The collection strategies of the Big Two for hardcovers/trades annoys me at times. Let's use for an example the Legion of Super-Heroes, Pre-Crisis since that's the only Legion era I really care about.
You've got multiple ways to read the Silver Age/early Bronze Age Legion stuff, though several are out of print. The Showcase Presents volumes carry you up to Superboy #220 (1976), the archives to Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #233 (1977), but the omnibuses (the most recent format) only carry you to Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #106 (1967).
If you had the archives, you could then pick up with Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 1 and 2, which would carry you through DC Comics Presents #14 (1979). If you only have the omnibuses, you've got a gap of 12 years.
Either way, you would next go the Legion of Super-Heroes: Before the Darkness Vol. 1-2. This carries you through stories in 1982 and Legion of Super-Heroes #283. If you followed that up with Legion of Super-Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga trade you'd have a gap of 3 issues. If you sprang for the Deluxe Edition hardcover, it has those issues, and you're covered to issue 296 (1983).
Next, you would pick out Legion of Super-Heroes: The Curse, and if you got the Deluxe Edition, that will carry you up to issue 313 (1984), and the launch of a new Legion title. That's Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 3 and there were two slim trades of that volume in 2007 and 2008. That would get you up to issue 13 of that series and 1985. Pre-Crisis, this series continues until about issue 27 (or maybe Annual 2) both of which are in 1986. So, 14 issues of the main title plus some limits and annuals uncollected.
And then there's the old Legion title (what was volume 2) that became Tales of the Legion during this period. None of the material from 314-325 (after which it becomes a reprint book) has been collected!
Why so many formats? And why the gaps?
