Marvel Masterworks
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Marvel Masterworks is a collection of hardcover, full-color comic book reprints published by Marvel Comics, featuring various series in chronological order.
The collection started in 1987 with volumes reprinting the first issues of The Amazing Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, The X-Men, and The Avengers, and the first several of the feature "The Mighty Thor" in Journey into Mystery. Approximately 10 issues are reprinted in each volume, which as of 2006 number over 70 volumes. The line has expanded from such reprints of the 1960s period that fans and historians call the Silver Age of Comic Books to include the 1930s-1940s Golden Age; comics of Marvel's 1950s forerunner, Atlas Comics; and even some reprints from the 1970s period called the Bronze Age of Comic Books.
There is also a black-and-white trade paperback line, Essential Marvel Comics, with approximately 25 comics per volume, and the full-color, oversized, hardcover Omnibuses line, each volume of which reprints the equivalent of three to four Masterworks.
Rival DC Comics began publishing its similar DC Archive Editions two years later, though because DC has produced new volumes more consistently, about twice as many Archives are available as Masterworks.
Contents |
[edit] History
The first Masterworks program from Marvel started in 1987 and continued until 1994, covering 27 volumes, sometimes called "The Original 27".[citation needed] Each volume, which carried a suggested retail price of approximately US$50, had a marble-look dustjacket of varying colours, and was printed with a number on its spine representing the order in which the volumes were released; The Amazing Spider-Man: Vol. 1 was #1, The Fantastic Four: Vol. 1 was #2, and so on. Volumes typically contained 10 issues plus any annuals, and were about 220-260 pages each. Some volumes had fewer pages, such as Iron Man: Vol. 1 (197 pages), The Incredible Hulk: Vol. 1 (150 pages), and Uncanny X-Men: Vol. 1-3 (each under 200 pages) and carried a US$10 lower suggested retail price to compensate.
Some volumes have had multiple printings, such as The Amazing Spider-Man: Vol. 1, with six.[citation needed]
Also during the original Marvel Masterworks run, between 1992-1993, Marvel Comics also published lower-priced trade paperback editions of selected volumes in the Masterworks line, but these versions only reprinted half of the contents compared to the hardcover editions (at 5 to 6 issues collected only). These were:
- Amazing Spider-Man Masterworks (March 1992) -reprints Amazing Fantasy #15 and Amazing Spider-Man #1-5 (ISBN 0-87135-902-2)
- Avengers Masterworks (October 1993) -reprints Avengers #1-5 (ISBN 0-87135-983-9)
- Uncanny X-Men Masterworks (March 1993) -reprints The Uncanny X-Men #1-5 (ISBN 0-87135-964-2)
- The All-New, All Different X-Men Masterworks Volume 1 (Aug. 1993) -reprints Giant-Size X-Men #1 and The Uncanny X-Men #94-97 (ISBN 0-87135-988-X)
Even though on the cover each book was labeled a 'Volume 1', no subsequent volumes were ever published for these trade paperbacks. Marvel would not try out trade paperback versions of the Masterworks again until 2002 (see farther below).
From 1994-1996, no new Masterworks were published and existing volumes did not go back to print.[citation needed] Following this, from 1997 to 2002, some of the original 27 went back into print with a new style of dustjacket and without the chronological numbering on the spine; instead, the line used the number of the volume for each particular comic-book series. Additionally, four new Masterworks were published from 2000 to 2002, bringing the total to 31.
With The Sub-Mariner: Vol. 1, the 32nd Masterwork, Marvel relaunched the line with silver dustjackets. Like the other releases from 1997-on, these dustjackets do not have the chronological numbering. Upon their initial release, however, a limited print run was produced with variant dustjackets that used the original marble-look style and retained the absolute chronological numbering. These carried a higher suggested retail price of approximately US$45 and US$55, depending on page count.
In 2002, Marvel partnered with Barnes & Noble to produce lower-priced trade paperback versions of selected Masterworks volumes. Twelve were produced, sans dustjacket, and utilizing the silver cover scheme.
From 2002 to 2004, Marvel brought the 32 now-out-of-print volumes back into print, all with the new silver dustjackets and a limited number of variant, marble-look dustjackets in the style of the originals. Some changes were made for this edition, with some issue / covers recolored, previously unreprinted pin-up pages added, and some issues were moved between volumes (Annual issues were amongst the changes made, as Marvel wants to do a more accurate chronological reprinting of their history thru the Masterworks series).
