Marvel Omnibus collection update

     Now spilling onto a second shelf, there had been enough changes since my March 21st post to warrant an update.
     The two latest additions have been within the past week.

     The first volume of the Avengers series was given to me just today, by friend of many, many years, Pat M. It collects the first 30 issues of the series which launched in 1963. This version has an hommage of the first issue's cover, by John Romita jr and Klaus Janson.
     The origin of the team, the first big roster shake-up, and the first appearances of some of their major foes, particularly the time traveling Kang, and their opposite number team, the (difficult to say with a straight face as an adult) Masters of Evil. As with so much on these shelves, I'm looking forward to going back over them at leisure, trying to get the best of both the nostalgia and of seeing the work with fresh eyes.
     In recent years I've been trying to better appreciate the artist choices made along the way, but traditionally I really just wanted Jack Kirby to continue handling the Avengers. It's wholly unrealistic, of course, since no matter how much of a machine he was at cranking out story pages it would be insane for him to have stayed on Avengers (and X-Men, for that matter) while also churning out monthlies for Fantastic Four, The Mighty Thor, and Captain America's stories - then in half of each issue of Tales of Suspense - all at the same time. Rationality aside, with respect to the Avengers, I generally resented Don Heck's work when I opened an issue of Avengers. Unfair and unkind, I guess we fans have always had some of that.
     At some point I'll pick up volume 2 - most likely the next time they do a publishing pass on it. I'm in no rush. If they ever run a volume 5, which should gather up the remainder of the Englehart '70s material, including the Celestial Madonna story, I'll probably add that to the shelves, too.

     Last Thursday the mail brought me the first volume of the Defenders Omnibus (the only one they've printed so far), which includes a variety of prequel stories where subsets of what would later be the Defenders teamed up for various reasons, then their conceptual launch in the first three issues of Marvel Feature, and, finally, the first 19 issues of their own series. Because it crossed over with multiple issues of The Avengers for the Avengers/Defenders War, those issues are folded in here, too, so there's a fair chunk of duplication here with material in that 4th Avengers volume.
     I'd have appreciated a heftier volume, but I'm guessing they decided to try to concentrate the Steve Gerber material in a single volume. Once they would step into issue 20 there'd not only be some tie-in issues for things like Marvel Two-In-One, but they'd also step into the era of all of those Giant-Size Defenders issues which were interwoven with the main title's continuity. I'll definitely be watching for a solicitation for Defenders Omnibus Volume 2. I still don't understand why they departed so radically from the title lettering size along the spine. It's terribly anemic.(Check out the main pic up top.)
     Between some brief window of opportunity deals, and various pre-orders for volumes set to come out through the summer, I also have coming my way:
     Volumes 2 and 3 of Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu. (So my wandering eye's likely already watching for a good price on volume 1.)
     Captain America Omnibus Vol 3, with all of the prime Englehart Captain America material. Eventually I'll likely add vol. 2, but it's not a high priority.
     Fantastic Four Omnibus Volumes 2, 3 & 4. (So, FFs 31 through 125, all associated Annuals, and a few associated bits and pieces along the way.)
    Amazing Spider-man Omnibus Vol 3. (ASM 68-104) I suspect I'll eventually gather vols 1, 2 & 4, as good opportunities arise.
     I gave more specific attention to the pre-ordered Cap, FF and Spidey volumes in the March post I linked to.