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I collected comic books for over 25 years and quit about 4 years ago. I have boxes and boxes of Marvel and DC dating back to the mid-80s. There are plenty of good stories, but I've missed many of the iconic storylines. I've been looking at getting Marvel Masterworks to read older stories without paying the back issue prices. For those of you who collect the Masterworks collections:

1. How well do the compilations deal with cross-over events? Do they compile issues for the event rather than by title or are you stuck trying to find the back issues if there is no Masterwork edition?

2. How often do these things get reprinted? I'm thing to find a Doctor Strange Vol. 1 (softcover) and refuse to pay over $150 on eBay. I thought the whole point of these books was to provide an accessible way to read the older stories without having to pay $100s or $1000s for the original issues.

3. Any good resource sites with comprehensive lists of what issues are in each of the volumes?

Thanks for any suggestions or comments.

I'm not sure if I've been getting the Masterwork collection or not, but I also prefer to get a complete story in one volume (as in, I have Planet Hulk as a single book, not 6 or 7 individual books/issues) But, it seems that depending on the series/titles they are rarely out of print, or out of stock. I'd check with your local comic shop if you have one to see if they can help out, or at the least, point you in the direction your looking (as far as reprints and cross-overs)

The Marvel Essentials are better than the Masterworks if you want huge runs at once, and those cover the crossovers too. Only issue is that they're black and white on newsprint paper. I have no complaints with those, myself, though.

For the record, this is basically what I "collect" in comics now:

http://www.amazon.com/Incredible-Hulk-Planet-Greg-Pak/dp/0785120122/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1407899590&sr=8-3&keywords=world+war+hulk

http://www.amazon.com/Deadpool-Marvel-Universe-Fabian-Nicieza/dp/0785125248/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407899656&sr=1-1&keywords=deadpool+vs.+the+marvel+universe

http://www.amazon.com/Deadpool-Daniel-Way-Complete-Collection/dp/078518547X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407899688&sr=1-2&keywords=deadpool+the+complete+collection

I'm collecting

-1997 deadpool
-Original sins
-guardians of the galaxy (I think it's the 2013 version)