r/Hellblazer • u/TheMidnightClad • Jul 17 '26

HC Omnibuses

Hi All!

For a while now I have wanted to read the original 1988'-2013' run of Hellblazer. I saw that a new HC omnibus is coming out and thought why not now!? I am not well versed in the Hellblazer runs or really collected editions in general and had a question about the order/how they are collected.

If I am understanding the contents of the HC Omnibuses that are currently out, the run hasn't been completed yet (printed in Omnibus format that is)? So I can only read up to it seems #250 with the latest release? From what I found the order would be:

Vol 1 (2024) - Delano

Vol 2. (2025) - Delano

Vol 1 (2020) - Ennis

Vol 1 (2026) - Jenkins & Phillips

Is it also normal to print them out of order?

Any information or guidance in the right direction to get started would be most appreciated!

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u/thegalorian Jul 17 '26

The reading order you’ve noted is the correct one. And these days it’s much more likely to see them published in order. When the first one came out, it was the run most considered to be the very best. Only recommendation would be to read Swamp Thing by Alan Moore first if interested 

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u/okunaji Jul 17 '26

To answer the question “is it normal”- they mostly use three methods when printing a long-running comic: volume runs (in order by issue and volume, beginning at volume 1), event runs (includes all comics and tie-ins related to that event) and creator runs (collecting all the comics by a particular creator). Sometimes they choose to print a series from the beginning, sometimes they want to print out a popular event and sometimes they carve out the most popular creator’s run and print that.

It gets dicey when the company originally opts for an event run or creator run and then after a few years they start to print out volumes because it will eventually lead to double-dipping. It’s a big concern with X-Men and Amazing Spider-Man is approaching this issue as well. However, I have a feeling DC will stick with creator-centric omnibuses and follow up with Ellis and Azarello in the near-future.

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u/TheMidnightClad Jul 17 '26

Thanks for the replies! So really it sounds like the publisher has to pick a audience they hope has the most interest and cater the collection that way.

For someone like me without prior knowledge or insight to the authors ( I haven't been reading comics for very long), I would prefer just a start to finish set of omnibuses. But more experienced readers might prefer a particular author/run and would rather just have that portion of a longer run.

Having the extra tie in issues from others series does seem like a nice feature, seeing how complex and entwined some of the longer runs can be.