Review- THE ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN: COMPLETE COLLECTION

THE ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN: COMPLETE COLLECTION (Image, First Printing, 2017; Hardcover)

Collects The Astounding Wolf-Man #1-25 and Invincible #57 (cover dates May, 2007- November, 2010)

Writer: Robert Kirkman

Artists: Jason Howard with Ryan Ottley* and Cliff Rathburn* (*Invincible #57)

Colorists: Jason Howard, Fco Plascencia, and Ivan Plascencia

Life is a funny thing. You just never know. You can think that you have everything all sewn up nice and neat and then something happens and your life is forever changed. Something like...I dunno, being attacked by a werewolf and becoming one yourself.

The Astounding Wolf-Man, while having a supporting cast and recurring antagonists, is about Gary Hampton and his rise, fall, and redemption. This was both a double dip and a re-read and it held up extremely well the second time through. Sadly I have come to the realization that I will likely never reread any book that I own unless I double dip on an upgrade, since my OCD compels me to read every book that I buy, and I have so many unread books in my backlog waiting to be read.

You can see what I thought about Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3, and Volume 4 back when they were first released. Maybe I'll upgrade to another super duper deluxe edition and read it again someday. I really enjoyed this ultraviolent, fast-paced, action-packed superhero comic for the 21^st century.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials used in physical media. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or women who are pregnant should exit my blog at their earliest convenience, as their safety cannot be guaranteed beyond this point.

Paper stock: Thick coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding: Sewn binding. While the book block does flex so it lays about 80% flat, the square casing prevents 100%. Who ever thought that these super squared spines were any good? They look great on your shelf but dig into your hand when you are reading them.

Hardback cover notes: The image is printed on the the laminated casewrap.

Reviews: Showcase Presents The Phantom Stranger Vol. 2; The Complete Dracula; The Astounding Wolf-Man Vol. 4

SHOWCASE PRESENTS THE PHANTOM STRANGER VOL. 2 (DC, 2008; softcover)

Collects The Phantom Stranger Nos.  22-41, The Brave and the Bold Nos. 89, 98, DC Super Stars No. 18, House of Secrets No. 150, and Justice League of America No. 103 (cover dates May, 1970- March, 1978)

After reading over 1,000 pages of Phantom Stranger stories between these two phonebook-sized trade paperbacks and still not knowing the character's origin, I had to head over to Wikipedia (loathe as I am to admit it) for clarification. I like to, you know, read material and interpret and decide for myself what things are. Kind of like how things were in the olden days, before the Internet. The answer is that there is no answer...at least, no definitive answer for his origin. That's cool. I kind of like the mystique and the hints and insinuations, and have my own idea what he truly is. I'm not telling you, though; I'd rather you read it and figure it out for yourself.

The quality of this title nosedives, largely because of "artist" Gerry Talaoc, who is the very definition of a hack. There is nothing about his artwork that I like, and he leaves me cold. The bright spot in the book is when Mike Grell fills-in on Issue 33. I had never seen his artwork but have heard others rave about it. I can see why. He turns in some of the finest comic book artwork that I have ever seen, and I am interested in looking further into his body of work down the road. 

The Phantom Stranger's popularity wanes, and his title turns into first a title with a back-up feature (Frankenstein by Marv Wolfman) and then a co-star on his own title with Deadman. Deadman was also on the outs in terms of popularity, this being after his much celebrated Neal Adams run. The title ends with a whimper, and the Phantom Stranger pops up in a couple more titles before vanishing into the mists of time...at least for a while. There was a mini-series in 1987 and a few odds and ends (thanks, ComicBookDB!) and then only guest appearances. I think that it's high time we got a Phantom Stranger revival.

THE COMPLETE DRACULA (Dynamite, 2010; softcover)

Collects The Complete Dracula Nos. 1-5 (cover dates May- December, 2009)

This is a super dense and text heavy read, but is so darn good. Leah Moore (yes, Alan Moore's daughter) and John Mark Rappion adapt Bram Stoker's original story and add in his 'lost' or 'deleted' segment in the beginning. This is Gothic Horror at its finest, and artist/ colorist Colton Worley really adds a ton to the atmosphere. Every single panel looks like a painting and is gorgeous.  I give this a very high recommendation if you are into this type of stuff.

