posted November 23, 2001 07:30 PM               

The Masterworks line was relaunched in 1997 and to know that some of those initial volumes released (under the new look) are now unavailable really ticks me off. Currently unavailable (I believe) are the first Daredevil volume and the Fantastic Four #1-10 volume, along with the Amazing Spider-Man volume as mentioned earlier.

I really hate Marvel and their "printing only to the amount ordered" policy. This is a frustration. To know that I now must wait until they publish another printing, and at a new higher price really bites. I expect them to be available, and now I can't get them for the moment.

Look at what they've been doing the last few months on their backlist of TPBs, hardcovers, etc. They're slowly putting new printings out again. They had to go through a moment where most of their entire backlist was unavailable for ordering. We, the fans, demanded that Marvel do more TPBs, which they're listening and doing as told.

To my knowledge, DC Comics ain't like this. They keep their backlist available all the time, and if they run out, DC goes back to press for another printing.

posted November 30, 2001 06:05 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by superboy1988-92:
Got the new Previews catalog recently, and for March, Marvel Comics will re-release the first Marvel Masterworks: X-Men volume. This reprints X-Men (first series) #1-10 by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby.

---

posted November 30, 2001 07:16 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by DK2:

If I'm correct, that's the first time this old volume from the first Marvel Masterworks series will be available again under the new MM series.

---

Actually, no. My copy is a fifth printing from Oct. 1998. New style cover. Bright yellow.

- Bill

posted November 30, 2001 08:40 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by BillNolan:
Actually, no. My copy is a fifth printing from Oct. 1998. New style cover. Bright yellow.

- Bill

---

Thanks for correcting me. I didn't know this. I didn't even know it was available under the new style cover previously!

posted December 12, 2001 12:43 AM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by superboy1988-92:
Does Marvel Comics plan on reprinting the entire run of the original MM series under the new, second series cover design?

If they are, they're sure going very slowly regarding the Masterworks.

---

Yes indeed they are going very slowly about it. The announced plan was to begin reissuing the old volumes, but the first one of those reissues is Spider-Man volume 1. OK...that one has been reprinted about four or five times already. There was talk that they would continue with the Spider-Man volumes, but the next reissue will be March's X-Men volume 1.

posted December 16, 2001 03:47 AM               

or

posted February 13, 2002 12:14 AM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by Steven Utley:
This is too good a thread to lie languishing in the back pages, so: bump.

---

What Steven said.

posted February 13, 2002 10:09 PM            

It only makes sense for Marvel/DC to ensure that Volume 1 of any Masterworks/Archives line is always in stock. Most people tend to get Volume 1, then stop there. Some go as far as two or three, but past that point, you're dealing with collectors. The only way to start 'em on the track is to ensure that Volume 1 is available, so it logically follows that those are the editions reprinted the most.

Now to brag...

I picked up the two volume, slipcase enclosed hardcover Captain America: The Classic Years on ebay last year for seventy bucks. I thought that was a pretty good price, but I see it as a steal now after reading through this topic. Bud Plant is selling volume two of the softcover on ebay for $25 bucks, and that's only one volume. I also picked up a hardcover copy of Joe & Jack's Fighting American for $9.99, which even I saw as an absolute steal.

posted February 13, 2002 11:43 PM               

HOKEY SMOKE AND HOLY MOLEY! I'd forgotten how WONDERFUL the Doc Strange Masterworks was!

Page after page of beautiful Ditko art (occasionally ruined by George Bell inks) and some of the wildest stories ever told in comics.

Well, it made me decide to buy the Essentials.

posted February 14, 2002 12:13 AM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by Old Dude:

HOKEY SMOKE AND HOLY MOLEY! I'd forgotten how WONDERFUL the Doc Strange Masterworks was!

But it also made me ache for Dr. Strange Masterworks Vol. 2!

---

Yes, old dude! I was very disappointed to hear about the Essentials, as I knew I was being robbed of another wonderful Masterworks volume for what will be quite awhile, it would seem.

Ditko's work on that series is rivaled by very little in comics, in my opinion. It's funny, too, to read the Spirit and see what a great influence Eisner appears to be on Ditko.

------------------
Visit my fanpage devoted to the Marvel Masterworks series! Go to www.marvelmasterworks.freeservers.com

posted February 14, 2002 07:24 AM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by Old Dude:
I'd forgotten how WONDERFUL the Doc Strange Masterworks was!

Page after page of beautiful Ditko art (occasionally ruined by George Bell inks) and some of the wildest stories ever told in comics.

