TheMarvel Comics oversized hardcover format launched in2002, reproducing full-colour comics in books approximately 11in x 7.5in in size. This was roughly an inch taller and wider than the original comic book.^[1]

The first two releases wereUltimate Spider-Man Vol. 1 andThe Complete Frank Miller Spider-Man in late-March and early-April 2002, with then Marvel President, Bill Jemas, saying that the company had “never done hardcovers but every time we’ve done one, it’s been spectacularly successful.”^[2] Twelve oversized hardcovers were released in 2002.

A smaller ‘premiere’ hardcover size, plus the thicker ‘omnibus’ format, both launched in the mid-2000s - however the oversized hardcover continued to be Marvel's preferred choice of premium release for recent content. The much-heralded return of theStar Wars licence to Marvel in 2015 saw the publisher use the format to release three remasters of comics from the original trilogy.^[3]

With the omnibus and oversized hardcover line running side-by-side while sharing the same print size, there was often confusion in regards to how Marvel classified books. In 2015, aSpider-Verse ‘oversized hardcover’ was released at 648 pages;^[4] yet, months later, aSuperior Foes Of Spider-Man ‘omnibus’ came out, with only 376 pages.^[5] Both collected full runs of a Spider-Man miniseries that had been released within the prior two years. In February 2019, theHulk: Dogs Of War ‘oversized hardcover’ was 832 pages; while, four months later,Hulk by Loeb and McGuinness was a 912-page ‘omnibus’.^[6][7]

Meanwhile, the 2011 ‘oversized hardcover’ ofX-Men: Fall Of The Mutants was re-released with the exact same page count and cover in 2022, but using ‘omnibus’ branding; while 2025'sX-Men: Fatal Attractions ‘omnibus’ has identical content to the 2012 ‘oversized hardcover’.^{[8][9][10][11]}

The shortest omnibus was 2007'sDevil Dinosaur at 184 pages, while the largest oversized hardcover was 2013'sAvengers vs. X-Men Companion at 1,112 pages.^[12][13]

By 2022, even though the overall comics market “was a success on the surface”, the generally thinner oversized hardcover format was struggling. Costs had increased for both retailers and consumers, especially in regards to shipping. This led to a priority shift towards the softcover trade paperback format, and manga-style digests. This was borne out by Marvel's 2025 launch of the 9in x 6inPremier Collection, in response toDC’s Compact Comics, which had been a big hit for retailers.^[14][15]

As a result, just 18 oversized hardcovers came out in 2022, with eight in 2023 - a far cry from the 49 of 2011 and 45 of 2010. Only four books were released in 2024, each rounding off a creator's run that had already started in the format. Those numbers compared to 2024's record 89 omnibuses and 87Epic Collections, including reprints, signalling the priority change.

Only three oversized hardcovers are scheduled for 2025: Rob Liefeld'sDeadpool Badbadder Blood one-shot;^[16] the fourth volume ofX-Force by Benjamin Percy, and a Red Band edition of theBlood Hunt event.

These books contain stories that take place in the primaryMarvel Universe. This fictional continuity is often referred to asEarth-616, with a legacy that stretches back to 1939.^[17]

These books feature comics previously published within the Earth-616 universe, but grouped outside of a single character, or team.

These books feature characters or teams that rarely have an ongoing series; or other content from the primary Earth-616 universe that doesn't neatly fit into another category.