Monsters Unleashed is the title of anAmerican black-and-white comics magazine published byMagazine Management and two color comic-book miniseries fromMarvel Comics. The first ran from 1973 to 1975. The two miniseries ran consecutively in 2017.
| Monsters Unleashed | |
|---|---|
 Monsters Unleashed #1 (1973). Cover art byGray Morrow. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics Group |
| Schedule | Quarterly |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | August 1973 – April 1975 |
| No. of issues | 11, and oneannual publication |
| Editor(s) | Roy Thomas,Tony Isabella,Don McGregor |
The first publication titledMonsters Unleashed was an American black-and-whitehorror comics magazine published byMagazine Management, a corporate sibling ofMarvel Comics.[1] The series ran 11 issuescover-dated 1973 to April 1975), plus oneannual publication. With sister titles includingDracula Lives!,Tales of the Zombie andVampire Tales, it was published byMarvel Comics' parent company,Magazine Management, and related corporations, under the brand emblem Marvel Monster Group. The first issue was dated simply 1973, but the second issue of the magazine, published quarterly, was cover-dated September 1973.[2][3]
A magazine rather than a comic book, it did not fall under the purview of the comics industry's self-censorshipComics Code Authority, allowing the title to feature stronger content — such as moderate profanity, partial nudity, and more graphic violence — than color comics of the time.
Monsters Unleashed primarily featured standalone horror stories, both original and reprinted, including from pre-Comics Code comics fromMarvel Comics' 1950s iteration,Atlas Comics. It occasionally featured stories starring the Marvel Comics swamp monsterMan-Thing, the Marvel version of theFrankenstein monster, the bestialWendigo, the science-fiction adventurerGullivar Jones. and the superheroineTigra. It also included text features on monster movies.[2]
Monsters Unleashed was edited byRoy Thomas for the first six issues, succeeded byTony Isabella, and thenDon McGregor for the last two issues. The painted covers were illustrated by the likes ofGray Morrow,Boris Vallejo,Neal Adams,Frank Brunner,Bob Larkin,Richard Hescox,Earl Norem, andJose Antonio Domingo. In addition to the 11 issues there was oneannual publication in 1975 consisting completely of stories reprinted from the magazine.[4]
| Monsters Unleashed | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Format | Limited series |
| Publication date | March – May 2017 |
| No. of issues | 5 |
| Main characters | Avengers Champions Moon Girl andDevil Dinosaur Elsa Bloodstone Goliathons Guardians of the Galaxy Inhumans Kei Kawade Leviathon Tide X-Men |
| Creative team | |
| Created by | Cullen Bunn Steve McNiven Greg Land Adam Kubert Leinil Francis Yu |
The second volume ofMonsters Unleashed is aMarvel Comics series published in 2017.[5] It is the flagship title of the "Monster Unleashed"company-wide crossover story arc. Additionally, a tie-intrade paperback book,Monsters Unleashed Prelude, reprinted late 1950s and early 1960s "pre-superhero Marvel" stories starring several of the giant monsters seen in the new series.[6]
Monsters Unleashed volume two began publication in January 2017.[7] The five-issue miniseries wascover-date March–May 2017.[5]
Monsters have been appearing on Earth upon falling from the sky. TheAvengers fight a reptilian monster inBoston, theX-Men fight a spider monster inLondon, theBlack Panther andShuri defendWakanda from a thick-skinned monster, theGuardians of the Galaxy defendGroot from a snake-like monster inSeattle, theInhumans fight a multi-headed monster inVenice, and theChampions fight a tentacled eye monster inLos Angeles. InPeru,Elsa Bloodstone finds a prophecy that tells of the Monster King, whom all monsters fear.[8] TheWinter Guard fights monsters in Moscow whileValkyrie andWarrior Woman fight them inEdinburgh whileAtlas fights them inWashington, D.C.[9]Medusa andKarnak discover thatKei Kawade is an Inhuman who can summon monsters calledGoliathons to help fight the Leviathon invasion.[10] Kei learns how to use his powers and manages to defeat the Leviathon Queen with a team of new monsters.[11]
The third volume ofMonsters Unleashed is a twelve-issue Marvel Comics miniseriescover-dated June-Oct. 2017.[12] It follows the adventures of Kei Kawade, vampire-hunter Elsa Bloodstone, and Kei Kawade's creations Aegish, Slizzik, Scragg, Hi Vo and Mekara. The series unfolds as the team takes on gargantuan creatures and protects the planet while also having to deal with the latest incarnation of Intelligencia.
The entire crossover received mixed reviews. According to Comic Book Roundup, the entire crossover received an average rating of 6.9 out of 10 based on 48 reviews.[13]
| Title | Material collected | Published date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monsters Unleashed Prelude | Fearless Defenders #8;Marvel Zombies (vol. 2) #1;Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #1;Totally Awesome Hulk #2-3 and material fromStrange Tales #73, 90;Tales to Astonish #11-13, 15, 17, 19, 23;Tales of Suspense #15, 17, 19, 22 | January 2017 | 978-1302900892 |
| Monsters Unleashed | Monsters Unleashed (vol. 2) #1-5 | July 2017 | 978-1302907266 |
| Monsters Unleashed Vol. 1: Monster Mash | Monsters Unleashed (vol. 3) #1-6 | December 2017 | 978-0785196365 |
| Monsters Unleashed Vol. 2: Learning Curve | Monsters Unleashed (vol. 3) #7-12 | June 2018 | 978-0785196372 |
| Monsters Unleashed: Battleground | All-New X-Men #1.MU,Avengers #1.MU,Champions #1.MU,Doctor Strange #1.MU,Guardians of the Galaxy #1.MU,Spider-Man/Deadpool #1.MU,Totally Awesome Hulk #1.MU,Uncanny Inhumans #1.MU | July 2017 | 978-1302907198 |