THE ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN VOL. 4 (Image, 2010 copyright, actually released in 2011; softcover)

Collects The Astounding Wolf-Man Nos. 19-25 (cover dates October, 2009- November, 2010)

This, the fourth and final trade in the series, leaves many doors open for a hopeful re-visitation down the road. The ending sits well enough with me that I will check out the next Robert Kirkman/ Jason Howard "joint", Super Dinosaur, whenever the trade gets released. Knowing Kirkman,'s timeliness with release dates, that should be sometime in the Fall... of 2012.

Valley of the Junk Food For Thought

No longer am I just a nut who rants and raves about comic books in his blog. Now I am a nut who rants and raves about his blog and has been published. That's right, I am this month's fan reviewer in Comics Buyer's Guide #1668, available at comic book specialty shops and finer newsstands everywhere on June 16. They altered one of my sentences in my review for Vincent Price Presents #17, and now it makes no sense, and spell-checked 'cartoony' for cartooned in my review for Creepy #3. Regardless, it was an absolute thrill to see print. Now, back to our regularly unscheduled program...

IRREDEEMABLE VOL. 1 (Boom, 2009)

Collects Irredeemable Nos. 1-4 (cover dates April- July, 2009)

This was an X-Mas present, and while it was entertaining and intriguing, I am going to say 'no' to the rest of this series for the time being. I only have so much discretionary income for these things, and enough is enough. Sorry Mark Waid and Boom Studios, nothing personal, I just can't keep up with everything going on in this hobby anymore.




EXCALIBUR VISIONARIES: ALAN DAVIS VOL. 2 (Marvel, 2010)

Collects Excalibur (Vol. 1) Nos. 51-58 and Excalibur: XX Crossing (cover dates June- Early December, 1992)

The issues where Alan Davis actually draws the title are great. The ones where he doesn't...not so great. There are a couple of issues which were plotted by Alan Davis, but scripted by Scott Lobdell, a third rate writer who overwrites everything. When Davis is in the driver's seat, though, this is a good time. I love his action sequences, as their is a fluidity to them that is just amazing. You can almost 'see' the movement in your mind. I can't wait for Volume 3.




ESSENTIAL MOON KNIGHT VOL. 3 (Marvel, 2009)

Collects Marvel Fanfare Nos. 30, 38, Moon Knight (Vol. 1) Nos. 31-38, Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu Nos. 1-6, and material from Marvel Fanfare No. 39, Marvel Super Heroes Spring Special No. 1 and Solo Avengers No. 3 (cover dates May, 1983- May, 1990)

Quality stuff by various writers and artists. Moon Knight was 'adult', 'dark' and 'gritty' even before Watchmen and other comic books made it fashionable.

It's funny how time changes your perspective on things. I recalled buying Moon Knight "for a while" in the '80s, but in actuality I bought Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu Nos. 1-3 off of the spinner racks at 7-11 circa 1985. 3 whole issues. The thing is, back then I read each comic book that I bought around a dozen times, so each issue that I bought seemed more important than now, when I read something once and hope that one day I will read it again. I am likely among the last of the Amish children, as I grew up in a household with no cable TV, the Internet was something out of science fiction, and interacting with other comic book fans meant talking to my two other friends who bought comic books... positively Little House on the Prairie to the kids out there today.




GOLDEN AGE SHEENA: THE BEST OF THE QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE VOL. 2 (Devil’s Due, 2009)

Collects material from Jumbo Comics Nos. 31, 51, 81, 84, 87, 92, 99, 107, 131 (cover dates September, 1941- January, 1950)

I got this in a $5 trades box, which is sort of like the quarter box equivalent for all of you floppy buyers out there. I was blown away by the quality of the artists of the Eisner/ Iger Studios. I was also blown away by the sexual overtones and graphic violence for the era, chuckling as I read this because this was marketed to children. Too funny. I would love to see some company sell this stuff to a child today. This is also as politically incorrect as every other Golden Age comic book. They feature another Jumbo back-up feature, Sky Doll by Matt Baker (credited as Bill Gibson) as a bonus, and I would love to read more of that stuff too. I am going to hunt down Vol. 1 of GA Sheena.

