The HC Debate.
 

I've always been into comics - but don't have the space to collect all those back issues, so here lays the problem. I just recently bought Marvel Zombie HC (awesome, btw) and now I have the urge to put up a bookshelf and get back into comics. For someone without space, is HC's the way to go now'a'days? I mean, do they come out in a reasonable amount of time after the story is finished and do most series / mini-series get bound into HC format? I'd love to collect the indivual issues, but there is no way I have the space for them, sadly.

Any thoughts?

Release dates depends. Marvel premiere hardcovers (such as New Avengers) will come out before the trades. But the bigger ones like Punisher Max, or The Ultimates, will come out with 2 trades, and then it becomes a HC. The recent Planet Hulk being an exception.

DC , if it releases something as a HC, will do so first, and then as a trade. But then some trades do take a while. Catwoman When in Rome comes to mind.

Not everything is released in HC, but the major stories usually are.

But when I buy, I always will try to get the HC first. I haven't got into the omnibus yet, they just seem too big.

Does a HC really take up less space then the single issues?

Easier to organize. I can get away with putting a bookshelf up, but stacking big ugly white boxes around will get on the wife's last nerve.

You know I have the same thinking, the hardcovers look so much nicer on display than those damn white long boxes. I have all the Ultimate Spiderman Hardcovers and I am very tempted to sell the regular comics and make some money on them since I paid less than cover for all of them from 1-110. Last week I sold a complete Planet Hulk set for a nice amount, I turned around and with only about 1/5 of the price I got for the comics I got the complete hardcover...I will do that exchange all day long...

Thats what I'm doing now. If i have a series, or storyline in singles, and a TPB or HC is announced, ill flip the singles for the collected. That way I still support singles, but keep the collected.

The older I get the less I like those ugly white boxes. I'm also more inclined to pickup a HC to read, rather than dig though boxes.

Beware: HCs are just as addicting to collect. You might not consider them a "collection" but before you know it, you'll have a whole mess of 'em.

Whether you go the tpb or HC route depends on how obsessive you are about the uniformity of your shelves. Would you have a problem with having a series collected in one HC and then 2 trades? For example, Marvel's collections of Brubaker's Captain America series were released as 2 premiere HCs (trade-sized, not oversized) in July 2005 and May 2006; the respective tpb reprints were released in March and October of 2006. Subsequent releases of the series have been in trade paperback exclusively, and there is an over-sized Omnibus of all the material due out in September 2007. The Omnibus books, like DC's Absolutes, are over-sized (and huge) if space is a concern.

In comparison, DC has been doing their high profile books like Green Lantern in HC first and then tpb; the first HC was released in April 2006 and still hasn't been collected in tpb. Other DC series collected in HC include the new JLA, JSA, B&B, and Spirit series, as well as limited series like Justice or SHAZAM! Monster Society of Evil. With a tpb, the savings over the monthly comics are more than with a HC.

Not every regular ongoing series gets a HC, and I would say that HCs are the exception; you can count on pretty much anything being collected in a trade, though. As an example of how quickly material is being collected these days, the final Justice HC from DC has been solicited for October; the final issue came out this month.

What stuff are you interested in getting?

I will be getting some of the Omnibus's for sure. I know they're huge, but I can't pass 'em up. Also wouldn't mind All-Star Superman (that has a HC, doesn't it?), Birthright, Shazam:MOS. Basically, there is a ton of stuff I want and I want to get back into comics, but I can't justify a bunch of big ugly white boxes sitting around.

Yeah, I don't think that argument holds a lot of weight. Maybe a trade of six issues is smaller than six issues of a bag and boarded comics by a smidge, but there is no way in hell I'm saving space with my Absolute New Frontier or Invincible volumes.

This is more about format and price than any spacial issues IMHO.

I do love me some HC's, but more than actual collected comics volumes, I adore those coffee table books about comics. DC especially puts out some fantastic shit. Batman Animated, Mythology, DC Covergirls...perfect "past the time" fare.

You might want to wait on All Star Supes if you care about better or oversized editions at all. That surely will get "better" volume a bit down the line (though I think the HC out now is worth it just to read the great story).

I think you're getting back into comics the right way. No fuss and muss about worrying for stories to complete or ship. You just find something that looks good and read it from start to finish. And they can look nice on a shelf -wink-

It was almost obscene how the TPBs are overfilling dealer tables nowadays (most going for $5 a pop, mainly from being picked up via the liquidation lists from Diamond and other book distributors). I was also very tempted to pick up some $10-$12 HCs at Heroes Con last weekend, but I discovered I had most of the ones being offered, and probably paid $5 more on average than the ones offered for sale.

The main plus with HCs and TPBs is that you get to proudly display them on bookcases out in the open. Regular comics are much harder to do so (I know some people will put the regular comics they like in binders and then create a nice spine label for them to keep stuff organized on their bookshelves).

As one who has several hundred trades... I don't think it makes that big of a difference space wise. For display reasons however, HC and TPBs are much better.

I collect all of the Ultimate titles in both comic and HC form. I put the singles away and display the hardcovers and read the hardcovers. Very nice.

They're also much easier to read and for the most part, are cheaper.

I'm starting to just buy the really thick hardcover collections (the Runaways, Spidey and Mary Jane, and Ultimate titles). I have a ton of those skinny, 6 issue ones, but they're starting to pile up, and I don't get the same amount of enjoyment that I do when reading a whole bunch of issues at one time.

I would love to have a collection of DC's Absolute Oversized Hardcovers but the prices are still keeping me at bay.

Agree completely. I have my HC's and TPB's on a shelf and they look a lot nicer than any amount of white long boxes. It goes a huge way to making you seem a little more normal than the a typical fan boy comic collector to the outsiders who may come in.

I guess it depends on how many you buy... :)

Yeah, I think my two full size bookcases stuffed to the brim with HCs and TPBs makes me look a bit geeky.

Back when it was half a bookcase of "comics" mixed with all my "real" books, it looked cool. But over time, the comics have pushed all the books out.

Yeah, you're talking to a guy who has a factory X replica of Cap's shield hanging between those two book cases and even with that, I think they look "respectable" opposed to having a ton of long boxes sitting there sticking out like white eye sores.

Just saw the DC solicitations for comics shipping October 2007, looks like they are heavily into 160-pg hardcovers for $25. No way am I shelling money (even with discounts) for that product.

I didn't notice the prices. Of course, I didn't notice any books I'm interested in, either. I'm having a hard time placing this month's order...other than The Goon, there's not much I want.