We’ve been getting a lot of questions from newcomers regarding purchasing comic books. What is an AU? What is a mini? What is the difference between a floppy and an omnibus? Where do you even start?
We know it can be intimidating at first glance, but the Gambit Spotters are here to help start your comic collecting journey on the right foot.
This series will provide you with easy-to-understand information, so you know what you’re getting yourself into before you hit your local comic shop.
Let’s start with the basics.
The Marvel Comic Universe
Storyline lengths
Types of comic books
Where to buy
Finding the right universe
So let’s jump right into it with the important question - Where is Gambit?
That’s not a straightforward answer - but generally, he can be found in the primary Marvel universe, though he does have “variants” or other versions floating around too. Let’s dig into that.
The Primary Marvel Universe
The primary Marvel Universe/timeline is Earth-616. A majority of the X-Men Comics (commonly referred to collectively as the X-Books) contain interconnected stories about things occurring within this universe. Readers/collectors will often refer to this as “primary universe” or just by the “616” designator, so we can differentiate its connected storylines from any other universes or timelines.
616 is not the same universe as the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) though that does borrow heavily from the 616 continuity. It’s also not the same universe as X-Men the Animated series or X-Men ‘97. But again, they do borrow elements.
Some recent X-Men team books in the Primary Marvel Universe include:
X-Men (2024) (also referred to as adjectiveless)
Uncanny X-Men (2024)
X-Factor (2024)
Exceptional X-Men (2024)
X-Force (2024)
NYX (2024)
Gambit is currently in the Uncanny X-Men team book, though he has historically popped up all over the 616 universe, and not always in X-Books! If you’re looking for him specifically, X-Books are a great place to start (you can use our handy Gambit Guide here to get started).
Some book titles are re-used over time, and are cataloged as different volumes only differentiated by the starting year- shown in parenthesis after the title in databases. Uncanny X-Men is currently on Volume 6; Previous volumes are Uncanny X-Men (1981), Uncanny X-Men (2012), Uncanny X-Men (2013), Uncanny X-Men (2016) and Uncanny X-Men (2019). New titles will always start with volume 1, so if the title is ever re-used in the future they can appropriately catalog sequels.
Alternate Universes:
Anything occurring outside of the primary Marvel universe including potential futures or alternative timelines, is referred to as an Alternate Timeline or Alternate Universe (AU). Each of these creates a different “Earth” that is different from 616 and is given another universe designator such as Earth-1191 (timeline Bishop is from). If no official designator is given sometimes they will be given an unofficial temporary designator in the marvel database like Earth-TRN938 created for What If…? #-1. The Gambits in these universes are a variant of 616 Gambit. They are a separate person, and have different stories. Gambit has dozens of variants that have been created since his introduction.
Some well-known AU’s include:
Age of Apocalypse (1995) / X-Men of Apocalypse (2025) Earth-295
X-Men Forever (2009) Earth-161
Ultimate Wolverine (2025) Earth-6160
Unbreakable X-Men (2025) Earth-TRN1498 (part of the Age of Revelation)
New Exiles (2008) Earth-6706
Ok, now lets get to the difference between the books!
Storyline lengths
One-Shots
A one shot is a short, stand-alone, or self contained story that is limited to a single issue or publication. You don’t need to know any previous storyline before diving into these, and some of them feature AU’s. 616 one-shots add to the character’s history, and may be referenced in in other comics or stories. One shots are labeled as #1 even though there are no following issues. They also are their own stand-alone volumes for the same reason.
A good example of a 616 one-shot is X-Men Origins: Gambit (2009)
A good example of an AU one shot is What If… Galactus Transformed Gambit? (2025)
Limited Series
A limited series is a story arc continuing over multiple books for a set amount of issues. The number of issues is predetermined, and it is set before production even starts on the comics. Sometimes a limited series is referred to as a miniseries (or mini), or a maxiseries (depending on the number of issues). The number of issues varies by company, but Marvel runs in the wheelhouse of 3-10 issues for a limited series/mini. Issues are numbered ascending starting with 1, by release. They may also have prequel issues with a 1/2, 0 or -1 issue #. Limited series may be solos (featuring one character) or team/team-up books, and may have multiple volumes (the multiple volumes may also include ongoing series with the same name). Limited series are also referred to as storyline “runs.”
A good example of a limited series solo is Gambit (1993) which contains 4 issues. There was a second limited series volume, and Gambit (1997) which also contained 4 issues.
A good example of a team-up Limited Series is Rogue and Gambit (2018) which ran for 5 issues. It has a second volume, Rogue and Gambit (2023) that also ran for five issues.
Ongoing Series
An ongoing series is a comic series, containing multiple story arcs that runs indefinitely until it finishes the overall story it is trying to tell or it ends in cancellation. The number of comics is not limited to a particular stopping point, these generally run until they stop selling well or the overarching storyline concludes. Ongoing series are usually published monthly or bi-monthly on a set schedule. Issues are numbered ascending starting with 1, by release. They may also have prequel issues with a 1/2, 0 or -1 issue #. Ongoing series may be solos (featuring one character) or team/team-up books, and may have multiple volumes (the multiple volumes may also include limited series with the same name). Ongoing series, along with limited series are also referred to as storyline “runs.” Ongoing series also have something called an “Annual” that is one comic released yearly that is similar to a one-shot, but ties into the plot of the ongoing series and has yearly sequels as long as the ongoing is running.
A good example of a solo ongoing series is Gambit (1999) which ran for 25 issues.
