Luettelo:
Kotimaiset uutuudet
Manga-uutuudet
Ennakkotilaukset
Ulkomaiset uutuudet
Lehdet ja kirjat
Käytetyt sarjakuvat
Alkuun
KOTIMAISET UUTUUDET
Miina Supinen & Anni Nykänen: Rosmariini 1 – Mättömadon salaisuus
”Oletteko te hölmöt ottaneet Mättömadon laivaan?”
Lukupaloista tutun Kokkiklubi-sarjan henkilöhahmot loikkaavat keittiönoita Rosmariinin johdolla entistä hulvattomampaan fantasiaseikkailuun!
Sarjakuvasta ja animaatiosta ammentava uusi vauhdikas sarja iskee Neropattien ja Olgan ystäviin.
Keittiönoita Rosmariini matkaa vadelmalimujoessa pullalaivalla kohti Kumariaa mukanaan Kokkiklubi-sarjasta tutut Madeleine, Michelin, Slaissi ja Bebe.
Tosin matka tyssää heti alkuunsa, kun laivaan salakuljetettu toukka alias Mättömato ahmii pullalaivan palasiksi.
Alkaa päätön seikkailu täynnä futaavia kentaureja, puhuvia pilviä ja ilmarosvoja. Onnistuuko Rosmariini päihittämään pippurimyllyllään ilkeän muurahaiskuningattaren ja muut matkan vitsaukset?
Uusi alakoululaisille suunnattu sarja on täynnä hullunkurista fantasiaa ja lyömätöntä huumoria. Välillä teksti villiintyy Anni Nykäsen hilpeäksi sarjakuvaksi ja Miina Supinen räjäyttelee puhekuplia nasevalla sanailullaan.
Lasse Hauerwaas & Iina Silventoinen: Bobby
Bobby on kaksikielinen romanttinen runosarjakuva, joka sijoittuu kaksi- ja kolmetasoisten aikaan, tuntemattomaan sotaan.
Hauerwaasin sukupuolirooleista vapaat rakkausrunot ja Silventoisen voimakkaat kuvat antavat toisilleen tulisuojaa ja muodostavat eri tavoin avautuvia kerrostumia.
Bobby on kaksikielinen teos, jossa runot ovat sekä suomeksi että englanniksi.
Teos on runoilija Lasse Hauerwaasin ja sarjakuvataiteilija Iina Silventoisen ensimmäinen yhteinen työ.
Kasper Salonen on kääntänyt Hauerwaasin runot englanniksi.
MANGA-UUTUUDET
ONE & Yusuke Murata: One-Punch Man 2
Tämä manga iskee kuin miljoona nyrkkiä!
Genos yrittää selvittää Saitaman ylivoimaisen lyönnin alkuperää huonolla menestyksellä.
Onneksi salaisuudesta kiinnostuvat myös innokasta oppipoikaa ikävämmät tahot.
Saako pulipäämme vihdoinkin virikkeitä elämäänsä?
Ikäsuositus: 12+ / Toiminta
Haise Sasaki on poissa ja hänen tilallaan on Ken Kaneki, Yksisilmäinen Kuningas, jonka tavoitteena on rauha ihmisten ja ghoulien välille.
Rauhansuunnitelmalla on kuitenkin vastustajia, jotka eivät välitä kummankaan osapuolen uhriluvuista. Taistelu siis jatkuu aikaisempaakin verisempänä…
Ikäsuositus 15+ / Kauhu/Toiminta
ENNAKKOTILAUKSET
Jarkko Vehniäinen & Marja Lappalainen: Kamala luonto adventtikalenteri (ENNAKKOTILAUS)
ENNAKKOTILAUS.
Tule mukaan odottamaan joulua Kamalan luonnon eläinten kanssa!
Tässä adventtikalenterissa luukkujen alta paljastuvat yllätykset jatkavat alkuperäistä kuvaa.
Pertti Jarla: Fingerporin adventtikalenteri (ENNAKKOTILAUS)
ENNAKKOTILAUS.
Joulupukki, valkoparta vanha ukki! Käypä tänne, emme pelkää (kovin paljon)!
Joulu tulla jollottaa, Fingerporin väen kanssa aaton odotus on hauskempaa!
