Ultimate Collection vs. The Works
 

I'm curious as to which is the preferred format between these two.
According to Amazon, the Works volumes are 2cm wider than the Ultimate volumes. Is there a difference in how big the pages are between the two, or is the cover on the Works just a bit wider to look more like a pizza box?
Are these two collections (Works and Ultimate) the exact same, except for the Works being colored like the Color Classics individual issues?
Does the Works volumes lack the extra Eastman and Laird articles/discussions?
If so why do both volumes have the same page count?
Do both formats collect the exact same issues?

My apologies if this has been addressed in a thread I've missed. Any clarification would be much appreciated as I'm only able to collect one format at the moment.

I'd vote for the Ultimate Collection. Black and white is how those issues are suppose to be enjoyed!

Yeah, I have some of the Ultimate Collections and they are tip top. Really good reading experience. I was always under the impression that they were superior products to the Works. They seem pricey here in the UK but for what you get it's not too bad.

I have both. The Works, I believe, are only lager due to the coves. Or the pages might be slightly, but not noticeably, bigger.

The Works also lack the Eastman/Laird commentary. That's a pretty strong vote for The Ultimate Collections, unless you really want the color (and it does mostly look good).

One other thing to note with The Works: because of the "pizza-box" style cardboard used around the cover, they tend to show shelf-wear a bit more readily. Mine already have several corner dings the Ultimate Collections don't have, and I don't know that there's any real way to avoid it.

In my opinion, I'd go with the ultimate collections.. just seems right to experience the issues in black and white as they were originally done.. plus, I feel like they are more readily found than the works editions and can be purchased a tiny bit cheaper due to the popularity/availablity of ultimates.

I just dont feel the need to have them in color and go with the original eastman/laird experience of the ultimates.

Thanks guys. :)
I have the first two volumes of the Ultimate ones, so I think I'm going to continue with this format. Thanks for the feedback. Almost broke down and grabbed The Works vol 1 before a voice in my head said, "how many different formats do you need of the same damn comic !"

I was skeptical about the Works collections but those are great packages, possibly one of my favorite IDW releases to date. Probably the biggest concern is that they will not get to volumes 4 and 5. If you're a weird completionist like myself, the ultimate collections might be your best way to go, for now. Those are at least complete.

They're not doing City At War in the Works format, eh? That's disappointing, I was hoping to get it all that way. I know it's blasphemy to some people, but I'm used to the First books editions and I like my TMNT in color.

Works also don't have issue #8 which one is the Cerberus crossover.

I think I will pick up works some day, but they're like 100 euros together, and that's a serious ammount of money for something I'd only get for completionism, because I already own them and read them multiple times in b&w format.

Actually the Works does have the Cerebus crossover, it was just the color classic floppys that didn't have #8.

Really? Colored too and all? That's pretty cool. :)

I imagine they'll do a Color Classics volume 3 run of single issues in early 2015 or something

Please tell me Cerebus was grey and not pink or purple or something.

He's gray (fun fact: "gray" vs. "grey" is American English vs. British English). If I recall correctly, Renet is wearing a pinkish outfit, but you know what? Whatever.

Really, only the Shredder shenanigans stand out as being really strange in the "Color Classics"/The Works books. Otherwise these things are pretty great presentations that really don't deserve a bad rap. Worth checking out.

I thought they were done with those? It makes sense to me to do City At War in color and so complete the main canon of volume one for CC/The Works, but I don't know how they were selling.

I agree. Both the First comics colorization and IDW's color classics are pretty impressive. The only thing that stuck out for me is how April's van went from blue to green to yellow, etc, but I chocked it up as her repainting the hippi-van every now and then. I really don't know why the colorizations get a bad rap either.

Well I've already gotten the Ultimate Collection since it does present the comics in their original black/white versions but I might get The Works once it finishes, it's like owning both the theatrical cut and special editions of a movie, even if I may prefer an alternate cut I would still prefer to see the theatrical cut first.

I love The Works versions, but am a bit put off by the possibility that they won't finish with a vol 4 and vol 5. As somebody said above, the completist in mean would then prefer the Ultimate collections as at least the run would "match" then.

But I prefer the colour, and am not so big a fan that the commentaries would sway me.

I too, would love to see a Works volume 4 & 5! I own all of City at War in singles, and the duoshade issue in Ultimate Collection v4 was just enough to dissuade me from double dipping. I figured I'd buy it in color down the line via the Works series, as that would be a fresh presentation of the story arc. Sad to hear they're not going that far with it. :tsad:

Lately I have been torn on which of these collections to keep.
I currently have copies of each series but I can no longer find room for them all.

On one hand, I feel a desire to own the Ultimates due to their authenticity but the colored versions are a great looking package aside from the really gross colors on Shredder.

Anyone else go through a similar predicament?