Thanks for such a detailed response. I think you've got some really great insights here. I have read some collected editions where the recaps every issue did get repetitive, but I never minded, because I knew they were originally intended as single issues.

For me, on some level, comics will always be the monthly strung together serials I grew up with. Graphic novels are a completely different beast, and it seems like a bit of a money grab when they reissue an entire run as a collected edition. I feel like whatever entertainment package you're buying; whether a single issue, hardcover collected edition, graphic novel, print book, DVD, whatever; should be consumable and make sense as a standalone.

I can see why the recap pages are attractive to publishers, but I think you're right that there's a lot of potential for it to breed lazy writing.