Luukuista löytyy jouluisia näkyjä sekä kuvia perinteisistä fingerporilaisista jouluherkuista, joita katsoessa vesi nousee kielelle ja silmiin.
Taas pukin pussi heilahtaa ja kiltit lapset lahjat saa.
Tervetuloa Fingerporin jouluun!
Yuval Noah Harari & Daniel Casanave: Sapiens – Ihmiskunnan synty
ENNAKKOTILAUS.
Yuval Noah Hararin menestysteoksen ensimmäinen osa Kognitiivinen vallankumous tunnetun ranskalaispiirtäjä Daniel Casanaven sarjakuvana.
Meidän tarinamme Homo sapiens -lajina alkoi Afrikasta noin 300 000 vuotta sitten. Tuohon aikaan maan kamaralla taivalsi monia muitakin Homo-suvun edustajia, eivätkä sapiensit vaikuttaneet vielä mitenkään poikkeuksellisilta. Mutta pian he olivat syrjäyttäneet muut ihmislajit ja levinneet ympäri maapalloa.
Miten sapiensin kaltainen heikko eläin kykeni siihen?
Sapiens-sarjakuvassa historioitsija Yuval Noah Harari astuu itse näyttämölle yhdessä veljentyttärensä Zoen kanssa ja ryhtyy selvittämään tätä arvoitusta. Harari tekee sen älykkäästi, hauskasti ja yllättävästi, kuten menestysteoksessaan Sapiens – Ihmisen lyhyt historia, mutta vieläkin lähestyttävämmin ja viihdyttävämmin.
Jarkko Vehniäinen & Marja Lappalainen: Kamala luonto – Sunnuntaivuoro (ENNAKKOTILAUS)
ENNAKKOTILAUS.
ARVIOITU ILMESTYMISPÄIVÄ 15.2.2021.
Kamalan luonnon sunnuntaisarjakuva-albumit saavat jatkoa Sunnuntaivuoro sisältää tuhdin annoksen tuoreita sivun mittaisia sunnuntaistrippejä.
Metsäneläimet eivät ole toimettomina arkena eivätkä pyhänä. Ne metsästävät, raatelevat, syövät, pilailevat toistensa kustannuksella ja analysoivat maailmaa parempaan asentoon.
ULKOMAISET UUTUUDET
Stan Lee & Colleen Doran: Amazing Fantastic Incredible
In this gorgeously illustrated, full-color graphic memoir, Stan Lee–comic book legend and cocreator of Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, the Incredible Hulk, and a legion of other Marvel superheroes–shares his iconic legacy and the story of how modern comics came to be.
Stan Lee is a man who needs no introduction.
The most legendary name in the history of comic books, he was the leading creative force behind Marvel Comics, and brought to life–and into the mainstream–some of the world’s best-known heroes and most infamous villains throughout his career.
His stories–filled with superheroes struggling with personal hang-ups and bad guys who possessed previously unseen psychological complexity–added wit and subtlety to a field previously locked into flat portrayals of good vs. evil. Lee put the human in superhuman and in doing so, created a new mythology for the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
In this beautifully illustrated graphic memoir–illustrated by celebrated artist Colleen Doran–discover the true story behind the man, written with the same inimitable wit, energy, and offbeat spirit that he brought to the world of comics.
Moving from his impoverished childhood in Manhattan to his early days writing comics, through his military training films during World War II and the rise of the Marvel empire in the 1960s to the current cinematic resurgence, Amazing Fantastic Incredible documents the life of a man and the legacy of an industry and career.
This funny, moving, and incredibly honest memoir is a must-have for collectors and fans of comic books and graphic novels of every age.
Giorgio Cavazzano: Mickey Mouse – The Forgetful Hero
Uncle Scrooge wants to publish a historic tell-all interview with World War I flying ace Eddie Brickenbatter.
But the legendary hero has amnesia — so to cure it, Scrooge tells Donald Duck to reenact the plane crash that caused Brickenbatter to lose his memory in the first place!
Then, in “Plantastic Voyage,” Donald and Scrooge shrink down to the size of germs on a leaf.
And Daisy Duck embarks on a super-secret mission in “The Dazzling Duck She-Venger.”
