Essential Avengers Vol. 3

There's a singular reason to own this book. Sure, if you've got volumes 1-3, you're going to want volume #4. But even if you weren't interested in the material of Essential Avengers Volume 1-3, if you are a fan of the Marvel universe, and you don't mind your reprints in black and white, you will want to own this book because of the Kree-Skrull War!

There have been several cosmic brouhahas in the multitude of pages coming from Marvel Comics. But to truly understand the origin of those conflicts, such as Annihilation, you've got to delve into the adventures of Earth's Mightiest Heroes from 1969-1971. 

Never to be an Avenger Rick Jones finally gets a chance to be a hero. Only because of a strange twist of fate, the one time Hulk sidekick isn't allowed to be his own man. Instead, a pair of cosmically powered bracelets force Rick to become bonded to the Kree warrior Mar-vell. Whenever trouble arrives, Rick activates the bands and he switches places with Earth's newest hero, Captain Marvel- into the Negative Zone!

Jones and Mar-vell's occupation in that inter-dimensional Hell sparks the attention of the Negative Zone's tyrannical leader Annihilus. With the Fantastic Four away, it's up to the Avengers to monitor any disturbances in the Zone. As a result, Jones and Mar-vell's link is severed. Now both can exist on Earth-616 at the same time. This the wheels that will cause an intergalactic war between Kree and Skrull- with Earth in the exact center crosshairs- begin to turn.

Roy Thomas does it yet again! With art by Sal Buscema and Neal Adams, this really is a volume not to be missed. That is if you can find it.. Out of print for over a decade and highly sought after by collectors, the Essential Marvel books are increasing difficult to find. Especially for a good price. But if you happen to come across one in decent shape that's affordable, you should grab it without question! Though you might ask why the editors included an issue of The Incredible Hulk in this volume. While you are supposed to read that issue after a crossover of sorts in the pages of The Avengers, the super team don't even appear in the Hulk book except for a cameo in the recap section of the tale. A good story but really could have been avoided if they just included some sort of blurb that the Avengers didn't have any active role in the Hulk's adventure in a pocket universe in the sub- atomic realm.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Essential Avengers, Vol. 3

Volume 3 of Essential Avengers sees yet more roster changes. BIG SHOCK there. The King of Wakanda and the android Vision joins the ranks of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. With that last inclusion, that also means we're introduced to the robotic menace: Ultron!

This volume covers issues that first debuted from 1968-70. I knew that the Vision makes his debut during this period of time. But I thought we were at least 5 years, maybe more, away from Ultron coming into being. So having him pop up was a real surprise. Too bad that Ultron is probably my least favorite Marvel villain of all-time. Here's a character perfectly designed to destroy humanity and yet, Ultron always loses- seemingly destroyed. But no! Ultron keeps coming back in a new, bigger and badder upgraded body. Why won't he just die?! 

The addition of T'Challa adds a touch of royalty along with a heavy hitter to the ranks of the Avengers. Why the Black Panther doesn't use his political clout more during this time period is beyond me. Instead, T'Challa takes on the secret identity of Luke Charles, a inner city school teacher. Towards the end of this volume, we do experience the struggles of the Civil Rights movement through the Panther's eyes when those slimy racist goons of the Serpent Society rear their ugly heads back onto the seen. They're not as scary as the original version of the group seen in the previous volume. Still, it doesn't make their message of hatred and bigotry any less palatable. Beating DC Comics to the punch with relevant comics by almost a full year, I don't know if making the Black Panther the champion of the battle of inner city racism and inequality was Roy Thomas' idea or that of editor Stan Lee. Whomever it was, they were visionaries whose contribution should never be erased from bookshelves!

Another major character undergoes a change; although their metamorphosis is less internal and very much overt! Clint Barton hangs up his purple tights and arrows and takes on Dr. Henry Pym's mantle of Goliath, the giant Avenger. No, Hank hasn't retired from superheroing. But now a married man and operating as the schizophrenic superhero Yellow Jacket, Pym doesn't have time for seeing the sites of the Big Apple from 20 feet in height. After the death of his brother, Barton needs a change. Losing the love of his life, the Black Widow, to her career as a SHIELD operative may have something to do with the change in identity...

Compared to the last volume, there's a lot more of original members Thor and Iron Man as well as Captain America in this book. They're all still on reserve status. But it's nice to see them in action when things look their bleakest like in the alternate reality thriller of Avengers, Annual #2 in which the original Avengers killed off all of the other heroes in order to usher in a Golden Age of Peace and tranquility under the benevolence of the Scarlet Centurion. 

It seems that with the loss of new recruits balanced with the assistance of the Big Three, the more things change for the Avengers, the more things stay the same.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Essential Avengers, Vol. 2

The second volume of Marvel's Essential Avengers sees not just the team but the magazine itself going through a lot of changes. When we begin with issue #25, the team's lineup is seriously under-powered. Thor, Iron Man, Giant Man and the Wasp are gone. Captain America is left to lead mutant siblings, the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver as well as the hot-headed sharpshooter, Hawkeye. Arguably this is the weakest incarnation of the Avengers ever!