The restoration of the material in this book is interesting. High resolution scans with slight color correction to take the yellowing out of the pulp paper and printed on slick paper. For some reason, these contrasting presentations work very well together. I like seeing the dots, the line bleed, the imperfections of the aged paper itself. I love fully restored and remastered collections of vintage material, and I love this warts-and-all approach as well.





X-MEN LEGACY: EMPLATE (Marvel, 2010)

Collects X-Men Legacy Nos. 228-230 and X-Men Legacy Annual No. 1 (cover dates November, 2009- February, 2010)

This was middle-of-the-road X-Men. Nothing groundbreaking or terribly interesting happening here. Gambit still sucks and needs to be killed off, though.




THE ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN VOL. 3 (Image, 2009)

Collects The Astounding Wolf-Man Nos. 13-18 (cover dates February- August, 2009)

*SIGH* Only one more trade left, and then this series is done. Bummer. I actually enjoy reading this title, and look forward to seeing things unfold.

This trade was delayed some 5-6 months from it's original solicitation date because Image did a last minute switch from printing it in Canada to China. Like many Chinese made trades, this has a wonderfully intoxicating fragrance. I imagine 8-9 year old children working in sweat shops, pouring broken asbestos tiles, lead paint chips, and mercury from recalled thermometers into a vat and mixing it with a big stick to make the ink that they use to print this book on paper made from virgin rain forest trees. Also, the book has sewn binding. Having a softcover with sewn binding is not an every day occurrence, but I would gladly welcome it. We need to keep those poor little Chinese children employed, you know.



THE EC ARCHIVES FRONTLINE COMBAT VOL. 1 (Gemstone, 2008)

Collects Frontline Combat Nos. 1-6 (cover dates July/August, 1951- May/June, 1952)

This was finally released in September of 2009, after 11 months of delays from its original solicitation date. Then there were the delays due to my backlog, and here we are some 10 months since it came out, and I have completed reading it. The reason that this book was delayed so long was because of Gemstone's financial troubles which have ultimately resulted in them losing the EC license. I guess that the book was ready to be released on time, but since the printer bills were not paid they kept this book hostage in a warehouse somewhere. I am really bummed out, because I want the entire 'New Trend' in hardcover format. There will be a total of 66, and so far 13 have been released with no word on when we will see the rest.

Like all EC Comics, these are among the finest comic books ever produced. EC mopped up the competition with their superior writing and artwork. In a few short years after these issues were published a jerkoff by the name of Fredric Wertham would help spearhead this company's demise.




FANTASTIC FOUR: IN SEARCH OF GALACTUS (Marvel, 2010; Hardcover)

Collects Fantastic Four Nos. 204-214 (cover dates March, 1979- January, 1980)

Wow, this is like a junior Marvel Masterworks, clocking in at around 204 pages with nice paper and sewn binding. This is a pretty entertaining read from my "golden age" of comics, with writing by Marv Wolfman and art by Michigan's own Keith Pollard, Sal Buscema, and a heaping helping of John Byrne goodness. I got issues 210 and 214 from those old three-packs that Marvel used to sell via Whitman's non-newsstand distribution. Back then comics were .40, and the bags were labeled 3 for $1.09. They would have one or two A-list titles, and the third was always some turkey like Thor or Ghost Rider, whathaveyou. My brother had issue 208, which he gave to me along with the rest of his collection in the '80s. I still have that copy of issue 210, and man is it beat up. I was like 5 or 6 back then, so what do you expect? In any case, fun reads and a fun trip down memory lane.




NEW AVENGERS VOL. 12: POWERLOSS (Marvel, 2010; Hardcover)

Collects New Avengers Nos. 55-60 (cover dates September, 2009- February, 2010)

Regular readers of my blog know of my general disdain for all things written by Brian Michael Bendis, but I've got to tell you, this arc... this arc was not bad. I found myself actually enjoying it. These issues are crammed with far more dialogue than past issues, and while I don't particularly enjoy all of his 'witty' wise-ass banter, some if it works here. Some of it also simply his stylistic cue, so like certain things that, say, Chris Claremont does that drives me nuts and I overlook, I am also trying to do with Bendis. Again, I am not 'down' with the B, but this didn't suck, either.



