Marvel Treasury Edition: Defenders

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Bill Everett, Defenders, Len Wein, Marvel Comics, marvel treasury edition, marvel treasury edition 16, Roy Thomas, Sal Buscema

 
Sometimes, bigger really is better. Case in point: The Defenders. While we have never been fans of this oddball collection of superheroes, we couldn’t pass up a deal on Marvel Treasury Edition #16 featuring the Defenders.

If you haven’t seen this book before, dig these photos we snapped like Peter Parker before webbing up the book and shipping it to the biggest Defenders fan we know. Gaze upon the awesome majesty of Pegasus from the inside cover! Wonder in awe at the detailed schematics for the Defenders superhero lair: the Long Island Hang-Out! Feel your eyeballs pop out of your skull when you behold the brain-bludgeoning spectacle of splash pages full of giant, hideous aliens!

Collector’s Guide:
– from Marvel Treasury Edition #16: Defenders; Marvel, 1978.

 
Back cover rocks!

 
Whoa dude – mega double splash page of disaster!

 
The legendary lair.

 
We almost dismantled the entire book to remove and frame this single splash panel. Don’t be surprised if we try painting this one someday.

 

 
You can’t go wrong with dudes bathed in cosmic energy and taking astral trips through space and time!

 
Let’s see that ugly alien face one more time!

 
And again!

 
AND AGAIN! SKREEE!

 
One… More… Time!!!

 
One of our favorite Hulk portraits. What a rage ball!

 
Glorious splash page.

 
More glorious splash pages!

 
Ah, 1978. It was a good year, was it not?

 
Aren’t they on the same team? Then why are they fighting?
Why is Dr. Strange shooting his own foot?
Don’t think too hard, just enjoy the awesome.

 
Last but not least: Pegasus!

 
Notes:
Marvel Treasury Edition #16 features “The Day of the Defenders” (Reprints Marvel Feature #1) by Roy Thomas, Ross Andru, and Bill Everett, “The New Defenders” (Reprints Defenders #4) by Steve Englehart, Sal Buscema, and Frank McLaughlin, “For Sale: One Planet, Slightly Used” (Reprints Defenders #13-14) Defenders vs. Squadron Sinister (evil Squadron Supreme) by Len Wein, Sal Buscema, Klaus Janson, and Dan Green. Guest-starring the Black Knight. Moon Knight cameo. Featuring the villainy of Nebulon, the Enchantress, Skurge the Executioner, and Squadron Sinister. 80 pages.

Dan-Thing Archives: Conan the Barbarian #13

Tags

Barry Smith, Barry Windsor Smith, Chronicles of Conan, Conan, Conan the Barbarian, giant spiders, Marvel Comics, Roy Thomas, Sal Buscema, spider, web of the spider god

Up from the primordial muck slithers… the Dan-Thing! In his oozing fist, he clutches a time capsule: Marvel comic books from 1972! Our muck-stomping friend the Dan-Thing asked that we share these bronze age beauties with you for education and inspiration.

Dan-Thing’s archival copy of Web of the Spider-God came without a cover but is otherwise intact. In fact, it kicks major ass! We didn’t expect much from a beat up old copy of Conan. Fitting, because Conan gets beat up pretty badly at the opening of this story. But we were admittedly just as wrong as Conan’s foes who thought him defeated. This story rose up to rock and roll with the best of them, coming out on top as perhaps our favorite of the famous Roy Thomas / Barry Windsor-Smith classics.

Although we have seen Conan in the excessively awesome Marvel Treasury format, he seems just as much larger than life on these regular pages. We admit a preference for the first fifty issues of the Dark Horse Conan series, especially with the amazing Cary Nord painted look. But the more we discover the classic Marvel series, the more we find to like.

And now — into the pit of the giant spiders! YES!

Collector’s Guide: From Conan the Barbarian #13; Marvel, 1972. Reprinted in Chronicles of Conan #2; Dark Horse, 2003.

Spider-man and Dr. Strange Go Cosmic!

Tags

Doctor Strange, Dr. Strange, Len Wein, Marvel Team-Up, Marvel Treasury, marvel treasury edition, Sal Buscema, Spider-man

If we had to pick our favorite panel by Sal Buscema, it’s got to be this amazing double splash from the Spider-man and Dr. Strange team up: The Spider and the Sorcerer! One of the reasons we love it so much is that we first laid eyes on it in Marvel Treasury Edition #22. It was huger than huge! The cosmic effect blasted our senses, an impact that has lingering effects to this day.

We didn’t have time today to get this whole adventure posted, but don’t despair. Our archives house two more stories from this Marvel Treasury Edition: the complete two-part adventure where Spidey battles raging dinosaurs. First, with Ka-Zar in the Savage Land, and then continuing to New York with the Black Panther. These links will transport you there: Part One, Spider-man + Ka-Zar team up. Part Two, Spider-man + Black Panther team up.

Collector’s Guide: Marvel Treasury #22: The Sensational Spider-man. Reprints Marvel Team-Up #21. Reprinted in Essential Marvel Team-Up #1

Deviants! Come And Die!

Tags

Banderhude, Eternals, Eternals Limited Series, Sal Buscema

Sal Buscema renders a huge alien beast of destruction in the Eternals Limited Series from 1985. And the Banderhude rises!

The Falcon’s Very First Full-Length Adventure!

Tags

Falcon, Mark Evanier, Sal Buscema, Sam Wilson, Sound of the Silencer

Welcome to the Falcon Gallery! Today’s Falcon Feature comes from Marvel Premiere #49. It’s the Falcon’s very first full length adventure! Sure, Falcon’s buddy Captain America shows up — but he’s clearly a supporting character. Sam Wilson is the main man here. Plus, his friend Red Wing: the bird sharing a telepathic link with Falcon. While we really like some of the recent interpretations of The Falcon, writers sometimes seem oblivious to the cool factor of having a telepathic link with your own raptor. Get with it, guys!

If you get to the last page and see the ad for the Alice Cooper issue — guess what? We posted it for you.

Collector’s Guide: From Marvel Premiere #49 by Mark Evanier and Sal Buscema. Frank Miller/Klaus Janson cover; Marvel Comics, 1979.

Wolverine Origin from Alpha Flight 33 and 34!

Tags

adamantium skeleton, Alpha Flight, Bill Mantlo, Lady Deathstrike, Mike Mignola, origin, Sal Buscema, Wolverine, Wolverine Origin

Hats off to Marvel for finding fresh ways to sell a gazillion Wolverine stories to today’s newer fans. We’re glad our favorite mutant can keep the lights on at the House of Ideas! But things were simpler before all this “Wolverine Origins” explosion. Part of Wolverine’s appeal was that we did not know all of his past! Bill Mantlo (with artist Sal Buscema) pulled back the veil ever-so-slightly in the first volume of Alpha Flight. We learned a little bit more about how Wolvie got his adamantium skeleton.

For those without photographic recollection of the plot lines, all you need to know is this: James MacDonald “Mac” Hudson was the founder of Alpha Flight. Alpha Flight was the name of a government project to create a Canadian super-team. Logan and Mac were buddies back when the team was coming together. Mac’s wife Heather donned Mac’s costume following his death in Alpha Flight #12. Here, Wolverine and Heather have a heart-to-heart in the forest before they get jumped by a horde of pissed-off samurai/ninja creeps.

Collector’s Guide: From Alpha Flight #33-34.

Also features two outstanding Mike Mignola covers. Roll the clip!