How the comic book managed to avoid cancellation with such a puny roll call is beyond me. Yet, that was part of the genius of Stan Lee. Love him or hate him, the man knew how to sell a comic book and he managed to keep the World's Mightiest Superheroes relevant without any of Marvel's heaviest hitters. By issue #35, Stan would leave the title in the hands of his most trusted protege, Roy Thomas. Along with Don Heck, some of the weirdest tales ever told this side of Marvel's sci-fi and fantasy books would occur in the pages of the Avengers; including the heroes being abducted by aliens in the Bavarian Alps.

Eventually Hank Pym, stuck at the towering height of 25 feet, along with Jan Van Dyne, would return to the team, becoming the de facto leaders in the absence of Cap. A terrifying story of a fascist group of bigots calling themselves the Sons of the Serpent would do their best to infiltrate the ranks of our government as well as the boards of many Fortune 500 companies, declaring America for Americans only, would be an early test of Pym's leadership. Taking place in issues #32-33, you really couldn't tell if this story was set in 1966 or current day 2025. Extremely unsettling how undated that story of political terrorism was.

Heck would eventually leave after issue #49. His replacement was John Buscema. The change in artwork was so striking. Heck was great. Buscema was just a tad bit better. Along with the new artist would soon come a new character to the title, that Prince of Power, the Mighty Hercules. While not an official member of the team, the hero's presence as an exiled guest of the Avengers adds a powerful punch that has been missing since the absence of Thor. 

But don't fret thinking that Thor and Iron Man have completely turned their backs on the Avengers. They'll both make guest starring returns in a pair of stories, one of who's sees the heroes battling against the Mandarin and his team of 5 of the Avenger's most fearsome does.

I have an early print of this volume. The printing was terrible. I don't think any sort of remastering had even been attempted. Multiple panels were in desperate need of ink. Others seemed to have been over-inked. It was rare to find a complete page where there weren't any print flaws.

I had low expectations for this book. While the Sons of the Serpent story was a gut punch of a read, I really enjoyed this seemingly implausible lineup of Marvel heroes. I just wish my print was given the same amount of love and care as the original works were given.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Essential Avengers, Vol. 1 (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Comic Book Quiz Time: True or False - the Fantastic Four appear in the first issue of The Avengers.

The answer is TRUE. In fact, Marvel's First Family play a very large role in the formation of Earth's Mightiest Heroes becoming a superhero team. 

The Norse god of mischief, Loki, would like nothing more than to defeat his boastful half brother Thor. However, due to being banished to a forbidden zone within the Seven Realms, Loki has to use a proxy via his magical inclinations to defeat the god of Thunder. The chosen lackey is none other than the Incredible Hulk who is duped into destroying a train track after Loki used an illusion spell to make the green behemoth believe there was dynamite about to explode.

Using a ham radio, the Hulk's teenager sidekick, Rick Jones attempts to summon the Fantastic Four for help, as they had dealt with him previously. However, the Fantastic Four must decline and they recommend Jones summon Thor, since he's a heavy hitter. You'd think this is just what Loki was hoping for. Only his ultimate trap is far from set. So when Rick Jones attempts to radio Thor, his transmission is received instead by Iron Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp. 

Eventually, Thor joins the fight against the Hulk with the other heroes. Rick explains that the Hulk is innocent of the mass destruction and Thor with assistance from the All Father, defeats Loki. Enjoying their adventure together, the heroes, along with the Hulk, decide to make this a regular thing. With suggestion of the Wasp, the team take on the name of the Avengers and comic book history is made.

Marvel characters had already been interacting with each other for a couple of years prior to the debut of The Avengers. As mentioned earlier, the Fantastic Four attempted to defeat the Hulk in issue #12 of their first series. Spider-Man asked the FF for a job in his first solo issue. With each of these crossovers, Marvel developed a cohesive universe which was a delight to readers.

As fans were demanding more of such adventures, Stan Lee got the idea to develop a group team title that would hopefully introduce readers to some of the struggling (in popularity) heroes and hopefully enticed them to pick up their solo books as well. Besides, DC has been having similar success with it's flagship group title, Justice League of America. Thus in Stan's mind, what was good for the goose must be good for the gander.

By issue #4, the Hulk departed the Avengers feeling hated and unwanted by his teammates and the remaining Avengers added the World War II legend, Captain America, since frozen in an iceberg, to the roster. Thor, Iron Man, Ant-Man now going as Giant Man, the Wasp and Captain America: they may not have been the original lineup. But they are considered by many to be the most iconic membership of the team's 60 year plus history.

