The final unboxing of the year is an all-Marvel extravaganza. First up is
LUKE CAGE, IRON FIST, AND THE HEROES FOR HIRE volume 1. This mouthful of a title reprints the first half of the late nineties series that was originally called simply HEROES FOR HIRE. I seem to recall this series was advertised as being written by Roger Stern, but John Ostrander eventually stepped in instead and, with Pascual Ferry on art chores, provided a very fun, often funny eighteen-issue series spotlighting several of Marvel's B- and C-list stars. This was one of my favorite Marvel series as it was coming out and it's great to have it collected (in full as of next month, as
the second volume was fast-tracked for release in January).
Next is
SENSATIONAL SHE-HULK BY JOHN BYRNE: THE RETURN. Byrne had two separate runs on the SENSATIONAL SHE-HULK title of the early nineties. He launched it but quit soon after due to editorial differences, then came back a year or so later after a new editor took over. His initial run was collected by Marvel a couple years ago in the
SENSATIONAL SHE-HULK BY JOHN BYRNE trade. Now we have the second run in a very thick, Epic Collection-size book. I'm a big fan of She-Hulk -- especially Byrne's She-Hulk -- and I love this series. Can't wait to re-read it.
Finally we have the
DEADLY HANDS OF KUNG FU OMNIBUS volume 1. 2016-17 is the Yar(s) of Kung Fu at Marvel. We've already seen
volume 1 and
volume 2 of the MASTER OF KUNG FU OMNIBUS series with
a third en route and a fourth yet to be solicited, and now we have the first installment in a 2-volume set collecting its companion magazine (
volume 2 available for pre-order here). I have to confess that for some reason I'm a really big fan of the Sons of the Tiger even though I've never read any of their comics. I recall discovering them when one of their number, Abe Brown, was revealed as the Prowler's older brother in the nineties. At that point I pored over the Sons' histories in the OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE. I've always wanted to read their original serial, but DEADLY HANDS back issues were hard to come by, so I never got around to it.
But now, here we are. I have the Sons' adventures in Omnibus format, along with some Iron Fist and Shang-Chi material as well. I'm not sure whether I will get to this or the MASTER OF KUNG FU books first, but one or the other should be on my radar within the next couple years.
ReplyDelete// I have to confess that for some reason I'm a really big fan of the Sons of the Tiger even though I've never read any of their comics. //
An issue of Marvel Team-Up with Spider-Man and the Sons of the Tiger was among my earliest comics, yet as much as I’ve long held it dear for that reason I never really sought out anything else featuring them. Part of that’s probably because, to younger Blam, all other genres took a back seat to costumed superheroes; even if they were action-oriented, soldiers and martial-arts guys and whatever didn’t interest me as much. Now I’d really like to check out the Deadly Hands of Kung Fu stuff, because just about anything from the ’70s tickles my nostalgia center, although the original issues do it much more than remastered archival editions.
I have that MARVEL TEAM-UP Issue too! It was one of the few Sons appearances I could find for a reasonable price when I was searching them out. I recall it was an extravaganza featuring Spider-Man, the Human Torch, and the Sons fighting the Enforcers.
DeleteI'm with your younger self on the superhero thing. I had no interest in anyone that wasn't a full-fledged costumed hero in my younger days. It was later on that I became a bit more interested in non-superhero comics. and it's only recently that I've started seeking out comics in completely different genres -- sci-fi, western, etc. -- mostly in comic strip format, which I find a lot of fun to read.
Delete// I recall it was an extravaganza featuring Spider-Man, the Human Torch, and the Sons fighting the Enforcers. //
Yep. Marvel Team-Up #40. Torch was carried over from the previous issue. For some reason I used to feel a special thrill when characters did that but ceded the formal co-star spot in the cover logo to other characters joining the fray or taking the spotlight. #41-44 are a continuing story in which Scarlet Witch, Vision, Doctor Doom, and Moondragon are Spider-Man’s official co-stars, respectively, even though each of them appears in the chapters after they’re first billed.
Yeah, I always liked those sorts of continuing team-ups too. I think the Thing had something like that as well, with the "Project: Pegasus" storyline in MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE. New guest-stars kept popping up even as the prior ones stuck around.
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