The Walking Dead Omnibus

[Mrs. Darcy]

I'm looking to buy The Walking Dead graphic novels and I'm confused. I see there are 3 "omnibus" books that cost about $60 each. Is this the complete set of all the graphic novels written so far? If so, why would the price be only around $60 when the individual books can be $25 each?

Can someone help me with this? I want to start at the very beginning and get everything up to the very latest. Which books should I buy? If I buy them all individually, it's going to cost a small fortune. How many individual books are there, I think 70-something? I'm obsessed with this story/series but I don't know how to begin. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[Ceila]

I'm not usualy a fan of Wikipedia, but this seems to list the different ways you can purchase the series: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Walking_Dead

 

[Mrs. Darcy]

From what I've seen on Wiki, the Omnibus has every story so far. The Compendium only goes up to 48. I'd rather have all of the stories at once, so should I get the Omnibus? Is there any good reason to get the Compendium and wait for a vol. 2 Compendium?

 

[Mrs. Darcy]

OMG I think nevermind. The Omnibus costs $200 and the Compendium costs $300! I don't have that kind of money for that no matter how bad my obsession is.

 

[Mrs. Darcy]

Nevermind again. I found the Compendium Vol.1 up to #48 on Amazon for $35, so I ordered it. They say the next Compendium will be out sometime, so I'll wait and buy that when it's out. Supposedly this one I ordered is over 1,000 pages long, so it'll keep me busy with my WD fix for a while. I wanted to order the DVD or Blu-ray of season 1 for $25 but it has to be pre-ordered for a March release. I'll just wait until March. I think I can still watch the episodes on the AMC channel on the computer.

Thanks for your help, Celia.

 

[Kies99]

If you haven't read the graphic novels, be prepared that the TV show veers off quite early from them.

 

[LuvOrlando]

All those 'complete works' books are nice as a collector but they are impossible to read. I love Shakespeare so I got myself one of his 'complete works' books but the thing is too heavy to manage so it's useless anywhere but on a shelf as a decoration, and that's not why I bought it. I wouldn't go with these if you actually plan on reading them because even assuming you could manage the book, the spine would likely be completely destroyed in any but the most careful hands by the time you are done. That's a very expensive loss.

 

[Mrs. Darcy]

If you haven't read the graphic novels, be prepared that the TV show veers off quite early from them.

That's ok, I just need some Walking Dead to get me through until next year when the new season begins.

 

[Mrs. Darcy]

All those 'complete works' books are nice as a collector but they are impossible to read. I love Shakespeare so I got myself one of his 'complete works' books but the thing is too heavy to manage so it's useless anywhere but on a shelf as a decoration, and that's not why I bought it. I wouldn't go with these if you actually plan on reading them because even assuming you could manage the book, the spine would likely be completely destroyed in any but the most careful hands by the time you are done. That's a very expensive loss.

Aw don't say that! I already ordered it off Amazon last night!

 

[AshleyW]

Aw don't say that! I already ordered it off Amazon last night!

I wish I would have seen this last night, because I agree with LuvOrlando.

You probably would have been better off ordering either the books, or the original volumes. The compendiums & omnibus' are HUGE - I think the omnibus has 24 issues in each one, and the compendium has 48 issues. They're difficult to read because they're so big. The books are nice because they're hard cover, so they're a little more durable, plus there are only 12 issues in each book. The original volumes have 6 issues in each one.

I have the paperback volumes & the hardcover books, and the first omnibus. I actually read the volumes & books, while the omnibus is basically just to look pretty on my bookshelf.

 

[WDWBarb]

DH just handed me his copy of The Compendium (One) and it's pretty heavy - he just weighed it for me and it's 5.5 lbs. It's not something you'd want to lug around with you, but with it being graphic, it's not an overwhelming read. Look at it this way - you'll get a workout while you read!

You got a good deal - the price on the book is $59.95.

DH says that you can't find a copy of the first Omnibus for less than $250. It's rare - there weren't many printed. He says he thinks there were around 1,000 printed and Kirkman signed around 300 copies.

The next Omnibus won't be out for some time. There are 48 books per Compendium and he's currently on book 79 or 80. He puts out one per month, so we're at least 16 months away.

You can purchase the trade paperbacks to fill in the gap to get close to current. Post Compendium 1, there are 5 "volumes":

Volume 9: Here We Remain
Volume 10: What We Become
Volume 11: Fear the Hunters
Volume 12: Life Among Them
Volume 13: Too Far Gone

LOL - I just realized that I've never read a single issue and I've gone on and on ... DH is a huge Walking Dead fan (and is a close friend of Kirkman - in fact, he just got back from lunch with him).

 

[AshleyW]

DH just handed me his copy of The Compendium (One) and it's pretty heavy - he just weighed it for me and it's 5.5 lbs. It's not something you'd want to lug around with you, but with it being graphic, it's not an overwhelming read. Look at it this way - you'll get a workout while you read!

You got a good deal - the price on the book is $59.95.

DH says that you can't find a copy of the first Omnibus for less than $250. It's rare - there weren't many printed. He says he thinks there were around 1,000 printed and Kirkman signed around 300 copies.

The next Omnibus won't be out for some time. There are 48 books per Compendium and he's currently on book 79 or 80. He puts out one per month, so we're at least 16 months away.

You can purchase the trade paperbacks to fill in the gap to get close to current. Post Compendium 1, there are 5 "volumes":

Volume 9: Here We Remain
Volume 10: What We Become
Volume 11: Fear the Hunters
Volume 12: Life Among Them
Volume 13: Too Far Gone

LOL - I just realized that I've never read a single issue and I've gone on and on ... DH is a huge Walking Dead fan (and is a close friend of Kirkman - in fact, he just got back from lunch with him).

I really want to be friends with your DH!