THE MIGHTY AVENGERS: THE UNSPOKEN (Marvel, 2010; Hardcover)

Collects Mighty Avengers Nos. 27-31 (cover dates September, 2009- January, 2010)

Waitaminute, did my bus stop on the Bizarro planet? Bendis' Avengers were a better read than Dan Slott's?? Say what? I am serious, you guys. This time out, things were just decent in Slott's book, although artist Sean Chen (Issues 30 and 31) is pretty darn amazing with them pencils.

Son of Junk Food For Thought

DANGER UNLIMITED (IDW, 2009)

Collects Babe Nos. 1-4, Babe 2 Nos. 1, 2 and Danger Unlimited Nos. 1-4 (cover dates February, 1994- April, 1995)

This was a fun read, chock full of John Byrne goodness. Unbeknownst to me, Danger Unlimited was cancelled with Issue 4, with no resolution to the first arc. AAaRrRRgGGhhHH!! Since these are creator owned properties, I hope that Byrne finishes it, ditto the Next Men. On a side note, this book has a wonderfully toxic smell, the result of that magical Korean printing. I imagine children working the sweatshop presses, pouring asbestos tiles, mercury, and lead paint chips into a vat that will be mixed and become the ink on these pages. Whatever it is, I had to stop every so often and just smell this book. 

RUNAWAYS: DEAD WRONG (Marvel, 2009; Hardcover)

Collects Runaways (Vol. 3) Nos. 1-6

This was godawful crap by Terry Moore with "artwork" by Humberto Ramos. Ramos is the worst artist in comics today. I cannot stand manga, or even manga-influenced art. This was painful to read and to look at, with it being difficult to tell which sucks more: the art or the writing.

RUNAWAYS: ROCK ZOMBIES (Marvel, 2009; Hardcover)

Collects Runaways (Vol. 3) Nos. 7-10

OK, that does it, screw you Runaways, my money is staying home. Ramos' vomit-inducing artwork is thankfully gone, but another mangish artiste replaces him. The Brian K. Vaughn era was tops and had real heart. Moore's run is just plain dumb. Unless Marvel can convince BKV or Joss Whedon to come back, then I am done with this title. Look for these two books on eBay during my next purging.

EDUARDO RISSO’S TALES OF TERROR (Dynamite, 2007)

Collects eleven foreign language comics translations

This was okay, but Risso's artwork is not really my cup of tea. The cover grabbed me, but most of the artwork in this book didn't hold up. The writing was entertaining for the most part, but not "terrifying." I dislike pseudo-clever, wiseass humor Horror. Give me Creepy or give me death! Look for this on eBay in my next purging.

SAVAGE (Image, 2009)

Collects Savage Nos. 1-4 (cover dates October, 2008- January, 2009)

Amazing stuff by Steve Niles, Jeff Frank, Dan Wickline, and Mike Mayhew. Mayhew's old school artwork is jaw dropping, and the levels of graphic violence portrayed here are shocking. Graphic violence + monsters = a winner. This simply cannot be the end of the series, though. There are so many unanswered questions, and I want more more more! I have searched the Net trying to find further information and have come up empty handed.

MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN VOL. 12: JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS (Marvel, 2009)

Collects Marvel Adventures Spider-Man Nos. 45-48 (cover dates January- April, 2009)

Another enjoyable read, but the fact that this series is set outside of mainline continuity and the ever increasing lines of high end hardcovers have forced me to drop this title. I picked up Vol. 13 recently, so I will read that and then that is it.

SPIDER-MAN 2099 VOL. 1 (Marvel, 2009)

Collects Spider-Man 2099 Nos. 1-10 (cover dates November, 1992- August, 1993)

Spider-Man 2099 definitely has it's moments. Unfortunately, they are few and far between. Peter David's futuristic Marvel Universe seems like little more than a Judge Dredd retread, and Rick Leonardi's artwork is serviceable, if unremarkable. This series came out during my sabbatical from comics, so this was all new to me. Not to be too harsh on it, though, because when compared to other Marvel Comics during this time, this was a bright spot. I really dislike Spider-Man 2099's costume, and his supporting cast is pretty forgettable. This series is a sort of pre-cursor to Ultimate Spider-Man, with the organic webbing, etc., and was likely seen as a sort of fresh continuity to try and entice new readers.

GIANT MONSTER (Boom, 2008)

Collects Giant Monster Nos. 1, 2 (cover dates, 2005)

High art this is not, but it is fun and entertaining. Who doesn't like to see a giant monster go on a rampage? What? You say that you don't? You're lying! Everybody loves giant monsters.

