| Marvel Super-Heroes | |
|---|---|
 Marvel Super-Heroes #12 (December 1967), the first appearance ofCaptain Marvel. Cover art byGene Colan andFrank Giacoia | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Schedule | Varied |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | Dec. 1967 – Jan. 1982 |
| No. of issues | 94 |
| Main character | |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | |
| Penciller | |
| Inker | |
| Colorist | List
|
| Editor | Stan Lee |
Marvel Super-Heroes is the name of severalcomic book series and specials published byMarvel Comics.
The first was theone-shotMarvel Super Heroes Special #1 (Oct. 1966) produced as a tie-in toThe Marvel Super Heroes animated television program,[1] reprintingDaredevil #1 (April 1964) andThe Avengers #2 (Nov. 1963), plus two stories from the 1930s-1940s period fans and historians callGolden Age of comic books: "TheHuman Torch and theSub-Mariner Meet" (Marvel Mystery Comics #8, June 1940), and the first Marvel story by future editor-in-chiefStan 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]
The first ongoing series of this name began asFantasy Masterpieces, initially a standard-sized, 12¢anthology reprinting "pre-superhero Marvel" monster andsci-fi/fantasy stories. With issue #3 (June 1966), the title was expanded to a 25-cent giant reprinting a mix of those stories andGolden Agesuperhero stories from Marvel's 1940s iteration asTimely Comics.Fantasy Masterpieces ran 11 issues (Feb. 1966–Oct. 1967) before being renamedMarvel Super-Heroes with #12 (Dec. 1967).[3]
While continuing with the same mix of reprint material, this first volume ofMarvel Super-Heroes also began showcasing a try-out feature as each issue's lead. This encompassed solo stories of such supporting characters asMedusa of theInhumans, as well as the debuts ofCaptain Marvel (#12),[4] thePhantom Eagle (#16)[5] and theGuardians of the Galaxy (#18).[6] TheSpider-Man story drawn byRoss Andru in issue #14 was originally planned as a fill-in issue ofThe Amazing Spider-Man but was used here when that title's regular artistJohn Romita Sr. recovered more quickly than anticipated from a wrist injury.[7] Andru would become the regular artist onThe 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 asJack Kirby,Bill Everett, andCarl Burgos, and to such long-unseen and unfamiliar characters as theWhizzer and theDestroyer.Fantasy Masterpieces #10 (Aug. 1967) reprinted the entirety of the full-lengthAll-Winners Squad story from the (unhyphenated)All Winners Comics #19 (Fall 1946).Fantasy Masterpieces #11 (Oct. 1967) re-introduced the work of the late artistJoe Maneely, a star of 1950s comics who had died in a train accident.
| Issue (cover date) | Character(s)/Story title | Writer(s) | Penciller(s) | Inker(s) | Collected inMarvel Masterworks | Other Collected Editions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #12 (Dec. 1967) | "The Coming ofCaptain Marvel" | Stan Lee | Gene Colan | Frank Giacoia | Captain Marvel Volume 1978-0785111788 | Captain Mar-Vell Omnibus Vol 1 |
| #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 8978-0785120742 | Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection Vol 4: The Goblin Lives; Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus Vol 4 |
| #15 (July 1968) | Medusa in "Let the Silence Shatter" | Archie Goodwin | Gene Colan | Vince Colletta | The Inhumans Volume 1978-0785141419 | |
| #16 (Sept. 1968) | "ThePhantom Eagle" | Gary Friedrich | Herb Trimpe | Herb Trimpe | The Incredible Hulk Volume 7978-0785166689 | Hulk Epic Collection Vol 4: In the Hands of HYDRA; Incredible Hulk Omnibus Vol 3 |
| "The Un-human" (Previously unpublished Golden AgeHuman Torch story) | Hank Chapman | Dick Ayers | Dick Ayers | Atlas Era Heroes Volume 2 | ||
| #17 (Nov. 1968) | "TheBlack Knight Reborn" | Roy Thomas | Howard Purcell | Dan Adkins | The Avengers Volume 7978-0785126805 | The Avengers Omnibus Vol 3 |
| #18 (Jan. 1969) | "Guardians of the Galaxy" | Arnold Drake | Gene Colan | Mike Esposito (as "Mickey Demeo") | The Defenders Volume 4978-0785166276 | Guardians of the Galaxy Epic Collection Vol 1: Earth Shall Overcome; Guardians of the Galaxy: Tomorrow's Heroes Omnibus; Guardians of the Galaxy by Jim Valentino Omnibus |
| #19 (March 1969) | Ka-Zar in "My Father, My Enemy" | Arnold Drake and Steve Parkhouse | George Tuska | Sid Greene | Ka-Zar Volume 1978-0785159575 | |
| #20 (May 1969) | Doctor Doom in "This Man, This Demon" | Roy Thomas andLarry Lieber | Larry Lieber and Frank Giacoia | Vince Colletta | Marvel Rarities Volume 1978-0785188094 | Doctor Doom: The Book of Doom Omnibus andDoctor Doom Epic Collection Vol 1: Enter...Doctor Doom |
| #23 (Nov. 1969) | "Tales of theWatcher: 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 titledFantasy Masterpieces ran from #1-14 (Dec. 1979–Jan. 1981), reprinting truncated versions of the 1968Silver Surfer series, andAdam Warlock stories fromStrange Tales andWarlock.
