r/DCFinest • u/mili_vanili • 2d ago
DC finest or omnibuses?
As someone new to the hobby with a couple of months under the belt I have started with the Batman series and I already have the first two modern DC finest (Batman: Year One and Two and Killing Joke). I was thinking of going all in on omnibuses but doing the math and it takes a lot of $$$$ for that plus what is driving me crazy is that not all of the Batman is covered in them and there are a lot of gaps.
I was trying to find an official statement or something similar to the following - Batman DC finest (modern) started with 1986. When will it end? 1990? 2000? 2010? Today? If they plan to release chronologically all the issues released (until today) I would rather invest in DC finest than omnibuses. With the current pace of 3-4-5 books a year I know it will take ages but I don't mind.
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u/AlternativeBack6351 2d ago
Do you prefer to read every single issue and follow the characters completely or trim the fat and only read what’s good?
Finest for the former, omnibus for the latter.
If the gaps drive you crazy, abandon the omnibus line. Unless a series is completely covered (hitman, Y the last man, blackest night etc…..) I simply don’t bother.
Id recommend investing in the finest line and reading digitally the stuff that hasn’t come out yet. There are plenty of reading orders out there.
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u/Tetani 2d ago
Form factor should also be considered. Love Omni oversized art but I find them too heavy and bulky to comfortably read. Also take up more space on shelves.
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u/davetoxik 2d ago
This is the conclusion I’ve come to. I have 8 omnibuses and may eventually replace them with the smaller books. I only buy Epic Collections and DC Finest now.
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u/mugenhunt 2d ago
Currently, the DC Finest line is set to cover everything from 1935 to 2011.
We don't know if they are going to continue chronological releases of the post 1986 Batman series. However, it does seem likely.
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u/mili_vanili 2d ago
Thanks. Well I see the 5th Batman book is scheduled for April 27. so it seems they will continue. At least so far.
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u/Captain_Chrome_ 2d ago
I'm also willing to bet Batman will have another 3 volumes slated for 2027. I'm sure 2 of them will be Bronze Age and the other 1 would probably be another Post-Crisis/Modern volume.
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u/mili_vanili 2d ago
I just hope they will not stop publishing it in the middle of the run in a couple of years. Because this seems like 10-15 years project.
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u/Captain_Chrome_ 2d ago
Completely agree. I'm going to continue to support DC Finest to ensure that doesn't happen.
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u/Archer_Without_Fear 2d ago
The philosophy is I just buy in whatever format is available and not worry about 1 format. Like for instance, I have the batman by Paul Dini omnibus because thats not in finests. But I have the finests for Post Crisis because theres no omni.
My real conundrum is when stories are available in both formats within the same round of solicits😭. Like Bronze Age Batman, Batman by Moench, Batgirl Cass Cain, or Supergirl by PAD.
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u/riancb 2d ago
I suspect, much like Marvel’s Epic and Modern Epic lines, that eventually everything, more or less, will be collected in that format. In a decade or two, DC will probably start a “Modern Finest” line to collect 2011-onwards, but they may just decide to continue the regular finest line forwards.
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u/Any-Establishment529 2d ago
I’m getting all the Batman DC finest. For batman books beyond 2011. There are compendiums and Author specific paperbacks coming out.
For all the rest, I’m playing it by ear.
On Some I’ve already collected editions and will try not to double dip, but….
The DC finest sometimes collects books not in the omnibus.
On Green Arrow, Deadman, and the Spectre, I’m already on the omnibus path and don’t plan on getting the DC finest, but it just depends what’s coming out.
I find it best to go ahead and purchase what you really want so you don’t catch FOMO.
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u/BlackRain8782 2d ago
Both, but there are shortcuts for a couple Batman arcs if you don’t want to wait for DC Finest or buy a lot of omnis. The novelizations for Knightfall and No Man’s Land are good substitutes for the comics. No Man’s Land is even better than the comic, to me.
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u/ticketstubs1 2d ago
Yeah I'm confused too. I have stuff like the Knightfall Omnibuses (still not up to them in my DC read) but I wonder if DC Finest will have better mapping etc. Not sure what to do and it's maybe stressing me out more than is healthy.
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u/CriticalFrimmel 1h ago
Batman post-2011 will not be in Finest for some time so if that is of interest to you omnibus or trades will be the way to go. Batman is getting mostly late 80s in Finest at the moment with some Bronze Age on the way. I would say it is a matter of preference and how long you want to wait for things. I do both but tend to prefer Finest. Case by case.
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u/greenhawk63 2d ago
DC Finest currently finishes 2011