Marvel Omnibus is a line of large format, high quality, full color, hardcover graphic novel omnibuses published byMarvel Comics. They often contain complete runs, either by collecting multiple consecutive issues, or by focusing on the works of a particular writer or artist.

The company's first experiment with a large hardcover was 2004'sUltimate Spider-Man Collection, which was exclusively published byBarnes & Noble. The 992-page book cost $49.99 and had the same contents as the first three oversized hardcovers from Brian Michael Bendis'Ultimate Spider-Man. This release did not use the 'omnibus' branding.^[1]

Marvel's first official omnibus came a year later, withFantastic Four Vol. 1 in June 2005. With 848 pages, it collected the first 30 issues and anAnnual of the comic. It cost $45 and debuted at no.58 in the graphic novel chart.^[2]

Senior vice president at Marvel, David Gabriel, told theNew York Times the idea came from “trying to come up with a product tie-in for theFantastic Four film to be released that summer — ‘something to get the extreme collector excited‘.”^[3]

The book “sold out in a few weeks” and Kuo-Yu Liang, a vice president for Diamond Comic Distributors, said that trend for larger, more-expensive books: “reflects the demographics of the consumer, who is both older and more affluent.”^[3]

After that success, four omnibuses followed in 2006:Alias (March),Uncanny X-Men Vol.1 (May),Eternals (July), andNew X-Men (December). The line has seen enormous growth, with 12 omnibuses released in 2009; 19 in 2014; 33 in 2019; and 89 in 2024.

The creation of an omnibus allows Marvel to improve its overall process of releasing collected editions. Gabriel said: “[Material has] been allowed to go out of press, saySecret Wars, in order for us to create a special Omnibus Edition which also allows us to gather new extras, redo files that need fixing and get the best possible re-creation available for all the pages. This process in turn allows us to then put out a better version of the paperback and keep that one in stock.”^[4]

The omnibus launched three years after Marvel released its firstoversized hardcover (or OHC). With the lines 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;^[5] yet, months later, aSuperior Foes Of Spider-Man ‘omnibus’ came out, with only 376 pages.^[6] 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’.^[7][8]

The contents of an OHC and omnibus may be identical: The 2011 ‘oversized hardcover’ ofX-Men: Fall Of The Mutants was re-released with the exact same page count and cover in 2022, while using ‘omnibus’ branding. Similarly, 2025’sX-Men: Fatal Attractions ‘omnibus’ has the same content to the 2012 ‘oversized hardcover’.^{[9][10][11][12]}

The smallest omnibus was 2007’sDevil Dinosaur at 184 pages, while the largest oversized hardcover was 2013’sAvengers vs. X-Men Companion at 1,112 pages.^[13][14]

The practice of having multiple covers for the same comic book has been a feature of the industry since the mid-1980s.^[15] This increased throughout the 1990s, with the five covers for 1991's X-Men #1 helping it to sell a record-breaking 8.1 million copies.^[16]

Marvel omnibuses have used variants since the first release ofFantastic Four Vol. 1 in 2005. The main ‘bookshop’ cover featured the original artwork fromFantastic Four #1, drawn byJack Kirby; with a ‘variant’ version of the same image produced byAlex Ross. Variant covers are exclusive for thedirect market, meaning they are only available from comic book shops, or specialist retailers.

The practice is polarising, being described as both “exciting options for readers who want a different flavor from what they’re buying”, but leading to comics companies avoiding “finding new readers... by selling more to existing ones”.^[17][18]

The vast majority of Marvel omnibuses released between 2005 and September 2016 had a variant. The practice largely disappeared until early 2020, although, by 2021, every new Marvel omnibus again had more than one cover.

Marvel’s Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing, David Gabriel, said: “As long as no one is just taking advantage of customers and retailers, I think it [the production of variant covers] is going to continue to grow for a while.”^[19]

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.^[20]

Jim Starlin's interpretation of Adam Warlock was named byPublishers Weekly as one of Marvel's 10 hidden gems. The 1975 to 1977 portion of theAdam Warlock omnibus “is a heady, trippy sci-fi epic about what happens when a lab-created ‘perfect man‘ discovers that the evil messiah of the cruel intergalactic church he's been battling is, in fact, his own future self.” The omnibus also contains the introduction of infinity gems and Gamora.^[21]

The all-Canadian team ofAlpha Flight was first introduced inUncanny X-Men #120, written by Chris Claremont, alongsideJohn Byrne; who also provided art for the issue. The debut led to the spin-off series, with Byrne writing the first 28 issues - all of which is collected in theAlpha Flight by John Byrne omnibus.^[22]

Jed MacKay'sBlack Cat omnibus contains the complete series. The story spun out ofAmazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #16, where the character crossed the Thieves Guild, “leading her to go on the run both from the secret order as well as the authorities.”

That issue is collected inAmazing Spider-Man by Nick Spencer Omnibus Vol. 1.^[23]

• See also:Daredevil collected editions

Marvel Comics held the rights to publish Godzilla comics for two years from 1977. The series ended after 24 monthly issues, when copyright holder Toho “asked for a large increase to its license fee after the first year of the series, and an even larger increase after the second year”.^[24] In 2024, “thanks to an exciting new collaboration with Toho International”, Marvel released the full run in a single omnibus.^[25]

Even though Godzilla is licensed, S.H.I.E.L.D. play a large part throughout the series, with Fantastic Four and The Avengers appearing from issue #20.

Brian Michael Bendis wrote the entirety of theAlias series, which introduced the character ofJessica Jones to the Marvel Universe. The character “eschews costumes, works and plays hard, and opens up a set of detective stories unlike any the comics had seen before. Bendis provided a character with real heart and a unique point of view, and it’s one that has broadened Marvel’s horizons across mediums.”^[26]

TheAlias omnibus came out in March 2006. It was the second Marvel omnibus to be released overall, and the third reprint - in 2021 - was re-titledJessica Jones: Alias.

Based on a Mego Corporation toy line, theMicronauts comics were produced by Marvel between 1979 and 1986. Marvel re-acquired the publishing rights in 2023.^[27]

Miles Morales is a half-Black, half-Hispanic teenager and was created by Brian Michael Bendis. The character first appeared inUltimate Comics: Fallout #4.^[28]

Bendis toldUSA Today that he was inspired in part by Donald Glover's appearance in the TV seriesCommunity dressed asSpider-Man. Bendis said: "[Glover] looked fantastic! I saw him in the costume and thought, 'I would like to read that book.' So I was glad I was writing that book."^[29]

• See also:Miles Morales collected editions

Between 1986 and 1993,The 'Nam detailed stories from the United States' war in Vietnam. Written by Doug Murray and edited by Larry Hama - both war veterans - the comic shied away from tales of conflict. Instead, "rather than making a statement about an extremely controversial war or musing about the nature of life and death, The 'Nam focused on just one thing: the people involved."^[30]

The series was largely intended to be separate from any Marvel continuity, however Frank Castle - The Punisher - made appearances from issue #52, and the character of Michael "Ice" Phillips went on to appear in issues ofPunisher: War Journal.