Starting with the 33rd volume, The Amazing Spider-Man: Vol. 6 (April 2004), Marvel started producing new Masterworks once again, continuing in September 2004 with Fantastic Four: Vol. 7
[edit] Golden Age Masterworks
In October 2004, Marvel released its first Golden Age collection, Golden Age Marvel Comics: Vol. 1, launching a new line of Masterworks. This 1939 and 1940s line reprinting Timely Comics, Marvel's Golden Age predecessor, line is differentiated from the 1960s Silver Age line by the words "Golden Age" on each title, and with the regular dustjacket colored gold rather than silver. From Golden Age Captain America: Vol. 1 (February 2005), these volumes have been released quarterly.
[edit] Atlas Era Masterworks
In January 2006, with Atlas Era Tales to Astonish: Vol. 1, Marvel began publishing a third line of Masterworks, reprinting 1950s and early 1960s comics of forerunner company Atlas Comics. These volumes each have red dustjackets instead of silver. The reprints, originally produced during a lull in superheroes' popularity, are primarily science-fiction / fantasy stories, particularly featuring drive-in movie-style monsters. Marvel announced that the Alas Era Masterworks volumes would be published semi-annually.
[edit] Cover-style gallery
Below are the various types of covers used in the Marvel Masterworks line, with The Amazing Spider-Man: Vol. 1 as example.
 First/Variant Edition Front Cover |
 First/Variant Edition Back Cover |
 Second Edition Front Cover |
 Second Edition Back Cover |
 Third Edition Front Cover |
 Third Edition Back Cover |
 Barnes & Noble Paperback Edition Front Cover |
 Barnes & Noble Paperback Edition Back Cover |
[edit] Alphabetical list
Golden Age
- All-Winners: Vol. 1-2
- Captain America: Vol. 1
- Human Torch: Vol. 1
- Marvel Comics: Vol. 1-2
- Sub-Mariner: Vol. 1
- USA Comics: Vol. 1
Atlas Era
- Heroes: Vol. 1
- Tales of Suspense: Vol. 1
- Tales to Astonish: Vol. 1
Marvel Comics
- The Amazing Spider-Man: Vol. 1-8
- Ant-Man/Giant-Man: Vol. 1
- The Avengers: Vol. 1-6
- Captain America: Vol. 1-3
- Captain Marvel: Vol. 1
- Daredevil: Vol. 1-4
- Doctor Strange: Vol. 1-3
- The Fantastic Four: Vol. 1-10
- The Human Torch: Vol. 1
- The Incredible Hulk: Vol. 1-3
- The Invincible Iron Man: Vol. 1-4
- The Mighty Thor: Vol. 1-5
- The Rawhide Kid: Vol. 1
- Sgt. Fury: Vol. 1
- The Silver Surfer: Vol. 1-2
- The Sub-Mariner: Vol. 1
- Warlock: Vol. 1
- The Uncanny X-Men: Vol. 1-5
- The X-Men: Vol. 1-6
[edit] Table of Marvel Masterworks
This list is sorted by the order of first publication. Note that while the Uncanny X-Men volumes are from the Bronze Age of comic books, they are listed as being Silver Age as per Marvel's categorization. When the variant- and the regular-cover volume are published on different dates, the regular-edition date or scheduled publishing date is listed. When issues have been moved between volumes for later editions, the later-edition placement is listed. The 'B&N?' category asks as to whether a Barnes & Noble paperback is available or not. The ISBN listed is that of the last-published regular/silver editions.
