Review- AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: EDGE OF SPIDER-VERSE

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: EDGE OF SPIDER-VERSE (Marvel, First Printing, 2015; Softcover)

Collects Edge Of Spider-Verse #1-5 (cover dates November- December, 2014)

Writers: David Hine, Fabrice Saplosky, Jason Latour, Dustin Weaver, Clay McLeod Chapman, and Gerard Way

Artists: Richard Isanove, Robbi Rodriguez, Dustin Weaver, Elia Bonetti, and Jake Wyatt

Colorists: Rico Renzi, Dustin Weaver, Garry Brown, and Ian Herring

Boy, talk about selling folks a false bill of goods. Branded to sucker fans of Amazing Spider-Man into plunking down their hard-earned money, these What If...? stories on steroids are not worthy of your money, only your contempt. Cynicism kills any artform dead, and this is as cynical as it gets.

This crop of writers give us five doppelgangers that disappoint in five different ways. This lazy “elseworlds” thinking is creatively bankrupt. It's as if they are so bored with Spider-Man that they feel there are no fresh angles to be explored, and so the writers feel the need to do “mash ups” to make things more interesting. The same writers who feel it is a good idea to explore these elements are the same kind who decry excessive continuity. The irony here is that a real working knowledge of said continuity is required to understand what is supposedly so clever about what they are doing.

Spider-Man Noir (issue 1) doesn't work for a number of reasons. While all of these multiverse Spider-people/things have divergent and disparate elements, this one fails miserably because it takes place in 1939, decades before Peter Parker or any of the other characters here even existed. Even Fabrice Saplosky's brilliant artwork couldn't save this. The funny thing is that if Marvel had made this it's own thing and not a Spider-Man retread it would be an enjoyable ripoff of Sandman Mystery Theatre. As it stands it is a retread and a ripoff.

Artwork by Fabrice Saplosky.

Spider-Gwen took the world by storm, and for the life of me I cannot understand why. You don't get it old man, she is like Spider-Man, but a girl. She was bitten by the spider instead of Peter. That's all well and good, except for the fact that Gwen Stacy was not present during the demonstration where Peter Parker was bitten by the spider, nor did she even know Peter until his freshman year of college. Thanks to the movies and Ultimate Spider-Man, there is an alarming number of folks who accept this continuity gaffe as canon. This is a weak concept by even weaker creators.

#3's The Spider-Man is interesting, but this is a waste of time for those of us who have read House Of M: Spider-Man. #4's I Walked With A Spider was a cynical, dark view of the Spider-Man mythos. It is a creeper version of a Spider-Man that stalks his neighbor. Last and most certainly least is #5's SP//DR written by that My Chemical Romance loser, Gerard Way. This story sucks as bad as his band does.

I borrowed this from the library, so at least it didn't cost me anything to read. I still want my money back. I wouldn't recommend buying this book unless you hate your money. Fortunately my son opted out of reading this one with me, as Spider-Man wasn't in it and he wasn't interested in these characters. I should have followed his advice.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 1 out of 5.

The OCD zone- I find library copies to be fascinating studies of durability in the workmanship and materials of these collected editions.

Paper stock: Coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover.

Review- MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL

MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL (Yen Press/ Hachette, First Printing, 2013; Hardcover)

Writer: Ransom Riggs

Artist: Cassandra Jean

Yen Press offers these standalone original graphic novels which are targeted at school age kids. They primarily sell them through bookstores and Scholastic book fairs and book orders. You don't see too many of them in comic shops, nor do you hear much about them in comic book circles. This strikes me as odd, as the ones that I have read are polished and enjoyable.

Jacob Portman grew up listening to his grandpa's fantastic, surreal tales of his youth on a tiny island off of the coast of Wales during the second World War. As he grew older Jacob believed his grandfather less and humored him more, until something happens and Jacob finds out that his grandfather's tales and seemingly fake pictures of his friends from when he was growing up are very real indeed. I won't be going into much more detail because I dislike reviews that are filled with spoilers and come off like 9^th grade book reports. I like to think that this blog is written at the level of at least a tenth grade book report.

This concept is a retread of The X-Men and a smattering of other properties, blended together so well that it would take me a while to sit down and pinpoint what was borrowed from where. That is beside the point though, because as a read this is some solid stuff. The hook is strong, the art is Manga-influenced yet Western-minded comic audience accessible, and the writing is what my 9 year old son calls “easy reader” style. You can fly through this book yet still be satisfied that this was a complete story.

