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Marvel Super-Heroes #22 (Sept. 1969), a reprint issue with new cover art by the rare team of Jack Kirby & John Verpoorten

Marvel Super-Heroes is the name of several comic book series and specials published by Marvel Comics.

[edit] Publication history

[edit] Marvel Super-Heroes Special

The first was the one-shot Marvel Super-Heroes Special #1 (Oct. 1966), reprinting Daredevil #1 (April 1964) and The Avengers #2 (Nov. 1963), plus two stories from the 1930s-1940s period fans and historians call Golden Age of comic books: "The Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner Meet" (Marvel Mystery Comics #8, June 1940), and the first Marvel story by future editor-in-chief Stan Lee, the two-page text piece "Captain America Foils the Traitor's Revenge" (Captain America Comics #3, May 1941).

This summer special was a 25¢ "giant", relative to the typical 12¢ comics of the times.

[edit] First series

The first ongoing series of this name began as Fantasy Masterpieces, initially a standard-sized, 12-cent anthology reprinting "pre-superhero Marvel" monster and sci-fi/fantasy stories. With issue #3 (June 1966), the title was expanded to a 25-cent giant reprinting a mix of those stories and Golden Age superhero stories from Marvel's 1940s iteration as Timely Comics. Fantasy Masterpieces ran 11 eleven issues (Feb. 1966 - Oct. 1967) before being renamed Marvel Super-Heroes with #12 (Dec. 1967)

Fantasy Masterpieces #10 (Aug. 1967)

While continuing with the same mix of reprint material, Marvel Super-Heroes vol. 1 also began showcasing a try-out feature as each issue's lead. This encompassed solo stories of such supporting characters as Medusa of the Inhumans, as well as the debuts of Captain Marvel (#12), the Phantom Eagle (#16) and the Guardians of the Galaxy (#18).

Under either name, this series' Golden Age reprints represented the newly emerging comic-book fandom's first exposure to some of the earliest work of such important creators as Jack Kirby, Bill Everett, and Carl Burgos, and to such long-unseen and unfamiliar characters as the Whizzer and the Destroyer. Fantasy Masterpieces #10 (Aug. 1967) reprinted the entirety of the historic, full-length All-Winners Squad story from the (unhyphenated) All Winners Comics #19 (Fall 1946). Fantasy Masterpieces #11 (Oct. 1967) re-introduced the work of the late artist Joe Maneely, a star of 1950s comics who died tragically young in a train accident.

Marvel Super-Heroes became an all-reprint magazine beginning with #21 (July 1969), and a regular-sized comic at the then-standard 20-cent price with #32 (Sept. 1972). This reprint series lasted through issue #105 (Jan. 1982).

A second series titled Fantasy Masterpieces ran from #1-14 (Dec. 1979 - Jan. 1981), reprinting truncated versions of the 1968 Silver Surfer series, and Adam Warlock stories from Strange Tales and The Power of Warlock.

[edit] Other iterations

The name itself reappeared, without a hyphen, as part of the title of a 12-issue, company-wide crossover miniseries Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars (May 1984 - April 1985). The 1985-86 sequel was titled simply Secret Wars II.

In the mid-1980s, the Marvel UK series The Mighty World of Marvel was retitled Marvel Superheroes.

Next came the 15-issue Marvel Super-Heroes vol. 2 (May 1990 - Oct. 1993), published quarterly and which generally printed "inventory stories", those assigned to serve as emergency filler.

The final series of this title was the six-issue Marvel Super-Heroes Megazine (Oct. 1994 - March 1995), a 100-page book reprinting 1970s and 1980s Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Iron Man and Hulk stories in each issue.

[edit] Showcase features, Marvel Super-Heroes

• #12 (Dec. 1967): "The Coming of Captain Marvel" by Stan Lee (writer), Gene Colan (penciler), Frank Giacoia (inker)
• #13 (March 1968) Captain Marvel in "Where Walks the Sentry" by Roy Thomas (writer), Gene Colan (penciler), Paul Reinman (inker)
• #14 (May 1968) Spider-Man in "The Reprehensible Riddle of the Sorcerer" by Stan Lee (writer), Ross Andru (penciler), Bill Everett (inker)

Try-out for penciler Andru; Spider-Man inventory story

• #15 (July 1968): Medusa in "Let the Silence Shatter" by Archie Goodwin (writer), Gene Colan (penciler), Vince Colletta (inker)
• #16 (Sept. 1968): "The Phantom Eagle" by Gary Friedrich (writer), Herb Trimpe (penciler-inker)
• #17 (Nov. 1968): "The Black Knight Reborn" by Roy Thomas (writer), Howard Purcell (penciler), Dan Adkins and others (inkers)
• #18 (Jan. 1969): "Guardians of the Galaxy" by Arnold Drake (writer), Gene Colan (penciler), Mike Esposito (as "Mickey Demeo") (inker)
• #19 (March 1969): Ka-Zar in "My Father, My Enemy" by Arnold Drake and Steve Parkhouse (writers), George Tuska (penciler), Sid Greene (inker)
• #20 (May 1969): Doctor Doom in "This Man, This Demon" by Roy Thomas and Larry Lieber (writers), Lieber and Frank Giacoia (pencilers), Vince Colletta (inker)

[edit] References

• The Grand Comics Database
• The Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators