Epic Worthy?

In recent years, the Epic Collection series has been a notable bright spot in Marvel’s sales picture.

The collections gather main appearances and notable guest shots for a variety of Marvel’s high profile characters and integrates them into chronological volumes that attempt to present a complete picture of the characters’ histories (the volumes aren’t necessarily released in chronological order, however). The series focuses on the “Classic Marvel Age” period, roughly from the debut of Fantastic Four #1 to the early 2000s, a span of about four decades.

Sales have been good, the classic material proving to hold greater appeal for veteran fans who have drifted away from Marvel’s current offerings, while also pulling in newer readers curious about the older stories. It’s also a cost-effective strategy; the expenses of the editorial team and archivists who assemble the volumes is a far lower upfront investment than paying talent for new material (creators get royalties on the back end). The volumes also tend to be a decent value for readers, compared to the volumes of current material, which often feel scanty and overpriced.

Marvel has spotlighted many of its top characters, and in some cases has come close to tapping out certain franchises for the Classic period. While some of the top properties still have a lot of material to cover, Marvel’s begun branching out with variations on the concept. “Modern Era” volumes focus on stories from the past twenty or so years, which has had the benefit of using the stronger runs from the period to…