I discovered that there is a movie based on this book coming out in a few months. Tim Burton is directing it, and I find that to be curious because the imagery isn't dark or Gothic. I saw the trailer and most of the events shown in it do not occur in this book. As always, I recommend that folks read the source material first. I checked this out from my local library. Maybe your library has it too.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.75 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This is smaller than an average graphic novel and larger than a Manga digest sized book.

Paper stock: Thick coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding: Perfect bound, although the book block is glued to a flexible piece of cardboard that mimics a block with sewn binding with room in the casing to flex.

Dustjacket and Hardback cover notes: This is a library copy, and the dustjacket has a Brodart sleeve and is fastened to the hardback 

Review- AVENGERS VS. X-MEN

AVENGERS VS. X-MEN (Marvel, First Printing, 2013; Softcover)

Collects Avengers Vs. X-Men #0-12 and Point One #1 (cover dates January- December, 2012)

Writers: Jeph Loeb, Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Ed Brubaker, Jonathan Hickman, and Matt Fraction

Artists: Ed McGuinness, Dexter Vines, Frank Cho, John Romita, Jr., Scott Hanna, Oliver Copiel, Mark Morales, Adam Kubert, and John Dell

Colorists: Morry Hollowell, Jason Keith, Laura Martin, Larry Molinar, and Justin Ponsor

I picked this one up at my local library. I tend to vote with my wallet against these endless crossovers, but for free...why not. This is a crossover built on the back of the umpteen crossovers that came before it, from Messiah Complex to House Of M and everywhere in between. Bendis seems so impressed with himself that he needs to reference his own work to convince everyone else of how important his empty calorie writing really is. Bendis references his past works as much as Roy Thomas, although he lacks Thomas' love of the characters and actual knowledge of the history of the artform to back up his ego.

The basic gist of this is that Hope Summers, the “messiah” first mutant born since the Scarlet Witch altered reality and depowered all but 198 mutants at the end of House Of M, is destined to become the host for the Phoenix Force, the primal force responsible for the death of Marvel Girl (Jean Grey). Phoenix has been so misused and crapped up that it is best left to the history books, as most writers don't know what to do with it.

The Avengers determine that the Phoenix Force is a threat to Earth and go to the mutant island base Utopia in order to bring Hope into custody. Cyclops sees Hope as the messiah sent to save the mutant race, and a fight ensues. It becomes a battle royal, with Hope becoming a hot potato in reverse. Iron Man devises a way to splinter the Phoenix Force, figuring that would eliminate it. Instead, the force goes into five different X-Men. Lots of broken bones and back and forth fighting later, and the predictable ending happens.

I had all but given up on modern Marvel. My 9 year old son has since softened me on modern Marvel Comics. I can accept that these characters as they stand today are his definitive versions of them. This is his golden age of comics. I have learned to let go of a lot of things these past few months. At the end of the day it doesn't matter what this “old man's” opinion is. My day is done. The future of the medium belongs to him, although I think I'll hang around for quite a while to yell at you kids to get off of my lawn.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 2.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- I find library copies to be fascinating studies of durability in the workmanship and materials of these collected editions.

Paper stock: Glossy coated stock.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover.

Review- THE STUFF OF LEGEND BOOK 1: THE DARK

THE STUFF OF LEGEND BOOK 1: THE DARK (Th3rd World Studios/ Villard Books, Third Printing, 2010; Softcover)

Collects The Stuff Of Legend Volume One: The Dark Books 1, 2 (cover dates 2009)

Writer: Mike Raicht and Brian Smith

Artist: Charles Paul Wilson III

Colorists: John Conkling and Michael DeVito

This is one of those independent titles that I have sampled via various Free Comic Book Day comics but have never gotten around to buying. My local library has a fairly impressive graphic novel section, and I noticed that they had all four of these books available. I figured hey, the stuff I've read was good, the price is right, and the only thing that it will cost me is my time.

I liked this. It didn't knock my socks off but I found the concept to be polished and the artwork has a nice feeling to it. It's a fast read, which is fine because the story is light and doesn't require a lot of exposition. The setting of 1944 doesn't make a whole lot of sense, at least not yet. Maybe they did this because the toys all look old. Kids today have licensed characters as far as the eye can see. Time will tell why it is set in 1944 instead of today.

If Chronicles Of Narnia and Toy Story had a baby, it would be The Stuff Of Legend. This is all-ages reading that should appeal to even the most sophisticated comic book reader. It's smart, slick, and accessible.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

The OCD zone- The dimensions of this book are a landscape format.

Paper stock: Acid free coated stock. The indicia states that this is acid free paper. I now wonder about the acid content of the paper in the rest of my collected editions. While there are cheap, easy ways to check for things like OBAs, there are no real easy ways to test the acid levels in paper. Just when you thought that you were going to be getting a good night's sleep...

