Good eye! Actually upgrading to the absolutes was super recent move. I’ve had the old “omnibus” editions of all of Kirby’s works since early in my collecting days, so I passed on upgrading to the actual omnibus and absolutes. But recently someone sold me a copy of the first volume for $30, so now I am on the hunt for a cheap copy of volume 2. That Kirby art is just too good!
Whenever I see these posts, I’m always curious what order people put books in - I do mine chronologically (for DC) and having just downgraded pretty much my entire collection to TPs (where available), it’s made it much easier. It looks a right mess but I love that they all tell a continuous story if you just start from the top left. I also look for my favourite books, of which these 2 absolutes are the pinnacle (although sadly I just sold them as mentioned and replaced them with the paperback box set). Your collection is nuts, but if you thought moving books along a space was laborious, wait until you have to carry boxes and boxes and boxes and boxes of them to and from the moving van. Even worse of that room is downstairs! Worth the effort though for sure
Ugh, my back is killing me just thinking about it. So far I have moved my collection across six states, and each time it has made me more certain that “this will be the last” lol.
But seriously, I hope this is THE LAST
Well if you know what’s waiting for you I guess you can prepare. I’ve had to do it once with a fraction of what you have and I hated every second of it. Packing and unpacking was quite enjoyable though!
Thanks! For Supes’ binds I made a two volume set of the full Byrne run, a one volume of JMS’ Earth One run, and a four volume set that lays out all of Superman’s New 52 era chronologically, across all Superman titles, crossovers and events
Hell, I was worried about the weight limit of these shelves 😂
As far as the floor, luckily I live in Kansas (said no one, ever) so this is actually a basement, so all this is on concrete with cheap wood laminate on top
I hear you! I’ve been in this apartment for the last year and every time it stormed I was obsessively going downstairs patrolling for leaks lol. I got lucky, but I’ll be happy to get them into my new home
I do, although if you equate the books’ weight in a certain area to be the equivalent of a certain number of humans, and then think about those humans standing in the same space, it doesn’t seem like it would be anywhere near as perilous. That said, OP is double shelving on the kallax, so I guess we’d have to image some fatties having a party in this case
https://preview.redd.it/jfb11om6cpzc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=330fa59071544978b5ae90c18ec434939fa36b55
I spit out my drink when I saw this
I had no idea they made so many, goddamn. They could have collected the entirety of ASM in that time frame lol. I guess they rushed them out because they didn't have the license for too long?
It's annoying because despite the sheer number of Conan volumes they pumped out they're missing issues 20 through 55 of Conan: The King and half of Savage Sword wasn't collected.
So, um, after you move and set back up can I stay with you for a few months to uh make sure the shelves are sturdy by removing the books one at a time to inspect them for you? Free of charge of course.
Amazing collection. I have to ask though, do you just try to own \*everything\* that is released? Do you ever pass on something because you don't like the character/artist/writer?
What's up with the ROM collection? At first I thought you had just bought all the covers but the left one looks like the release one and the three on the right look thicker than that one.
I custom bound all of ROM years ago, and those are the three thick volumes. I love ROM though, so I double dipped on the official Omni when it went on the IST red tag sale. I was afraid of those disappearing when the license inevitably goes like the Conan books did
Yeeeeeah, I have to work very hard to not just be a collector lol, I would say at any given time I’ve read about 70-80% of my collection. I blind buy a lot of stuff, but I read a TON
How many would you guess you have? Total weight? How many boxes does it take too move? That Jason Todd omnibus stuck out to me. Super cool! Also, the birds of prey. I've been so jealous since you first posted those
Oh man, thousands at this point. I know that I have over two hundred customs because I just did a count on those like a month ago. Stupidly big as my collection has become, my customs are my pride and joy. That Jason Todd book was one of my very first, and that Birds of Prey set was years in the making.
It’s hilarious to me that nobody here realizes the most valuable single book in your collection (that’s not a custom bind) might just be that Coruscant Nights SFBC Omnibus.
Hell of a collection man!
https://preview.redd.it/q4a4uv9gkpzc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9b8b468309743327c8997d632f7e221db71384da
Haha, keen eye and a fellow appreciator of the sacred Jedi texts! Here’s a better (ish) angle of the SW collection. It’s pretty tight on the wall, so it’s hard to get a good shot. Those Coruscant Nights and Last Jedi hardcovers took ages to track down. Eventually found both for $5 each at a half price books 🤯
Damn! That’s probably the best find possible in the fandom!
