> I seriously dislike Marvel selling tradepaperbacks that they call essential in black and white instead of its original color. Marvel Comics is the only comic book company that does this and I am sick of it.

First of all, I hope you aren't seriously expecting a color Essential...ever. It's a brand name describing a particular form of reprint/collection. Ask for a different kind of BP collection if you want color, obviously.

And actually, DC took a cue from Marvel in the past year or two and started doing the same thing (they're called Showcase Presents). The B&W format allows companies to pack in as many issues as possible for a relatively low price point. You get what you pay for - you want color comics, you pay for the color collections (Masterworks, Legends, Omnibi, Oversized and Premiere Hardcovers, etc). But you want more bulk for less buck, go Essentials - and enough people appreciate that sentiment to keep the format alive (and spreading to DC!). Not to mention a lot of great old artists were relatively mangled by lazy or just low-tech coloring back in the day. I don't think I would have enjoyed my Essential Howard the Duck nearly as much if some of the beautiful pencil/ink work were obscured by not-great coloring jobs.

Also, Marvel's recent comic DVDs are apparently top-notch - not only do you get hundreds of issues in their original color, but you even get all the original ads and letter pages and such as well.

Check it out: Shu and I (and FLCL) teamed up!