Finally, Mickey Mouse, on the trail of a missing man, finds himself in a twisting mystery of film noir thrills and chills in “The Case of the Cut-Off Calls!”
Curt Pires & Tony Pires: Olympia
Elon is a latchkey kid who spends his days alone reading comic books-until his favorite superhero, Olympian, comes crashing off the page and into reality!
But as he nurses his wounded and delirious hero back to health, he discovers Olympian isn’t the only thing that came through… something evil followed him.
A comedic yet heartfelt love letter to the comics medium, OLYMPIA is also a meditation on hope and loss, conceived by CURT PIRES (Wyrd) and his father, TONY PIRES, while Tony was undergoing treatment for cancer.
Collects OLYMPIA 1-5 and Bonus Material.
Trick ‘r Treat – Sam’s 10th Anniversary Collection
From the deliciously dark imagination of Trick ‘r Treat creator Michael Dougherty (writer/director of the upcoming Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the horror hit Krampus, and the screenwriter of X-Men 2 and Superman Returns), comes the definitive Trick ‘r Treat comic book collection in celebration of the 10th anniversary of this beloved horror saga.
Trick ‘r Treat, the graphic novel adaptation of the film, reveals 4 evocatively illustrated tales of horror interwoven into one unforgettable Halloween night as the unsettling figure known as Sam pays a visit to an unsuspecting community, wreaking havoc during the scariest night of the year.
And then in Days of the Dead, franchise icon Sam takes readers on a journey back through Halloween history with 4 chilling new Trick ‘r Treat tales.
Discover old-world lovers whose romance takes a chilling turn and Western pioneers who discover the dark side of the frontier.
Travel to 1950s Los Angeles for a tale of pure horror noir and into the heart of small-town America to see some pranksters taught a lesson they’ll never forget.
Across centuries of Halloween horror, wherever fear lies, Sam will be waiting…
This new deluxe edition features all-new cover art, and brings all of Sam’s stories together into one collection for the first time. No tricks, just treat after treat for horror fans!
Alejandro Jodorowsky & Jerry Frissen: The Metabarons – Second Cycle
The Metabaron character was created by legendary artist Moebius and writer Alejandro Jodorowsky in The Incal, and was later spun-off into his own international bestselling series The Metabarons, with art by Juan Gimenez.
This new cycle of The Metabarons is a collaboration between Alejandro Jodorowsky and Jerry Frissen, exhibiting the work of talented artists including Valentin Secher and Niko Henrichon.
Writer/director/ producer David S. Goyer (Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) called The Metabarons: “The greatest work of graphic fiction ever produced,” and it has sold millions of copies globally.
From SIMON ROY ( Prophet), Sideways Award-winning author DANIEL M. BENSEN ( Junction), ARTYOM TRAKHANOV ( UNDERTOW), JASON WORDIE ( GOD COUNTRY), and HASSAN OTSMANE-ELHAOU ( Red Sonja) comes a sci-fi adventure equal parts Conan the Barbarian, Mad Max, and The Expanse.
In the hot ruins of far-future North America, a slave stumbles across an ancient and bloody power and a conqueror bargains with godlike beings.
The remaining humans of Earth find themselves standing between the forces that once nearly destroyed it.
Nicolas Petrimaux: Gunning For Ramirez 1
What if the deadliest assassin in all of Mexico, a man with dozens of kills to his name, was actually a vacuum repairman in Arizona?
Falcon City, Arizona.
Jacques Ramirez works at Robotop, the leading home appliance company in the southwest United States.
Jacques is efficient, thorough, and discreet. That last one is easy: he’s also mute.
But everything changes when two members of one of Paso del Rio’s largest drug cartels stumble upon Jacques and believe him to be the deadly hitman who betrayed them in the past: the ruthless Ramirez.
Could it be that the cartel’s legendary clean-up man is really a legendary vacuum cleaner expert? Now that they’ve found him, the men of the cartel will do everything they can to kill this traitor!
Nicolas Petrimaux presents a tribute to the action thrillers of the 1980s and 90s, a brutal narrative with never a dull moment. Gunning for Ramirez is as much a descendant of Friedkin’s To Live and Die in L.A. as it is Taratino’s Pulp Fiction or Rodriguez’s Mexico Trilogy.