Jack Kirby was Stan Lee's go-to artist and collaborator whenever a new project arose. Kirby was allowed to select the original roster of the Avengers. When asked in interviews years later why he went with the 5 characters that made up the Avengers by the end of issue #1, the King responded 'they were all characters that I had created' and was comfortable drawing. Plus, Kirby felt that he'd receive a higher working wage if he used only characters that he had created previously at Marvel. Familiarity and money might have been the reasons why The Sub-Mariner became a one-time adversary of the Avengers as well as the return of the Sentinel of Liberty, Captain America.

By issue #8, Kirby became bored with the title, as he often did, and went on to plot and pencil other projects at the House of Ideas. Don Heck took over as the series' regular artist. The co-creator of such Avengers stalwarts as Iron Man and the Wasp, Heck would oversee the team's biggest roster shake up in Avengers #16 when Captain America would now lead the team, comprised of former baddies Hawkeye, The Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. Heck would stay on until issue #40. Dick Ayers inked a majority of the first 2 dozen issues with lettering completed by Artie Simek at Sam Rosen. 

Completing this review completes Task #14 (A Volume of Marvel Essentials or DC Showcase) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Essential Doctor Strange, Vol. 3

This volume of Essential Doctor Strange sees the good doctor back in the starring role of his own title. After renouncing his title as Master of the Mystic Arts with the cancellation of his first series, Stephen Strange went back into medicine. But as with just about any and all comic book universes, you just can't keep a good character down.

After teaming with both the Hulk and the Sub-Mariner, Doctor Strange donned his mystical cape and formed the Defenders. With the popularity of that super-team title, Strange starred in about a dozen issues of Marvel Premiere. With the horror levels amped up thanks to the recent loosening of the Comics Code, Doctor Strange won over a ton of new fans. 

By the summer of 1974, Doctor Strange was leading his own title again. And that's where this book begins. Strange has resettled into his Sanctum Sanctorium. Along with his faithful servant Wong, Strange has taken an apprentice, his lover Clea. Strange has also taken on the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme after his master, The Ancient One, has left this physical plane to become one with the universe.

The adventures in this volume is one to boggle the mind. First Strange must save himself by entering the Orb of Agamotto. Then Doctor Strange must battle Eternity after the Earth has been deemed ready for destruction. After that battle, Strange takes on the Lord of Vampires, Dracula, after the Count attacks Wong. Things wrap up with a twisty little saga called the 'Creator Chronicles'.

The last volume wasn't really something I enjoyed. The level of evil in the characters was upped, especially as Strange went from dueling super-powered beings from other dimensions to magically imbued satanists. From page one of this book, things were mystical and arcane. But I saw that magic as science that wasn't yet understood. Strange and Clea have to struggle with this type of thinking when they go back in time to Colonial America. But when Strange battles Dracula, I started feeling ill at ease again.

Anything magical Doctor Strange does to take on the Lord of the Vampires didn't bother me. But the workings of Dracula and his followers were not my thing. There's literal devil worship and I don't like stories like that. I had been wanting to one day gather the collected Tomb of Dracula books. But if the comics contained in this collection as any indication of such, I won't be taking part. 

A good collection of stories. Just some of those stories felt so very evil. I'll be selling this book along with my other 2 Essential volumes. 

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

Essential Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos, Vol. 1

I just cannot get enough of the exploits of one Nick Fury. Whether he's an agent of SHIELD or the newest incarnation of The Watcher, if it's got Nick Fury in, I want it. And that's the case with Nick's time as a grunt Sargent during World War II. 

Fury has a squad of 6 men. There's former circus strongman, Dum Dum Dugan. Trumpeter, Gabriel Jones. Kentucky jockey, Reb Ralston. Brooklyn mechanic Izzy Cohen, whose Jewish heritage makes the war on Hitler that much more personal. Hollywood hunk Dino Manelli. And recent college graduate Junior Juniper. Fury along with the rest are under the command of one Captain 'Happy' Sam Sawyer; who just happens to be anything but cheerful.

Now, you may be wondering where's Pinky Pinkerton; the British playboy turned commando? Well, turns out he wasn't an original member of the Howlers as Fury's squad is known as. But an early shocking death will bring forth the Brit's membership onto the team within the first half dozen issues. An unknown element for it's time, having a good guy die (and stay dead) added yet another layer of realism.

One thing many don't realize it that while Sgt. Fury came about as a bet between Stan Lee and Martin Goodman, the crux of this comic book was a result of Jack Kirby's time as a solider in the European theater. The ideas behind this book were a therapeutic way for Kirby to deal with the horrors of war he experienced. For this reason, it was one of the few titles that Kirby didn't mind when Stan Lee overtook as the alleviation of his PTSD was worth the backstabs from the Marvel editor-in-chief. 