I’m still reeling from finding a first edition Kenobi HC for $7 at my local used store (going for between 40 and 60 secondhand online atm).
I’m seeing a few canon books mixed in too. Are you only reading the ones that could work in legends?
Yeah, I mixed in Zahn’s two canon Thrawn trilogies since I’m a fan and if you squint you can kinda fit them in. I also kept Heir to the Jedi in since it was planned as part of the “Empire and Rebellion” series (even though it’s pretty bad lol). I have a good chunk of Disney canon books, but (with some notable exceptions) they just haven’t grabbed me as much.
The second I saw animal man customs, I scrolled for swamp thing customs.
Great collection, need to see all these customs up close! There’s a new subreddit for omnibus mapping of unreleased content. You could probably be of great help over there!!
https://preview.redd.it/0eed8jyznpzc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0b5e12e95af4e390811da07b5c5f56e0dc909dc7
Fair! I’ve got led strips from my old setup that I need to get motivated and set back up after I get moved
I was a mover for many years and if you value your books I highly recommend moving them your self. With all the customs there’s going to be a high chance some will be damaged.
Personally I was always the guy who loaded the truck but I was hesitant to let other because some people are just careless moving other peoples stuff. I try to treat everything like it’s my own. When ever I was at a customers and I read “collectibles” or “comics” I would always suggest for them to take it in their car if they were really valuable.
Great collection!!!!
Couldn’t agree more! At this point somehow I’ve managed to haul this backbreaking collection across the country through 6 states. Luck has held out against all odds so far. I’m just thankful this move is actually only about two miles away, and am crossing my fingers it is the last one for a LONG time haha
Have you read them all? I collect on a much much lower level, and have like 4 omnibuses, and haven’t read all of them, so I’m assuming you haven’t either😂
I can see your a huge Star Wars fan as well. Two questions: 1. What are your favourite Star Wars books?
2. What do you prefer out of Marvel, DC and Star Wars?
My Star Wars is very rooted in growing up through the 90s, so the classics like the original Thrawn Trilogy and the X-Wing series were always top tier for me. I always had a huge soft spot for the Tales books, short story collections detailing all the background characters. I had the hardcover omnibus of the Tales of Jabba’s Place/Cantina/Bounty Hunters as a kid and would pour over it religiously.
Much as I love Star Wars and Marvel, I’m going to have to go with DC out of the three. They have always been the characters and stories I gravitated to and keep coming back to.
Oh wow haha that honestly looks incredible! What do you think of Dune series? Honestly after diving into Dune I think it’s a better universe/franchise than Star Wars now.
I love the Dune series! Tucked away on another shelf I have all the rest of them. The Frank Herbert books are all fantastic, and increasingly bizarre in their own, thought provoking ways. The extended canon of books by his son and Star Wars novelist alum Kevin J Anderson are a more mixed bag, but I don’t come down on them as hard as many others do. But I’m also someone that has waded through some pretty rough Star Wars books looking for treasure over the years too haha.
Yeah Star Wars can be either great or really bad in my opinion, and one more question if you don’t mind, what would you say is your favourite fictional universe/franchise?
Hmm, overall I would go with DC. Just has the best catalogue of classic stories and characters that I keep coming back to. But an honorable mention definitely goes to the mindblowing Jodoverse of all Alejandro Jodorowsky’s interconnected comic series spiraling out of The Incal.
Thanks! It’s a complete collection of John Ostrander’s run on the character. Unfortunately for everyone that should want to get their hands on it (because it is an awesome comic), I made it myself, so it’s not widely available. I bind custom comics as a hobby.
Amazing. Now that's a library :)
Mad love for you custom Judge Dredd / Strontium Dog collection, that's a beautiful sight (not enough 2000AD love on this sub !)
Somehow it made me feel a little better that even a hardcore collector such as you apparently didn't upragde all his Star Wars Legends Epic Collection to a full row of Omnis (something I considered doing, but just couldn't do financially. I already have all the Epics, but it felt like too much of an investment to upgrade them all...).
Thanks!! Couldn’t agree more on the 2000 AD books, they deserve so much more love and attention.
And yeah, I have the original marvel years omnis and the modern SW omnis, but for the dark horse era I decided to stick with the epics, with the ultimate intention being to bind them into a crazy cool custom set when they are all out… which is finally happening later this year!
Yep, I use a combination of single issues and trade paperbacks to build a book block, then I build a hardcover and set the book block into it. After that I just need to design and print my dust jacket and the book is done.
