ago. And I couldn't get any coupon's to work either.

Because I had 3 (more actually) gc's I placed an order anyway. For a Total of $155.07, including $13.97 Shipping and $11.35 tax, I ordered the S.H.I.E.L.D. Omnibus and Avengers vs. X-Men Companion (neither of which I'm very optimistic I'll enjoy) and for free got Wonder Woman by Perez. I know that I'll like that, as I already own all the single issues. Hopefully the order will at least arrive okay.

kodave

They promised you a new book. A book with damage or that is clearly read is no longer new. If you want to return them, just tell them. If they try to tell you know, threaten a credit card charge back. Your credit card company will back your position, not their return policy. But I'm guessing they'll just take the damaged/used books back.

Strapped4Cash

Thanks for the advice and support kodave. I just e-mailed them earlier today, and I'll see. I've had credit cards for over 20 years, but never done a charge back. Hopefully it won't come to that.

Meanwhile, some good news though! I found out that the new B&N code BNJAN50 is working on the Buy 2 Get 1 Free GN sale (which ends in a couple days). 15% OFF $50 or more (credit to hariseldon). My B&N order already shipped, but I chatted with them, and after initially denying me the coupon the rep. applied it after seeing that it does work with the 3 items I had ordered (luckily all 3 were still in-stock). So I'm getting a refund of just over $20 on the above order! I hope that the info's helpful.

Josh-da-man

Sorry to hear about your bad experience with Midtown. I ordered from them once and had no problems.

That might not actually be water damage on that one book. Sometimes publishers use poor paper stock, and when the books are bound in humid climates they develop waves that look like the book was left out in the rain.

As for the books that look like they were thumbed through, they either sent you books that were shelf copies in their store that someone carelessly read, or they received the books that way from Diamond. Ever since Diamond got involved in bookstore distribution I have heard reports that comic book stores have gotten graphic novels that are obviously bookstore returns -- they had store stickers on them.

Spiderbite

http://twomorrows.com/index.php?main...oducts_id=1326

Modern Masters Bundle -
$85.00

With over two dozen volumes celebrating the lives and work of today’s greatest comics artists, the Modern Masters book series is a must-have for any bookshelf! And when you order these 17 volumes together as a bundle, they’re only $5 each:

Kevin Maguire
Charles Vess
Michael Golden
Jerry Ordway
Mike Allred
Lee Weeks
Mike Ploog
Kyle Baker
Chris Sprouse
Mark Buckingham
Guy Davis
Jeff Smith
Frazer Irving
Ron Garney
Eric Powell
Cliff Chiang
Paolo Rivera

Plus you get two FREE bonuses with the bundle:
Kevin Nowlan (only a handful of slightly scuffed copies of this sold out book, included while they last—order early!)
Michael Golden DVD (normally $19.95)

(Note: Because of the heavily discounted price, a digital edition is not included with each book. Also, due to low stock, the volumes on Alan Davis, George Perez, John Byrne, Mark Schultz, and John Romita Jr. are not part of this bundle offer.)

These are great books! Highly recommended!

PhantomStranger

That looks like a very nice deal, Spiderbite.

davidh777

Fantagraphics's deal is back: Buy a $100 coupon for their store for $50. Good 1/29-2/3.

http://www.fantagraphics.com/fantabucks

PhantomStranger

Marvel has announced they are liquidating the following omnibuses:

ACTS OF VENGEANCE CROSSOVERS OMNIBUS HC DAVIS CVR
ANNIHILATION CONQUEST OMNIBUS HC
AVENGERS BY BUSIEK AND PEREZ OMNIBUS HC VOL 01
AVENGERS BY BUSIEK AND PEREZ OMNIBUS HC VOL 02
AVENGERS CROSSING OMNIBUS HC SCHERBERGER CVR
AVENGERS WEST COAST OMNIBUS HC VOL 02 PACHECO CVR
CAPTAIN AMERICA RETURN OF WINTER SOLDIER OMNIBUS HC
CAPTAIN AMERICA TRIAL OF CAPTAIN AMERICA OMNIBUS HC
DARK TOWER OMNIBUS HC SLIPCASE SET
FANTASTIC FOUR BY JOHN BYRNE OMNIBUS HC VOL 02
FANTASTIC FOUR BY HICKMAN OMNIBUS HC VOL 02
FANTASTIC FOUR BY MATT FRACTION OMNIBUS HC
GOLDEN AGE CAPTAIN AMERICA OMNI HC VOL 01 WEEKS CVR
GUARDIANS OF GALAXY SOLO CLASSIC OMNIBUS HC
HAWKEYE BY MATT FRACTION AND DAVID AJA OMNIBUS HC
HOWARD DUCK OMNIBUS HC
IRON MAN BY KURT BUSIEK AND SEAN CHEN OMNIBUS HC
MARVEL 75TH ANNIVERSARY OMNIBUS HC
MARVEL FIRSTS 1990S OMNIBUS HC
MARVEL NOW OMNIBUS HC
NEW AVENGERS OMNIBUS HC VOL 01
NEW WARRIORS OMNIBUS HC VOL 01 YOUNG CVR
OZ OMNIBUS HC
SHIELD COMPLETE COLLECTION OMNIBUS HC MAOS DM VAR ED
SHIELD COMPLETE COLLECTION OMNIBUS HC ROSS CVR
SPIDER-MAN BY ROGER STERN OMNIBUS HC
STAR WARS MARVEL YRS OMNIBUS HC VOL 01 CHAYKIN CVR
STAR WARS MARVEL YRS OMNIBUS HC VOL 02 DAY CVR
STAR WARS MARVEL YRS OMNIBUS HC VOL 02 DM HILDEBRANDT VAR ED
STAR WARS MARVEL YRS OMNIBUS HC VOL 03 DM HILDEBRANDT VAR ED
STAR WARS MARVEL YRS OMNIBUS HC VOL 03
AVENGERS OMNIBUS HC VOL 02 ROSS VAR
FANTASTIC FOUR OMNIBUS HC VOL 01 NEW PTG
FANTASTIC FOUR OMNIBUS HC VOL 02 NEW PTG
FANTASTIC FOUR OMNIBUS HC VOL 03 ROSS CVR
MIGHTY THOR OMNIBUS HC VOL 02
MUPPETS OMNIBUS HC LANGRIDGE CVR
STAND OMNIBUS HC SLIPCASE
ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS BY MARK MILLAR OMNIBUS HC
ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN DOSM OMNIBUS HC
ULTIMATE MARVEL OMNIBUS HC VOL 01
UNCANNY AVENGERS OMNIBUS HC
WEREWOLF BY NIGHT OMNIBUS HC DM VAR ED
WEREWOLF BY NIGHT OMNIBUS HC
X-FORCE OMNIBUS HC VOL 01
X-MEN AVENGERS ONSLAUGHT OMNIBUS HC
X-MEN AGE OF APOCALYPSE OMNIBUS COMPANION HC
YOUNG AVENGERS BY GILLEN AND MCKELVIE OMNIBUS HC

