Is It Really That Bad? - Batman New 52 Omnibus Binding Overview

[@youngplinco462]

Finally got Vol 2 for Christmas, so started reading vol 1, has one ever had upside down pages in their omnibus? I noticed mine towards the end of #5 after the horizontal pages

[@ComicBound]

Hey don't worry about that, it's completely intentional! This is how issue 5 was originally printed. It was a creative choice to try and have the reader be as lost and disorientated as Batman is while he's in the maze. I thought it was brilliant, but admittedly sometimes it works a little too well! But don't worry your book wasn't misprinted! I hope you're enjoying it! 🙂

[@RedRightStrawHat]

I hate that people bashed the binding on this when they had only just cracked it open and hadn’t read it to stretch it out it a thick book so the glue will only make it hold over time great video for going more in depth I still haven’t picked this up I love the run but I don’t want a orphan vol.1

[@ComicBound]

Literally only just uploaded this, so wasn't expecting anyone to even watch this quickly, let alone comment! Yeah I feel the same way, that's why I chose to make this video in case people were holding off based purely on the binding. I still believe DC would be stupid not to go ahead with a vol. 2 of this (not that it's stopped them before!) but if they don't, I wonder if it would be because the sales took a hit because everyone heard the binding sucked. Thanks for watching, and for commenting! Your feedback means a lot :)

[@joshwelllopez1418]

volume 2 is coming out soon

[@brianschmitzer6722]

I've only been into omnis for about a year and a half. In that time, I've collected about 30 of them. For the MOST part, they've held up very well and I'm more than satisfied with the quality and build. However, I do have a couple that have binding issues (Secret Invasion by Bendis & The New X-Men by Morrison, if anyone wants to compare notes). Specifically, the eye is not really arch-shaped anymore. When opened, it forms more of a triangle, as if the eye has creases in it. Also, the ribbon has started to come apart from the block on both of these books. It's not that bad yet, but I have very low expectations that they will remain intact over time. My question is this: Why is the larger eye desirable? Is it ONLY to avoid gutter loss? Because if that's the case, I think I'd prefer to have the bindings that are "squarish" and less flexible, with very little eye.. It just seems that, with my admittedly small amount of experience, the smaller, more rigid eye has a greater chance of maintaining it's integrity than the looser, larger eye variety. Any thoughts on the subject, from any of you, would be greatly appreciated.

[@HighlandG]

Nice to see someone else who actually opened the book before reviewing it. I didn't have much of an issue with the binding either.

[@ComicBound]

Hey :) thanks for watching! I know it might never get a lot of views but thought it was important to try and balance the conversation a bit when it comes to the binding on this one. I hear people consider it a bit of a deal breaker which is a massive shame!

[@HighlandG]

@@ComicBound If you reach one person, its worth it. I completely agree that its nowhere near a deal breaker. I showed the binding in my closer look video for the same reason.

[@ComicBound]

That's my philosophy as well! Yeah I was checking out your closer look video of that yesterday actually, and I think you took the exact same approach with the binding as I did! It seemed clear to me that giving it a bit more of a thorough stretch at first would do the trick and make all the difference. Could the binding be better? Sure... but you could do a hell of a lot worse and the content inside makes up for it!

[@noelnarciso5596]

Greetings from Hong Kong! Thank you very much for producing this video; it was most helpful and is actual proof that there is no issue with this book’s binding. Guess all the negative news around this got hyper sensationalised somehow. I have just subscribed to your channel and will place an order for this book now. Thanks again! 😊

[@ComicBound]

Oh wow, I know I shouldn't be too surprise because it's the internet, but it still amazes me that I have people watching from places like Hong Kong! I hope thinks are ok over there, and that you're keeping safe and well :) I am so glad this video was useful to you! I can kind of understand how it happened, but yeah like you said I think there was some sensationalism that blew things out of proportion. I'm glad this wasn't enough to stop you wanting to order a copy. I hope you are satisfied with it once you get one! Thank you so much for watching my video, taking the time to comment with your kind feedback, and also it means a lot to me that you'd want to subscribe, I really appreciate it! I hope you enjoy my future videos :)

[@SuperHaaammy]

I was literally holding off buying this since I saw a few videos talking about the binding but after watching ur video I’ve just ordered it off of Amazon. 🤟🏻🤟🏻🤟🏻

[@ComicBound]

Hey thanks for watching :) I'm glad I could help you get a better look at the binding! I hope you enjoy your purchase, it's a great book, and a great run!

[@superdragonz1]

You’ve changed my mind about this Omni going to buy it! Will be my first Batman Omni

[@ComicBound]

Hey thanks for watching :) I'm really glad you no longer feel like the binding is such a downside to put you off this great book! It really is a great run, and an excellent place to start with Batman for your first Batman omni!

[@chriskaufman2262]

I found the same thing in these DC binds from a few years back. They were tighter than the Marvel books so they needed a good stretch but they weren’t bad at all. Even the massive books like the Invisibles you could stretch and they opened up brilliantly.

