The Essentials

[celldog]

Anybody collect those books?? Man I love that old stuff from the early days. I don't even mind the black and white!

Notice DC getting on the bandwagon with "Showcase".

 

[A.J.Rimmer(BSC)]

The essentials RULE!!!! Excellent for noobs.

 

[Phaedrus45]

I've bought every one since the first one came out years ago. It's a great tpb collection to own, and it sure beats unbagging a comic or reading it off the computer. I'm really excited that Man-Thing is coming soon.

 

[twylight]

I read them at my local Library.

But they are great to have as history and backstories.

 

[celldog]

I read them at my local Library.

But they are great to have as history and backstories.

Cheap-O. LOL


That old stuf is sweet.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Marvel is doing such a better job with the Essentials than DC is doing with Showcase. First, I see Essential volumes all the time when I go into bookstores. Showcase I hardly see at all. Second, Marvel's Essentials are a lot more current in their stories, mainly having most of the new releases now with stories from the 70's. Except for Jonah Hex, the Showcase books have all been from the 50's to mid 60's....and, those stories are so campy, they're difficult to read more than one or two of the comics in each volume. (And, it's not like DC is printing the first appearances. The Showcase Presents Batman that came out this month is stories from the 60's, well into Batman's long history.)

 

[Arkady Rossovich]

Since i dont buy much Marvel anymore,i make it a point to buy the Essentials.I have Spider-Man,Hulk,Fantastic Four,X-Men and Thor.Noobs dont have to be the only ones to read these,i think they are great.Thank the person who came up with this idea.

 

[CConn]

I have a few. I'm honestly not much of a fan of 60s-style writing, but anything from the 70s is pretty great.

Second, Marvel's Essentials are a lot more current in their stories, mainly having most of the new releases now with stories from the 70's. Except for Jonah Hex, the Showcase books have all been from the 50's to mid 60's....and, those stories are so campy, they're difficult to read more than one or two of the comics in each volume. (And, it's not like DC is printing the first appearances. The Showcase Presents Batman that came out this month is stories from the 60's, well into Batman's long history.)

That's because Marvel started releasing the Essential volumes before DC. Give Showcase a few years, and I'm sure it'll be caught up some.

As for the first appearance thing, DC's doing a different collection for that (at least for Batman and Superman). It's called Chronicles. And they're printed in color, which is pretty nice.

 

[celldog]

Marvel is doing such a better job with the Essentials than DC is doing with Showcase. First, I see Essential volumes all the time when I go into bookstores. Showcase I hardly see at all. Second, Marvel's Essentials are a lot more current in their stories, mainly having most of the new releases now with stories from the 70's. Except for Jonah Hex, the Showcase books have all been from the 50's to mid 60's....and, those stories are so campy, they're difficult to read more than one or two of the comics in each volume. (And, it's not like DC is printing the first appearances. The Showcase Presents Batman that came out this month is stories from the 60's, well into Batman's long history.)

Marvel's 60's stuff was more sophisticated than DC's.

 

[Spidey Rules 2]

I have the Essentials for Spider-man, Fantastic Four and X-Men.

I haven't heard anything good about the Avengers, Hulk or any of the other Marvel characters. Has anyone read them (Avengers, Hulk, etc...), what's your opinion?

 

[hippy fascist]

the essentials are good but the disc's are better £40 for every x-men comic ever !!!!

 

[Darthphere]

Ha-ha, Hippy gets pwned by false advertising.

 

[Arkady Rossovich]

The Essentials are good because its for those who want to read comics,not look at them on a screen.Ive also seen the Human Torch,Ant-Man,Silver Surfer,Dr.Strange and the Handbook of the Marvel Universe Essentals also.Is there a Essential Journey Into Mystery book?

 

[hippy fascist]

Ha-ha, Hippy gets pwned by false advertising.

ok not every book ever but I think it's like 40 years of uncanny which is still pretty good value. I really need to watch these grand metaphors don't I

 

[SpideyInATree]

The essentials RULE!!!! Excellent for noobs.

It depends on what type of "noob" they are. Most people that I let borrow Essential Spider-Man Volume 1 end up telling me how corny it all was and the dialogue was a borefest. (And people HAVE to start admitting that Stan Lee's dialogue in the 60's was pretty crappy).

But I give them Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 1 and they love it. So, you have to tread lightly as to how much they like a certain character.

As a long time Spider-Man fan I love having all of the old issues reprinted. Black and white or not I do believe I know what color the characters are after reading them for so many years, heh. And I like having a book in front of me instead of reading them on the computer all the time. The thing I like about the Amazing Spider-Man CD-ROM is that you get to read the letters pages from way back then, and it's funny to see people even be upset with Stan Lee back then over some of his plot twists, but these days Stan Lee's stories could do no wrong.

