Here are my cost breakdowns for the first three Blackest Night binding projects. It is very, very expensive, obviously. Based on my current projections it should cost me around $488. It should be remembered that the cost of buying the six hardcovers to get the only “equivalent” that DC will be selling is $155. And that is still missing a number of issues and would be an arduous task to read.*
So is it worth that extra 200% markup? I think so. For one, this is a completely unique collection of Blackest Night that no one BUT me will ever have. It was also an incredible experience. Now would I go out and bind everything I see in sight? No. However, for crossovers like Blackest Night or Brightest Day that will never be collected correctly? Certainly..
*each individual hardcover only collects certain titles; so there’s a book of Green Lantern Corps, a book of Green Lantern, etc. This means that to properly read the story you have to read at least three of the hardcovers at a time. Especially toward the end of the series when Green Lantern and Blackest Night really start crossing over.