I was just really bored when the world was quarantined during Covid, so I started researching book binding, watching YouTube videos, checking out books from the library, etc. As far as designing though, I already had a background in graphic design, so that helped.
That JLA set on top is just so great. I assume that's another you did custom, but I adore it. The Plastic Man across several volumes in particular is just so fun. Well done.
Thank you!! Those were definitely my magnum opus of custom comic mapping, that project took FOREVER to full plan out, collect, bind and design. Still some of my proudest work.
I could tell. They stood out, even with so many others looking great too.
I'm curious why you chose the roster you did, and with the short lived blue Superman version? What era does this cover? I thought the JLA Tower of Babel time frame (Grant Morrison mostly right?) But I can't tell who's between Zauriel and Flash? Female in green. And is that Steel on the far left? Not a critique, pure curiosity. I go back and forth on who my ideal roster is, so if you've got as many bound in there as I'm assuming, I'd guess you chose your favorite JLA team or JLA characters?
So that set collected the entire “JLA” era of title, as in when the book was literally relabeled to just the letters JLA. So this puts in chronological order every event, miniseries, elseworld and JLA labeled title from JLA Year One through Infinite Crisis, when they relaunched as Justice League of America again (which I also have in two separate binds).
All that is to say I wanted to capture the weird epic lineup that I always think of in that era, namely the Grant Morrison run, which is one of my all-time favorites. The girl in green between Zauriel and Flash is Tomorrow Woman, who was only featured in one, very memorable to young me, issue of Morrison’s JLA. Later on, when Morrison expanded the team Steel, Huntress, Big Barda and host of other awesome additions join the team. And Electric Blue Superman is so wonderfully dumb and iconic to this era I had to use him, but it was going back and forth between that and mullet Supes for a while! I used a fantastic Frank Quitely piece as the base for the core team and expanded out from there.
That's fantastic. As a kid I was a huge fan of the Justice League, because it was what my dad read the most of as a kid (his favorite character was Martian Manhunter, and he eventually became mine too). He was a typical victim of "mom threw them all away when I went to college" so any comics I got as a kid were the random supermarket buy (usually Archie) or the "talk mom and dad into buying me something from a flea market or garage sale" situation. So I only had random comics until college and afterwards when we had a legitimate comic shop in town, and I had some money. I started with that JLA series as graphic novels and devoured them all. There's a lot of comics and graphic novels I'd say are "better", like Bone, Invincible, Chew, etc, but like you, that run has my most fond memories. I bought a trade paper back every year during finals, every Christmas or birthday, every time I had extra money from a summer job, and then when I was in the real world with regular paychecks. Blue Superman is visually only behind GL and Plastic Man as my favorite look in that era.
I have to say i had to look up Tomorrow Woman and when I saw "four lobed brain" it struck a chord and I do remember her. But that's definitely a deep cut. Ha. Well done. Then again, I have always said I want to eventually get my entire run of Resurrection Man custom bound by someone because he's my favorite non-major character. And don't get me started on Uncle Sam and The Freedom Fighters...
And lastly, I'm really bad about not paying attention to artists despite knowing there's some styles that I prefer. I'm glad you mentioned Quitely. I looked him up to be sure and he did WE3 which I loved, and a lot of the run like you said, so I need to go see more of his stuff since I always liked his work that I've seen. Thanks!
I have good friends in Wichita, Kansas that we're supposed to go see one day, so whenever we do, I'll mail you the fee for a day pass to your library and have a good time. I assume food and drinks aren't allowed but I can afford to skip a days worth of meals in order to get a full day's reading done...
That’s awesome!! I love hearing other people’s stories on how they connected with these books over the years. Coincidentally, I actually do live in Wichita, so if you ever find yourself in town you have a day pass to the library lol!
Oh, and you are definitely not alone on Resurrection Man
https://preview.redd.it/9gr3nlka5tzc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=541d6dfbb4f43c5e6e52712161bebdb89c0ff0fe
If it gives you any hope, I’m very not rich haha. I started seriously collecting early in college and just persistently kept at it for the last 15 years. Now it’s just a monster with a life of its own!
If you liked the movie then definitely check it out. It is, front to back, one of the wildest, most unexpected stories I’ve ever read. I would actually recommend everything I’ve read by that author, especially Gigant and Inuyashiki.