There's a lot of wild stories in this volume. Sgt. Fury meets his match when he is introduced to Baron Strucker. The Howlers take on assignments in Africa and the Pacific theater where Pinky's origin is revealed. Catch a glimpse into the future when the Howlers reform during the Korean Conflict. Oh, and in the most crazy story of them all,  the Commandos kidnap the Fuhrer!

Over the summer I completed a graphic novel biography about Jack Kirby. It was that book which inspired me to finally bite the bullet and get serious about completing my Sgt. Fury collection. But this task wasn't easy as just about half of the issues in the titles' 167+ run are reprints. And some issues were reprinted more than once! Being a gigantic bargain hunter, I went for the cheapest option which meant that my entire run is a mix of first run and reprints upon reprints. It took a while, but I got this run complete.

I'm very thankful Marvel did a volume of Marvel Essentials on the Howlers. A first issue is valued at about 4 grand. This collection contains issues 1-23 and the first annual; all of which would probably cost me just under $10K to own. This book is out of print. So I did pay a bit more than the original cover. But I saved a lot going this route.

Sadly, Marvel never made a volume 2. Shortly after this book was published, the House of Ideas decided to end this beloved line of black and white reprints for more expense all-color anthologies made on high quality paper- the Epic Collections.

 If you ask me, I'd prefer giving up the color and paper quality in exchange for saving cash. But Marvel never bothers to refer to me. 

That's okay. I'm sure I'll get my chance someday.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Essential Doctor Strange, Vol. 2

This second volume of Doctor Strange stories were published from 1968-72. The Comics Code is beginning to relax it's rules on horror. During this time period, vampires, ghouls and demons are no longer on the no-no list. And Marvel Comics embraced these loosened guidelines with a gusto!

In volume 1, Doctor Stephen Strange battled demons like Dormammu. But those arcane foes were more outlandish like a Doctor Doom or The Red Skull. Their motivation was more power hungry than occultish. Now, we see the Master of the Mystic Arts take on the cultists who worship Doctor Strange's arch-enemies.

I like horror comics. But demons and devils just isn't my thing. And this collection is chock full of fallen angels. But, the stories were still pretty compelling as they are masterfully written by the likes of Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway. Artwork by Gene Colan and a host of others was rather good too.

I love the B&W beauties. But I found a print problem among the last dozen or so issues of the first series of Doctor Strange books. Those issues were originally illustrated and colored as a sort of reverse negative with white ghostly outlined renderings of either the hero or his opponents looming over the action. As a result, the retouch team had to reverse the negative yet again in order to be printed without color. This not only whitewashes the art, the excessive inks turn lovely streamlined works of art into blobbish works of art. 

Remember that fresco of Jesus that some lady did a poor job retouching to the effect than the Christ looked more Muppet than Son of Man? That's what happened with those covers.

Along this time period, Doctor Strange was cancelled. Maybe the readers didn't like the newer, darker approach. It wasn't for almost 3 years until Strange would return to print in the first 10 issues of Marvel Premiere. When he does show up, his foes become even more demonic. But by now, the renaissance of Marvel Horror titles had gained full steam and it seemed that an America now enthralled by William Peter Blatty's Exorcist were ready for a more mature Doctor Strange. 

Will the world be ready for another Doctor Strange title? Find out in volume 3!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Essential Thor, Volume 6

This collection of Thor comics proves that the 1970s is my favorite of the Marvel eras. 

The adventure begins in a battle of the myths between the Greeks and Norse as Thor challenges Hercules for the honor of a kidnapped maiden. Then thunder god teams with planet eater Galactus to take on Ego the Living Planet. A plague of fear will engulf the Big Apple leading Thor to return to the guise of Dr. Donald Blake in order to safe his long-lost forbidden love, Jane Foster. And as the pages of this massive volume draw to an end, trouble in Asgard is brewing while Thor is joined by the Warrior Three in a twisty caper through space and time!

This is the penultimate Essential Thor collection. Profits found in insanely expensive color reprints spelled the end of these black and white newsprint beauties. I rushed to my computer to place my order for volume 7 and I wait with baited breath on it's arrival. But as this run of collections is coming to an end, my wish list is about to explore with about 15 years of Thor solo comics from the 80s and early 90s (up to beginning of the Heroes Reborn era.)

A great chapter in not just Marvel history, but Thor's as well. 

Oh, and for those of you keeping score- the events of this volume takes place before Essential Fantastic Four, Volume 8. It's not required to read it this way. But it sure is fun!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Essential Fantastic Four, Vol. 8

There's about 30 issues reprinted in this volume. The main theme seems to be alternate Earths. An alien warlord seeks to destroy 3 worlds and 3 versions of the FF, in order to become the ultimate power in all existence. Then the High Evolutionary seeks help on his counter-earth from the threat of Galactus. Though the planet killer has a vow not to eat our earth, he's got no qualms devouring that other world. 

