Monthly Archives: April 2010

Pair of upcoming reprints from Marvel.  The Marvel Masterworks THOR v9 finishes up Kirby’s classic run on the character, including a few very nice Bill Everett inked issues.  This will be the first-ever colour reprint of most of these stories, and I think is pretty much the last Silver Age super-hero material from Kirby to appear in the Masterworks format (there’s still a lot of western, fantasy/sci-fi and romance stuff to go).

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MARVEL MASTERWORKS: THE MIGHTY THOR VOL. 9 HC
Written by STAN LEE
Penciled by JACK KIRBY, JOHN BUSCEMA & NEAL ADAMS
Cover by JACK KIRBY

The mountain giants are on the march! Surtur has broken free! Odin sleeps, while Loki has claimed the throne of Asgard! In short, all Ragnarok is about to break loose! Stan Lee and Jack Kirby bring you another set of adventures with all the power and majesty that one of comics’ most-famous runs can bring. Even across their many epics of the Eternal Realm, none can match the build-up and battle that Stan and Jack have for you in these pages! When the dust settles, Loki’s evil spells lead to a body-swap between the God of Thunder and his mischievous half-brother that brings Thor to the gates of hell. With Kirby backed by none other than comics legend Neal Adams, it’s a comic-art lover’s dream! Then Big John Buscema steps up to carry the hammer and wastes no time making history when Thor journeys to Latveria. It’s a fight for the ages, and you’ll witness Dr. Doom’s horrible face revealed to boot! Also featuring Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime, Ulik the Troll, the Crypto-Man, the cosmic Stranger and earth-shaking Abomination and Mephisto! It’s page after page of action and adventure in the manner that made Marvel a household name. Collecting THOR #173-183

240 PGS/All Ages …$54.99

ISBN: 978-0-7851-4220-1

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X-MEN: WE ARE THE X-MEN TPB

Written by STAN LEE, LEN WEIN, CHRIS CLAREMONT, JIM LEE, SCOTT LOBDELL, GRANT MORRISON & MIKE CAREY
Penciled by JACK KIRBY, DAVE COCKRUM, JOHN BYRNE, ALAN DAVIS, WALT SIMONSON, JOHN ROMITA JR, JIM LEE, FRANK QUITELY & GREG LAND

Cover by GREG LAND

Ever since Charles Xavier opened his school’s doors to the mutants of the world, his X-Men have welcomed those from all walks of life into their ranks! Collected here for the first time, see how your favorite mutants joined your favorite mutant team! Witness the initiations of Marvel Girl! Wolverine! Colossus! Nightcrawler! Banshee! Storm! Kitty Pryde! Rogue! Magneto! Gambit! Bishop! And Pixie! Featuring the threats of the Hellfire Club, Fenris, Fitzroy, the N’Garai and the Shadow King! Collecting X-MEN (1963) #1 & #129, GIANT-SIZE X-MEN #1, UNCANNY X-MEN #171, #200, #213, #267 & #287, NEW X-MEN (2001) #116 and FREE COMIC BOOK DAY: X-MEN 2008

272 PGS./Rated T+ …$24.99

ISBN: 978-0-7851-4914-9

Pair of major Kirby reprints in the latest solicitations.  Big news is of course the S&K SUPERHEROES book, with a lot of great material in 480 pages.  The 7.5×11 size is a bit smaller than the BEST OF S&K book, but bigger than the standard Marvel or DC reprint, the images should be close to their original golden age print size.  Most sources are still listing it as coming out later this year (October, it seems), but that’s subject to change, and if you’re planning to get it from a comic book store now is a good time to let them know you’re interested.  Page 315 of the April 2010 Previews, item APR101071.

And from Marvel, the Essential reprints get to Kirby’s 1970s run on CAPTAIN AMERICA, starting a few issues prior to his arrival and ending a few issues prior to his departure.  Man, if they had made previous volumes a little bit thicker this would be so much better as an all-Kirby volume, running right to his last issue.  Oh, well, still a good looking book if you don’t have the originals or the three volumes that reprint the stories in colour.  Includes the delightful Bicentennial Battles.

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THE SIMON AND KIRBY SUPERHEROES HC
(W) Joe Simon (A) Jack Kirby
Beginning with Blue Bolt in June 1940, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby set the standard for costumed heroes. Their creation Captain America, remains one of the most famous heroes in comic book history, and their work for Timely and DC Comics raised the bar. This volume introduces some of their most exciting characters: Fighting American, The Fly, Lancelot Strong, and the Hollywood swashbuckler known as Stuntman. Presenting the complete Fighting American, their first collaboration, “The Black Owl,” and Captain 3-D, lavishly restored and presented in full-color for the first time, this is the only edition authorized by both Joe Simon and the estate of Jack Kirby, gathered from the official Simon and Kirby archives. With an introduction from comics legend Neil Gaiman!

HC, 7.5×11, 480pgs, FC    SRP: $49.95

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ESSENTIAL CAPTAIN AMERICA VOL. 5 TPB
Written by JACK KIRBY, JOHN WARNER, TONY ISABELLA,
BILL MANTLO & MARV WOLFMAN
Penciled by JACK KIRBY & FRANK ROBBINS
Cover by JACK KIRBY

Captain America and the Falcon, two unlikely partners, united in battle against threats domestic, extraterrestrial, and extradimensional; evil psychiatrists, druids, and scientists; monsters, super-villains, and armies; and all the while balancing their love lives with Sharon Carter and Leila Davis! Featuring the threats of the Druid, the Alchemoid, Deadly Nightshade and her robot assassin, Stilt-Man, Dr. Faustus, the Secret Empire, the Night-People, and Agron! Plus, the first appearance of Karla Sofen, the future Moonstone and Ms. Marvel! And the mysterious Mister Buda leads Cap on a tour of the world’s wars!

Collecting CAPTAIN AMERICA (1968) #187-205, CAPTAIN AMERICA ANNUAL #3 and MARVEL TREASURY SPECIAL: CAPTAIN AMERICA’S BICENTENNIAL BATTLES.

480 PGS $19.99