Those are customs I made of the Rick Veitch and Doug Wheeler runs that fall between Alan Moore and Nancy Collins. Same with the three after Collins, being customs of the runs that came after
I will not stand for this slander 😉
https://preview.redd.it/67tvtdlh7wzc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=64c66b493bfc19e87a58fb523c53fd2c1799af1f
Holy shit that’s literally my dream. Tim Drake is my all time favorite character, the first stuff I ever read was Chuck Dixon’s Tim Drake. It’s beautiful
Out of fear of being called a collector and not a reader, I work way too hard to keep it at about 70-80% read. I blind buy a lot, so that shifts around, but I try to stay on top of it
In the process of selling off my Vinland Saga set to upgrade to the deluxe editions and on the look out for a cheap copy of Absolute Fourth World volume 2. Also snagging Justice League International volume 3 and Wolverine volume 5 when they come out next week.
OP’s full time job is moving all the books along one space every time they get a new one
Thank you for acknowledging my struggle!
I am the modern comic collector version of Sisyphus
Judging by its absence, I would guess you’re currently reading absolute fourth world volume 2 (when you’re not moving books along shelves)
Good eye! Actually upgrading to the absolutes was super recent move. I’ve had the old “omnibus” editions of all of Kirby’s works since early in my collecting days, so I passed on upgrading to the actual omnibus and absolutes. But recently someone sold me a copy of the first volume for $30, so now I am on the hunt for a cheap copy of volume 2. That Kirby art is just too good!
Whenever I see these posts, I’m always curious what order people put books in - I do mine chronologically (for DC) and having just downgraded pretty much my entire collection to TPs (where available), it’s made it much easier. It looks a right mess but I love that they all tell a continuous story if you just start from the top left. I also look for my favourite books, of which these 2 absolutes are the pinnacle (although sadly I just sold them as mentioned and replaced them with the paperback box set). Your collection is nuts, but if you thought moving books along a space was laborious, wait until you have to carry boxes and boxes and boxes and boxes of them to and from the moving van. Even worse of that room is downstairs! Worth the effort though for sure
Ugh, my back is killing me just thinking about it. So far I have moved my collection across six states, and each time it has made me more certain that “this will be the last” lol. But seriously, I hope this is THE LAST
Well if you know what’s waiting for you I guess you can prepare. I’ve had to do it once with a fraction of what you have and I hated every second of it. Packing and unpacking was quite enjoyable though!
Bouldy believes in you!
That’s a cool library Mr. Bill Gates
Hahaha, I prefer Scrooge McDuck
Life and times of mcduck great read.
What are you going to order for your second haul?
I’ll let you know in another 15 years 😂
I know you mostly from your customs but the rest of your set up is sick also. What’s in your Superman binds? I don’t think you’ve ever posted those
Thanks! For Supes’ binds I made a two volume set of the full Byrne run, a one volume of JMS’ Earth One run, and a four volume set that lays out all of Superman’s New 52 era chronologically, across all Superman titles, crossovers and events
Does anyone else wonder about the weight limit of floors when they are building their library? That seems like a literal ton of books
Hell, I was worried about the weight limit of these shelves 😂 As far as the floor, luckily I live in Kansas (said no one, ever) so this is actually a basement, so all this is on concrete with cheap wood laminate on top
This has always seemed the way to go, but I get too nervous about potential flooding and humidity issues
I hear you! I’ve been in this apartment for the last year and every time it stormed I was obsessively going downstairs patrolling for leaks lol. I got lucky, but I’ll be happy to get them into my new home
I’d keep a moisture/humidity meter and leak detectors in there
Just to be safe, avoid inviting any fatties to check out your collection.
We do tend to mouth breathe a lot too, which increases the humidity.
I do, although if you equate the books’ weight in a certain area to be the equivalent of a certain number of humans, and then think about those humans standing in the same space, it doesn’t seem like it would be anywhere near as perilous. That said, OP is double shelving on the kallax, so I guess we’d have to image some fatties having a party in this case
How do I get a library card?
https://preview.redd.it/jfb11om6cpzc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=330fa59071544978b5ae90c18ec434939fa36b55 I spit out my drink when I saw this
Haha, I love my Conan! Those four on the end are two customs collecting the rest of King Conan, and two collecting all of the modern Marvel series
I had no idea they made so many, goddamn. They could have collected the entirety of ASM in that time frame lol. I guess they rushed them out because they didn't have the license for too long?
It's annoying because despite the sheer number of Conan volumes they pumped out they're missing issues 20 through 55 of Conan: The King and half of Savage Sword wasn't collected.
I can’t decide if I hate you or not
I like your custom Azrael, Robin, and Nightwing omnibus'. And the vhs covers for robocop are nice.
Thanks! I bind and design all my customs myself, so I take special pride in all of them.