THE ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN VOL. 2 (Image, 2009)

Collects The Astounding Wolf-Man Nos. 8-12 and Invincible No. 57 (cover dates September, 2008- February, 2009)

This is such a great series that I am seriously bummed that Robert Kirkman is 86-ing it with Issue 25. One can only hope that he will come back and revisit this character and concept again in the future. At least I know that I can always do that via these trade paperbacks.

SPIDER-MAN: SPIDER WOMEN (Marvel, 2009)

Collects selections from Amazing Spider-Man Magazine, King-Size Spider-Man Super Special No. 1, Spider-Man Family No. 1 and Spider-Man Family Featuring Spider-Clan No. 1 (cover dates 2005- 2008)

Horrible, horrible, horrible non-continuity drivel. Marvel published a line of hardcovers years ago called The Best of Spider-Man. They could collect all of this crap and call it The Rest of Spider-Man. Even the Spider-Girl story was a throwaway that has no bearing on anything.

Originally posted on my myspace blog on 3/15 & 3/26/2009

THE ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN VOL. 1 (Image, 2008)

Collects The Astounding Wolf-Man Nos. 1-7 (cover dates May, 2007- July, 2008)

Outstanding! Equal parts old-school superhero comic and ironic wink and nod, this series appeals to Silver Age comic lovers as well as the too-cool-for-superhero hipster crowd, and it works! It actually frickin' works. Great writing by Robert Kirkman and great art by Jason Howard which falls somewhere between old school superhero and cartoon-y, Gen Y friendly. it can be read as a serious superhero comic or a silly nod to it. (I choose the former) This series has real potential, and I am chomping on the bit for Volume 2 (which I own but haven't got to yet in the backlog).

SPIDER-MAN J: JAPANESE KNIGHTS (Marvel, 2008)

Collects selections from Spider-Man Family Nos. 1-6 (cover dates April, 2007- February, 2008)

Oohhh, and then there's this. Note to self: always read Previews solicitation copy before placing your order! I used to pre-order everything Spider-Man and X-Men, but no more! This craptastic shitfest reprints and adapts Japanese Manga Spider-Man, and it totally sucks. So much so that I couldn't even read more than a few pages before I closed and the book and decided to get rid of it. No, this was not a true review since I couldn't stomach the vomit-inducing mangacrap artwork, but it's as close as I will ever get to reading this! Needless to say, I did not order Volume 2.

THE FANTASTIC WORLDS OF FRANK FRAZETTA VOL. 1 (Image, 2008; Hardcover)

Collects Frank Frazetta’s Creatures, Frank Frazetta’s Dark Kingdom, Frank Frazetta’s Dracula Meets The Wolfman and Frank Frazetta’s Swamp Demon (cover dates April- August, 2008)

These were decent one-shots with good artwork. Lots of extras in the back of the book with the same high quality presentation of the Death Dealer Hardcover (minus the slipcase and built-in bookmark...also minus $20 off of the MSRP!).

THE WALKING DEAD BOOK 1 (Image, Hardcover Second Printing 2008)

Collects The Walking Dead Nos. 1-12 (cover dates October, 2003- September, 2004)

This was a X-Mas gift, and was an okay read. I am neither running out to buy the rest of the series, nor did I throw the book against the wall in disgust when I was done reading it. Or for you netspeakers out there...meh . 

X-MEN: THE COMPLETE ONSLAUGHT EPIC BOOK 3 (Marvel, 2008)

Collects Avengers No. 402, Cable No. 35, Incredible Hulk No. 445, Iron Man No. 332, Thor No. 502, Wolverine (Vol. 2) No. 105, X-Force (Vol. 1) No. 58, Uncanny X-Men No. 336, X-Man No. 19 and X-Men No. 55 (cover dates August- September, 1996)

Marvel sucked during the '90s. Not only did they suck, but they tried really hard at it! You cannot tell me that these guys were not trying to outdo each other in trying to make crappy comic books. The dialogue is overly written, littered with those annoying* boxes that serve as footnotes, as if you are supposed to stop where you're at, sift through dozens of long boxes, and peruse the point of reference. Just awful. 

