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Reading essential Marvel comics from 1961 and beyond.
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23 posts in this topic

Started reading the essential Marvel order listed on https://cmro.travis-starnes.com/essentials_order.php?list_type=2&page=1&limit=100 and thought to make a thread in case anyone else felt like following along. These were the first 15 I read:

November 1961 - Fantastic Four #1

January 1962 - Fantastic Four #2                  
                                
January 1962 - Tales to Astonish #27                  
                                
March 1962 - Fantastic Four #3                  

May 1962 - Fantastic Four #4                  
                                
May 1962 - Incredible Hulk #1                  
                                
July 1962 - Fantastic Four #5                  
                                
August 1962 - Amazing Fantasy #15                  
                                
August 1962 - Journey into Mystery #83                  
                            
September 1962 - Journey into Mystery #84

September 1962 - Tales to Astonish #35                  
                                
October 1962 - Journey into Mystery #85                  
                                
November 1962 - Strange Tales #102                  
                                
November 1962 - Fantastic Four #8                  
                                
December 1962 - Tales to Astonish #38

The biggest highlight for me was probably seeing the Fantastic Four attempting to stop Namor from destroying all of New York in Fantastic Four #4:

8byTJk7.jpg

Edited by Electricmastro
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6 minutes ago, shadroch said:

Nice idea for a thread. I don't see Strange Tales 101 on the list. Is the 102 a typo?

Missing some FF's, too.  I think the keyword is essentials.  As in a Reader's Digest Condensed Version (for those old enough to get the reference) :grin:  

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26 minutes ago, shadroch said:

Nice idea for a thread. I don't see Strange Tales 101 on the list. Is the 102 a typo?

Obviously what’s considered to be essential or not can get into subjective territory, but the list looked trustworthy enough to follow along with nonetheless. I used essentials for the sake of not dawdling too particularly long on each year, though I’m also not against others suggesting recommendations of what they personally feel is essential.

Edited by Electricmastro
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8 hours ago, steveinthecity said:

I was thinking Marvel Essentials, not “essential Marvels”. 
marvel_comics_essential_collection_15279

I thought the same thing.

Personal preference, but I like reading these larger runs rather than switching between individual issues of different titles, to see the character development and interlinking between the stories.

Much more complex narrative in Bronze Age material, but Lee had this approach at a simple level in some of the Silver books as well, more so than DCs at the time.

Edited by Ken Aldred
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30 minutes ago, Ken Aldred said:

I thought the same thing.

Personal preference, but I like reading these larger runs rather than switching between individual issues of different titles, to see the character development and interlinking between the stories.

Much more complex narrative in Bronze Age material, but Lee had this approach at a simple level in some of the Silver books as well, more so than DCs at the time.

Same here.  I mostly prefer to read in groups unless the story starts and wraps in the same issue.  Someone here mentioned a while back they sort their long boxes by month and year, and re-read in that fashion as one would have read off the racks back in the day and watch the Marvel Universe unfold and develop. Sounded like a neat idea, but I haven’t tried it since that very first time.

Edited by steveinthecity
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1 hour ago, silversufer27 said:

that list prob made a typo with strange tales 102 no way 102 is super important lol 

I suppose that depends how notable one considers the Frightful Four and their origins to be.

aCdytpc.jpg

Edited by Electricmastro
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In the late 1990s, Joe Koch offered a subscription service where you'd get the entire months books starting from 1965 up. Once a month you'd get low grade copies. One month would be the 8-10 Marvels from Jan 65, the next month you got Feb, and so on. You could also buy a years worth of a title in one shot. They weren't cheap and I could never get myself to subscribe, but thought it was a great idea.

I can't enjoy the B&W Essentials.  While occasionally art looks better in b&w, the lack of color ruins the over-all experience. I greatly prefer the Omni's  with their much larger color images.

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23 minutes ago, shadroch said:

I can't enjoy the B&W Essentials.  While occasionally art looks better in b&w, the lack of color ruins the over-all experience. I greatly prefer the Omni's  with their much larger color images.

There’s also the Epic Collection option, which has some Silver Age volumes such as Sgt Fury and Thor in colour.

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10 hours ago, Electricmastro said:

Fantastic Four #22 (January, 1964)

Great to see Sue further developing her powers.

Q9bLups.jpg

Also the first issue where Ben yells "It's clobberin' time!", IIRC.  :smile:

 

I could also see ST 102 being more essential than ST 101, if the criteria for essential is along the lines of what stories were "essential" to the developement of the (early) Marvel universe.  First Wizard; check.  First story with an already established character against a unremarkable one-shot villian; not so much.

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6 hours ago, Unca Ben said:

Also the first issue where Ben yells "It's clobberin' time!", IIRC.  :smile:

 

I could also see ST 102 being more essential than ST 101, if the criteria for essential is along the lines of what stories were "essential" to the developement of the (early) Marvel universe.  First Wizard; check.  First story with an already established character against a unremarkable one-shot villian; not so much.

First solo by by a member of the Fantastic Four vs. first wingless wizard.  The price guide alone should tell you which is essential. 

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