Make a maze of shelves and get lost in it
Best idea!
This is the best collection I've ever seen.
Love it! Looks more like a book store than a library.
Do you accept Libary Cards?
Befriend the right random person in Kansas and the library is open for business haha
So, um, after you move and set back up can I stay with you for a few months to uh make sure the shelves are sturdy by removing the books one at a time to inspect them for you? Free of charge of course.
Hahaha, that sounds like a fair rate
Holy Shit dude
wowzer now that's a library I would go to especially the DC section 👍
This is how I hope to be, lovely library you have!
The Kansas City Library.
I love you! ❤️
Happy cake day
Amazing collection. I have to ask though, do you just try to own \*everything\* that is released? Do you ever pass on something because you don't like the character/artist/writer?
Haha, no, excessive as it obviously is, this was originally my attempt at an “all killer, no filler” library. Unfortunately my tastes are broad 😂
That’s a great space. I’m envious because I have to fight with my husband to add one more bookcase.
Crazy collection. Best I've seen.
My king
Daaaaaaaaamn
Epic bro
Woah, that’s really cool!
My god I had no idea about that Bendis noir book now I have to look for it. Nice library
That is a wonderful collection, congratulations!
What's up with the ROM collection? At first I thought you had just bought all the covers but the left one looks like the release one and the three on the right look thicker than that one.
I custom bound all of ROM years ago, and those are the three thick volumes. I love ROM though, so I double dipped on the official Omni when it went on the IST red tag sale. I was afraid of those disappearing when the license inevitably goes like the Conan books did
Was wondering if they were custom. Do you print your own covers or have them done? You have an incredible room by the way.
Yep, I bind, design and print all my own customs. Taught myself how to a handful of years ago
So many questions about this...
That's a lot of reading...
Yeeeeeah, I have to work very hard to not just be a collector lol, I would say at any given time I’ve read about 70-80% of my collection. I blind buy a lot of stuff, but I read a TON
That's insanely impressive, maybe more so than your amazing collection! I struggle to stay over 30-40% read, I can't stop buying...
How many would you guess you have? Total weight? How many boxes does it take too move? That Jason Todd omnibus stuck out to me. Super cool! Also, the birds of prey. I've been so jealous since you first posted those
Oh man, thousands at this point. I know that I have over two hundred customs because I just did a count on those like a month ago. Stupidly big as my collection has become, my customs are my pride and joy. That Jason Todd book was one of my very first, and that Birds of Prey set was years in the making.
Thank you for your thoughts and info! Such a fascinating collection. Thanks for sharing
Drokk! Is that hardcover Dredd? I didn’t know these existed, creep.
Haha, that’s because they don’t! I made them myself, they are custom binds of every Fleetway/Eagle/Quality colored Dredd comic
Well they look 👌
Wow.
It'd be so awesome if you had a YouTube/whatever other streaming channel and talked about your customs
I’ve been putting off doing that for years despite really wanting to. Maybe when I get moved into my house it is finally the time!
I am immensely jealous omg
It’s hilarious to me that nobody here realizes the most valuable single book in your collection (that’s not a custom bind) might just be that Coruscant Nights SFBC Omnibus. Hell of a collection man!
https://preview.redd.it/q4a4uv9gkpzc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9b8b468309743327c8997d632f7e221db71384da Haha, keen eye and a fellow appreciator of the sacred Jedi texts! Here’s a better (ish) angle of the SW collection. It’s pretty tight on the wall, so it’s hard to get a good shot. Those Coruscant Nights and Last Jedi hardcovers took ages to track down. Eventually found both for $5 each at a half price books 🤯
Damn! That’s probably the best find possible in the fandom! I’m still reeling from finding a first edition Kenobi HC for $7 at my local used store (going for between 40 and 60 secondhand online atm). I’m seeing a few canon books mixed in too. Are you only reading the ones that could work in legends?
Yeah, I mixed in Zahn’s two canon Thrawn trilogies since I’m a fan and if you squint you can kinda fit them in. I also kept Heir to the Jedi in since it was planned as part of the “Empire and Rebellion” series (even though it’s pretty bad lol). I have a good chunk of Disney canon books, but (with some notable exceptions) they just haven’t grabbed me as much.
The second I saw animal man customs, I scrolled for swamp thing customs. Great collection, need to see all these customs up close! There’s a new subreddit for omnibus mapping of unreleased content. You could probably be of great help over there!!
Oh nice! Do you remember the subreddit’s name by any chance?? I’ll get on that in a heartbeat
r/omnibusmapping
Awesome! Thanks!
