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Marvel Masterworks is an American collection of hardcover andtrade paperbackcomic book reprints published byMarvel Comics, with the main goal of republishing classicMarvel Comics storylines in a hardcover, premium edition, often with restored artwork and better graphical quality when compared to other Marvel collected editions. The collection started in 1987, with volumes reprinting the issues ofThe Amazing Spider-Man,The Fantastic Four,The X-Men, andThe Avengers. TheMasterworksline has expanded from such reprints of the 1960s period that fans and historians call theSilver Age of Comic Books to include the 1930s–1940sGolden Age; comics of Marvel's 1950spre-Code forerunner,Atlas Comics; and even some reprints from the 1970s period called theBronze Age of Comic Books. In 2023,Fantagraphics began releasing hardcover collections of Atlas and Marvel Comics that Marvel had neglected to issue themselves. Marvel announced that the series would be going on hiatus after volume 389, effectively cancelling the next volume, which was to beThe Defenders vol. 10.^[1]

DC Comics launchedDC Archive Editions in 1989, their equivalent of the Marvel Masterworks line.

The first printing ofMasterworks books from Marvel started in 1987 (three in 1987, four per year after that) and continued until 1994 (27 volumes), most with a suggested retail price of US$29.95 (Hulk $24.95) for the first three years, $34.95 after that (Silver Surfer Vol. 19 $44.95). The first printings had a marble-look dust jacket with either light gray, pastels or primary colors; the binding was a faux leather dyed in the color associated with the title (Marvel Masterworks, volume number, and title was embossed usually in gold (exceptions:The Silver Surfer,Iron Man) on the spine along with an embossed symbol representing the character(s) of the title on the front) and numbered in the order the volumes were released (e.g.,The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1 was #1,The Fantastic Four Vol. 1 was #2). Volumes contained about 10 issues (plus oneAnnual) and were about 220-260 pages each. Some volumes had fewer pages, such asThe Invincible Iron Man Vol. 1 (197 pages),The Incredible Hulk Vol. 1 (150 pages), andThe Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1-3 (each under 200 pages). The end papers featured a "gallery" of three sequentialMasterworks covers, along with a partial cover of the next volume in the series (exceptVolumes1,2 and27). The volume in which the "gallery" was printed would always "hang" in the third position, preceded by the previous two volumes. Some volumes have had multiple printings, such asThe Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1, with seven.

Also during the originalMarvel Masterworks run between 1992 and 1993, Marvel Comics had published lower-pricedtrade paperback editions of selected volumes in theMasterworks line, but these versions only reprinted half of the contents compared to the hardcover editions. These were:

• The Amazing Spider-Man Masterworks Vol. 1 (March 1992) - reprintsAmazing Fantasy #15,The Amazing Spider-Man #1-5 (ISBN 0-87135-902-2)
• The Avengers Masterworks Vol. 1 (October 1993) - reprintsThe Avengers #1-5 (ISBN 0-87135-983-9)
• The Uncanny X-Men Masterworks Vol. 1 (March 1993) - reprintsThe Uncanny X-Men #1-5 (ISBN 0-87135-964-2)
• The All-New, All Different X-Men Masterworks Vol. 1 (August 1993) - reprintsGiant-Size X-Men #1,The Uncanny X-Men #94-97 (ISBN 0-87135-988-X)

Even though on the cover each book was labeled asVolume 1, no subsequent volumes were ever published for these trade paperbacks. Marvel did not try trade paperback versions of theMasterworks again until 2002 and 2009.

From 1994 to 1996, no newMasterworks were published, and existing volumes did not get additional printings. Following this, from 1997 to 2002, theMasterworks line was revived, when some of the original 27 went back into print with a new style of dust jacket designed byComicraft, and without the chronological numbering on the spine. Instead, the line used the number of the volume for each particular comic book series. Four newMasterworks were published from 2000 to 2002, bringing the total then to 31. Only 10 volumes were published in total from this initial relaunch, and they wereMarvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four Vol. 1 andVol. 6,Marvel Masterworks: Daredevil Vol. 1 andVol. 2,Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor Vol. 1 andVol. 3,Marvel Masterworks: X-Men Vol. 1 andVol. 3,Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1, andMarvel Masterworks: The Avengers Vol. 1. They are now out of print.^[2]

WithThe Sub-Mariner Vol. 1, the 32ndMasterwork, Marvel relaunched the line with silver dust jackets in 2003. On the front cover dust jacket, these initial releases had the book's interior contents and creator names on the top of the front cover art image, and theMarvel Masterworks name under the cover art on the bottom, with the volume number on the spine featured in a black-filled square with silver edging, with a silver font labeling the volume number. Post-2003 afterward, Marvel redesigned the look: theMasterworks name with the title and volume number now up on top of the cover image, with the interior contents and creator names listed at the bottom of the cover art, and the dust jacket spine numbering filled in a silver square with black lettering font labeling the volume number. From 2002 to 2004, Marvel brought the 31 now-out-of-print volumes back into print, all with the new silver dust jackets. Like the other releases from 1997 on, these dust jackets do not have the chronological numbering. Upon their initial release, however, a limited print run (about 1,000 to 1,500) was produced with variant dust jackets that used the original marble-look style and retained the absolute chronological numbering (only on the dust jacket's spine). These carried a $5 higher suggested retail price than the regular editions (typically US$54.99).

