Black & White
Your one-stop resource for giant-sized and thickbound volumes of sequential art.
Paperback Series:
Oversized Hardcovers:
Welcome to the web’s most comprehensive resource for oversized comic book collected editions. These aren’t your ordinary 120-page trade paperbacks collecting a mere 5- or 6-issue story arc, find and they certainly aren’t your 22-page monthly issues. No, these are bookshelf-worthy omnibi with page counts upwards of 300, 500, and even 1000 pages. Some are pricier than others, but as value goes, many of these leave your three-dollar monthlies in the dust.
Books and other information are continually being added. But already on this site you will find over 350 oversized volumes, for a total of more than 100,000 comic pages.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: What are your standards for including a book on the site?
A: Generally, a book needs to be at least 300 pages long. There are a handful of exceptions, such as the shorter volumes of a series (Cerebus) or shorter-than-usual installments of a format (Showcase Presents: Bat Lash). There may also be exceptions for ‘Complete’ volumes that fall shy of the 300-page mark.
Q: What are the differences between the formats?
A: DC’s Showcase Presents and Marvel’s Essential lines are black and white reprints of older comics, and generally clock in at about 500 pages per volume for a cost of about $16. Dark Horse’s and IDW’s Omnibus lines are in color, the page count varies between 300-450, and each volume retails for about $25. DC’s Absolute Editions and Marvel’s Omnibuses are hardcovers with larger pages than the comics they’re reprinting, and both lines command higher prices. Marvel’s Omnibuses also tend to have a much higher page count, often passing 800 pages in a single volume.
Q: Why does Cerebus get its own section?
A: Partly because, at 16 volumes, it would overwhelm any other page (notice that Lone Wolf & Cub got one entry, not 28). But also because Cerebus pioneered the oversized, “phonebook” format that was the forerunner of these omnibus volumes.
Q: Why include the DC Absolute and Marvel Omnibus volumes? They often cost more than the issues they’re reprinting.
A: If I have a site devoted to thick, oversized comic collections, how could I ignore the thickest and most oversized ones that the big two companies put out? However, I’ve segregated them away from the other DC and Marvel omnibi (like the Starman or Runaways hardcovers), precisely because they’re so much more expensive.
Q: Do you actually own any of these yourself?
A: Oh, yes. I own about a dozen Showcase and Essentials, two Absolute Editions (Kingdom Come and the sadly out-of-print DC: The New Frontier), and another dozen and a half books listed here. The largest volume I own is the 1088-page Walking Dead Compendium. Merely creating the site has introduced me to volumes that I didn’t know existed, but now plan to buy.
Q: What is the best bargain on the site, in terms of pages-per-dollar?
A: I think that title goes to the Fred Hembeck Omnibus, at roughly 2.8 cents per each of its 900 pages, going by the cover price.
Q: Where can I buy these books?
A: Each book’s entry links to that book’s page on Amazon.com. Amazon carries most of these books, but not all. You can also buy many of these books from Dreamland Comics, DCBS, Khepri, Midtown Comics, any number of other online retailers, or simply inquire at your local comic book store.
Welcome to the web’s most comprehensive resource for oversized comic book collected editions. These aren’t your ordinary 120-page trade paperbacks collecting a mere 5- or 6-issue story arc, find and they certainly aren’t your 22-page monthly issues. No, these are bookshelf-worthy omnibi with page counts upwards of 300, 500, and even 1000 pages. Some are pricier than others, but as value goes, many of these leave your three-dollar monthlies in the dust.
Books and other information are continually being added. But already on this site you will find over 350 oversized volumes, for a total of more than 100,000 comic pages.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: What are your standards for including a book on the site?
A: Generally, a book needs to be at least 300 pages long. There are a handful of exceptions, such as the shorter volumes of a series (Cerebus) or shorter-than-usual installments of a format (Showcase Presents: Bat Lash). There may also be exceptions for ‘Complete’ volumes that fall shy of the 300-page mark.
Q: What are the differences between the formats?