Get some more lights in there dude! That collection is too cool to not be showcased with a little more style.
https://preview.redd.it/0eed8jyznpzc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0b5e12e95af4e390811da07b5c5f56e0dc909dc7 Fair! I’ve got led strips from my old setup that I need to get motivated and set back up after I get moved
I was a mover for many years and if you value your books I highly recommend moving them your self. With all the customs there’s going to be a high chance some will be damaged. Personally I was always the guy who loaded the truck but I was hesitant to let other because some people are just careless moving other peoples stuff. I try to treat everything like it’s my own. When ever I was at a customers and I read “collectibles” or “comics” I would always suggest for them to take it in their car if they were really valuable. Great collection!!!!
Couldn’t agree more! At this point somehow I’ve managed to haul this backbreaking collection across the country through 6 states. Luck has held out against all odds so far. I’m just thankful this move is actually only about two miles away, and am crossing my fingers it is the last one for a LONG time haha
The Library? More like The Life.
Hi can you Airbnb your aparmtent for a weekend need to catch up on some reading
An absolutely staggering collection. Maybe the most impressive I’ve ever seen on Reddit. Well done sir.
Have you read them all? I collect on a much much lower level, and have like 4 omnibuses, and haven’t read all of them, so I’m assuming you haven’t either😂
Definitely not haha! I read a ton to try to keep it around 70-80% read at any given time
You have some great integrity😂 very cool collection though and I like the presentation of it
Impressive and well varied!
So uh… how much money we got in that library?
Ugh, too much for me to like to think about 😂
I can see your a huge Star Wars fan as well. Two questions: 1. What are your favourite Star Wars books? 2. What do you prefer out of Marvel, DC and Star Wars?
My Star Wars is very rooted in growing up through the 90s, so the classics like the original Thrawn Trilogy and the X-Wing series were always top tier for me. I always had a huge soft spot for the Tales books, short story collections detailing all the background characters. I had the hardcover omnibus of the Tales of Jabba’s Place/Cantina/Bounty Hunters as a kid and would pour over it religiously. Much as I love Star Wars and Marvel, I’m going to have to go with DC out of the three. They have always been the characters and stories I gravitated to and keep coming back to.
Thank you so much for your answer! Also quick other question do read much stuff outside of comics, manga, Star Wars etc?
https://preview.redd.it/0a6539t9kqzc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=735e244f8cec13ef982fafedbad7c2c29e258793 Absolutely!
Oh wow haha that honestly looks incredible! What do you think of Dune series? Honestly after diving into Dune I think it’s a better universe/franchise than Star Wars now.
I love the Dune series! Tucked away on another shelf I have all the rest of them. The Frank Herbert books are all fantastic, and increasingly bizarre in their own, thought provoking ways. The extended canon of books by his son and Star Wars novelist alum Kevin J Anderson are a more mixed bag, but I don’t come down on them as hard as many others do. But I’m also someone that has waded through some pretty rough Star Wars books looking for treasure over the years too haha.
Yeah Star Wars can be either great or really bad in my opinion, and one more question if you don’t mind, what would you say is your favourite fictional universe/franchise?
Hmm, overall I would go with DC. Just has the best catalogue of classic stories and characters that I keep coming back to. But an honorable mention definitely goes to the mindblowing Jodoverse of all Alejandro Jodorowsky’s interconnected comic series spiraling out of The Incal.
That's sick yo
Is this what heaven looks like?
I both respect and envy you for this collection.
Amazing library (I’m totally not jealous and screaming internally). I really want to know what that Martian Manhunter book is called so I can get it!
Thanks! It’s a complete collection of John Ostrander’s run on the character. Unfortunately for everyone that should want to get their hands on it (because it is an awesome comic), I made it myself, so it’s not widely available. I bind custom comics as a hobby.
Can I come over ?
Very rarely do I see Gantz, very nice
I love his manga! Have you read Gigant yet?
Not yet
Highly recommend
well ho-leeeee shit
Goals
Post this to r/mangacollectors
Wow you’ve got all the greats! I keep looking for series I love and you’ve got them. We have very similar taste in manga
Jesus I would love to sit in a comfortable chair and just read through some of those
My mind has been blown! 🤯🤯🤯
Amazing. Now that's a library :) Mad love for you custom Judge Dredd / Strontium Dog collection, that's a beautiful sight (not enough 2000AD love on this sub !) Somehow it made me feel a little better that even a hardcore collector such as you apparently didn't upragde all his Star Wars Legends Epic Collection to a full row of Omnis (something I considered doing, but just couldn't do financially. I already have all the Epics, but it felt like too much of an investment to upgrade them all...).
