Amazing Adventures is the name of several anthology comic book series, all but one published byMarvel Comics.
The earliest Marvel series of that name introduced the company's firstsuperhero of the late-1950s to early-1960s period fans and historians call theSilver Age of Comic Books. That same series also included the first comic book to be labeled "Marvel Comics".
The first series titledAmazing Adventures was a 1950s science fiction anthology produced byZiff-Davis and featuring painted covers. It ran for six issues, beginning c. 1950. with the first two issues being undated. Subsequent issues were dated June, August, and November 1951, and fall 1952. Its artists includedMurphy Anderson,Bernard Krigstein, andDon Perlin, and at least one issue (#2) featured a cover painting byAlex Schomburg.[1]
| Amazing Adventures | |
|---|---|
 Amazing Adventures #3 (Aug. 1961), cover art byJack Kirby andDick Ayers. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Format | Anthology |
| Genre | Fantasy Science fiction Superhero |
| Publication date | (Vol. 1) June 1961 – November 1961 (Vol. 2) August 1970 – November 1976 (Vol. 3) December 1979 – January 1981 |
| No. of issues | (Vol. 1) 6 (Vol. 2) 39 (Vol. 3) 14 |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | (Vol. 1)Stan Lee (Vol. 2)Gerry Conway,Steve Englehart,Gary Friedrich, Jack Kirby,Don McGregor,Roy Thomas |
| Penciller(s) | (Vol. 1)Steve Ditko,Jack Kirby (Vol. 2)Neal Adams,Rich Buckler,John Buscema,Howard Chaykin,Gene Colan, Jack Kirby,P. Craig Russell,Jim Starlin,Tom Sutton,Herb Trimpe |
| Inker | Syd Shores |
Marvel's first series of this title ran six issues, premiering with June 1961cover-date. It featured primarily science fiction anddrive-in movie-stylemonster stories, virtually all drawn by eitherJack Kirby orSteve Ditko.[2][3] Its first issue introduced the supernatural monster-hunterDoctor Droom, Marvel's firstSilver Age of Comic Bookssuperhero.[4] Droom had powers oftelepathy andhypnotic suggestion taught him by aTibetanlama who had requested that someone travel from the U.S. to give him medical attention.[5]
Doctor Droom vanished into obscurity for years when the comic was re-titled and reformatted asAmazing Adult Fantasy from issues #7–14 (Dec. 1961 – July 1962).[6][7] He resurfaced in the 1970s as Doctor Druid, having been renamed to avoid confusion withDoctor Doom. The series was re-titled once more for its final issue, published asAmazing Fantasy #15 (Aug. 1962), the comic book that introducedSpider-Man.[8]
Marvel's nextAmazing Adventures was a split title featuring theInhumans (initially both written and drawn by Jack Kirby, later drawn byNeal Adams) andBlack Widow (initially by writerGary Friedrich andpencilerJohn Buscema).[9] The Widow was dropped after (vol. 2) #8, and full-length Inhumans stories ran for two issues before that feature, too, was dropped.[10]
Vol. 2 #11 (March 1972) introduced solo stories ofX-Men memberBeast, in which he was mutated into his modern blue-furred form.[11] The initial story was by writerGerry Conway, pencilerTom Sutton, andinkerSyd Shores.Steve Englehart became the feature's writer with issue #12[12] and addedPatsy Walker and her then-husband,"Buzz" Baxter,[13][14] to the Beast's supporting cast in issue #13.
In the fall of 1972, writers Englehart, Conway andLen Wein crafted ametafictional unofficialcrossover spanning titles from both major comics companies. Each comic featured Englehart, Conway, and Wein, as well as Wein's first wifeGlynis,interacting with Marvel or DC characters at theRutland Halloween Parade inRutland, Vermont. Beginning inAmazing Adventures (vol. 2) #16 (by Englehart with art byBob Brown andFrank McLaughlin), the story continued inJustice League of America #103 (by Wein,Dick Dillin andDick Giordano), and concluded inThor #207 (by Conway and penciler John Buscema). As Englehart explained in 2010: "It certainly seemed like a radical concept and we knew that we had to be subtle (laughs) and each story had to stand on its own, but we really worked it out. It's really worthwhile to read those stories back to back to back – it didn't matter to us that one was at DC and two were at Marvel – I think it was us being creative, thinking what would be really cool to do".[15][16][17] The Beast's feature ended with (vol. 2) #16 (Jan. 1973).[10]
Following an issue that reprinted the back-up features recounting the Beast's origin (edited from[Uncanny] X-Men #49–53 (with a new, single-page introduction by writer Englehart and pencilerJim Starlin), the title introduced the series "War of the Worlds" and its central character,Killraven, in (vol. 2) #18 (May 1973). Created by co-plottersRoy Thomas andNeal Adams, scripter Conway, and pencilers Adams andHoward Chaykin,[18] it was taken over by writerDon McGregor for an acclaimed run from (vol. 2) #21 (Nov. 1973)[19] to the final issue, (vol. 2) #39 (Nov. 1976). Pencillers wereHerb Trimpe,Rich Buckler,Gene Colan, and, most notably,P. Craig Russell from (vol. 2) #27.[10][20]
Its sister publication wasAstonishing Tales. Additionally, plans were announced for a never-realized third split book featuringDoctor Strange andIceman.[21]
Volume 3 was a reprint series running 14 issues (Dec. 1979 – Jan. 1981). It reprintedX-Men #1–8 (Sept. 1963 – March 1964), the first six issues of which were split into two-part stories with an accompanying back-up feature. For all but issue #12, this was the "Origin of the X-Men" back-up feature fromX-Men #38–48. The exception was the incongruous, 11-pageJim Steranko "Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." story, "Today Earth Died", fromStrange Tales #168 (May 1968).[22]
Eight covers of this 1979 series were reprints of the Jack Kirby originals; artists for the rest included pencilerJohn Byrne on (vol. 3) #6 and 9.[22]
The similarly namedAmazing High Adventure was a sporadically published anthology of historical,biblical and science-fiction adventure stories from August 1984 to December 1986.[23] Like the 1950s Ziff-DavisAmazing Adventures, it, too, featured painted covers, with the artists includingJoe Chiodo,Frank Cirocco,Dan Green, andJohn Bolton. A one-shot, cover-billed asAmazing Adventures (July 1988) but listed asAmazing Adventure in the copyright indicia, was similarly an anthology with a painted cover.[24]
Monsters...were almost all that Marvel offered as the 1960s dawned, and even they were running out of steam...Things looked bleak, but during 1961, editor Stan Lee was working with [Jack] Kirby and [Steve] Ditko to create a new line of super heroes.
The superhero creations of Lee and Kirby didn't start with The Fantastic Four. Five months earlier, in the back pages of one of the typical monster comics they were doing at the time, they introduced their least well remembered star. Doctor Droom...debuted inAmazing Adventures #1, dated June 1961.
A master of the dark and mystical world of black magic, Dr. Droom...went to Tibet to treat an ailing lama.
The series was handed over to a brand-new writer for his very first superhero.
In 1972, Patsy was back, as a supporting character in a series starring The Beast.
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