Decades: Marvel in the 70s- Legion of Monsters

Many collections of classic Marvel materials are omnibuses that capture a complete run of stories starring a certain character or a specific genre. That's not the case with Marvel's Decades books. They are instead snapshots of the time period. In this case, the coming of Marvel horror. 

Sometimes the stories featured are well-known legends, like that of Johnny Blaze and his deal with the devil that curses him to become the Ghost Rider. 

Other episodes are rarities, like the coming of an alien creature called the Manphibian, a gill-man arch-type who is on the hunt for the killer of his lover. 

Then there's those established characters who see new life in the pages of horror anthologies. Frankenstein's Monster and Count Dracula continue to roam the night looking for victims, sometimes running afoul of Marvel superstars such as Morbius, the living Vampire and the hybrid vampire hunter, Blade.

Several of Marvel's rarest horror mags are reprinted in this collection along with some great issues of Marvel's one-shot series Marvel Spot-Light and Marvel Premiere. As a fan of several comic book and horror fan groups on Facebook, I am aware of the Legion of Monsters popularity with horror comic fans. What I was not aware of was how much poor faith the House of Ideas had in the title. It only lasted 1 issue with 2 classic but ill-fated attempts to revive the idea. Legion of Monsters may not have been on store shelves for long, but with collectors such as me, they last forever in our hearts. 

A collection such as this is such a mixed-bag. There's some classics and there are some stinkers. But what I love so much about this series is how it's both a grab bag and time capsule. Maybe a little bit more commentary would have been appreciated. But I quite enjoyed it warts and all.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.