The Table
| Age/Era | Volume Name | Issues Collected | 1st Edition | 2nd Edition | Pages | B&N? | ISBN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Silver | The Amazing Spider-Man: Vol. 1 | Amazing Fantasy #15, The Amazing Spider-Man #1-10 | November 1987 | 9 July 2003 | 248 | Yes | ISBN 0-7851-1256-1 |
| 2 | Silver | The Fantastic Four: Vol. 1 | The Fantastic Four #1-10 | November 1987 | 29 June 2003 | 251 | Yes | ISBN 0-7851-1181-6 |
| 3 | Silver | The X-Men: Vol. 1 | The X-Men #1-10 | November 1987 | 21 June 2003 | 241 | Yes | ISBN 0-7851-0845-9 |
| 4 | Silver | The Avengers: Vol. 1 | The Avengers #1-10 | September 1988 | 1 October 2003 | 216 | Yes | ISBN 0-7851-0883-1 |
| 5 | Silver | The Amazing Spider-Man: Vol. 2 | The Amazing Spider-Man #1-19, Annual #1 | October 1988 | 27 August 2003 | 248 | Yes | ISBN 0-7851-1256-1 |
| 6 | Silver | The Fantastic Four: Vol. 2 | The Fantastic Four #11-20, Annual #1 | October 1988 | 30 July 2003 | 295 | No | ISBN 0-7851-0980-3 |
| 7 | Silver | The X-Men: Vol. 2 | The X-Men #11-21 | November 1988 | 9 July 2003 | 240 | No | ISBN 0-7851-0983-8 |
| 8 | Silver | The Incredible Hulk: Vol. 1 | The Incredible Hulk #1-6 | September 1989 | 7 May 2003 | 150 | Yes | ISBN 0-7851-1185-9 |
| 9 | Silver | The Avengers: Vol. 2 | The Avengers #11-20 | September 1989 | 3 December 2003 | 224 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1178-6 |
| 10 | Silver | The Amazing Spider-Man: Vol. 3 | The Amazing Spider-Man #20-30, Annual #2 | October 1989 | 15 October 2003 | 261 | Yes | ISBN 0-7851-1188-3 |
| 11 | Silver | The Uncanny X-Men: Vol. 1 | Giant-Size X-Men #1, The X-Men #94-100 | November 1989 | 12 November 2003 | 167 | Yes | ISBN 0-7851-1192-1 |
| 12 | Silver | The Uncanny X-Men: Vol. 2 | The X-Men #101-110 | August 1990 | 7 January 2004 | 181 | Yes | ISBN 0-7851-1193-X |
| 13 | Silver | The Fantastic Four: Vol. 3 | The Fantastic Four #21-30 | September 1990 | 24 September 2003 | 234 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1182-4 |
| 14 | Silver | Captain America: Vol. 1 | Tales of Suspense #59-81 | October 1990 | 4 June 2003 | 272 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1176-X |
| 15 | Silver | The Silver Surfer: Vol. 1 | The Silver Surfer #1-6, The Fantastic Four Annual #5 | June 1991 | 18 June 2003 | 260 | Yes | ISBN 0-7851-1187-5 |
| 16 | Silver | The Amazing Spider-Man: Vol. 4 | The Amazing Spider-Man #31-40, Annual #2 | August 1991 | 10 December 2003 | 216 | Yes | ISBN 0-7851-1189-1 |
| 17 | Silver | Daredevil: Vol. 1 | Daredevil #1-11 | September 1991 | 10 December 2003 | 256 | Yes | ISBN 0-7851-1257-X |
| 18 | Silver | The Mighty Thor: Vol. 1 | Journey Into Mystery #83-100 | October 1991 | 16 July 2003 | 280 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1267-7 |
| 19 | Silver | The Silver Surfer: Vol. 2 | The Silver Surfer #7-18 | December 1991 | 20 August 2003 | 272 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1177-8 |
| 20 | Silver | The Invincible Iron Man: Vol. 1 | Tales of Suspense #39-50 | September 1992 | 5 November 2003 | 197 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1186-7 |
| 21 | Silver | The Fantastic Four: Vol. 4 | The Fantastic Four #31-40, Annual #2 | November 1992 | 26 November 2003 | 264 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1183-2 |
| 22 | Silver | The Amazing Spider-Man: Vol. 5 | The Amazing Spider-Man #41-50, Annual #3 | December 1992 | 18 February 2004 | 232 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1190-5 |
| 23 | Silver | Doctor Strange: Vol. 1 | Strange Tales #110-111, 114-141 | December 1992 | 6 August 2003 | 272 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1180-8 |
| 24 | Silver | The Uncanny X-Men: Vol. 3 | The X-Men #111-121 | September 1993 | 10 March 2004 | 197 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1194-8 |
| 25 | Silver | The Fantastic Four: Vol. 5 | The Fantastic Four #41-50, Annual #3 | October 1993 | 28 January 2004 | 197 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1184-0 |