Lastly we have a mystery villain. I don't want to give up too much. But it explains questions I've had since I was a child attempting to read and collect FF issues. 

Throw in the Frightful, uh- Three, a time travelling caper with the Invaders and the Liberty Legion, and help from the Impossible Man, Tigra and Thundra and it appears that the Baxter Building is getting more crowded than a Peter Davison TARDIS. 

The 70s are by far my favorite Fantastic Four time period. This series is chop full of wild tales by Roy Thomas with art by a host of greats. The biggest treat are the George Perez penned issues. And in true Marvel Bullpen fashion, there's a delightfully meta story involving many of your favorite Marvel talent!

Oddly enough, there's absolutely no Doctor Doom in this collection! That's actually kinda refreshing!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Essential Howard The Duck, Vol. 1

Other than a certain first appearance by a super girl, this book was the oldest item on my wish list until just recently. This volume covers the entire Steve Gerber run of the groundbreaking Howard the Duck comic from the 1970s. Gerber had problems with deadlines and was replaced after issue #27. If the quality didn't suffer, the creative juices surely did with Gerber's dismissal. Howard was stuffed just 4 issues later.

With the debut of 1986 box office BOMB- Howard returned for a few more issues with original numbering. But like I said, the live-action film starring Back To The Future's Lea Thompson was a massive stinker and Howard's time was once again cut short. 

There was also a Howard the Duck Magazine that lasted 9 issues. It featured more edgier stories that even the envelope-pushing comic couldn't skirt pass the Comics Code. Those are harder to find and more expensive. Yet despite this book being listed as volume 1, with the elimination of Marvel's it seems like I'll never get the rest of Howard's story. But that's actually not the case. About 5 years ago, Marvel re-issued 4 volumes of full color material starring the grumpy mallard. So, I might be able to get everything else on my wish list without going broke.

The original Howard the Duck was a throw-away character in the pages of Man-Thing. LITERALLY! But he feel into our hearts as well as down-town Cleveland in the very first pages of his own title. Howard The Duck was a reflection of the odds and loose ends of the late 70s. With the end of Nixon and the completion of the Vietnam War, America was fractured and the whole world seemed ready to just fall to pot. And Howard was there to point out all our problems. 

From parodying some of Marvels greatest heroes of the time period to mocking Star Wars, Big Apple vigilantism and the 1976 election, nothing was safe in Steve Gerber's hands. This collection isn't perfect. There's some slang terms and jokes that in 2020 would have gotten Gerber cancelled. But I see the intention on Gerber's part to point out a lot of the flaws of 1970s society.

This was a series that also experimented with creative writing. There's one issue that's nothing but essays. (Check out a cameo first appearance of the main characters of Vertigo's Nevada). For the most part, I enjoyed the pathways Gerber explored. But I hated what he did with the ahead of it's time inter-species relationship between duck Howard and human Beverly. I don't want to spoil things but Gerber leaves things ill-fated. That's all I'll say...

A book ahead of it's time that will be honored for all-time in the hearts of comic book collectors and historians. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Essential Thor Volume 5

I'm not really as big of a fan of the cosmic Thor stories. The ones I adore are those that delve into Norse myth or are the run-of-the-mill tussles with super powered baddies. I'm not sure why that is. But I really hated Thor: The Dark World and if it wasn't for the humor and use of the Asgardian goddess, Hela, I probably would've hated Thor: Ragnarok too!

Speaking of Ragnarok. The end of Asgard occurs at least twice in this book. One sees the fall of Odin. The other occurrence is a reprinting of a classic Stan Lee/Jack Kirby foretelling of the end of all things. 

Gerry Conway, one of my all-time favorite Superman creators, pens all of the original stories. Some instances were very good. But Conway sends Thor and company into space quite a bit in this huge 500 page plus volume. So, it was difficult to enjoy this collection thoroughly. 

I really got a kick out of the Marvel/DC crossover. Yes, 4 actual characters from the DC universe crossover into Marvel territory in a two-parter some 5 years before the Man of Steel will meet The Amazing Spider-Man. For some, this crossover might seem that much of a big deal. But if you were an avid reader of Justice League of America and The Brave and the Bold around 1968-1972, you'll get a kick out of the appearance of several minor but oh so import figures in DC history. 

Oh, wait, now that I think of it, there were 5 characters who crossed over!

The art by Sal Buscema, his brother John , Len Wein and others was amazing stuff. It's interesting how much the characters change when crafted by other artists and yet they still manage to look iconic too! 

An enjoyable read of Thor stories. However, it's just not my favorite collection of them either. With only 1 Marvel Essential collection of Thor stories, I am thinking that I am not going to ever get to the Walt Simonson era. I guess I am going to have to start looking for color collections or possibly start collecting Thor single issues in order to get to that and close out the Odinson's original series of tales.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Essential Rawhide Kid, Volume 1

Though I am very much a bit of a city mouse, I do have some down-home roots. I spent many a summer working on my grandparents' farm. I've run barefoot in fields and creeks. And I have a fondness for a good country western story. 