Cyprien Mathieu & Olivier Perret: Dog Days
Summer vacation is usually a time to relax and enjoy family. For François and his sons this particular vacation will be their most memorable yet…and also maybe their last.
After hours of endless traffic jams, François and his children—Kevin, the withdrawn teenager, and Baptiste who doesn’t care for anything but his dog Hermione—finally arrive at their vacation destination in a village located in the South of France.
But the tranquility of their stay is quickly compromised, not only by the heated relationship between François and his wife, Clara, but especially by the sudden disappearance of Hermione, who is not the only missing canine in the area…
François quickly finds himself under the fire of suspicion, and his relaxing vacation becomes a spell of unrelenting psychological torment.
HOW SWEET IT IS!
A beautiful new Yuri anthology about women in love, featuring stories by some of the hottest names in manga!
This short story collection explores the many different ways these women navigate their love for each other while dealing with the ups and downs of a working life-stories that are all too often overlooked but are yearning to be told!
Bill Willingham: Fables Compendium One
Get lost in the fantastic world of Bill Willingham’s acclaimed, Eisner Award-winning series Fables, now collected in a beautiful and story-packed compendium!
When a savage creature, known only as the Adversary, conquered the fabled lands of legends and fairy tales, the famous inhabitants of folklore were forced into exile.
Disguised among the normal citizens of a modern New York, these magical characters created their own peaceful and secret society, which they called Fabletown.
But when Snow White’s party-girl sister, Rose Red, is apparently murdered, it’s up to Fabletown’s sheriff — the reformed Big Bad Wolf, Bigby — to find the killer.
Meanwhile, trouble of a different sort brews at the Fables’ upstate farm, where non-human inhabitants are preaching revolution…and threatening the carefully nutured secrecy of Fabletown.
Collecting issues #1-41, Fables: The Last Castle, Fables: 1,001 Nights of Snowfall, and a short story from Fables: Legends in Exile!
Yuhki Kamatani: Our Dreams at Dusk – Shimanami Tasogare 1
The Harvey-nominated manga about a broad LGBT+ community.
Not only is high schooler Tasuku Kaname the new kid in town, he is also terrified that he has been outed as gay.
Just as he’s contemplating doing the unthinkable, Tasuku meets a mysterious woman who leads him to a group of people dealing with problems not so different from his own.
In this realistic, heartfelt depiction of LGBT+ characters from different backgrounds finding their place in the world, a search for inner peace proves to be the most universal experience of all.
Jason, Aaron & R.M. Guéra: Scalped Book 3
Against all odds, undercover FBI agent Dash Bad Horse has managed to keep his cover intact while gaining the trust of Lincoln Red Crow, the man whose criminal empire he’s been tasked with bringing down.
But like everything on the Prairie Rose Indian Reservation, the road has been dirty and dangerous, with death always just a slip of the tongue away.
Tough as he is, Dash is starting to buckle under the pressure — and after the brutal murder of his mother, the job has finally pushed him over a line he never intended to cross.
Now, just when he needs all his wits to navigate the ever-shifting web of intrigue around him, Dash has numbed himself blind with sex, booze and heroin — and three decades’ worth of secrets are about to explode all over the rez.
In Scalped Book Three, acclaimed writer Jason Aaron (Original Sin, Southern Bastards) and artist R.M. Guéra (Batman Eternal, Django Unchained) deepen their generational saga of crime, betrayal and redemption, with guest art by Davide Furnò and Francesco Francavilla and covers by Jock.
Collects issues #25-34.
Matt Hawkins & Colleen Doran: The Clock
Within three weeks, hundreds of millions of healthy people worldwide contract various forms of aggressive cancer, and the proliferation, seemingly a viral outbreak, stumps the best scientific minds available.
But after a leading cancer researcher loses his wife and watches his nine-year-old daughter begin to succumb to the same illness, he must race against the clock to end a global conspiracy that could propel the world straight into WWIII …or worse.
Geoff Johns & Gary Frank: Doomsday Clock – The Complete Collection
NOTHING EVER REALLY ENDS.
The world of Watchmen collides with the DC Universe in a story that rewrites the past, present, and future of comics!
