Marvel Super-Heroes (comics)
| Marvel Super-Heroes | |
|---|---|
|
Marvel Super-Heroes #22 (Sept. 1969), a reprint issue with new cover art by the rare team of Jack Kirby and John Verpoorten | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Schedule | Varied |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | |
Marvel Super-Heroes is the name of several comic book series and specials published by Marvel Comics.
Publication history
One-shot
The first was the one-shot Marvel Super Heroes Special #1 (Oct. 1966) produced as a tie-in to The Marvel Super Heroes animated television program,[1] reprinting Daredevil #1 (April 1964) and The Avengers #2 (Nov. 1963), plus two stories from the 1930s-1940s period fans and historians call Golden Age of comic books: "The Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner Meet" (Marvel Mystery Comics #8, June 1940), and the first Marvel story by future editor-in-chief Stan Lee, the two-page text piece "Captain America Foils the Traitor's Revenge" (Captain America Comics #3, May 1941).
This summer special was a 25¢ "giant", relative to the typical 12¢ comics of the times.[2]
First series
The first ongoing series of this name began as Fantasy Masterpieces, initially a standard-sized, 12¢ anthology reprinting "pre-superhero Marvel" monster and sci-fi/fantasy stories. With issue #3 (June 1966), the title was expanded to a 25-cent giant reprinting a mix of those stories and Golden Age superhero stories from Marvel's 1940s iteration as Timely Comics. Fantasy Masterpieces ran 11 issues (Feb. 1966 - Oct. 1967) before being renamed Marvel Super-Heroes with #12 (Dec. 1967).[3]
While continuing with the same mix of reprint material, this first volume of Marvel Super-Heroes also began showcasing a try-out feature as each issue's lead. This encompassed solo stories of such supporting characters as Medusa of the Inhumans, as well as the debuts of Captain Marvel (#12),[4] the Phantom Eagle (#16)[5] and the Guardians of the Galaxy (#18).[6] The Spider-Man story drawn by Ross Andru in issue #14 was originally planned as a fill-in issue of The Amazing Spider-Man but was used here when that title's regular artist, John Romita Sr. recovered more quickly than anticipated from a wrist injury.[7] Andru would become the regular artist on The Amazing Spider-Man several years later.[8]
Under either name, this series' Golden Age reprints represented the newly emerging comic-book fandom's first exposure to some of the earliest work of such important creators as Jack Kirby, Bill Everett, and Carl Burgos, and to such long-unseen and unfamiliar characters as the Whizzer and the Destroyer. Fantasy Masterpieces #10 (Aug. 1967) reprinted the entirety of the full-length All-Winners Squad story from the (unhyphenated) All Winners Comics #19 (Fall 1946). Fantasy Masterpieces #11 (Oct. 1967) re-introduced the work of the late artist Joe Maneely, a star of 1950s comics who died young in a train accident.
Original features
| Issue (cover date) | Character/Story title | Writer(s) | Penciller(s) | Inker(s) | Collected in Marvel Masterworks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #12 (Dec. 1967) |
"The Coming of Captain Marvel" | Stan Lee | Gene Colan | Frank Giacoia | Captain Marvel Volume 1 978-0785111788 |
| #13 (March 1968) |
Captain Marvel in "Where Walks the Sentry" | Roy Thomas | Gene Colan | Paul Reinman | |
| #14 (May 1968) |
Spider-Man in "The Reprehensible Riddle of the Sorcerer" | Stan Lee | Ross Andru | Bill Everett | Spider-Man Volume 8 978-0785120742 |
| #15 (July 1968) |
Medusa in "Let the Silence Shatter" | Archie Goodwin | Gene Colan | Vince Colletta | The Inhumans Volume 1 978-0785141419 |
| #16 (Sept. 1968) |
"The Phantom Eagle" | Gary Friedrich | Herb Trimpe | Herb Trimpe | The Incredible Hulk Volume 7 978-0785166689 |
| #17 (Nov. 1968) |
"The Black Knight Reborn" | Roy Thomas | Howard Purcell | Dan Adkins | The Avengers Volume 7 978-0785126805 |
| #18 (Jan. 1969) |
"Guardians of the Galaxy" | Arnold Drake | Gene Colan | Mike Esposito (as "Mickey Demeo") |
The Defenders Volume 4 978-0785166276 |
| #19 (March 1969) |
Ka-Zar in "My Father, My Enemy" | Arnold Drake and Steve Parkhouse |
George Tuska | Sid Greene | Ka-Zar Volume 1 978-0785159575 |
| #20 (May 1969) |
Doctor Doom in "This Man, This Demon" | Roy Thomas and Larry Lieber | Larry Lieber and Frank Giacoia | Vince Colletta | Marvel Rarities Volume 1 978-0785188094 |
| #23 (Nov. 1969) |
"Tales of the Watcher: Melvin and the Martian " | Stan Lee | Tom Palmer | Tom Palmer |
Marvel Super-Heroes became an all-reprint magazine beginning with #21 (July 1969) (except for an original "Tales of the Watcher" story in #23), and a regular-sized comic at the then-standard 20-cent price with #32 (Sept. 1972). This reprint series lasted through issue #105 (Jan. 1982).[3]
A second series titled Fantasy Masterpieces ran from #1-14 (Dec. 1979 - Jan. 1981), reprinting truncated versions of the 1968 Silver Surfer series, and Adam Warlock stories from Strange Tales and Warlock.