Legendary writer Louis L'amour is a good go-to for such a need. But when you don't have time to sit down and read a lengthy adventure tale, you can't go wrong with the Western comics of Marvel! 

This volume collects issues #17-35 of the Silver Age adventures of the Rawhide Kid. Retooled from a fledgling 1950s cowpoke who was pretty forgettable, this iteration of the character is a rough-and-tumble loner who's not quite a teen anymore but barely a man. 

After the death of his adoptive father-figure, the Rawhide Kid travels the Old West in search of peace and quiet. But more often than not, the Kid runs afoul of varmints, Indians and gunslingers looking to make a name for themselves. As the Rawhide Kid leaves his mark of Justice and fairness on the cities and towns of the Western frontier, his legend grows...

These stories were crafted by a group of legends in their own right. Stan Lee crafted all of the tales in this book. Jack Kirby penciled all except the last 2 or 3 issues of this book. His work is adeptly inked by Dick Ayers. Finishing out this volume is Jack Davis. Known for his work on the EC Comics of the 1950s, Davis adds a whimsical flare to the Rawhide Kid.

Each reprinted issue features an extra Western tale that often ends with an EC Comics style twist ending. More often than not, the hero's of these adventures turn out to be legends such as Doc Holiday, or----uh,uh,uh! SPOILERS!

These issues also had a prose story. These 2-pagers were early 60's postal requirements for comic books to maintain their status as first-rate mail. They're actually pretty good reads but they're anonymous. Stan Lee got his chops in the comic book industry penning such tales in the pages of Captain America in the 1940s. He might have wrote some of these epics. Or someone else might have got their unsung start writing them. I just don't know.

On at least 3 occasions, stories are retold. It's interesting seeing Stan and Jack remake their own works. (Davis retools one Rawhide yarn as well with Stan's able pen.) But where Western stories that hard to think up? Obviously, this wasn't one of Stan Lee's most verbose titles as the words 'owlhoot' and 'hombre' were used to mind-numbing effect and there's quite a bit of poor vocabulary and grammar spoken on the rustic plains.

With the Rawhide Kid just wanting to be left alone, I'm wondering if this comic book was the inspiration for another Marvel creation- the Incredible Hulk! Coincidentally, the first appearances of the Hulk are advertised frequently in the pages of this book. Should the Rawhide Kid have been a forefather to the big green machine, it would add all that much more to the mystique of that all encompassing world known as the Marvel Universe that was brilliantly brought to use by Stan the Man and Jack the King!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars!

Sadly, only one volume was ever 

Essential Doctor Strange, Volume 1

For a fan of horror comics, I am considered a bit of an outsider. I have no problem with ghost stories and tales of the macabre- or monsters. But when you get into witchcraft, demons and spells, I tend to shy away. That's one reason that you don't see a lot of Doctor Strange or Hellblazer on this blog. 

So why am I reading Doctor Strange now? The answer is easy with just 2 words:

Benedict Cumberbatch!

I love this actor. I adore him in Sherlock. I thought he was perfect in The Hobbit trilogy as the dragon Smaug. Heck, I could watch him read the phone book. 

The British actor's portrayal of the Sorcerer Supreme has made Doctor Strange one of my top 3 favorite Marvel movies of all-time. And it's piqued my interest in reading up on the earliest exploits of Stephen Strange.

It also greatly helps that the majority of the stories written and illustrated in this book are by some of my all-time favs as well- Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Together, they wove an intricate foundation of magic and wonder into the Marvel universe. and I loved every panel of it!

From legendary villains such as Dormammu and Baron Mordo to lesser known baddies such as random street thugs, if someone was misusing the mystic arts, Doctor Strange was there to restore order. 

As with all good things, both Stan Lee and Ditko would eventually depart the series. But a bunch of legends in their own right took over the mantle as creators with varying degrees of success. Roy Thomas was a Stan the Man clone; whereas Denny O'Neil showed little glimpses of the that eerie supernatural touch that he'd later bring to DC in the pages of Batman. I was a bit disappointed with former EC crew member Marie Severin's artwork. It was too static. But I loved the art deco touch of the 1930s brought about with the pen strokes of Bill Everett (The Sub-Mariner). It's literally unsung brilliance in the annals of great Doctor Strange talent.

Like a lot of comics from this era, I am now hooked. I really want to get my hands on volume 2 as it has issues 3-14 of the very expensive Marvel Premiere run of Strange stories that I need to complete that collection. As a penny-pinching collector, I count reprints as part of a run because for me, it's more important to be able to read and enjoy the entire story as opposed to owning issues. And this volume collects some of the most amazingly entertaining supernatural tales ever told!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Essential Marvel Two-In-One Volume 4

Volume four completes my run of Marvel Two-In-One. This early 80s series starring the Thing of the Fantastic Four was really entertaining and by the end of this book, I was sad to see ol' Ben Grimm go.

