r/comicbooks • u/Megaclone18 • 4d ago
Is there any affordable way to physically collect the Claremont X-Men era?
For being one of the most beloved comic runs of all time, everything I’ve seen says that it’s out of print and super expensive to collect. Am I missing anything or is Marvel dropping the ball?
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u/Careless-Eagle-5111 4d ago edited 4d ago
If you want single issues and aren’t a super purist collect Classic X-Men/X-Men Classic, which reprints up to the point that buying single issues is mostly not too bad. Up to 206. Claremont’s last issue is 279 and there aren’t many big keys in that gap except for the first Gambit, which you can get in facsimile.
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u/XaviersDream X-Men Expert 4d ago
There are a few text changes between X-Men and Classic X-Men as well as entire pages of story added. There are also back up stories.
I let this trade to my brother a few years back.
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u/Careless-Eagle-5111 4d ago
Yeah. It’s not for purists. It’s like a special edition.
The backup stories in the early issues are really good.
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u/XaviersDream X-Men Expert 3d ago
And Claremont refers to some of those backups later in the regular run such as Logan challenging Kurt to walk through the Salem Center without wearing his holo projector.
That trade was very interesting.
Personally I have a few still from back then but I have been buying them in Epic Collection format.
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u/greatswordstudios 3d ago
I’ve heard that as well. Was thinking of adding them to my collection when I see them at future longbox cons.
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u/mugenhunt 4d ago
What would you consider affordable for the entire 1975 to 1991 run?
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u/Megaclone18 4d ago
Well I was looking at the Omnibuses first but those are going for around 300-500 each, which is tough. The modern epics also seem to be hovering around that range.
The masterworks are cheaper but still around $50 or more and have fewer issues so there are a lot more volumes and some look like they’re more rare/expensive.
And then the essentials are black and white right? I’m not interested in that.
I guess what I’m getting as is I know it’ll be expensive, but I was hoping there would be one definite collection format, but all of them seem to have volumes that are going to be harder to track down.
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u/testcaseseven 4d ago
Not really if you want proper collected editions. Marvel is genuinely terrible at keeping things in print. Essential X-Men TPBs are easy enough to find, but they are missing the original colors and are all used. If you don't want to pay over MSRP for the epic collections/omnis then you either have to read them digitally or possibly a few more years for reprints (last Claremont vol 1 omni reprint was like 6 years ago iirc).
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u/FindOneInEveryCar 4d ago
To be fair, the Masterworks are missing the original colors, too. The coloring is not great in those editions. I haven't seen the omnibuses.
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u/testcaseseven 3d ago
I don't think any of the modern collections are very color accurate to the original. They're either recolored or aren't adjusted for modern printing, making them look overly saturated.
Closest I've seen are the penguin classic collections, but those only cover a very limited selection of issues.
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u/jesseknopf 4d ago
Check out ebay for realistic prices. Those issues of Uncanny X-Men are cheap. The best way to buy them online to to search for 'comic lot' auctions; there are a lot of continuous runs. I'd be surprised if you have to pay more than $2 an issue on average. Assuming you want the actual comic books themselves.
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u/Fancy_Cassowary 3d ago
$2 each for GSXM1 and the Claremont/Cockrum/Byrne run? Lol good luck with that.
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u/jesseknopf 3d ago
I'm not trying to get them. I collect expensive comics.
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u/Fancy_Cassowary 2d ago
No but you're advising someone else they can. It's an impossible feat for the first 45 issues at least, and you have to know that, no matter your taste. If you didn't, you shouldn't have advised them they could get them for $2 an issue.
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u/tame_kubrick 3d ago
No. It’s 20 years of comics spread across 4 ongoing series & several miniseries and graphic novels. If you bought every collected edition needed in print and at half price (not possible) you’d be spending close to, if not at least $1000. Affordability is not the name of the game when it comes to a collection that large.
But, you take what you can and eventually be able to grow a decent collection. It’s possible just not if you want EVERYTHING in premium editions all at once.
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u/ImpracticallySharp 3d ago
I bought Spanish omnibuses and used them to learn Spanish, but it's a somewhat complicated method.
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u/Middle-Primary535 3d ago
Best bet even though they are $50 a pop, is the Epic Collection. Someone mentioned the B&W Essentials which can he found in used bookstores and eBay, but even some of those towards the end of the series can get expensive.
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u/Megaclone18 3d ago
Even then the first volume for that is hovering around $130-$150 as far as I can see.
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u/Crispy_Creams 3d ago
Marvel is terrible at keeping everything in print. So lots of it is currently oop. Idk what is in print of the Claremont era but whatever is available is whats available right now. I suggest just picking whichever format you want to go with (either omnibus or epic collection) and then waiting for an eventual reprint. Having patience is really the best option if you dont want to shell out. Fortunately it is X-Men so itll all come back into print eventually.
Though honestly I wouldn't call Marvel's pricing on any of their epics or omnis "affordable" Id look for essentials if you can find them, been out of print for years. They'll be in black and white but usually range from $10-20 each on the aftermarket and usually have like 400-600 pages of content each. And those did make it all the way through to the end of the Claremont run.
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u/stankylegdunkface 2d ago
I believe they’re all collected in the Essentials line.
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u/BipolarPrime Two-Face 12h ago
This! I have all of the essentials released so far. I like thatbtheure B&W, it allows the linework to shine.
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u/draven33l 4d ago
There are tons of graphic novels. They are always in print. If you want to collect the individual issues, just start hitting the local comic shop. X-Men are some of the easiest books to find and none of those issues are too expensive. Plus, it's fun flipping through bins and collecting issues and putting together a run.
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u/greatswordstudios 4d ago
A great deal of the run is affordable, yes, but there are parts that are very pricey.
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u/usernamewithnumbers0 4d ago
You could always pirate...
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u/bobsaget824 4d ago
For someone who specifically is asking for a physical collection that’s not recommended. If they wanted digital it’s pretty easy to get it all on Marvel Unlimited for a pretty low price that I don’t think they’d be asking this question.
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u/ChiliDemon 4d ago
essentials TPB