44 Years of Fantastic 4 for $49!

[Kefkataran]

Newsarama (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=38828) has a review up of the recently released "44 Years of Fantastic Four" collection. This set includes EVERY published Fantastic Four adventure from 1961 to 2004 on a single DVD. Some of you may remember that a few years ago there was a similar "40 Years of Spider-Man" collection released that contained every issue of Spider-Man on 11 CDs. Unfortunately, the size made it much more unwieldy and apparantly it didn't have a lot of the extras (annuals and such) that the Fantastic Four disc has. It also had some messy, not cleaned up pages.

Anyways, it sounds like this is a great deal for those interested in getting caught up on Marvel continuity for cheap. According to the article they're planning to re-release a DVD-ized, cleaned up version of the Spider-Man one and continue releasing this sets at a rate of about one every few months, including favorites like X-Men, Avengers, and Hulk. The company doing it is also rumored to be in talks with DC to do the same with their properties.

Think of a future where we can have a completely back history of every Marvel and DC comic every made for just a few hundred dollars contained in a little stack of DVD cases that doesn't even fill our bookshelves. This is probably some of the best comic news I've heard in a long time! I'll definitely be purchasing these packs, if only for the utter ease of looking things up on them.

[Everlost_MI]

Cool but damn! I got the Spidey CD-Roms for Father's Day and converted them to a single DVD on my own.
I'd love for them to put Defenders, Power Man & Iron Fist, Thor and Daredevil out.
Now DC needs to get on board and put out some Batman, Teen Titans, Superman, Swamp Thing and JLA.

[TrackZero]

Nice, count me in on this!

[Heretic Machine]

I'd definetly be into some X-men, Spider-man, JLA, and Teen Titans DVD action.

[amusedtoe]

As long as the quality's good and they're easily readable that's great, especially since some of the best Fantastic 4 stuff is the original and early stuff that would run you pretty high.

[Evil Avatar]

I will certainly pick these up once the Spider-Man is available on DVD. These would be great for long trips. Hundreds of issues of FF and Spidey to read!

[Steve_Erhardt]

Excellent. I'm selling my comics soon and this will let me make a little $$$ without losing the stories I still like to peruse.

[Jonez512]

DVD sounds cool but this (http://hardcodedgames.com/mmpgamedev/2005/07/marvel-still-thinking-retail-in-online.html) MMO guy is calling on Marvel to make their back issues available online. That would rock!

[Savok]

As someone who never got into comics (no real access in this shitty town), I've been wanting a way in that didn't involve scouring the planet. This is awesome.

[*Legion*]

I could see myself enjoying something like this in a few years on a tablet PC or similar device. Not really interesting in reading comics on a desktop system, or even on my laptop so much, but something a bit lighter and more "in hand" friendly, definitely.

[Kefkataran]

As someone who never got into comics (no real access in this shitty town), I've been wanting a way in that didn't involve scouring the planet. This is awesome.

I also highly recommend checking out the Essential series that Marvel has been putting out. Huge 300-500 page volumes of old comics in tons of different series, including more reasonably obscure ones such as the Defenders, Howard the Duck, and Tomb of Dracula. Previously DC has only been doing this in rather spendy and much smaller hardcover editions, but they're just now started to do the same thing with a new line called something like "DC Showcase Presents..." The only real problem with the Essential or Showcase lines are that the comics are in black and white. But anyways, very easy to find, very cheap.

DVD sounds cool but this MMO guy is calling on Marvel to make their back issues available online. That would rock!

It seems like a likely eventual step, but I fear this would be a good excuse to cause them to charge more. I mean, think of it this way: with the DVD set we're getting comics as recently as last year, which would normally be selling for cover price still in most cases, for a ridiculously low amount comparatively. With an online service they could probably still be charging cover price for comics that are only 5 or so years old.

I could see myself enjoying something like this in a few years on a tablet PC or similar device. Not really interesting in reading comics on a desktop system, or even on my laptop so much, but something a bit lighter and more "in hand" friendly, definitely.

Very understandable. I was actually really sceptical of reading comics on a computer at first, but I happened to aquire a few issues of Ultimate Spider-Man on the computer that a friend wanted me to check out. I used a program designed specifically for viewing comics on a computer. The name escapes me now, but I was very surprised at how well it worked. Anyways, if the programs these DVDs use are that intuitive, then it should be a pretty awesome experience.

Now DC needs to get on board and put out some Batman, Teen Titans, Superman, Swamp Thing and JLA.

Mmm, I only hope this happens. That would be so sweet.

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who was so enthused by this.

[Savok]

I have this uncanny knack for destroying the binding on books, that large they'd have to be bound. Still, worth looking in to.