Featuring stories starring some very familiar and some quite obscure guest stars. Just about every story was a winner. Bill Mantlo and Tom DeFalco got very creative in these stories almost exclusively penciled by Ron Wilson.

Some highlights:

The Thing is laid-up in a hospital bed. Mr. Fantastic is fearful that some of the FF's enemies might take advantage of Grimm's grim condition and attack him. As the superhero community goes to visit Thing, they intercept the baddies until there's a massive battle royale outside the hospital!

The Thing and his nephew Franklin Richards are having a fun day together at the local arcade. There, the two meet a video game programmer who accidentally takes The Thing to an alien world that seems an awful lot like the video game he and Franklin were just playing.

Lastly, in a moving story, The Thing and his arch-enemy The Sandman bond over brews while Flint Marko reveals his secret origin. Will this be a crucial turning point for a villain on the edge?

I really enjoyed both this series and this volume. The biggest problem for a few of the stories was the endings. I think the writers had so many ideas that they ran out of space to give a couple adventures adequate endings. On at least several occasions, the fighting lasts until the very last page. If the story was to end on a cliffhanger, that would be one thing. But most of the stories were one-and-done issues.

Great fun, awesome art, and exciting ideas and character. Just a little bit rough on the total plotting.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Essential Marvel Two-In-One, Volume 3

The team-up adventures of the Fantastic Four's Blue-Eyed Benjamin Grimm continue in the pages of Essential Marvel Two-In-One, Volume 3. 

This book begins with a massive story about The Thing becoming a security adviser at Project Pegasus. The Marvel equivalent of Project Cadmus, The Thing teams with a number of superheroes such as Quasar and Goliath as an odd assortment of villains try to break in and out of the research center.

After his tenure at Pegasus is complete, Grimm teams with an assortment of characters from the Marvel Universe including the Avengers, the Howling Commandos, and the original Guardians of the Galaxy. That last crossover will result in a strain in the relationship of the Thing and his gal pal Alicia Masters. Thus, the last third of the book gets a little sappy. 

Featuring Tom DeFalco, Chris Claremont, John Byrne, George Perez, and many more from the Marvel Bullpen, this was an great collection of issues from the late 70s rolling into the early 80s despite the corny lost love angle. Fans should really study the Claremont and Byrne issues as they highlight the gelling partnership between the duo that would most redefine the X-Men to become the most popular superhero group for a generation. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars. 

Essential Marvel Team-Up Volume 4

Another collection of Spider-man team-ups with some of the best, brightest, and most unusual characters in the Marvel Universe. (The Adam Warlock/ Strangers tale might be one of the best cosmic stories that I've ever read!) It may not seem like much, this volume. But, this is perhaps one of the most important collections of Marvel Team-Ups ever put together. 

Volume 3 includes the some of the first ever appearances of Iron Fist, the Giant-Sized X-Men, the villain Arcade, and the first American appearance of Captain Britain. A number of these issues are the first ever pairing of writer Chris Claremont and artist John Byrne, right before their lengthy partnership on X-Men. If anything else, this book also opened me up to a slew of issues and reprints that I didn't know I wanted until now, including the ultra-rare Essential Marvel Team-Up Volume 4.

There's a wealth of great Spider-man stories in this volume. But there's one noticeable omission, Marvel Team-Up #74 in which Spidey teams up with the Cast of Saturday Night Life. Due to licensing agreements, that issue could not be reprinted. But that's okay, as a very long time ago I bit the bullet and bought that classic issue for about $15- and it was worth every penny!

Along with Claremont and Bryne, there's a ton of great talent in this book including Bill Mantlo (Rom: Spaceknight), Sal Buscema, and Ralph Macchio. 

A collection that should not be overlooked just because it's in black and white.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Essential Rampaging Hulk, Volume 2

I was sorely disappointed with this volume. I loved volume 1. It was a recap of the Hulk’s earliest adventures mixed in with the exotic alien artist Bareet. Her and her cosmic magic bag of tricks were a delight as she sought the Hulk and Rick Jones’ help to defeat a hideous race of invading aliens. Sadly, Bareet was written out of this magazine after it was decided to make Rampaging Hulk more like the hit live action television show starring Bill Bixby.

Since the series was written and published as a magazine, it wasn’t subject to the Comics Code. So, some more adult themes were up for grabs in this book. For example, in one story, Bruce Banner takes refuge at a Manhattan Y, he’s nearly gang raped by a pair of homosexuals. In another story, Banner juggles an abused drug addict and a suicidal single mother. There’s some very frank story lines in this volume that you wouldn’t have seen in a normal 48 page monthly. It’s just really weird to see such mature themes in a 70's comic dealt with such grittiness. Did Martin Scorsese craft these?