Dr. Manhattan, a near-omnipotent being from the Watchmen universe, has been using his powers to rewrite the DC Universe–reshaping some heroes’ histories, erasing other heroes altogether, and playing with the fates of the good and evil alike.
But why? What does a godlike being from another world stand to gain from the DC Universe? The mystery remains, but now that our heroes know they’re being toyed with, what can they do to stop it? The clock is ticking…
From Geoff Johns, Gary Frank, and Brad Anderson, the critically acclaimed team behind Shazam! and Batman: Earth One, this collection includes the full groundbreaking 12-issue miniseries.
David López: Blackhand & Ironhead 1
Alexia desperately wants to become one of the greatest super heroes of all time, just like her father, the much revered IRONHEAD.
Upon his sudden death, however, Alexia’s destiny takes an unexpected turn.
IRONHEAD’s empire now rests solely in her unprepared hands…or so she thinks.
At the funeral, Alexia is confronted with a well kept family secret: a villainous sister she never knew existed!
Will the two be able to form an alliance and solve their father’s mysterious demise?
Or will they destroy one another in the process?
BLACKHAND & IRONHEAD, VOL. 1 collects issues #1-5 originally published on PanelSyndicate.com.
Far across the Western Ocean on a mist-shrouded island guarded by giant sea monsters, heroes come to explore the mysterious dungeons that lie below the surface.
None have yet to reach the bottom and return to tell the tale.
Each party gathers daily for a new round of potion-making, sword-sharpening, armor-buying, and dungeon-crawling, and after hours of leveling up in dangerous battles with monstrous creatures from the depths, they rest and try again the next day when everything repeats.
That is, until one adventurer stops to ask why. Is it endlessly exciting, or simply endless?
In a witty, genre-defying tale of magic, mystery, and philosophy, brave warriors must learn the difference between diversion and escape as they try to break the cycle of a penultimate quest in which the final fantasy never arrives.
Brian Michael Bendis & Ryan Sook: Legion of Super-Heroes 1 – Millennium
The future of the DC Universe is NOW! Join superstar writer BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS and visionary artist RYAN SOOK for an all-new incarnation of a legendary superhero team!
One thousand years into the future, a new generation of young heroes has gathered, inspired by the actions and lessons of the greatest heroes of the past. They are the Legion of Super-Heroes, and they’re here to stop the universe from repeating its past mistakes.
But by inducting the 21st century’s Superboy, Jonathan Kent, into the Legion, they’ve broken the United Planets’ cardinal rule: never, ever mess with the time stream. Now, they’ve placed themselves in the crosshairs of the powers that be.
Origins will be revealed. Secrets will be uncovered. Friendships will be forged–and shattered. New members of the Legion will be inducted–including Superboy’s best friend Damian Wayne, a.k.a. Robin!
And one thing’s for certain: the future is not what it used to be!
This bold new reinvention of an iconic DC franchise unleashes fresh, new reader-friendly stories! Guest-starring a legion of special guest artists, including JIM LEE, JIM CHEUNG, NICOLA SCOTT, ANDREA SORRENTINO, and more, this first volume collects Legion of Super-Heroes: Millennium #1-2 and Legion of Super-Heroes #1-6!
LEHDET JA KIRJAT
Pääkirjoitus
Ajankohtaiset & Martta Karma vastaa
tiennalen trio
Anja Reponen – Perinteisin menetelmin
Verkkokurssit
Klassikko – Adam Korpak
Asiakas – Yleisradio
Arviot
Studio – Carla Ladau
Luonnoksesta kuvaksi – Antti Ollikainen
Uudet jäsenet
This issue of the award-winning magazine features a career-spanning interview with New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast; asks, “Do we need political cartooning?”; and more.
In this issue, Gary Groth interviews Roz Chast, the New Yorker humor cartoonist turned graphic memoirist (Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?). TCJ #306 focuses on the intersections between comics and politics.
It includes op-eds on the importance (and lack thereof) of modern political cartooning.
Also featured is a meditation on the creator of the Dilbert newspaper comic strip, Scott Adams; a piece about Daisy Scott, the first African American woman political cartoonist; a gallery of underground cartoonist John Pound’s code-generated comics; portraits of mass shooting victims; a selection of Spider-Gwen artist Chris Vision’s sketchbook pages; and other essays and galleries.