Binding: Sewn binding in a softcover. While this generally makes me happy, the problem with sewn binding in a softcover is that it is not glued to a cloth super. The signatures are just glued into place, and as you can see from this picture, this is a big problem. I would think that perfect binding might be preferable to this, as it is easily repaired with library glue. Repairing this binding could be tricky. Please note that this is a library copy and has been checked out by dozens and dozens of folks and has been read more times than anyone's personal copy likely would be.

Cardstock cover notes: Matte finish. It is surprisingly scuff free, doubly impressive seeing as this is a library copy. 

Review- AMAZING SPIDER-MAN VOL. 4: GRAVEYARD SHIFT

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN VOL. 4: GRAVEYARD SHIFT (Marvel, First Printing, 2015; Softcover)

Collects Amazing Spider-Man #16-18 and Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 (cover dates February-July, 2015)

Writer: Dan Slott and Sean Ryan (Annual #1)

Artists: Humberto Ramos and Victor Olazaba, Brandon Peterson (Annual #1)

Colorists: Edgar Delgado and Antonio Fabela (Annual #1)

My son and I's bedtime reading Spider-Man marathon concludes with the fourth and final volume in this line of books. Humberto Ramos is back, and his artwork is an abomination to the eyes. I am serious. Art is subjective, but sometimes an artist just sucks. And Humberto Ramos sucks.

"Artwork" by Humberto Ramos. Did I mention that he sucks?

Fortunately Dan Slott's writing has somehow made Ramos' eye vomit borderline tolerable. I enjoyed seeing Spider-Man tangle with the Iguana, a C-lister from the '70s. The Black Cat is being ramped up more and more, with this ending as a cliffhanger going into the new Secret Wars crossover, another bloated must miss event.

Things are saved by the delightful story in Annual #1. Sean Ryan proves that Slott isn't the only game in town for writing the character, turning in a tale where Spider-Man tries to reunite someone with their lost cellphone. This is a smart, contemporary story. We are all hooked on these cursed gadgets, with their processing speed and Internet connections far faster than the first home computers we all owned around the turn of the century. We have become so dependent on these gadgets, as they are our phone, camera, GPS, flashlight, and tablet all in one. It was cool to see Spider-Man go to such great lengths to reunite someone with their phone. Everyone that Spider-Man encounters thinks that he is nuts to go to these lengths for a phone, but that's the beauty of it. He can't help himself...just like people can't help themselves with these phones. To top it off, Brandon Peterson does a fantastic job in the artwork department on this one. This was a fun story.

Great artwork by Brandon Peterson.

My 9 year old son's take: That was pretty interesting. (It was) fun. Rarely (any) swearing, which is always good.

So this reboot of the rebooted reboot line was uneven but enjoyable. It could have been better in the artwork department, but all in all things are solid. I enjoyed checking these out from my local library but am still boycotting buying anything written by Dan Slott.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 2.75 out of 5.

The OCD zone-

Paper stock: Coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover.

Review- BATMAN: THE STRANGE DEATHS OF BATMAN

BATMAN: THE STRANGE DEATHS OF BATMAN (DC, First Printing, 2009; Softcover)

Collects Detective Comics #347, World's Finest Comics #184, 269, Brave And The Bold #115, Batman #291-294, and selections from Batman Chronicles #8 and Nightwing #52 (cover dates January, 1966- February, 2001)

Writers: Gardner Fox, Cary Bates, Bob Haney, David W. Reed, Gerry Conway, John Stanisci, and Chuck Dixon

Artists: Carmine Infantino, Joe Giella, Curt Swan, Jack Abel, Jim Aparo, John Calnan, Tex Blaisdell, Rich Buckler, Frank McLaughlin, Sal Buscema, John Stanisci, Greg Land, and Drew Geraci

This is one of those scattershot collections that don't appeal to me. I dislike the idea of books that jump all over the place in terms of original publication date. I passed on this book when it came out. Years went by and I was at my local library with my kids and they had this book in the graphic novel section, so why not, I thought? It has some vintage stories and the price is right: free.

I will never understand DC's collected editions department or the methodology used in the way that they put their books together. This is collection of issues where Batman apparently “dies”, and it is a pretty flimsy thread to use to pull a bunch of random issues from different decades together. This is the type of trade paperback that Marvel used to do in the '90s, before they figured out that people want complete runs of titles collected. I can't imagine anyone demanding a collection like this, nor can I imagine this being the type of collection that a mainstream bookstore buyer would pick up. It seems that the only folks who buy collected editions of vintage material are the completists, and they only buy books like this because it is the only game in town to see vintage material in “high def”.