[kwillhan]

I'd much rather read my Wolvie #1 in person, with stupid nasty 'pages' and all. It's not the most valuable comic of all time, but... I got it. Spidey number 1 too. Not the original, just the first one that Todd did. They made some special ones for retailers, and called them platinum. Then I think there was silver, and something else...

Comics P0wn.

Screw the DVD's.

Well it's neat, but I hope it doesn't take to much away from the paper backs.

P.S. If anyone has a complete collection of the Silver Surfer, and wants to trade me for my DVD of the same content, PM me. Seriously. All your comics for my DVD.

kel

[Deadend]

The program for comics is CDisplay.

I don't mind having comics on a DVD, as those massive tomes are very touchy and weigh too much making reading them in bed a pain, really, I have a dent in my chest from reading a giant book while laying down.

I think this is a great way for Marvel to generate more income, as people like collections, between this and getting graphic novels and collected editons out at a good pace, it makes comic reading much easier as I like reading issues as they come, but collected edtions look much nicer on a shelf than in a box, while comic books are the opposite.

[Kagger]

I remember walking out of X2: Xmen United and hearing my brothers friend talk about the comid and going "dang...id love to read that"...then finding out there were hundreds if issues (I like to do things in order...to an extent). Spiderman is also something I'd love to read even more so.

When I saw Daredevil with my parents...well...I'll let Penny Arcade do the talking...

http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php?date=2003-02-17&res=l


needless to say...I had no interest in the comics

[danhoo]

Kagger -- I wouldn't judge Daredevil by that god-awful movie. Some of the older Frank Miller Daredevil issues were (IMHO) fantastic.

[Shodan2020]

That's pretty damn cool in my book. Bring on the Captain America! :)

[mister_slim]

I'd like an Alan Moore complete DVD. Sadly, that will never happen.

[saneman]

just curious, how are these comics arranged on the disc? all jpeg's of the pages? collected into .cbr's (or something like them)?

[Kefkataran]

I have this uncanny knack for destroying the binding on books, that large they'd have to be bound. Still, worth looking in to.

Definitely a good reason to not buy Essentials, actually. I do as well, and because the Essential collections are so big and paperback, the bindings tend to be pretty easy to fuck up some. Alas. My Spider-Man Vol. 2 is pretty ruined.

The program for comics is CDisplay.

That is the one. Thank you.

Kagger -- I wouldn't judge Daredevil by that god-awful movie. Some of the older Frank Miller Daredevil issues were (IMHO) fantastic.

Yeah, I just read Miller's Daredevil: Man With No Fear TPB and it was pretty high quality. The problem with DD was that he basically started out as a hardcore Spider-Man rip-off. Slightly different concept, but in action he was almost exactly the same as Spidey -- full of witty one-liners and smooth acrobatics. Anyways, it was up to later writers like Miller to really start differentiating DD from Spider-Man, and there have been some good attempts (beyond Miller even) at doing so. I've heard some of Bendis's current DD stuff is really good too, although I haven't personally read any yet.

I'd like an Alan Moore complete DVD. Sadly, that will never happen.

I could see it happening. Why would that never happen?

just curious, how are these comics arranged on the disc? all jpeg's of the pages? collected into .cbr's (or something like them)?

Not really sure, but I'd go ahead and say that's not a bad guess.

[mister_slim]

I could see it happening. Why would that never happen?
His work is spread among so many different companies, and Moore no longer gets along with many of them.

[Kefkataran]

His work is spread among so many different companies, and Moore no longer gets along with many of them.

I could still see it happening. It's not like the different comic companies don't work together semi-frequently anyways. And it's pretty impossible to find someone working in the comic industry who doesn't recognize Moore and, in most cases, adore him.

So, sure, this probably won't happen any time soon, but I could see it happening after his death, so it would be a truly complete collection as well.

[Toasty]

just curious, how are these comics arranged on the disc? all jpeg's of the pages? collected into .cbr's (or something like them)?


I have the original spiderman 11 cd collection, and theyre arranged into .pdf files, two actual pages to a page of .pdf Scanned at 300 dpi and the quality on some of the arly ones is kinda terrible but still passable if youre only reading and not trying to draw from issues.

[Kefkataran]

I have the original spiderman 11 cd collection, and theyre arranged into .pdf files, two actual pages to a page of .pdf Scanned at 300 dpi and the quality on some of the arly ones is kinda terrible but still passable if youre only reading and not trying to draw from issues.

Worth pointing out that in the re-done DVD version of the Spider-Man ones (all on one DVD) the quality is supposed to have been much improved for the early issues. Not sure why they were so bad to begin with.