The biggest thing this volume has going for it is the art. The magazine was originally published in stark black and white. It made for some fantastic experiments with shadow. Graphite has never come in so many shades.

But while the art clearly benefits from the black and white of both the original format and the newsprint reprinting, one areas that was overlooked was the lettering. I’m not sure how it looked back in 1981, but using dark letters on a charcoal gray shaded letter box is very hard to read in a black and white reprint. Why the editors at Marvel did not retouch these is beyond me. But it also meant that several stories were difficult to follow as the lettering was unreadable.

Speaking of editing, in the next to last story, I found a big typo. A woman who picks Bruce up in her truck refers to both her betrothed and her new suitor with the same name. However, the new paramour’s name was referred to just a couple of panels earlier as a different name. I bet if I had found this when the magazine was originally, I would have won a coveted Stan Lee ‘No Prize” which was a honorary accolade given to astute Marvel Comics readers back in the day.

I did enjoy reading this volume. The art is some of my favorite in all of my years of reading comics. Yet with it’s new format of no holds barred material and poor lettering, this wasn’t as good as volume 1. Things did pick up towards the later issues, but the series was cancelled before these improvements were implemented to win back readership. Oh, well.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Essential Marvel: The Rampaging Hulk, Volume 1

The Hulk's face looks like my grandmother's when she'd get mad.
She'd get mad a lot!

Think about popular super heroes and the volume of titles out about them. Superman has Action Comics, Superman, Superman/ Batman, Superman/ Wonder Woman, and appears in the pages of Justice League of America. Spider-man, Batman, Wolverine, and countless other fan favorites appear in several different titles every month. Now think about the Hulk. He’s been a pretty popular dude for a very long time, but until very recently, he only appeared in the pages of Incredible Hulk and the occasional mini-series.

I remember reading Incredible Hulk as a kid and I thought that was really the only series to star the Green Goliath (brief membership in the Avengers and his quasi-membership status in the Defenders excluded.) I’ve been reading comics for 33 years now and I’ve come to be considered to friends and family as an expert on the subject. So imagine my surprise when I came across a used copy of this book a few months back. Rampaging Hulk- what is that?

My first thought was that these was a collection of the Hulks greatest rampages. Instead, this was a magazine format black and white edition published in the late 70s. The idea for the book was in relation to the live action Hulk series starring the late Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. These adventures of the Hulk take place during the first 6 issues of the Hulk published all the way back in 1963. It was meant to be a slightly more adult reader for people who loved the TV show but had never read the comic before. The only difference was the addition of a 3-fingered alien artist named Bereet and her bag of assorted gizmos, who enlisted the Hulks aid in defeating her alien brethren who sought to conquer the earth.

Apparently, the mag was more popular with comic book fans than new readers and after 9 issues the title and the format of the publication changed. Instead of providing an altered history of the Hulk and the early days of the Marvel Age of Comics, fans clamored for a comic that was similar to the live action series. Gone was the word “Rampaging,” as was Bereet, her brutal alien race, and one time sidekick to the Hulk, Rick Jones. Now, Robert Bruce Banner travelled the by-ways of the US, seeking solitude and solace from the one thing he can never outrun- the Hulk!

These new format tales have Banner finding work where he can find it, and usually he ends up finding corruption too. Thus as he tries to make things right, he ends up becoming the Hulk and doing a lot of destruction. Why nobody wonders why this wanderer comes to town and winds up shirtless and in purple pants after the Hulk rampages is beyond me. If I was to track down the Hulk, I would put an APB out for stores that have recently sold a large quantity of stretchable purple pants. Find the guy buying the purple pants, find the Hulk. Problem solved!

Anyway, I liked this series- both formats. I think the reboot was imaginative and I liked the newer tales that reflected the TV show. Some of those tales tackle child abuse, nuclear waste, and race. It’s like Marvel’s answer to the relevant comics of DC, such as Green Arrow/ Green Lantern, just about 7 years too late. There’s a second volume and I am on the hunt for it. I liked what I read and saw. Though I think the Ramping Hulk artwork is far more superior than that of the later issues. The early stuff has fantastic shading and looks very artistic. The later stuff is very clean but is what I would expect out of the comic book. Either way, the entire series is a fantastic read and very much worth consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Essential Thor, Vol. 4

Volume 4 of Essential Thor is epic. Reprinting the Fall of Asgard, Thor’s reunion with Jane Foster, and Asgard’s ultimate battle with Eternity culminating with Thor’s attempt to escape Hades with the mother of all hide & seek games- you can see a lot of the works that influenced Kenneth Branagh when directing 2011’s Thor.

One reason for the magnitude of the stories is perhaps because this volume covers the final issues penned by Thor creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. It’s a fantastic volume that has me on edge for volume 5 and cementing Thor as one of my all-time favorite comic books!

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.