Wednesday, August 8, 2018

Marvel Firsts: The 1990s, Volume 2



The 1990s was a touch and go time for Marvel. Believe it or not, the House of Ideas almost went belly up. It filed for bankruptcy and actually needed DC's help to bail it out. So for all of you who hate DC, just remember if not for the owners of Superman and Batman, who knows if Marvel would still be in existence???

Anyways, there was just as many terrible ideas and stories coming out of Marvel as there were successes. For every Venom or Web of Spider-Man there was The Nightstalkers or Beowulf. X-Men titles dominated but there were so many different X-series, the market was really over-saturated. Yet Cable, Gambit and Generation X managed to overcome the glut of mutant related titles to give the Uncanny X-Men a run for their money. 

There were a few glimmers of hope during the 90s. Iron Man got a chance to be a legitimate team leader with Force Works. Blade got his own solo title right before Wesley Snipes made him a household name. And though not as funny or self-deprecating as he was now, Deadpool was given an early chance to shine thanks to Fabian Nicieza, Wade Wilson's lesser known co-creator. 

Some of these stories were first appearances. Some were first issues of already established characters. And a few were of either completely or partially brand-new teams of heroes or even villains. It was a wild time for Marvel and this edition captures a large chunk of some of the more bizarre works from the Bullpen.

This isn't exactly my favorite time period of not just Marvel but comics in general. Yet, I want the other volume in the series. And for historical (and money saving) purposes, I plan on keeping this volume even if it's wasn't the greatest read of all-time.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

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