Full-color illustrations throughout.
KÄYTETYT SARJAKUVAT
Fabian Nicieza: Deadpool & Cable – Ultimate Collection 1 (K)
KÄYTETTY.
Wade Wilson and Nathan Summers – Marvel’s mightiest mutant mercs – are back, and this time they’re stuck with each other!
Can two grown men armed to the teeth with deadly genetic weaponry live together without driving each other crazy?!
Action, adventure, black humor, black-ops, face-changing viruses, gratuitous France-bashing, and lots of gunfire mark the return of two of Marvel’s fan-favorite anti-heroes!
Collects Cable & Deadpool #1-18.
Fabian Nicieza & Reilly Brown: Deadpool vs. the Marvel Universe (K)
KÄYTETTY.
Since Deadpool is twice as much trouble as anyone in the Marvel Universe, the only logical people who could possibly rescue him and Bob, Agent of Hydra, from their temporal tantrum are… well, everyone.
Guest appearances include Captain America, the Fantastic Four, Doctor Strange and more!
Twice the guest stars!
Twice the fun!
But not twice the price!
How can you say no?
Daniel Way: Deadpool – The Complete Collection 1 (K)
KÄYTETTY.
Daniel Way’s hilarious, action-packed run begins here!
When the Merc with a Mouth is hired to rub out Wolverine, sparks will fly!
But when both men can regenerate any wound in minutes, how can either one expect to finish off his foe?
And whoever wins will have to face Wolverine’s murderous son, Daken!
Then: The Skrulls have infiltrated Earth, but nobody warned them about Deadpool! The invaders replicate Deadpool’s healing factor in a new generation of Super-Skrulls – but why is Deadpool himself leading this brigade against Earth?
And when Norman Osborn double-crosses Deadpool, the maniacal merc unleashes a full-on assault against Avengers Tower!
Norman must pull out all the stops – and that means deploying his new team of bloodthirsty, black-ops Thunderbolts!
Writers: Daniel Way, Andy Diggle
Artists: Steve Dillon, Paco Medina, Carlo Barberi, Bong Dazo
Cullen Bunn & Matteo Lolli: Deadpool Killustrated (K)
KÄYTETTY.
Deadpool has already killed every hero in the Marvel Universe, but he isn’t through.
This time…Deadpool’s gonna take down the most famous characters in classic literature!
Why read a book when you can watch a book die?!
Tom Sawyer gets slashed in TWAIN!
The Little Women’s throats MAY get ALL-CUT!
Scrooge gets a visit from THREE BULLETS!
Gulliver gets a SWIFT DEATH!
The Three Musketeers are all for DONE!
Sherlock Holmes gets to the bottom of HIS OWN GRAVE! And more book-related puns! Can Deadpool rid the universe of the scourge of classical literature? Throw away your library card and buy this book! You never knew how badly you needed this!
Daniel Way: Deadpool – The Complete Collection 2 (K)
KÄYTETTY.
Deadpool wants to be an X-Man.
And he’s not going to let anyone stand in his way – not even the X-Men!
When Cyclops announces to the world that the X-Men are constructing an island haven for mutants, Wade Wilson decides it’s time for him to join the revolution.
But he soon find outs that big guns and a healing factor don’t an X-Man make.
Then, Deadpool must team-up with Spider-Man to go after the most dangerous threat he’s ever faced.
Plus, it’s it’s a Vegas vacation done Deadpool-style when Wade draws the ire of Las Vegas’ biggest casino bosses and their newest protector-for-hire, The House – a super-suited security guard armed to the teeth!
Cullen Bunn & Ramon Rosanas: Deadpool – Night of the Living Deadpool (K)
KÄYTETTY.
Deadpool awakes from a food coma to find the zombie apocalypse has occurred!
Now, can the Merc with a mouth avoid becoming the Merc in their mouths?
.
Stan Lee: Bring on the Bad Guys (K)
KÄYTETTY.
