Marvel has produced some of the best superhero comics for over six decades now, and that has produced a lot of issues. Luckily for collectors, Marvel has also released several omnibuses, collecting full runs by creative teams as well as full storylines from start to finish. Whether someone is a fan of Spier-Man, The X-Men, or The Avengers, there are giant omnibuses for all the heroes. The only problem is there are dozens of issues in each book, and they come at a high price tag.
That means some collectors have to be picky about which books they choose to buy. One way to figure out the good from the bad includes heading over to Reddit. Comic book fans are abundant there, and they are more than willing to help. Whether they recommend classic stories or just iconic runs, anyone looking to get started with a Marvel omnibus will find great options from Redditors.
Astonishing X-Men By Joss Whedon
In 2008. Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon began writing Astonishing X-Men for Marvel. It was a best-selling run, as he brought Colossus back to life, and had Emma Frost, Cyclops, Wolverine, Kitty, and Beast lead the way for this X-Men roster. Gmork14 wrote, “for X-Men you want Astonishing X-Men by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday”
What makes this a perfect starter for anyone wanting to get into Marvel Comics is that Whedon started issues with notations of things from the past that might come into play in the issue. He didn’t talk down to the readers, but he made it accessible to everyone. This Marvel omnibus collected Astonishing X-Men #1-24 and Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1.
Ed Brubaker’s Captain America
For a long time, Captain America comics saw the hero as an American hero, fighting to defend the red, white, and blue. There were times he stood up for other things, but mostly he was a patriotic hero. Ed Brubaker made him much more than that. Wide-road-6616 wrote, “Captain America by Brubaker would be a great place to start. The first 3 volumes are readily available.”
Brubaker’s Captain America work was among the best of the hero’s existence. He wrote the book for four years, from January 2005 through July 2009. This included the critically acclaimed Winter Soldier run, where Brubaker brought back Bucky Barnes. These books are espionage tales, bringing Cap into the world of spies and shades of gray. His final Marvel omnibus includes The Death of Captain America, following the Civil War storyline.
Thor By Walt Simonson
Thor can be a hard character to write. At times, he comes across as cheesy, and he is so overpowered that making him a regular hero rarely works. However, Walt Simonson did it right, and yarkcir wrote “Stories are just epic and it’s just the best work from both Walt Simonson and Sal Buscema.”
Considered Thor’s greatest run, Simonson took the God of Thunder back to his mythological origins. He returned to Asgard and fought against some of his greatest godly villains. These stories also included the death of Odin, Asgard’s origins, and even introduced the world to Throg, the frog Thor (named Simon Walterson, a spin on Walt Simonson’s name).
Hawkeye By Matt Fraction
For many people, Hawkeye always seemed like the weakest Avenger. However, fans of the archer know he is much more than that. While suggesting several Marvel omnibuses to check out, Elayem_ suggested picking up Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye run, one of the best Hawkeye comic book storylines.
This is a great choice for someone wanting to see what makes the character so great. The Marvel omnibus has Hawkeye living with his dog and finding himself pushed into battle while dealing with his hearing loss. It also introduces Kate Bishop into Hawkeye’s world as he helps her learn more about being a hero. The omnibus collects Hawkeye #1-22, Annual #1, and Young Avengers Presents #6.
Avengers By Jonathan Hickman
Some writers take over a title and then put in a long period of work on it, building a structure and developing a long-running storyline that pays off far into the future. Jonathan Hickman mastered that when he wrote the Avengers, and horse-trick recommended that omnibus, calling it “One of the best runs I ever read.”
Hickman laid hints throughout his run that resulted in The Illuminati making so many bad decisions that it led to the destruction of the entire Marvel Universe in Time Runs Out and the Secret Wars. Hickman’s run on both Avengers and New Avengers was revolutionary, and there are 51 issues in his first volume and 60 issues in the second.
John Byrne’s Sensational She-Hulk
When fans watched She-Hulk on Disney+, many felt the comic aspects of the show ruined the character. Those people have never read She-Hulk comics. Book by both Dan Slott and John Byrne played out very close to the style of the show. As WWfan41 wrote, “She-Hulk by John Byrne is a blast.”
She-Hulk got her solo run with John Byrne as the writer and artist. He created an outrageous series, where She-Hulk broke the fourth wall, made fun of her place in the Marvel Universe, and had a lot of fun along the way. This collects Marvel Graphic Novel (1982) #18, Sensational She-Hulk (1989) #1-8, #31-46, #48-50, and material from Marvel Comics Presents (1988) #18.
Frank Miller’s Daredevil
Daredevil has gone through many iterations over the years, but his best stories always had him as a conflicted, tortured hero. No one did that better than Frank Miller. Trick-Cat8945 wrote that a person can’t go wrong with any Daredevil, but a person should start with “Miller of course and then anything after.”
The thought is that pre-Miller Daredevil was never that great, but Miller made the character a star. The Daredevil omnibus by Miller and Klaus Janson is the story where Kingpin takes everything Daredevil loves away from him while also introducing Elektra and The Hand. This collection includes Daredevil #158-161 and #163-191.
Thanos Wars Infinity Origin Omnibus
Anyone who watches the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies knows what the Infinity War is. However, Thanos was mostly a mysterious alien being before he attacked the MCU heroes. Awesomevader wrote that he recommends the Thanos Wars Infinity Origin omnibus, saying “its a great prequel to infinity Gauntlet.”
This comic book storyline shows Thanos fighting Infinity Gem-powered wars in space against cosmic heroes like Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock. It is a great look at Marvel’s best villain and takes readers inside his motives. This series collects various comics across the Marvel Universe, and it all leads up to the main event.
New X-Men By Grant Morrison
YoungJeezey wrote that he feels people should start with New X-Men by Grant Morrison. “It’s the relaunch of x-men for the 21st century and directly precedes astonishing,” he explained. This would be a good way to get a feel for the team before heading into Joss Whedon’s run.
While Chris Claremont had an amazing 17-year run on the X-Men, that also means that his work is dense and could honestly lose new readers. That makes Morrison’s books a great starting point. This series updated the X-Men for a new generation and created a starting point perfect for anyone wanting to break into reading X-Men comics. This Marvel omnibus includes New X-Men (2001) #114-154 and New X-Men Annual (2001) #1.
Ultimate Spider-Man
For many comic book fans, the Ultimate Marvel Universe is hit or miss. There are things to love, such as The Fantastic Four run, and things not so good, like Ultimatum. However, one book most people agree is great is the Ultimate Spider-Man series. SuperFlySpiderGuy wrote, “For your first Spidey omnibus, I’d have to recommend Ultimate Spider-Man, it’s consistently fantastic.”
They didn’t mention which version, but the original Peter Parker books are great while the Miles Morales books raise it to another level. This was Miles’ first Marvel appearance, and it was so strong that he remained an in-canon character even when the Ultimate line shut down. There are 50 issues in this massive omnibus.