Marvel Omnibus

Marvel Omnibus is a line of large format, high quality, full color, hardcover graphic novel omnibuses published by Marvel Comics. They often contain complete runs, either by collecting multiple consecutive issues, or by focusing on the works of a particular writer or artist. The company's first experiment with a large hardcover was 2004's Ultimate Spider-Man Collection, which was exclusively published by Barnes & Noble. The 992-page book cost $49.99 and had the same contents as the first three oversized hardcovers from Brian Michael Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man. This release did not use the 'omnibus' branding. Marvel's first official omnibus came a year later, with Fantastic Four Vol. 1 in June 2005. With 848 pages, it collected the first 30 issues and an Annual of the comic. It cost $45 and debuted at no.58 in the graphic novel chart. Senior vice president at Marvel, David Gabriel, told the New York Times the idea came from "trying to come up with a product tie-in for the Fantastic Four film to be released that summer — 'something to get the extreme collector excited'." The book "sold out in a few weeks" and Kuo-Yu Liang, a vice president for Diamond Comic Distributors, said that trend for larger, more-expensive books: "reflects the demographics of the consumer, who is both older and more affluent." After that success, four omnibuses followed in 2006: Alias (March), Uncanny X-Men Vol.1 (May), Eternals (July), and New X-Men (December). The line has seen enormous growth, with 12 omnibuses released in 2009; 19 in 2014; 33 in 2019; and 89 in 2024. The creation of an omnibus allows Marvel to improve its overall process of releasing collected editions. Gabriel said: "[Material has] been allowed to go out of press, say Secret Wars, in order for us to create a special Omnibus Edition which...