Other iterations
In September 1979, the Marvel UK series The Mighty World of Marvel was retitled Marvel Superheroes[9] after a brief run under the title Marvel Comic.[10]
The name itself reappeared, without a hyphen, as part of the title of a 12-issue, company-wide crossover miniseries Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars (May 1984 - April 1985).[11] The 1985-86 sequel was titled simply Secret Wars II.
Next came the 15-issue Marvel Super-Heroes vol. 2 (May 1990 - Oct. 1993),[12] published quarterly and which generally printed "inventory stories", those assigned to serve as emergency filler.
The final series of this title was the six-issue Marvel Super-Heroes Megazine (Oct. 1994 - March 1995), a 100-page book reprinting 1970s and 1980s Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Iron Man and Hulk stories in each issue.[13]
References
- ↑ DeFalco, Tom; Gilbert, Laura, ed. (2008). "1960s". Marvel Chronicle A Year by Year History. Dorling Kindersley. p. 119. ISBN 978-0756641238.
To help support the new animated television show, Martin Goodman told Stan Lee to produce a comic called Marvel Super Heroes.
- ↑ Marvel Super Heroes #1 (October 1966) at the Grand Comics Database.
- 1 2 Marvel Super-Heroes at the Grand Comics Database
- ↑ DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 125: "Captain Mar-Vell was a Kree warrior sent to spy on Earth, by Stan Lee and artist Gene Colan."
- ↑ DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 131: "Aviation buff Herb Trimpe, who flew his own biplane for many years, teamed up with writer Gary Friedrich to create flying ace the Phantom Eagle."
- ↑ DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 134: "The Guardians of the Galaxy were a science-fiction version of the group from the movie Dirty Dozen (1967) and were created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Gene Colan."
- ↑ Manning, Matthew K.; Gilbert, Laura, ed. (2012). "1960s". Spider-Man Chronicle Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging. Dorling Kindersley. p. 43. ISBN 978-0756692360.
When John Romita sprained his wrist, Marvel hired artist Ross Andru to draw a fill-in issue of The Amazing Spider-Man to give Romita time to recover. However, never less than a consummate professional, Romita turned in his work on schedule as promised, leaving the company with an extra Stan Lee-scripted Spider-Man story on their hands.
- ↑ Saffel, Steve (2007). "An Exploding Icon The 1970s". Spider-Man the Icon: The Life and Times of a Pop Culture Phenomenon. Titan Books. p. 66. ISBN 978-1-84576-324-4.
Having done a special stand-alone Spider-Man story in Marvel Super-Heroes #14, May 1968, Andru came aboard as the ongoing artist with Amazing #125, October 1973.
- ↑ Marvel Superheroes / Marvel Super-Heroes (Marvel UK) at the Grand Comics Database.
- ↑ Marvel Comic at the Grand Comics Database
- ↑ Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars at the Grand Comics Database
- ↑ Marvel Super-Heroes (Marvel, 1990 series) at the Grand Comics Database.
- ↑ Marvel Super-Heroes Megazine at the Grand Comics Database
External links
- Marvel Super-Heroes at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators