Image Comics Community

I've been a fan since the beginning, collecting each individual issue. But I'm now running out of space and want to purchase them as collected volumes. I want some feedback on which are the best for the money and quality between:

The standard TPB volumes (Vol 1: Days Gone By, Vol 2: Miles Behind Us, etc...)

The hardcover volumes (Book 1, Book 2, etc...)

The Compendiums

The hardcover omnibus collectors editions

Any feedback on which to purchase would be awesome.

The hard cover volumes are my preferred method of reading TWD, they have additional material, oversized pages, a beautiful presentation and are just way better than the trade paperbacks overall. I haven't tried out the compendiums or omnibus editions so I can't really comment on that experience.

I found the HC Volumes for about $20 a piece. Vol 1 & Vol 2 of the HC Omnibus editions are around $50 & $60 a piece. However, Vol 3 of the HC Omnibus is $150, which is the cheapest I could find it. The Compendium is about $40 but it's paperback and at 1088 pages, I can't see it being too durable. Anyone know if the HC Omnibus CE are worth the expensive price tags or would it be better just to buy the HC Volumes?

I posted this elsewhere for catching up on Invincible but the numbers are almost exactly the same for the Walking Dead:

- There are 3 huge Omnibus editions. They each contain 2 Hardcover Collections worth of issues. These are extra oversized with a bunch of extras in the back. The 3 volumes will bring you through Invincible Returns 1, which is just before issue 71. They are pricey though, about $75 - $80 each on amazon. About $3.34 an issue.
- There are 7 Hardcover Collections hardcovers. They each contain 2 trades worth of issues. These are oversized and I believe the best value for the money. They also have a bunch of extras in the back. The 7 volumes would get you through issue 78. These are about $25 each on amazon. About $2.19 an issue.
- There is a Compendium edition. It contains the first 8 trades and goes through issue 48. It is not oversized and has no extras. It is a very good value and cheap way to get a chunk of issues. This is about #35 - $40 on amazon. About $.75 an issue.
- There are 15 trades. These have a few extras in the back. These trades go through issue 84. They are about $10 - $14 each on amazon. About $2.10 an issue.

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My comicartfans.com collection. Lots of Ryan Ottley:
http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryDetail.asp?GCat=49719

If you're replacing your singles with collections for Posterity. Deluxe HCs are the way to go. They're nice and oversized, but not completely unweldly like the Omnibus Collections.

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I jumped on board with TWD at issue 62. I used the 48 issue compendium and the 3 trades after it to catch up. My wife is reading the compendium right now, and sure enough it is starting to look like crap. Def worth it strictly as a cheap way to get a bunch of issues, not so much for long term keeping. I've since bought all 3 of the oversized hardcovers because I love the format. They are $100 retail when released(usually abt $75 on amazon). Once they go out of print, they can get pricey as you are seeing with vol 3. Vol 1 was selling for upwards of $500 but they recently released a second print which is why you can get it more affordably now. I haven't bought any of the smaller TWD hardcovers, but I did recently get the very similar Chew Omnivore edition(collects 10 issues,retails for $30). It reaches sort of a perfect pitch between beautiful format and readability. So in conclusion-the cheaper hardcovers are probably the way to go for most people. I do have a preference for the oversized hardcovers but its just an aesthitic thing. They aren't really all that practical.

They also will soon be releasing a hardcover compendium for $100.

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My comicartfans.com collection. Lots of Ryan Ottley:
http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryDetail.asp?GCat=49719

Right. But isn't it a con exclusive? Its being made to look up like a bible, right?

They'll have a select few at ECCC this weekend but it will be available by this summer.

Here's some info it it from another thread:

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My comicartfans.com collection. Lots of Ryan Ottley:
http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryDetail.asp?GCat=49719

So should I wait for the HC Compendium or just buy the HC Volumes?