| 26 | Silver | The Mighty Thor: Vol. 2 | Journey Into Mystery #101-110 | January 1994 | 10 September 2003 | 218 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1191-3 |
| 27 | Silver | The Avengers: Vol. 3 | The Avengers #21-30 | February 1994 | 4 February 2004 | 216 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1179-4 |
| 28 | Silver | The Fantastic Four: Vol. 6 | The Fantastic Four #51-60, Annual #4 | 25 October 2000 | 17 March 2004 | 240 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1266-9 |
| 29 | Silver | Daredevil: Vol. 2 | Daredevil #12-21 | 17 October 2001 | 25 February 2004 | 224 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1265-0 |
| 30 | Silver | The Mighty Thor: Vol. 3 | Journey Into Mystery #111-120, Annual #1 | 14 November 2001 | 19 November 2003 | 256 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1268-5 |
| 31 | Silver | The X-Men: Vol. 3 | The X-Men #22-31 | ??? 2002 | 4 September 2003 | 224 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1269-3 |
| 32 | Silver | The Sub-Mariner: Vol. 1 | Tales to Astonish #70-87 | 1 May 2002 | 14 January 2003 | 224 | No | ISBN 0-7851-0875-0 |
| 33 | Silver | The Amazing Spider-Man: Vol. 6 | The Amazing Spider-Man #51-61, Annual #4 | 27 April 2004 | N/A | 304 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1362-2 |
| 34 | Silver | The Fantastic Four: Vol. 7 | The Fantastic Four #61-71, Annual #5 | 25 August 2004 | N/A | 304 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1584-6 |
| 35 | Silver | The X-Men: Vol. 4 | The X-Men #32-42 | 22 September 2004 | N/A | 240 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1607-9 |
| 36 | Golden | Golden Age Marvel Comics: Vol. 1 | Marvel Comics #1, Marvel Mystery Comics #1-4 | 20 October 2004 | N/A | 272 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1609-5 |
| 37 | Silver | The Uncanny X-Men: Vol. 4 | The X-Men #122-131, Annual #3 | 27 October 2004 | N/A | 224 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1630-3 |
| 38 | Silver | The Avengers: Vol. 4 | The Avengers #31-40 | 10 November 2004 | N/A | 224 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1638-9 |
| 39 | Silver | The Incredible Hulk: Vol. 2 | Tales to Astonish #59-79 | 29 December 2004 | N/A | 266 | No | ISBN 0785107959 |
| 40 | Silver | The Uncanny X-Men: Vol. 5 | The X-Men #132-140, Annual #4, Bizarre Adventures #27, Phoenix: The Untold Story #1 | 19 January 2005 | N/A | 312 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1698-2 |
| 41 | Silver | Daredevil: Vol. 3 | Daredevil #22-32, Annual #1 | 16 February 2005 | N/A | 304 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1696-6 |
| 42 | Silver | The Fantastic Four: Vol. 8 | The Fantastic Four #72-81, Annual #6 | 16 March 2005 | N/A | 272 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1694-X |
| 43 | Golden | Golden Age Captain America: Vol. 1 | Captain America Comics #1-4 | 23 March 2005 | N/A | 264 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1619-2 |
| 44 | Silver | The Amazing Spider-Man: Vol. 7 | The Amazing Spider-Man #62-67, Annual #5, The Spectacular Spider-Man (Magazine) #1-2 | 27 April 2005 | N/A | 320 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1636-2 |
| 45 | Silver | The Invincible Iron Man: Vol. 2 | Tales of Suspense #51-65 | 25 May 2005 | N/A | 240 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1771-7 |
| 46 | Silver | Captain America: Vol. 2 | Tales of Suspense #82-99, Captain America #100 | 29 June 2005 | N/A | 240 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1785-7 |
| 47 | Golden | Golden Age Sub-Mariner: Vol. 1 | Sub-Mariner Comics #1-4 | 22 June 2005 | N/A | 280 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1617-6 |
| 48 | Silver | The X-Men: Vol. 5 | The X-Men #43-53, The Avengers #53, Ka-Zar #2-3, Marvel Tales #30 | 13 July 2005 | N/A | 304 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1787-3 |
| 49 | Silver | Dr. Strange: Vol. 2 | Strange Tales #142-168 | 14 September 2005 | N/A | 304 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1737-7 |