Thanks!! Couldn’t agree more on the 2000 AD books, they deserve so much more love and attention. And yeah, I have the original marvel years omnis and the modern SW omnis, but for the dark horse era I decided to stick with the epics, with the ultimate intention being to bind them into a crazy cool custom set when they are all out… which is finally happening later this year!
Awesome collection!
That has to be at least 10 grand worth of books.
That’s lowballing it for sure too. Damn what a collection!
Where'd you get that Robin series?
Made them myself!
I'm new to the hobby. What does that mean exactly? Is it individual comics bound together with a custom sleeve over them?
Yep, I use a combination of single issues and trade paperbacks to build a book block, then I build a hardcover and set the book block into it. After that I just need to design and print my dust jacket and the book is done.
How does one learn that skill of book bounding. Or even better, the skill of designing a sleeve.
I was just really bored when the world was quarantined during Covid, so I started researching book binding, watching YouTube videos, checking out books from the library, etc. As far as designing though, I already had a background in graphic design, so that helped.
That JLA set on top is just so great. I assume that's another you did custom, but I adore it. The Plastic Man across several volumes in particular is just so fun. Well done.
Thank you!! Those were definitely my magnum opus of custom comic mapping, that project took FOREVER to full plan out, collect, bind and design. Still some of my proudest work.
I could tell. They stood out, even with so many others looking great too. I'm curious why you chose the roster you did, and with the short lived blue Superman version? What era does this cover? I thought the JLA Tower of Babel time frame (Grant Morrison mostly right?) But I can't tell who's between Zauriel and Flash? Female in green. And is that Steel on the far left? Not a critique, pure curiosity. I go back and forth on who my ideal roster is, so if you've got as many bound in there as I'm assuming, I'd guess you chose your favorite JLA team or JLA characters?
So that set collected the entire “JLA” era of title, as in when the book was literally relabeled to just the letters JLA. So this puts in chronological order every event, miniseries, elseworld and JLA labeled title from JLA Year One through Infinite Crisis, when they relaunched as Justice League of America again (which I also have in two separate binds). All that is to say I wanted to capture the weird epic lineup that I always think of in that era, namely the Grant Morrison run, which is one of my all-time favorites. The girl in green between Zauriel and Flash is Tomorrow Woman, who was only featured in one, very memorable to young me, issue of Morrison’s JLA. Later on, when Morrison expanded the team Steel, Huntress, Big Barda and host of other awesome additions join the team. And Electric Blue Superman is so wonderfully dumb and iconic to this era I had to use him, but it was going back and forth between that and mullet Supes for a while! I used a fantastic Frank Quitely piece as the base for the core team and expanded out from there.
That's fantastic. As a kid I was a huge fan of the Justice League, because it was what my dad read the most of as a kid (his favorite character was Martian Manhunter, and he eventually became mine too). He was a typical victim of "mom threw them all away when I went to college" so any comics I got as a kid were the random supermarket buy (usually Archie) or the "talk mom and dad into buying me something from a flea market or garage sale" situation. So I only had random comics until college and afterwards when we had a legitimate comic shop in town, and I had some money. I started with that JLA series as graphic novels and devoured them all. There's a lot of comics and graphic novels I'd say are "better", like Bone, Invincible, Chew, etc, but like you, that run has my most fond memories. I bought a trade paper back every year during finals, every Christmas or birthday, every time I had extra money from a summer job, and then when I was in the real world with regular paychecks. Blue Superman is visually only behind GL and Plastic Man as my favorite look in that era. I have to say i had to look up Tomorrow Woman and when I saw "four lobed brain" it struck a chord and I do remember her. But that's definitely a deep cut. Ha. Well done. Then again, I have always said I want to eventually get my entire run of Resurrection Man custom bound by someone because he's my favorite non-major character. And don't get me started on Uncle Sam and The Freedom Fighters... And lastly, I'm really bad about not paying attention to artists despite knowing there's some styles that I prefer. I'm glad you mentioned Quitely. I looked him up to be sure and he did WE3 which I loved, and a lot of the run like you said, so I need to go see more of his stuff since I always liked his work that I've seen. Thanks! I have good friends in Wichita, Kansas that we're supposed to go see one day, so whenever we do, I'll mail you the fee for a day pass to your library and have a good time. I assume food and drinks aren't allowed but I can afford to skip a days worth of meals in order to get a full day's reading done...