What this means - You will start seeing these omnibuses appear severely discounted through various channels including eBay and Instocktrades.

A word of advice. While they will soon get very cheap, omnibuses often rise in price once they go out of print. Even the ones that apparently didn't sell.

fujishig

I swear a lot of these were already dirt cheap last year.

davidh777

A lot of them were, like Howard the Duck, Muppets, etc.

This thread bump reminded me that I forgot to decide whether to pull the trigger on the Fantabucks.

PhantomStranger

Everyone can thank me for the Busiek and Perez Avengers Omnibuses going on clearance. I picked them up two weeks ago.

Any suggestions from the list? The SPIDER-MAN BY ROGER STERN OMNIBUS is an easy recommendation.

PhantomStranger

Steampunk Comic Shop is having a huge $1.00 sale:

http://www.steampunkcomicshop.com/ca...COMIC-SALE.htm

Flat-rate shipping is $8.95, so the sale mostly makes sense if you order a lot. Don't let the name fool you, they carry all the big companies. This ends February 20th.

davidh777

Brubaker's Captain America might be the most acclaimed run on that list, but there are only pieces listed, so it might not be the best entry point. And I know there's one that is completely out of print and only available for exorbitant prices.

Same with the Byrne FF--only vol 2 available, and I admit I'm more familiar with the early part of his run.

The SHIELD book is a nice stand-alone, and it's hard to go wrong with classic Fantastic Four.

jjcool

Anyone find the Marvel omnibuses being liquidated anywhere yet? Specifically looking for the Star Wars ones.

PhantomStranger

I don't know about Star Wars but I've already seen some of the omnibuses appearing cheaply on eBay.

jjcool

Yeah. I saw a few of the Star Wars volumes pop up. I was about to pull the trigger on one of them, but they list an arrival date of the beginning of April.

Spiderbite

I was thinking about getting these but I already have the seven volume Dark Horse set that reprints them called "A Long Time Ago..."

Any major differences in these besides the obvious size difference? Coloring? Are the Letters pages included? Any extras?

The Dark Horse set is just straight reprints with no letters, ads, or any extras and they all appear to be be recolored.

What kind of prices are these likely to go down to?

fujishig

Hickman FF is great and leads into his Avengers stuff, but it's so dense you'll be completely lost if you don't have volume 1.

I liked Remender's run on Uncanny Avengers, but it gets severely derailed when they decided to segue the run directly into AXIS, which isn't even included in the omnibus.

Heard great things about Fraction/Aja Hawkeye but never got around to reading it.

Love Annihilation Conquest, but I think the original Annihilation omni is hard to come by. Not completely necessary to read but they complement each other.

The one thing I can say absolutely stay away from is Avengers: Crossing. It's like they didn't want a gap in their Avengers run, but I'm not such a completionist that I'm even tempted by this (we'll see what happens if/when Uncanny gets to the Austen years). The one redeeming thing about it is early Jim Cheung artwork, but then you have to read about Teen Tony. Ugh.

davidh777

I got the first HC of Hawkeye and was kind of underwhelmed after all the hype.

jjcool

I can't answer your questions about the books as I only own volume 2 of the recently discontinued set and have not opened it yet. I do not own, and was not aware of another previous set.

I assume these are going to go down to a price that is similar to the price we saw the last time Marvel blew out some of their omnibuses. We saw prices in the $30 to $40 range. some, that didnt seem to sell very well, I saw for about $25 some places.

Neil M.

I've had Annihilation Conquest on my wishlist for awhile so I'll definitely pick that up. I pretty much own everything else that I really wanted on that list.

Any opinions on the Stephen King titles?

PhantomStranger

Technically the omnibus clearance isn't supposed to start happening until late March or early April. The list was leaked on Bleeding News and some comic book shops are obviously ahead of the curve at the moment.

The West Coast Avengers is solid superhero entertainment if you like that era of Marvel.

jjcool

Maybe that's why some of the cheaper ones listed on Ebay are showing they are shipping at the beginning of April

davidh777

From the Hot Deals thread. I used it on the Adam Strange Omnibus pre-order, which is already over 50% off (tossed in a $5 CD to hit the threshold).

sinned

Thanks for the post. I pre-ordered the Adam Strange Omnibus as well, and added a $5 blu-ray to get to $50!