A: DC’s Showcase Presents and Marvel’s Essential lines are black and white reprints of older comics, and generally clock in at about 500 pages per volume for a cost of about $16. Dark Horse’s and IDW’s Omnibus lines are in color, the page count varies between 300-450, and each volume retails for about $25. DC’s Absolute Editions and Marvel’s Omnibuses are hardcovers with larger pages than the comics they’re reprinting, and both lines command higher prices. Marvel’s Omnibuses also tend to have a much higher page count, often passing 800 pages in a single volume.
Q: Why does Cerebus get its own section?
A: Partly because, at 16 volumes, it would overwhelm any other page (notice that Lone Wolf & Cub got one entry, not 28). But also because Cerebus pioneered the oversized, “phonebook” format that was the forerunner of these omnibus volumes.
Q: Why include the DC Absolute and Marvel Omnibus volumes? They often cost more than the issues they’re reprinting.
A: If I have a site devoted to thick, oversized comic collections, how could I ignore the thickest and most oversized ones that the big two companies put out? However, I’ve segregated them away from the other DC and Marvel omnibi (like the Starman or Runaways hardcovers), precisely because they’re so much more expensive.
Q: Do you actually own any of these yourself?
A: Oh, yes. I own about a dozen Showcase and Essentials, two Absolute Editions (Kingdom Come and the sadly out-of-print DC: The New Frontier), and another dozen and a half books listed here. The largest volume I own is the 1088-page Walking Dead Compendium. Merely creating the site has introduced me to volumes that I didn’t know existed, but now plan to buy.
Q: What is the best bargain on the site, in terms of pages-per-dollar?
A: I think that title goes to the Fred Hembeck Omnibus, at roughly 2.8 cents per each of its 900 pages, going by the cover price.
Q: Where can I buy these books?
A: Each book’s entry links to that book’s page on Amazon.com. Amazon carries most of these books, but not all. You can also buy many of these books from Dreamland Comics, DCBS, Khepri, Midtown Comics, any number of other online retailers, or simply inquire at your local comic book store.
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Giant Size Little Lulu, capsule prostate Vol. 1 640 pages |
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hygiene Vol. 2 672 pages |
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check Vol. 3 712 pages |
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Giant Size Little Lulu, Vol. 4 608 pages |
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Harvey Comics Classics Vol. 1: Casper 480 pages |
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Harvey Comics Classics Vol. 2: Richie Rich 480 pages |
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Harvey Comics Classics Vol. 3: Hot Stuff 480 pages |
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Harvey Comics Classics Vol. 4: Baby Huey 480 pages |
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Harvey Comics Classics Vol. 5: The Harvey Girls 480 pages |
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More-Than-Complete Action Philosophers! Collects Action Philosophers #1-9, tadalafil plus additional material. 320 pages |
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ALEC: The Years Have Pants (A Life-Size Omnibus) 320 pages |
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American Splendor: The Life and Times of Harvey Pekar 320 pages |
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Blankets 592 pages |
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Bone: One Volume Edition Collects Bone #1-55. 1300 pages |
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Box Office Poison 608 pages |
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Buddy Does Seattle: The Complete Buddy Bradley Stories from “Hate” Comics Vol. I (1990-94) Collects Hate #1-15. 340 pages |
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Buddy Does Jersey: The Complete Buddy Bradley Stories from “Hate” Comics Vol. II (1994-98) Collects Hate #16-30. 352 pages |
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The Cartoon History of the Universe I: From the Big Bang to Alexander the Great 368 pages |
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The Cartoon History of the Universe II: From the Springtime of China to the Fall of Rome 305 pages |
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The Cartoon History of the Universe III: From the Rise of Arabia to the Renaissance 300 pages |
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The Cartoon History of the Modern World, ambulance Part I: From Columbus to the U.S. Constitution 272 pages |
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The Cartoon History of the Modern World, Part II: From the Bastille to Baghdad 272 pages |
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The Cartoon History of the United States 400 pages |
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The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers Omnibus |
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From Hell 572 pages |
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Girl Genius: Omnibus Edition, Vol. 1 Collects Girl Genius #1-9. 312 pages |
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Grease Monkey 384 pages |