---

You think that's wild, you should see Ditko's Dr. Strange in 3-D. Yep, back in the early 80s, there were a bunch of Marvel ViewMaster reels taken from the original art, and done in 3-D and in COLOR! It sure is wild to see those "Ditko dimensions" with all their surreal Daliesque accoutrements in stereoscope.

posted February 14, 2002 12:47 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by positronic:
You think that's wild, you should see Ditko's Dr. Strange in 3-D. Yep, back in the early 80s, there were a bunch of Marvel ViewMaster reels taken from the original art, and done in 3-D and in COLOR!

---

GOOD GOD! I must have this!!!! Are these things ultra-rare? I need to start checking out ebay, huh? Damn! I have never heard of these! IT sounds awesome!!!!!

------------------
Visit my fanpage devoted to the Marvel Masterworks series! Go to www.marvelmasterworks.freeservers.com

posted February 14, 2002 05:38 PM               

A few hours ago I had no idea these vintage Dr. Strange/Ditko View Master slides even existed and now they are speeding their way to me in the US mail. I can't wait!

------------------
Visit my fanpage devoted to the Marvel Masterworks series! Go to www.marvelmasterworks.freeservers.com

posted March 11, 2002 04:53 PM            

Step one of 31 toward getting the Masterworks back on track.

posted March 11, 2002 05:18 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by NecessaryImpurity:
Diamond reports that the new version of "Spider-Man, Vol 1" is shipping this week. http://www.diamondcomics.com/shipping/031302.txt

Step one of 31 toward getting the Masterworks back on track.

---

Damn, NI! You beat me to it!
Rumors also abound of an early X-Men Vol. 1 shipment. Though since it is due for the end of March anyway, maybe not too big of a deal. Yet it is Step 2 of 31 toward getting the Masterworks back on track, so it is not to be taken lightly.

------------------
Visit my fanpage devoted to the Marvel Masterworks series! Go to www.marvelmasterworks.freeservers.com

posted March 11, 2002 09:21 PM               

One of my favorites had to be the DR. STRANGE book. I never cared for the "uniform" design of the Masterworks, or the numbering that tried to "foirce" you to buy all of them (and made filing them a confuing matter) but at least by the time they did this one they were trying different colors-- the DS book being purple!

It was so good to finally have all those stories consecutively in one book... but I think they dropped the ball. I'm sure they had in mind a standard page count, but they should have dropped it here. Only a half-dozen or so more episodes and they could have had the ENTIRE Ditko run in ONE volume! Then I could see doing a 2nd colume covering all the later stuff up to the end of STRANGE TALES (including the really wild Dan Adkins issues). As it is, the volume ENDS on a minor cliff-hanger-- and they never did a 2nd volume!

posted March 11, 2002 11:50 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ralph Kramden:
I think Marvel dropped the ball on this one in two ways.

---

Yeah, Marvel dropped the ball with Masterworks...many times. But I think this newest effort deserves support until it proves otherwise. Whether or not we agree that Marvel should start from the ground up with a new set of dustjackets that fit the more dignified style of the books (like Archives), you have to admit that in starting such a revamp, you take it from the top. You start with the first volumes and go from there.

That means X-Men and Spidey Vol. 1...again. But that's ok. That's what I think anyone would do in the event they are starting from scratch. Marvel wants to balance new editions with reissues. I want the new material, and I don't want to have to wait until all the 31 old volumes are reissued, so that's cool with me. So we get Avengers Vol. 1 and Vol. 4 in the span of two months. OK by me. I want that #4. And the other two will come....let's just be patient.

One more thing, these books are going to be INDIVIDUALLY NUMBERED within each comic series! Just like the DC Archives.

------------------
Visit my fanpage devoted to the Marvel Masterworks series! Go to www.marvelmasterworks.freeservers.com

posted March 11, 2002 11:54 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by profh0011:

It was so good to finally have all those stories consecutively in one book... but I think they dropped the ball. I'm sure they had in mind a standard page count, but they should have dropped it here. Only a half-dozen or so more episodes and they could have had the ENTIRE Ditko run in ONE volume! Then I could see doing a 2nd colume covering all the later stuff up to the end of STRANGE TALES (including the really wild Dan Adkins issues). As it is, the volume ENDS on a minor cliff-hanger-- and they never did a 2nd volume!

---

Yeah, but that Dr. Strange volume was already pretty big by typical Masterworks standards, at 272 pages. As the first series wound down, and folks were probably realizing the time for Masterworks was nigh, they probably didn't feel confident about the overall profits to make it larger.

------------------
Visit my fanpage devoted to the Marvel Masterworks series! Go to www.marvelmasterworks.freeservers.com