Couple of upcoming Kirby reprints announced recently. The issues of MARVEL MYSTERY in the Masterworks edition has the first four Vision stories, a few never reprinted before. Looks like the current plan is for the softcover Masterworks to follow the release order of the hardcover series, running monthly, so expect two volumes each of FF, X-Men and Avengers and one of the Hulk in 2009. Not sure what’s in that Fantagraphics SUPERMEN book, a few things could qualify under the premise. And that reprint of Atlas in the back of a book of recent Superman stories is out of left field.

SUPERMAN: THE COMING OF ATLAS HC
Written by James Robinson and Jack Kirby
Art by Renado Guedes, Jack Kirby, Jose Wilson Magalhaes and D. Bruce Berry
Cover by Alex Ross

Titans clash in this first hardcover collection of SUPERMAN tales from fan-favorite writer James Robinson (STARMAN)! Featuring SUPERMAN #677-680, this is the battle to end all others as Superman faces off with Atlas, lost god of myth. And when Atlas stakes a claim on Metropolis, it’s up to Superman and Krypto to take Atlas down.

As a bonus, this collection also includes FIRST ISSUE SPECIAL #1, the 1975 tale by Jack “King” Kirby that introduced Atlas!

on sale April 8 – 128 pg, FC, $19.99 US

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: THE FANTASTIC FOUR VOL. 1 TPB
Written by STAN LEE
Penciled by JACK KIRBY
Covers by JACK KIRBY & DEAN WHITE

In 1961 Stan Lee and Jack Kirby lit the fuse on the greatest revolution in comic book history, the Marvel Age of Comics, and right here in the pages of The Fantastic Four, you can experience it from page one. With the space race, on Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, Sue Storm and Johnny Storm shoot for the stars, but after their craft is bombarded by cosmic rays, they return to Earth with the startling powers of the Fantastic Four! These weren’t just any super heroes, though, they were a realistic, relatable, bickering and loveable family that couldn’t float their rent and didn’t always enjoy their superpowers. So come join the Marvel Masterworks and witness the first appearance of such Marvel U. cornerstones as the Skrulls and Dr. Doom, the Sub-Mariner’s return, the debut of the Mole Man and his many monsters, Miracle Man, the Puppet Master and more! Collecting THE FANTASTIC FOUR #1-10.

272 PGS/All Ages …$24.99

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: GOLDEN AGE MARVEL COMICS VOL. 4 HC
Written by JOE SIMON, RAY GILL, ANDREW MCWHINEY & VARIOUS
Penciled by CARL BURGOS, BILL EVERETT, JACK KIRBY, PAUL GUSTAVSON, STEVE DAHLMAN, BOB OKSNER & BEN THOMPSON
Cover by ALEX SCHOMBURG

And now the flagship title of Marvel’s Golden Age REALLY heats up! From day one Marvel Comics brought you CarlBurgos’ blazing Human Torch and Bill Everett’s undersea powerhouse Sub-Mariner, but two of the Golden Age’s most thrilling characters just wasn’t enough for MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS–Enter, the Vision! Created by Timely’s titanic team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the Vision, burst into the Earthly world via Professor Enoch Mason’s dimension smasher and brought to MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS an eerie crime-noir serial that sealed the comic’s place at the very top of the Golden Age’s greatest! Joined by the crime-fighting Angel, boy-adventurer Terry Vance, the caterwauling science fiction tales of Electro, and Ka-Zar’s jungle action, there’s no comparison for variety and excitement, so celebrate Marvel’s 70th anniversary and reserve your copy today! Collecting MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS #13-16.
280 PGS/All Ages …$59.99

SUPERMEN! THE FIRST WAVE OF COMIC-BOOK HEROES (1939-41)
Edited by Greg Sadowski; Introduction by Jonathan Lethem

Of the 22 stories appearing in SUPERMEN! the vast majority haven’t seen print since first publication, including the notorious 1939 Wonder Man debut by Will Eisner. Wonder Man lasted one issue after a successful DC Comics lawsuit cited the similarity to its son of Krypton.

This lawsuit inspired more individual and offbeat approaches, and it’s on these mavericks and oddballs we focus this collection. The roster features such notables as Basil Wolverton, Jack Kirby, Jack Cole, Fletcher Hanks, Ogden Whitney, Lou Fine, Charles Biro, Fred Guardineer, and Dick Briefer. Fighting villainy is hard work and in SUPERMEN! it’s downright ruthless.

SC, 8 1/2 x 11, 176 pages, FC, $24.99