I think it's an issue with having to pay the creators. Marvel owns the characters but the creators would still get a cut. I think it's something from the original Malibu creator contracts that were signed that even the buyout couldn't wipe away.Why doesn't Marvel release those Mabilu titles in trade? Would love to read all of The Sludge, Prime, and Mantra since I only got a couple of issues here and there back in the day.
The only time I tried to get into Malibu was right after Marvel bought them and they did some crossovers (Black September?) and relaunched the line. The few comics I bought (Prime and Exiles) were decent.