[@karlieacevedo1051]

Are there any specific techniques you used to stretch the spine like that? I did a couple of things to mine that gave me a pretty decent eye and less gutter loss in general but yours looks way flatter than mine.

[@ComicBound]

Hey thanks for watching 🙂 Actually yes, I do have a method that I usually follow but it's quite difficult to explain, and I'm not sure how recommended it is! I've never had any problems when using my method though. Perhaps I'll do a quick video on it, maybe I can find some time this weekend.

[@karlieacevedo1051]

streakazoid would very much appreciate it

[@ComicBound]

Hey 🙂 as requested, I just uploaded a video where I've explained my technique that I use for stretching spines, particularly on these stubborn DC books. You can find it on my channel. Please be careful if you choose to try and emulate it, since books can be delicate! I hope it's some use to you!

[@allstarcomics.]

For me, it is ok. As you said, could be better, but almost the entire book have good internal margins. This binding is really not a problem by me. Great video, the comparison with the absolute just kill the complaints.

[@ComicBound]

Hey thanks for watching :) and thanks for the feedback! Yeah I'm glad I'm not the only one that seems to feel this way. I hope the sales weren't hit too hard by what I can only assume was a vocal minority that maybe put people off buying because of the binding (I badly want that vol. 2...and DC in the current climate, makes me nervous!). I'd much rather have a binding like this over one that might fall apart after 1 read!

[@thecomicreadern4344]

I think the later printings were better,when I bought mine early it was really bad and the glue was making it impossible to lay flat and gutter loss was huge,so bad that I sold it off and got the trades,this looks better I can't find the enthusiasm to sell my trades and standard HCs

[@ComicBound]

Yeah I have heard that the later printings are much better, I would love to have one to compare to mine. The one in my video is a first printing, so this is an example of how spine stretching can make a difference. Not everyone is comfortable with stretching or applying the pressure that I did to achieve these results though, which is understandable. Ideally you shouldn't have to go above and beyond to get this kind of spine flexibility, so I'm definitely not surprised you were unhappy enough to sell your copy. Either way having the run in trades is still great, this really is a must-have run in my opinion, no matter what format! Thanks for watching, and for taking the time to leave a comment 🙂

[@thecomicreadern4344]

@@ComicBound Yeah one of the greatest runs for sure,tpbs and HCs are nice and cool,but I get huge enjoyment out of watching and reading big hardcover books in my shelf,and great to know you could get it to work with spine stretching, aweosome video

[@gonzaloprado9497]

I got my copy two days ago and the binding is actually pretty good. I didnt stretch it much and it has a nice eye, maybe its because its one of the later ones

[@sugarray6250]

I just finished reading this and in all honesty I didn't even notice the spine when reading it. Vol 1 of the omnibus is an amazing read though from start to finish. I hope vol 2 will be the same.

[@ComicBound]

Hey thanks for watching! 🙂 Glad you had a good experience with the book, from both the binding perspective and the content! I have read the whole run and in my opinion, nothing in the second half of the run ever reaches the heights of Court of Owls...but then again I don't think anything else from vol 1 ever reaches those heights either! I would say if you take Court of Owls out of the equation, the content that will make up vol 2 will be pretty much on par with what's in vol 1 🙂 though this is just my opinion! I can't wait for vol 2 as it will be really good to finally have the whole thing collected in the oversized format. I just hope that DC actually haven't given up on the idea of a vol 2 though, they have a bit of a spotty track record with this kind of thing! Fingers crossed though!

[@t2comicbooksoverviews251]

binding on this book is broken,after just a few read throughs,thats what happen with thight binding,after a few read throughs i always stretch the spin before reading

[@ComicBound]

Ah man, I'm really sorry to hear you had an issue with your copy of the book. Unfortunately that will happen from time to time. I'm lucky enough that for all my books, I've only had 1 binding that is starting to break on me (so far), and it's my copy of the Fear Agent library edition. Which is gutting because it's going to be pretty impossible to replace, and I've not heard of anyone else having issues with that book. Sometimes you just get unlucky I guess! And I'm sorry you got unlucky with your copy of this book, I hope it's not beyond repair and that you are able to get it back into a state where you can read the content again. Thanks for your comment, and for checking out this video.

[@t2comicbooksoverviews251]

@@actualwafflesenjoyer we shouldnt have to on new books,the quality on those books are aweful,thats why alot of fans have no faith in dc,you can see that in dc sales

[@alejandrofeliciano2076]

they changed the binding recently because on the first edition of the book the binding was done differently

[@ComicBound]

I do keep hearing that the more recent batch of books has a better binding than this one. Your comment is further evidence to back up this claim, so thanks for weighing in! I would love to see a comparison but I don't know if anyone has done one yet. Thanks for watching!