| 50 | Silver | Captain Marvel: Vol. 1 | Marvel Super Heroes #12-13, Captain Marvel #1-9 | 21 September 2005 | N/A | 240 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1178-6 |
| 51 | Golden | Golden Age Human Torch: Vol. 1 | Human Torch #2-5A | 26 October 2005 | N/A | 280 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1624-9 |
| 52 | Silver | The Mighty Thor: Vol. 4 | Journey Into Mystery #121-125, The Mighty Thor #126-130 | 9 November 2005 | N/A | 240 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1880-2 |
| 53 | Silver | The Fantastic Four: Vol. 9 | The Fantastic Four #82-93, Annual #7 | 23 November 2005 | N/A | 272 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1846-2 |
| 54 | Silver | The Avengers: Vol. 5 | The Avengers #41-50, Annual #1 | 21 December 2005 | N/A | 288 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1848-9 |
| 55 | Golden | Golden Age All-Winners Comics: Vol. 1 | All-Winners Comics #1-4 | 28 December 2005 | N/A | 253 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1884-5 |
| 56 | Silver | The Incredible Hulk: Vol. 3 | Tales to Astonish #80-101, The Incredible Hulk #102 | 18 January 2006 | N/A | 288 | No | ISBN 0-7851-2032-7 |
| 57 | Atlas | Atlas Era Tales to Astonish: Vol. 1 | Tales to Astonish #1-10 | 25 January 2006 | N/A | 272 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1889-6 |
| 58 | Silver | Sgt. Fury: Vol. 1 | Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #1-13 | 15 February 2006 | N/A | 320 | No | ISBN 0-7851-2039-4 |
| 59 | Silver | Ant-Man/Giant-Man: Vol. 1 | Tales to Astonish #27, 35-52 | 15 March 2006 | N/A | 288 | No | ISBN 0-7851-2039-4 |
| 60 | Golden | Golden Age Marvel Comics: Vol. 2 | Marvel Mystery Comics #5-8 | 29 March 2006 | N/A | 272 | No | ISBN 0-7851-1609-5 |
| 61 | Silver | The X-Men: Vol. 6 | The X-Men #54-66 | 26 April 2006 | N/A | 320 | No | ISBN 0-7851-2056-4 |
| 62 | Silver | The Fantastic Four: Vol. 10 | The Fantastic Four #94-104 | 24 May 2006 | N/A | 272 | No | ISBN 0-7851-2061-0 |
| 63 | Silver | The Rawhide Kid: Vol. 1 | The Rawhide Kid #17-25 | June 2006 | N/A | 256 | No | ISBN 0-7851-2117-X |
| 64 | Silver | Captain America: Vol. 3 | Captain America #101-113 | July 2006 | N/A | 288 | No | ISBN 0-7851-2063-7 |
| 65 | Silver | The Invincible Iron Man: Vol. 3 | Tales of Suspense #66-83, Tales to Astonish #82 | 23 August 2006 | N/A | 256 | No | ISBN 0-7851-2067-X |
| 66 | Silver | The Human Torch: Vol. 1 | Strange Tales #101-117, Annual #2 | 20 September 2006 | N/A | 272 | No | ISBN 0-7851-2070-X |
| 67 | Silver | The Amazing Spider-Man: Vol. 8 | The Amazing Spider-Man #68-77, Marvel Super-Heroes #14 | 11 October 2006 | N/A | 240 | No | ISBN 0-7851-2074-2 |
| 68 | Atlas | Atlas Era Tales of Suspense: Vol. 1 | Tales of Suspense #1-10 | 25 October 2006 | N/A | 272 | No | ISBN 0-7851-2406-3 |
| 69 | Silver | The Mighty Thor: Vol. 5 | The Mighty Thor #131-140, Annual #2 | 22 November 2006 | N/A | 256 | No | ISBN 0-7851-2076-9 |
| 70 | Silver | The Avengers: Vol. 6 | The Avengers #51-58, Annual #2, The X-Men #45 | 13 December 2006 | N/A | 256 | No | ISBN 0-7851-2079-3 |
| 71 | Golden | Golden Age All-Winners: Vol. 2 | All-Winners Comics #5-8 | 28 December 2006 | N/A | 280 | No | ISBN 0-7581-2406-3 |
| 72 | Silver | Warlock: Vol. 1 | Marvel Premiere #1-2, Warlock #1-8, The Incredible Hulk #176-178 | 10 January 2007 | N/A | 288 | No | ISBN 0-7851-2411-X |
| 73 | Atlas | Atlas Era Heroes: Vol. 1 | Marvel Boy #1-2, Astonishing #3-6, Young Men #24-28 | 24 January 2007 | N/A | 304 | No | ISBN 0-7851-2408-X |
| 74 | Silver | Daredevil: Vol. 4 | Daredevil #33-41, The Fantastic Four #73 | 28 February 2007 | N/A | 224 | No | ISBN 0-7851-2072-6 |
| 75 | Silver | Doctor Strange: Vol. 3 | Doctor Strange #169-179, The Avengers #61 | 14 March 2007 | N/A | 256 | No | ISBN 0-7851-2410-1 |
| 76 | Golden | Golden Age USA Comics: Vol. 1 | U.S.A. Comics #1-4 | 28 March 2007 | N/A | 280 | No | ISBN 0-7851-2478-0 |
| 77 | Silver | The Invincible Iron Man: Vol. 4 | Tales of Suspense #84-99, Iron Man & Sub-Mariner #1, The Invincible Iron Man #1 | April 2007 | N/A | 256 | No | ISBN 0-7851-2678-3 |
