Earlier this year, DC Comics launched their Compact Comics line of graphic novel reprints. Each is a perfect jumping-on point for new and lapsed readers to explore DC (or comics in general) for the first time. The launch was a huge success. And so, Marvel Comics is getting in on the action with their own answer – Marvel Premier Collection.
This guide details everything you need to know about the Marvel Premier Collection. Discover the characters and stories featured, how the format differs from other collected editions, where to find them, why they’re new reader-friendly, and much more.
What is the Marvel Premier Collection?
Like DC Comics’ Compact Comics, Marvel Premier Collection is a curated line of Marvel Comics for new readers. Each collection highlights a classic story from start to end, presented in a smaller trim size, for a budget price. Through this, each book is made to be an entry point for new readers and lapsed readers to dive back in.
Smaller trim size
Following DC’s footsteps, Marvel Premier Collection graphic novels have smaller dimensions than a standard comic book. These will be published at the trim size of 6” x 9” (15.25cm x 22.86”), which is more compact than the traditional 6.625” x 10.25” (16.83cm x 26.03cm) that dominates in the direct market.
This makes them slightly larger than DC’s Compact Comics, which are 5.5″ x 8.5″ (13.97cm x 21.59cm). However, they match a common paperback novel trim size. As a result, Marvel Premier Collection books are portable and will easily sit alongside novels on your bookshelf.
The reduced size is also appealing to bookstore owners too. It allows them to stock Marvel Comics without having to adjust shelving heights. As a result, there is a greater possibility that the Marvel Premier Collection may be displayed alongside other books instead of being relegated to the graphic novel section at the back of the store.
For reference: manga is commonly printed in a 5” x 7.77” trim size.
A great price
The Marvel Premier Collection line retails for $14.99 (USD).
While not as cheap as DC’s equivalent, which retails for $9.99 (USD), it’s still an affordable option. Marvel’s trade paperback collections usually retail for $17.99-$24.99, and contain anywhere between 120-200 pages. Marvel Premier Collections contain 180-360 pages of material, making them far more affordable. The publisher normally charges $24.99-$34.99 for a collection of that page count.
Fantastic for new readers
Marvel has intentionally curated the Marvel Premier Collection to be new reader friendly. Each comic tells a self-contained story, allowing readers to get a full story without doing additional background reading.
Readers will also gravitate to the selected Marvel Premier Collections as many of the stories have been – or will soon be – adapted in some shape or form for the MCU. This allows readers to easily read up beforehand or compare the similarities and differences later.
Where to find Marvel Premier Collection
The Marvel Premier Collection will be available in all good comic book shops, bookstores, online retailers, and Amazon in 2025 and beyond.
Discover more about where you can find comics in this extensive guide.
Which comics are part of the Marvel Premier Collection?
Find below all of the comics that are part of the Marvel Premier Collection. New collections will be added below when announced.
Daredevil: Born Again
Written by Frank Miller and Dennis O’Neil. Art by David Mazzucchelli.
Collects: Daredevil #226-233
Born Again is one of the greatest Daredevil stories of all time, highlighting the fall and eventual rise of Matt Murdock. When Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. The Kingpin, discovers Matt Murdock is Daredevil, he uses the information to run his life. However, you have nothing left to lose when you’re at your lowest point and can only go up.
This story has a bunch of elements that make it a classic tale. It features Matt Murdoch’s downfall and triumphant rise, mysterious family members, and a masterclass of visual storytelling. It’s no wonder that it’s being adapted for Disney+.
Issues #227-223 collect the extended Born Again storyline. Issue #226 is a one-off story co-written by Frank Miller and Dennis O’Neil.
Marvel Premier Collection: Daredevil: Born Again goes on sale 4th February, 2025.
Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet
Written by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Art by Brian Stelfreeze and Chris Sprouse.
Collects: Black Panther (2016 series) #1-12
Wakanda is in a state of upheaval. After being ravaged by recent invasion attempts, the people have lost faith in Black Panther as their king. Revolution comes from multiple directions, and it will take T’Challa everything he has to stop the country from tearing apart.
A Nation Under Our Feet is a philosophical tale that explores Wakanda’s identity, tradition, tensions, and the direction the country should be heading. You wouldn’t expect anything else from Ta-Nehisi Coates, an activist, journalist, and Genius Grant recipient.
Marvel Premier Collection: Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet goes on sale 4th February, 2025.
Captain America: Winter Soldier
Written by Ed Brubaker. Art by Steve Epting.
Collects: Captain America (2004 series) #1-9, #11-14
The Soviets have been employing an undercover assassin known as the Winter Soldier for more than 50 years. Captain America suspects the identity is Bucky Barnes, his World War II era partner who was thought to have died decades ago. Now, he’s forced to confront the Winter Soldier while also trying to stop General Lukin from using the powers of a Cosmic Cube.
As you can probably tell from the title, this comic book arc inspired the second (and best) Captain America movie.
Marvel Premier Collection: Captain America: Winter Soldier goes on sale 1st April, 2025.
Fantastic Four: Solve Everything
Written by Jonathan Hickman. Art by drawn by Dale Eaglesham, Neil Edwards, and Steve Epting.
Collects: Fantastic Four #570-588
Solve Everything begins when Mister Fantastic decides to solve everything! The result is fantastic adventures that cross time, space, and reality. While all these incidents seem disparate at first, they all tie together in a way that will test the Fantastic Four family unit.
Fantastic Four: Solve Everything is the chunkiest of the Marvel Premier Collection, collecting a massive 18 issues. That’s plenty of bang for your buck if you want to do some reading before the upcoming movie.
Marvel Premier Collection: Fantastic Four: Solve Everything goes on sale 17th June, 1025.
Will there be more additions to the Marvel Premier Collection?
I don’t have any insider knowledge. However, I’m confident there will be more additions to the Marvel Premier Collection. Marvel Comics has barely scratched the surface of the material that could be collected in this format, with over 60 years of material to choose from.
Plenty of notable characters and teams are yet to be represented in the Marvel Premier Collection. These include the likes of Spider-Man, X-Men, Avengers, Iron Man, Captain Marvel, Hulk, Black Widow, Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor, Doctor Strange, She-Hulk, and many others.
However, Marvel may struggle a bit, compared to DC’s offerings, because the publisher hasn’t always had a strong focus on self-contained stories. Marvel has always taken pride in its interconnectivity, where events in one title can affect what’s going on elsewhere or at least can be referenced. This means that sometimes stories – while featuring self-contained elements – can be connected to other titles. This can confuse some readers if they don’t have the context. There’s also the soap opera element to Marvel Comics. Again, the main story may be self-contained. However, a previous story may have helped set it up or feature long-running sub-plots (like Peter Parker’s love life or a sinister villain pulling strings in the shadows) that may not work within the context of Marvel Premier Collections. It will be interesting to see how Marvel overcome these challenges.
Not for completionists
Marvel Premier Collection may not be your jam if you’re the kind of reader who wants to read everything. Instead, the Marvel Epic Collections will be right up your alley. They aim to collect everything for a series/character/team, making them perfect for big binge-reads.
Discover more about the Marvel Epic Collections here.
Have your say
What do you think Marvel Premier Collection? Which characters should they focus on next? Share your thoughts in the comments below or via Facebook, X (formally Twitter), or Mastodon.
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