A good example of a team ongoing series is Uncanny X-Men (2024) which is still in production.
Types of comics
Now that you’re familiar with the universe and story types, let’s figure out what kind of comic you’re going to look for. This comes down to preference- do you want to collect individual comics or have a heftier book for your bookshelf?
Single issues
Just as it says, this is a single-issue comic book. They’re individually numbered, and are either a one shot, or part of a limited/ongoing series. Paper copies are affectionately referred to as “floppies” because they do not have a hard cover. Floppies are generally loose on the shelves or stacked in comic shops for easy access.
Usually, comic shops will have a couple different sections for their single issues - current/new releases are usually out in a main display for easy selection:
If you’re looking for a series that has been ongoing for awhile or is no longer current, you can typically find those in boxes/shelves/drawers of older back-issues depending on your store. These are usually filed in some semblance of alphabetical order, and you may have to locate the “Misc” category of a letter to find what you’re looking for if there aren’t a lot of issues for that series. This can be more hit-or-miss, depending on the shop and the series. Here’s an example of “bin-diving” for issues of “Rogue” (because Liv already cleaned out the entirety of the “Gambit” solos at her local comic shop):
“bin-diving” is also quite popular at comic conventions, as retailers use those as a way to sell bin stock to people who may not otherwise go to their physical store. Conventions may have issues on a display wall as well, especially if they have a lot of older comics or special covers.
Some shops will have issues “bagged and boarded” or placed in a clear plastic sleeve with a plain white cardboard backer to protect them. If you purchase loose comics in store, you can pay extra to have your issues bagged and boarded for you. Most comics sold online come bagged and boarded as well. To keep them safe, many people put their floppies in personal “long boxes” or bins (as shown above) which can hold about 200 comics. There are also slightly smaller boxes called “short boxes” which also occasionally come printed, so you can store your floppies in smaller areas.
Here are a couple issues of Uncanny X-Men (2024) bagged and boarded as an example.
Collected Issues
Multiple single issues together in a larger publication is called a “collected issue.” There are two types of collected issues, Trade Paperbacks and Omnibuses.
Trade Paperbacks
Also called “trades” “TP” or “TPB,” a trade paperback is a collection of stories that were previously printed in individual issues, reprinted and bound into a small book. They usually contain a complete Limited/miniseries, a complete story arc from an ongoing series, or stories that share an arc across multiple comic titles. Ongoing series may have multiple TPB’s printed during their runs. Trade paperbacks are not numbered, they are usually named after the story arc they contain.
An example of a Trade Paperback containing a limited series, Rogue and Gambit: Ring of Fire. It collects Rogue and Gambit (2018) #1-5. (Note it has the same cover art as issue #1 of Rogue and Gambit (2018) shown above, but instead of the issue number, it has a title.
This is an example of a Trade Paperback containing a story arc from an ongoing series, Uncanny X-Men (2024). It is titled The Dark Artery, and collects Uncanny X-Men (2024) #9-16.
Omnibus
An omnibus is the biggest book you can get that collects comic stories. They are large format, hardcover books. An omnibus can include parts of an ongoing series (such as five years worth of ongoing issues at a time, or a particular longer arc), multiple smaller ongoing series together, an entire ongoing series in one book, or a combination of one-shots, limited series, and ongoing series. They may also be limited to a single writer or artist. Each omnibus will state what issues it collects, and it varies widely between books.
For example, the Trial of Gambit Omnibus coming out in 2026 collects Uncanny X-Men (1981) #341-350 And #-1, X-Men (1991) #62-64 And #-1, Imperial Guard (1997) #1-3, Psylocke & Archangel: Crimson Dawn (1997) #1-4, Gambit (1997) #1-4, Bishop: Xavier Security Enforcer (1998) #1-3, Marvel Fanfare (1996) #4-5, Longshot (1998) #1 And Material From Marvel Valentine Special (1997) #1. All of these issues are part of one related storyline.
Now that you know what’s what- let’s go buy some comics!
Where to get comics
If you prefer digital copies, the best bet (especially if you are looking for older comics or have a LOT of reading you want to do) is to purchase a subscription through Marvel Unlimited. It’s $9.99 a month and gives you access to the digital archives containing most of the marvel catalog. There’s a 3 month delay on new issues, but if you’re willing to wait it will save you in the long run versus buying hundreds of digital copies!
If you want new digital issues right when they drop, you can subscribe through Kindle devices using Comixology on Amazon. (US) You can buy one issue at a time or subscribe to get new releases automatically.
If you prefer paper copies, look for a local comic book shop (sometimes referred to as a LCS) in your area to make your purchases at. You can search online or in your local business directory to find one. League of Comic Book Geeks has a great locator for this purpose for those who live in the US! You can set up a “pull list” at your local shops so they set aside new releases from your favorite books every week for you to pick up and purchase! Some paper copies also include a code you can can which will also add them to your digital comics, if you collect digital as well.
If you live far from a comic shop, there’s several major comic retailers that offer online ordering/shipping. We’ve had success with Forbidden Planet (US and UK!) , or Third Eye Comics, Golden Apple Comics, and Midtown Comics in the US. You just have to find one that suits your needs.
And that’s where we’re leaving you today - hopefully this was not too much information overload. Feel free to bookmark or print this article for reference, should you need to look it over again. You can also drop us a comment if you have any questions. We’re here to help!
Up next:
As if all this information wasn’t enough to make your head spin- there’s more choices for you once you get to the shop. Over the next few parts of this series, we discuss cover options and variants!