The 15-issueMarvel Super-Heroes (vol. 2) (May 1990–Oct. 1993)[9] was published quarterly and generally printed "inventory stories," those assigned to serve as emergency filler. The first issue featured aBrother Voodoo story drawn byFred Hembeck in a dramatic style rather than his usual "cartoony" art.[10]
| Issue # | A Story | B Story | C Story | D Story | E Story | F Story | G Story |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moon Knight Collected inMoon Knight Omnibus Vol. 2; Moon Knight Epic Collection Vol 4: Butcher's Moon | Hercules | Hellcat | Brother Voodoo Collected inMarvel Masterworks: Brother Voodoo | Speedball Collected inSpeedball: The Masked Marvel | Magik/New Mutants Collected inNew Mutants Omnibus Volume 3 | Black Panther Collected inBlack Panther Epic Collection Volume 3: Panther's Prey andBlack Panther Omnibus: Revenge of the Black Panther |
| 2 | Iron Man Collected inIron Man Epic Collection: The Return of Tony Stark | Rogue/X-Men Collected inX-Men: X-Tinction Agenda Omnibus | Daredevil | Speedball Collected inSpeedball: The Masked Marvel | Tigra | Red Wolf | Falcon |
| 3 | Captain America | Wasp | Speedball | Hulk | Blue Shield | Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) Collected inMarvel Masterworks Captain Marvel Vol 6 andDeath of Captain Marvel Omnibus | No G Story |
| 4 | Spider-Man andNick Fury | Daredevil | Wonder Man Collected inWonder Man Omnibus Vol. 1 | Spitfire | Speedball | Black Knight | |
| 5 | Thor | Thing Collected inThe Thing Omnibus Vol 1 | Speedball Collected inSpeedball: The Masked Marvel | Dr. Strange | She-Hulk Collected inShe-Hulk Epic Collection Volume 4: The Cosmic Squish Principle | No F Story | |
| 6 | X-Men Collected inX-Men: X-Tinction Agenda Omnibus | Power Pack Collected inPower Pack Classic Omnibus Vol 2 | Cloak & Dagger | Sabra | Speedball Collected inSpeedball: The Masked Marvel | ||
| 7 | Cloak & Dagger | Shroud | Marvel Boy | No E Story | |||
| 8 | Iron Man andSquirrel Girl Collected inIron Man Epic Collection: The Return of Tony Stark, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, vol. 1: Squirrel Power andThe Unbeatable Squirrel Girl & The Great Lakes Avengers | Sub-Mariner | No D Story | ||||
| 9 | Avengers West Coast | Thor | Iron Man Collected inIron Man Epic Collection: The Return of Tony Stark | ||||
| 10 | Vision andScarlet Witch Collected inMarvel Masterworks: Vision and the Scarlet Witch Vol 1 | Sub-Mariner | Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers) Collected inMs. Marvel Epic Collection: The Woman Who Fell to Earth; Captain Marvel -- Ms. Marvel: A Hero Is Born Omnibus | ||||
| 11 | Ghost Rider Collected inMarvel Masterworks Ghost Rider Vol. 7 | Giant-Man | Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers) and Rogue Collected inMs. Marvel Epic Collection: The Woman Who Fell to Earth; Captain Marvel -- Ms. Marvel: A Hero Is Born Omnibus; Captain Marvel vs. Rogue | ||||
| 12 | Dr. Strange Collected inDr. Strange Epic Collection Vol 11: Nightmare on Bleecker Street | Falcon | Iron Man Collected inIron Man Epic Collection: The Return of Tony Stark | ||||
| 13 | Iron Man Collected inIron Man Epic Collection: The Return of Tony Stark | Iron Man Collected inIron Man Epic Collection: The Return of Tony Stark | Iron Man Collected inIron Man Epic Collection: The Return of Tony Stark | ||||
| 14 | Iron Man Collected inIron Man Epic Collection: The Return of Tony Stark | Dr. Strange Collected inDr. Strange Epic Collection Vol 11: Nightmare on Bleecker Street | Speedball | ||||
| 15 | Iron Man Collected inIron Man Epic Collection: The Return of Tony Stark | Volstagg Collected inThor: The Warriors Three: The Complete Collection | Thor | Dr. Druid | No E Story | ||
In September 1979, theMarvel UK seriesThe Mighty World of Marvel was retitledMarvel Superheroes[11] after a brief run under the titleMarvel Comic.[12]
The name itself reappeared, without a hyphen, as part of the title of a 12-issue, company-wide crossoverminiseriesMarvel Super Heroes Secret Wars (May 1984–April 1985).[13] The 1985-1986 sequel was titled simplySecret Wars II.
The final series of this title was the six-issueMarvel Super-Heroes Megazine (Oct. 1994–March 1995), a 100-page book reprinting 1970s and 1980sFantastic Four, Daredevil,Iron Man andHulk stories in each issue.[14]
To help support the new animated television show, Martin Goodman told Stan Lee to produce a comic calledMarvel Super Heroes.
When John Romita sprained his wrist, Marvel hired artist Ross Andru to draw a fill-in issue ofThe 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.
Having done a special stand-alone Spider-Man story inMarvel Super-Heroes #14, May 1968, Andru came aboard as the ongoing artist withAmazing #125, October 1973.