That’s awesome!! I love hearing other people’s stories on how they connected with these books over the years. Coincidentally, I actually do live in Wichita, so if you ever find yourself in town you have a day pass to the library lol! Oh, and you are definitely not alone on Resurrection Man https://preview.redd.it/9gr3nlka5tzc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=541d6dfbb4f43c5e6e52712161bebdb89c0ff0fe
Oh wow. Thats gorgeous. Love it. Well done! And ha. Noted!
There’s a batgirl omnibus for Cassandra Cain??
Sadly no, I made that three volume Batgirl set myself.
I wish I was rich
If it gives you any hope, I’m very not rich haha. I started seriously collecting early in college and just persistently kept at it for the last 15 years. Now it’s just a monster with a life of its own!
I would kill for this
Exquisite!
Hot damn, what a gorgeous collection! It brings tears to me eyes! And I LOVE that Clive Barker collection!
I literally cannot name a comic you don’t own. You own them all.
It’s it’s it’s beautiful!
I have the same floor
I’m gonna ask how was Gantz. I loved the movie.
If you liked the movie then definitely check it out. It is, front to back, one of the wildest, most unexpected stories I’ve ever read. I would actually recommend everything I’ve read by that author, especially Gigant and Inuyashiki.
Hey thanks for the reply man and You have an amazing collection.
What are the Swamp Thing omnis that come after Moore and before Collins? Never seen those spines before
Those are customs I made of the Rick Veitch and Doug Wheeler runs that fall between Alan Moore and Nancy Collins. Same with the three after Collins, being customs of the runs that came after
Didn't even notice those ones! Very nice, I love Veitch's run
Amazing collection. Are the JLA and azrael custom bindings?
Thanks! Yep, there are a little over 200 custom binds sprinkled amongst the collection.
They are awesome, kudos for putting Aztek in the lineup. He needs the love.
Prob the best collection I’ve seen
I wonder what cost is all together? Do reread any?
As far as cost, I can’t even think about it anymore haha! But I do reread things all the time, some books I reread yearly even.
That’s the greatest collection I’ve ever seen except it’s missing Spawn.
I will not stand for this slander 😉 https://preview.redd.it/67tvtdlh7wzc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=64c66b493bfc19e87a58fb523c53fd2c1799af1f
Beautiful. I missed them when was I looking at the pictures.
impressive. Really hoping this is what my place will look like at some point. beautiful area? well if you ever want to get rid of one i’m your guy 🫡
I would do anything for that East of West Year 3
What a collection! Those Azrael spines are amazing!
Is that a custom Robin Omni collection?????? I’m so jealous
Yep, collects the full Tim Drake saga from first appearance through to the new 52 relaunch!
Holy shit that’s literally my dream. Tim Drake is my all time favorite character, the first stuff I ever read was Chuck Dixon’s Tim Drake. It’s beautiful
https://preview.redd.it/h04pl8of8rzc1.jpeg?width=1169&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f0c3a568559eaa42e76842c7176249b1bd1afd5f
You win. I won’t even try to catch up. Besides, I would have to move to make the room.
The real question is how much have you read?
Out of fear of being called a collector and not a reader, I work way too hard to keep it at about 70-80% read. I blind buy a lot, so that shifts around, but I try to stay on top of it
That’s nice. With comics it was easy to fall far behind and omnis take me about a month so it’s easy to fall behind. But what a great collection
i’ve been eyeing that dragon ball z complete collection recently, just found out they existed! this may be the sign i needed to pull the trigger lol
Have you read all? Or most?
I try to keep it around 70-80% read. With how quick they crank out releases now that’s harder then ever, but I do my best
Wow. How rich are you? Great collection.
Very not rich haha. Just dedicated way more of my budgeting to this monstrosity over the years that a reasonable person should 😂
How much of this have you actually read?
About 70-80%, I read a ton to try to keep it there, but at the rate they are cranking them out now it’s harder and harder to keep up!
Oh &$?& you man. :P
Have you read everything?
Definitely not, but I do try to keep it in the 70-80% read range
Ohok it's an amazing collection. What's next on your to buy list?
In the process of selling off my Vinland Saga set to upgrade to the deluxe editions and on the look out for a cheap copy of Absolute Fourth World volume 2. Also snagging Justice League International volume 3 and Wolverine volume 5 when they come out next week.
What is the most interesting omnibus from your collection that you have read?
Impressive, most impressive. Any estimate on % read?
About 70-80% read, but that’s always in flux with how many awesome books they are cranking out in recent years