Some changes were made for the new second editions, with some issues/covers re-colored, previously unreprinted pin-up pages added, and some issues were moved between volumes (Annual issues were amongst the changes made, as Marvel wanted to do a more accurate chronological reprinting of their history than theMasterworks series had previously attained).

Starting with the 33rd volume,The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 6 (April 2004), Marvel started producing newMasterworks once again, continuing monthly from August 2004. These new books have also been printed with both regular and variant/original cover styles.

In 2002, Marvel partnered withBarnes & Noble to produce lower-priced trade paperback (typically US$12.95) versions of selectedMasterworks volumes. Twelve were produced, without dust jackets, and they utilized the silver cover scheme (based on the initial 2002 dust jacket design prior to the 2003 revamping layout).

In 2008 (and starting in 2009), Marvel moved their printing plant to China and reprint theMasterworks as a trade paperback line for the third time in celebration of the publisher's then-70th anniversary year, reprinting theMasterworks monthly in the same sequence as they were originally released in the hardcover editions. Like the post-2003 remastered hardcovers relaunch, this trade paperback line also had both regular and limited alternate variant covers that used the original 1987 marble-look style. This series of trade paperbacks reprinted in order of the original hardback releases fromThe Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1 toWarlock Vol. 1. TheMarvel Masterworks trade paperback series was discontinued in 2015 and somewhat replaced by the newEpic Collection trade paperback series, which began in 2014.

In October 2004, Marvel released its firstGolden Age collection,Golden Age: Marvel Comics Vol. 1, launching a new line ofMasterworks. This 1939 and 1940s line reprints material byTimely Comics, Marvel's Golden Age predecessor. It is differentiated from the 1960s Silver Age line by the wordsGolden Age on each title, and with the regular dust jacket colored gold rather than silver. FromGolden Age:Captain America Vol. 1 (February 2005) onward, these volumes were released quarterly. The line was discontinued in 2012.

In January 2006, withAtlas Era: Tales to Astonish Vol. 1, Marvel began publishing a third line ofMasterworks, reprinting 1950s and early 1960s comics of Marvel forerunner companyAtlas Comics. The regular editions of these volumes have red dust jackets instead of silver. The comics reprinted in these volumes were originally produced during a lull insuperhero popularity. The initialAtlas Era Masterworks volumes were primarilyscience-fiction/fantasy stories, particularly featuringdrive-in theater-stylemonsters. More recent volumes have included other genres, such as pre-Comics Code horror and jungle stories. Marvel started publishing theAtlas Era Masterworks volumes semi-annually, then quarterly before returning to semi-annual. The line was discontinued in 2013.

Beginning in June 2021, Marvel started releasing a new trade paperback line calledMighty Marvel Masterworks. Originally nicknamed asJunior Masterworks, they aim to reprint classic stories in an affordable price for young readers, as to capitalize on the growing popularity of super-hero media, so the trim size is smaller than the average comic book trade (6" by 9"), resembling amanga volume.^[3]

Ten years after the last Atlas Era Marvel Masterworks release,Fantagraphics began reprinting comics from Marvel's Atlas Era in hardcover in 2023.^[4] As of May 2025, they have released eight volumes of Atlas-era comics, plus three oversized volumes devoted to specific creators:Joe Maneely,Al Williamson, andBill Everett.^[5]

Fantagraphics began a series calledLost Marvels in 2025 reprinting Marvel titles in hardcover that Marvel had as yet chosen not to. The first volume,Tower of Shadows, was released in April. Volume 2,Howard Chaykin Volume 1:Dominic Fortune,Monark Starstalker,Phantom Eagle is scheduled for August, and Volume 3, collectingSavage Tales volume 2, is scheduled for November.

This list is sorted by the order of first publication. Note that while theUncanny X-Men,Defenders andChampions volumes are from the Bronze Age of Comic Books, they are listed as being Silver Age as per Marvel's categorization. When the variant and the regular cover volume are published on different dates, the regular edition date or scheduled publishing date is listed. When issues have been moved between volumes for later editions, the later edition placement is listed. The "B&N" category shows if aBarnes & Noble trade paperback is available (only 12 were published). The ISBN listed is that of the 2003 series [reboot] silver editions (not the variant/embossed foil editions).