The artwork is a train wreck of Liefeld influenced dreck. The Richard Strakings/ ComiCraft computerized fonts look gimmicky, as does the severely dated computer coloring enhancements by Malibu Studios. I guess that these were breakthroughs at the time and precursors to modern day techniques, but they have not aged well. The artwork by Andy Kubert, Joe Madureira, and Angela Medina are all varying degrees of suckiness. 

Every single costume is changed except for Captain America. Thor's enchanted Uru Hammer now has a chain attached to the handle instead of the stirrup that used to be at the end. Every hero has long hair that seems to "float" in the air like it's underwater...thanks for pioneering that look, Liefeld. Thor's hair is past his ass, and even the Sub-Mariner has long hair. Why? He never did before. The devolved Wolverine was a horrendous idea. 

What were comic book creators on in the '90s? The dialogue by Mark Waid, Scott Lobodell, and Peter David are all laughable, being unintentionally funny. Actually, all of the writing is bad, but I am too lazy to list everyone's name, ditto all of the terrible "artists". Anthony Castrillo's pencils in X-Force #58 were so Byrne-esque that I had to do dome research online to see if this was some Byrne pseudonym. He really has the look and feel down, almost coming off as a tracing of Byrne's pencils at times. He was the only bright spot, aside from the teaming of a neophyte Mike Deodato, Jr. and veteran Tom Palmer. Deodato's early style was very much of the era, and he was also busy drawing every single hero as an overly musclebound, long hair floating in the air like it were underwater, character as the rest of these hacks. I feel sorry for you kids who grew up on this decade's comics, and I am glad that I sat it out.

X-MEN: THE COMPLETE ONSLAUGHT EPIC BOOK 4 (Marvel, 2008)

Collects Fantastic Four No. 416, Cable No. 36, Onslaught: Marvel Universe, Uncanny X-Men No. 337, X-Men: Road To Onslaught and X-Men No. 57 (cover dates September- October, 1996)

What's that smell? Oh wait, it's the writing in these issues! I like my comics as serious as the next guy, but when the characters are this serious, this dramatic, without any trace of humor whatsoever then it's totally laughable. If I were buying monthlies back then I would have quit!

THE TWELVE VOL. 1 (Marvel, 2008; Hardcover)

Collects The Twelve Nos. 1-6 (cover dates March- August, 2008)

…and here we have Marvel’s answer to Dynamite's Project Superpowers, and Marvel wins hands down. This is superior in every way, shape and form, thanks to J. Michael Straczynski's excellent writing and the team of Chris Weston and Gary Leach turning in finely detailed artwork that is absolutely beautiful. I really enjoyed seeing characters that were cheesy back-up features from various Golden Age Masterworks dusted off and brought back to life. I think that perhaps that is one of the reasons that this trumped PS; the characters weren't just some ad-hoc conglomerate, but they all retroactively existed in the Marvel Universe. I don't mind ret-cons in this respect. Unfortunately, this series has been put on hiatus for science knows how long, as JMS is busy doing some movie or whatever. This is one of the Marvel Premiere Edition Hardcovers, and I gotta say that I love the format. Sure it has glued and not sewn binding, but these are usually on the skinny side so it is not an issue to me.

CLANDESTINE: BLOOD RELATIVE (Marvel, 2008; Hardcover)

Collects Clandestine (Vol. 2) Nos. 1-5 (cover dates April- August, 2008)

Another solid batch of tales of the Destine family and their adventures. Alan Davis' warm writing and artwork make this an enjoyable read. I dislike how the covers are collected in a gallery in the back of the book rather than their proper location as chapter markers. This whole thing reads like one giant story, so maybe that was the point. Who knows?

ESSENTIAL MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE VOL. 2 (Marvel, 2005)

Collects Marvel Two-In-One Nos. 26-52 and Marvel Two-In-One Annual Nos. 2, 3 (cover dates April, 1977- June, 1979)

Nearly every single Bronze Age journeyman handled this title, and it didn't miss a beat. The Thing is entertaining as the star of his own series, and I hope that they keep the phone books coming all of the way through his solo series in the '80s.

MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN VOL. 10: IDENTITY CRISIS (Marvel, 2008)

Collects Marvel Adventures Spider-Man Nos. 37-40 (cover dates May- August, 2008)

This series remains a satisfying, if continuity challenged, read. It's a treat to see Swarm again!