BRING ON THE BAD GUYS features the origins and/or debut appearances of six of Marvel’s most notorious ne’er-do-wells. And the Abomination also shows up. These stories are absolutely classic back-in-the-day stuff, taking us back to when Marvel Comics was still wet behind the ears, when Stan “the Man” Lee bogarted all the words and a stable of legendary comic book artists regularly brought Stan’s stories to visual life.
It’s fitting that Marvel’s most infamous villain would kick things off. FANTASTIC FOUR #5 recounts the FF’s first run-in with everyone’s favorite imperious monarch and sorcerer scientist Victor Von Doom, and it involves tons of time travel and the Thing, gigged out in pirate clothes, launching a legend on the high seas. Then FANTASTIC FOUR Annual #2 details Dr. Doom’s backstory and how he almost became college roommates with Reed Richards. Here come six magical words: Stan Lee writes, Jack Kirby draws.
Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange, flaunts his own kooky rogues gallery – Baron Mordo, Nightmare, Shuma-Gorath, etc. – but maybe his most well known adversary is the Dread Dormammu, that old scorchy face from another dimension. Reprinted material from 1964’s STRANGE TALES #126 & 127 showcases Stan Lee’s words and Steve Ditko’s marvelously offbeat (and even abstract) illustrations. We also get first sightings of the lovely Clea and the brutish Mindless Ones.
Norse mythology never was more bombastic than when Stan Lee was chronicling the epic adventures of Thor the Thunder God. Lots of times, the bee in his bonnet, the fly in his ointment, the pea in his mattress is his step-brother Loki, the God of Evil. The reprinted “Tales of Asgard” backup segments from JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #112, 113, & 115 give us Loki’s backstory. The main story from issue #115 also features Thor whaling on the Absorbing Man, as well as more of Loki’s mischief. And those six words again: Stan Lee writes, Jack Kirby draws.
Was there ever a more despicable guy than the Red Skull? For Captain America, Herr Johann Schmidt headlines the list of evil nasties. Reprinting the Captain America bits from TALES OF SUSPENSE #66-68 (Cap shared that title with Iron Man back in the day), we get an adventure set in World War II as Cap and Bucky match brawn and wits against the original Red Skull (who, by the way, predates even Marvel Comics), except that Cap succumbs to the Skull’s mind-control chemical. Later, Cap must foil the Skull’s attempt to hijack Project Vanish. Again, Stan Lee & Jack Kirby.
The Goblin, it’s obvious, is one of Stan Lee’s favorite creations. His foreword to the Goblin’s section here rhapsodies over the fact that the Goblin is one of the most dangerous villains around, and yet is an honest-to-gosh good guy in his civilian identity (remember this is in the early days looooong before Dark Reign). Reprinting AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (Vol. 1) #40, we get the first telling of the Green Goblin’s origin but alas we’re still left in the dark regarding that weird cornrow thing Norman Osborn has got happening on his scalp. Meanwhile, there’s Peter Parker held captive and unmasked by the Goblin and having just now learned that the Goblin is his best friend’s father. This is the kind of soap opera Stan Lee loves to inject in superhero comics. John Romita, Sr. provides the classic smooth artwork.
The Leader isn’t in these pages but I just like mentioning that his forehead is so humongous that whenever he furrows his brow in deep thought, even calculus gets scared. The Leader was supposed to be a match for Bruce Banner when it came to the clever, but enemy spy Emil Blonsky – a.k.a. the Abomination – was slated to be bigger and stronger than the Hulk, except that, of course, no one’s stronger than the Hulk. Reprinting TALES TO ASTONISH #90-91, a story arc rife with misdirected feats of strength and the usual associated anger management issues. And I guess it should be mentioned that, in this story arc, the unearthly Stranger has influenced the Hulk’s mind, causing the Hulk to rampage even more than usual. Stan Lee is the scripter, Gil Kane the dynamic artist.
Finally, SILVER SURFER (Vol. 1) #3 tells a tale of brimstone and nobility, of how Jesus Chri – er, the Surfer stands up to that grand personification of Evil, Mephisto, with the soul of the Surfer’s beloved Shalla Bal at stake. Stan Lee… blah blah blah, and John Buscema submits truly beautiful artwork. I’ve honestly never seen the guy draw better, and he adds a truly epic, mythical vibe to the story.