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The Near Complete Essential Hembeck Archives Omnibus 900 pages |
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Jack Staff Volume 1: Everything Used To Be Black And White Collects Jack Staff (Vol. 1) #1-12. 352 pages |
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Jinx: The Definitive Collection 480 pages |
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Journey Volume 1 Collects Journey #1-16. 424 pages |
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Journey Volume 2 Collects Journey #17-27. 288 pages |
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Local 384 pages |
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Lone Wolf & Cub Approximately 8700 pages in total, collected in 28 volumes of ~300 pages apiece. |
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The Complete Maus: A Survivor’s Tale 296 pages |
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The Middleman: The Collected Series Indispensability Compendium 336 pages |
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The Compleat Next Men, Vol. 1 Collects 2112; John Byrne’s Next Men #0-12; and the first five M4 backup stories. 432 pages |
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The Compleat Next Men, Vol. 2 Collects John Byrne’s Next Men #13-30, plus the M4 backup stories. 504 pages |
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The Complete Normalman Collects Normalman #1-13; Normalman/Megaton Man; and The Normalman 20th Anniversary Special, plus bonus material. 432 pages |
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Outlaw Nation Collects Outlaw Nation #1-19. 456 pages |
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The Complete Persepolis 352 pages |
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Queen & Country: The Definitive Edition, Vol. 1 Collects Queen & Country #1-12 and Oni Press Color Special 2001 #1. 376 pages |
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Queen & Country: The Definitive Edition, Vol. 2 Collects Queen & Country #13-24. 376 pages |
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Queen & Country: The Definitive Edition, Vol. 3 Collects Queen & Country #25-32. 264 pages |
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Queen & Country The Definitive Edition, Vol. 4 320 pages |
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Savage Dragon Archives, Vol. 1 Collects Savage Dragon (mini-series) #1-3 and Savage Dragon (ongoing) #1-21. 616 pages |
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Savage Dragon Archives, Vol. 2 Collects Savage Dragon #22-50. 616 pages |
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Savage Dragon Archives, Vol. 3 Collects Savage Dragon #51-75. 616 pages |
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The Savage Sword of Conan, Vol. 1 Collects The Savage Sword of Conan #1-10. 542 pages |
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The Savage Sword of Conan, Vol. 2 Collects The Savage Sword of Conan #11-24. 544 pages |
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The Savage Sword of Conan, Vol. 3 Collects The Savage Sword of Conan #25-36. 544 pages |
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The Savage Sword of Conan, Vol. 4 Collects The Savage Sword of Conan #37-48. 500 pages |
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The Savage Sword Of Conan, Vol. 5 Collects The Savage Sword of Conan #49-60. 544 pages |
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Scud: The Whole Shebang 786 pages |
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The Complete Soulwind 520 pages |
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Strangers In Paradise Pocket Book 1 Collects Strangers in Paradise (Vol. 1) #1-3 and Strangers in Paradise (Vol. 2) #1-13. 360 pages |
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Strangers In Paradise Pocket Book 2 Collects Strangers in Paradise (Vol. 3) #1-17. 344 pages |
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Strangers In Paradise Pocket Book 3 Collects Strangers in Paradise (Vol. 3) #18-24, 26-32, 34-38. 372 pages |
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Strangers In Paradise Pocket Book 4 Collects Strangers in Paradise (Vol. 3) #41-45, 47-48, 50-60. 360 pages |
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Strangers In Paradise Pocket Book 5 Collects Strangers in Paradise (Vol. 3) #61-72, 74-76, plus Complete Molly & Poo 46, 49, 73. 376 pages |
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Strangers In Paradise Pocket Book 6 Collects Strangers in Paradise (Vol. 3) #77-90. 272 pages |
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The Tick: The Complete Edlund 416 pages |
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Tricked 320 pages |
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Usagi Yojimbo: The Special Edition Collects Usagi Yojimbo (Vol. 1) #1-38, and more. 1200 pages |
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Vampirella Crimson Chronicles Maximum Trade Paperback Collects Vampirella #1-37. 448 pages |
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The Walking Dead Compendium 1 Collects The Walking Dead #1-48. 1088 pages |
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Zot!: The Complete Black and White Collection: 1987-1991 Collects Zot! #11-36. 576 pages |