[@Madkautz]

Well, I bought the first printing second hand a few days ago and my version definitely seems worse than yours. They really went overboard with the glue on that one. Not sure if I may add a link here, but i'll try: imgur.com/a/N5crxwT As the description says that's the states after buying and stretching it. The previous owner even said he read it once. At least an eye is slowly showing up - not sure how much more I can push it though. Since I also bought the Loeb and Sale Omnibus - which seems to have almost perfect binding, btw. - I'm not in a hurry to read it, so I'll put some more effort into it but I get why people were complaining. Gutter loss seems less of a problem, it's more that the book wants to shut on me until I'm a 5th to a 4th into it. Since you were asking for experience, I thought I'd share that. You're doing a good job. Thanks for this and also the spine stretching tutorial.

[@Dennis-xm8uc]

Awesome Video

[@ComicBound]

Hey mate thanks for watching, and for the kind feedback! :) Can't wait to return the favour when you start with your vids ;)

[@Dennis-xm8uc]

streakazoid thanks can’t wait till ur next video

[@douglassmith9445]

I'm personally waiting for a better binded version to come out. I have pleeenty of patience.

[@ComicBound]

Hey thanks for watching 🙂 I personally doubt if there will realistically ever be a version with a better binding. It's definitely possible, but not sure how likely it is... I wouldn't say that it's the kind of thing that's "just a matter of time" or anything so I'm not sure if patience or waiting it out is going to pay off. I imagine that it's highly likely that any other print run would go to the same printers who did the first run, and therefore have a lot of the same processes so would be in the same ballpark as the first printing. Of course anything is possible so it may happen, but definitely a gamble/wishful thinking (in my personal opinion)! I wish you luck with that one, hope it pays off for you! 🙂

[@douglassmith9445]

@@ComicBound luckily I've read the omnibus minus zero year and would be having it strictly as a collectible. Don't see the point of collecting something I've already read that isn't in a format I like. I'll probably get the court of owls absolute for now.

[@ComicBound]

Ah that makes sense! Well yeah sounds like a good call for you then. I highly recommend the Absolute Court of Owls if that's the case, I personally think it's the high point of the entire run and own it as well as the omnibus. If I had to choose to only keep 1, I'd choose Absolute Court of Owls! I actually enjoyed quite a lot of what they did in Zero Year though. I know it wasn't everyone's cup of tea but I think it's the next best part of the run after Court of Owls. You should definitely check it out at some point if you don't end up getting the omni 🙂

[@DrakonR]

The binding appears to be better in prints after version 1. Unless of course you have the first print, in which case I'll just shut up and buy it anyway. Lol

[@ComicBound]

Hey thanks for your comment! Yeah my version is the first printing, I got this one as soon as it was released. I'm not sure what the book is like on subsequent printings, I haven't seen anyone mention it or do any comparisons. I wasn't even aware that the book had a second printing to be honest! But either way, I was able to get the results from the video just by giving the book a thorough stretch. I feel like it will get better over time with more re-reads as well. Thanks for commenting, and for watching the video :)

[@DrakonR]

@@ComicBound Honestly not sure, I was going off feedback from Amazon. I received my copy and it opened a healthy eye on first opening so it makes me wonder if there was a correction during production or something. In any case it's a great omni and I hope we get a volume 2. Thanks for the reply and content!

[@ComicBound]

@@DrakonR Yeah it could be they adjusted things during the production run like you said. Or their processes allow for a variation in certain elements, like the amount of glue applied etc. It's undoubtedly a complicated process to construct a book such as this so I wouldn't be surprised either way! And I'm really glad you were happy with your copy! I too am really hoping they announce volume 2 soon. It's long overdue!

[@MOGO8907]

"It stinks, I don't like it" get your act together DC!

[@whiterunguard4717]

Better question is where the hell is vol 2

[@ComicBound]

This question is as baffling as some of the stuff the Riddler would come out with :P and honestly, I have no idea! I believe DC have gone longer than this in the past with other series, but it's still worrying! Fingers crossed we hear something this year. Thanks for your comment :)

[@gregrome6842]

The binding really isn’t that bad I’d rather have it tight than falling apart

[@ComicBound]

Hey thanks for watching :) Yeah I completely agree! This spine will relax over time and stand up to multiple re-reads. I'd rather that than have it fall apart on the first go like some of the horror stories you see you there!

[@gregrome6842]

streakazoid I kind of look at tight binding as extra safety measures so it won’t fall apart haha

[@ComicBound]

Exactly! Buying books like this, you want them to stand up to multiple reads! Also I find it strange how the binding on this book got so much hate for being bad, whereas books like Black Science deluxe HC had their binding glued to the actual spine, and it was so bad they had to re-release a new version... yet I didn't hear anyone complain about that book at the time! The only mention of it has been since they released the new version because now people obviously want to note the difference. I know Black Science isn't exactly as big as Batman but still, I find it strange!

[@ScottPutnamART]

@@ComicBound I have the new printing of black science and its falling apart. Not sure how to go about glueing it

[@ComicBound]

@@ScottPutnamART After seeing the pics you sent me earlier, yeah that's pretty shocking that happened! The binding on mine seems really good. I hope it holds up for the long term! Luckily there are a few decent videos on KZbin that explain how to glue bindings back together, however I know you've not had much success with that with your Absolute Swamp Thing binding. I hope the binding on Black Science is for some reason less of an issue to glue back together than Swamp Thing.