 

[BlackSymbiote]

I love the Essentials, but I hate Showcase. Mostly because Showcase starts so late into the runs.

 

[CConn]

I love the Essentials, but I hate Showcase. Mostly because Showcase starts so late into the runs.

It doesn't start late in all of the runs. Green Lantern starts right from the beginning, Teen Titans and JLA too, I think.

With something like Superman or Batman though is that there's really no set beginning for DC's silver age, so you get stuck picking them up in the middle of a run.

 

[MyPokerShirt]

What's the Essential printing the most recent comic?
So, say if Essential Spider-Man was on Civil War then that'd be the most recent. (Sorry to sound patronising, but I'm having trouble understanding that question myself.lol)

 

[Phaedrus45]

ok not every book ever but I think it's like 40 years of uncanny which is still pretty good value. I really need to watch these grand metaphors don't I

HF....go to torrentspy and you can find chronological x-men. This is THE collection to have.

 

[Lt. Figgnuts]

Marvel is doing such a better job with the Essentials than DC is doing with Showcase. First, I see Essential volumes all the time when I go into bookstores. Showcase I hardly see at all. Second, Marvel's Essentials are a lot more current in their stories, mainly having most of the new releases now with stories from the 70's. Except for Jonah Hex, the Showcase books have all been from the 50's to mid 60's....and, those stories are so campy, they're difficult to read more than one or two of the comics in each volume. (And, it's not like DC is printing the first appearances. The Showcase Presents Batman that came out this month is stories from the 60's, well into Batman's long history.)

Well, the Showcase books DID just start coming out. It's only been about eight months, maybe a year, max, and the only character that's got more than one Showcase right now is Superman (who has three if you count "Showcase Superman Family"). Marvel has been doing it for years, so even most of their oldest characters have at least two or three books out.

As for first appearances...well, DC's continuity can be a bit more sketchy than Marvel's, considering that they started years before Marvel did, and Superman and Batman's first appearances are inconsistent with who they eventually became (Batman kills criminals, Superman can't fly, etc). Essentially, they just got rid of the Golden Age stories, so I don't mind. Personally, I think Showcase is a great idea and DC should've taken a cue from Marvel a long time ago.

The only gripe I have with the Showcase books is that they just print the stories, and not the covers unlike Marvel.

 

[Phaedrus45]

That's true...but, look at what Marvel did with their first two Essentials that came to print. Essential X-Men started with issue #94, and the second Essential to see print was Essential Wolverine, a comic that began in the 80's. (I know Essential Spider-Man also came out, but if memory serves me correctly, I thought it came out third.) And, sure, Marvel did do the other Essentials, like Fantastic Four, starting at the beginning, but in the process, they've been putting out material that was also began in the 70's at the same time, like Tomb Of Dracula.

Also, DC is putting out one a month, while Marvel has been putting out 2 new ones a month, and at certain times even three.

If I was DC, I would have begun their stories at a later date, like Marvel did with Essential X-Men. Like with Teen Titans in particular, starting with New Teen Titans would have gotten a whole lot more attention, especially since many of that line-up is still making waves in the DCU.

Also, Marvel just "gets it." She-Hulk and Spider-Woman are really hot right now, and they gave each of those characters the Essential treatment. They also know to give a fan favorite Essential and a lesser known title exposure in the same month. For example, in two months, they'll release the popular Hulk, Vol. 4 and the obviously less popular Man-Thing, Vol. 1.

 

[SpideyInATree]

What's the Essential printing the most recent comic?
So, say if Essential Spider-Man was on Civil War then that'd be the most recent. (Sorry to sound patronising, but I'm having trouble understanding that question myself.lol)

The latest Essential Spider-Man is Volume 7, and it goes up the Amazing Spider-Man # 160.

 

[GNR]

The Essentials are for the die hards.I read thru a couple at Borders and couldn't get past the very dated dialogue and so on.They are great if you're really interested in the history and backstory of many characters though.

 

[hippy fascist]

HF....go to torrentspy and you can find chronological x-men. This is THE collection to have.

I don't do that man, I won't even do illegal music downloads. My dad always told me

" if you ain't worked for it it ain't worth having"

and to be honest, I see his point

 

[Darthphere]

I don't do that man, I won't even do illegal music downloads. My dad always told me

" if you ain't worked for it it ain't worth having"

and to be honest, I see his point

So in other words, bag full of money is on the street in front of you. "Well my pop said...."