If you read it as a random sampling of issues then you will have fun. The Brave And The Bold #115 was great, as Aparo was the best thing since Neal Adams. The four part Where Were You On The Night Batman Was Killed? storyline is the highlight of the book, a real whodunit featuring a who's who of Batman's rogues' gallery. Great stuff, and it makes DC's unwillingness to properly collect their material even more frustrating. Like I said, if you take it as a random collection of comics it will result in a fun read. If you want a solid run in between two covers then the different art and coloring styles will prove unsatisfying.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- The cheap paper that DC uses makes their books weigh as much as a pack of cigarettes.

Linework and Color restoration: The linework is excellent, with no noticeable dropouts on the two issues that I did side by side comparisons with. The original color palette is faithffully maintained and errors present in the original comics, such as the Joker's teeth being blotted out by the printing press and colored red, are corrected.

Paper stock: DC uses cheap mando pulp paper in their collections of classic material during this era. It is ridiculous and feels cheap.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback. It should be noted that this is a library copy and is still kicking.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover that has weathered endless handling over the years and still looks okay. Library books are like science experiments to us OCD types. We would never handle our books this many times, so it is neat to see how a book read dozens of times holds up.

Review- CAPTAIN AMERICA VOL. 5: THE TOMORROW SOLDIER

CAPTAIN AMERICA VOL. 5: THE TOMORROW SOLDIER (Marvel, First Printing 2015; Softcover)

Collects Captain America #22-25 and Marvel 75^th Anniversary Special #1 (cover dates September- December, 2014)

Writer: Rick Remender with Stan Lee (Marvel 75^th Anniversary Special #1)

Artists: Carlos Pacheco, Paul Renaud, Stuart Immonen, Mariano Taibo, and Wade Von Grawbadger

Colorists: Dean White, Lee Loughridge, Sonia Oback, Veronica Gandi, and Marte Gracia

This is it, the big payoff to Remender's run. And what a payoff it is! S P O I L E R S abound from here on out, so if you haven't read this yet and don't want it ruined, turn back now. You have been warned...

Arnim Zola is not dead. He tips his hand to reveal his long-gestating plan to destroy New York City and every Avenger in it. He is working with the Red Skull and brings his army from Dimension Z to invade New York. Steve Rogers is down for the count as Captain America, as The Iron Nail's removal of the Super Soldier Serum appears to be permanent. (Yeah right.)

Without giving you a blow by blow play by play, the Falcon saves the day and with Steve's blessing becomes the new Captain America. Jet Black does Arnim Zola's will by betraying him, with Zola manipulating the heroes into betraying her, thus fulfilling his original plan. Not for nothing is Arnim Zola considered a genius. Sharon Carter and Steve's stepson from Dimension Z, Ian, are alive and well. Ian is now an adult since time moves more swiftly in Dimension Z than it does here. (Remember, in the first two volumes Cap was gone from our dimension for a minute and twelve years elapsed there.)

The movie incarnations of Iron Man, the Falcon, Thor, Nick Fury, and the Hulk are all represented here. I don't have a problem with a singular version of these characters existing across all platforms (print, movies, cartoons, video games, etc.) so long as they are consistent. Iron Man in particular flies in the face of his established personality in print. On screen you have Robert Downey Jr. carrying the snark, but on the printed page he comes off as a smug prick. To the civilians out there who walked into the comics this is fine. To me it is fine only so long as they make this a consistent thing and move forward with it. I would rather have the comics be accessible to the masses, so this singular version works as long as they keep it going forward. I want comics to survive.

I am glad that my local library had Vols. 3-5, as I always wondered how this run ended. I dropped it after the first two books in the line because there are too many books from too many publishers offered for me to afford following everything that I would like to. This was a satisfying read that would even be worth paying for.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone-

Paper stock: Good weight coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover.

Review- CAPTAIN AMERICA VOL. 4: THE IRON NAIL

CAPTAIN AMERICA VOL. 4: THE IRON NAIL (Marvel, First Printing 2015; Softcover)

Collects Captain America #16-21 (cover dates April- August, 2014)

Writer: Rick Remender

Artists: Pascal Alixe and Nic Klein

Colorists: Edgar Delgado, Antonio Fabela, Israel Silva, and Dean White

This was another one that I checked out of the library. Remender has studied Brubaker's run closely, and he does a very good job at keeping the tone and feel going in terms of suspense and building development on top of development. In short, Remender gives “the kids” what they want, and there's nothing wrong with that.

S.H.I.E.L.D. has, shockingly, lied to everyone again, hiding their umpteenth doomsday weapon from even their highest ranking people. Gungnir is basically a Transformers ripoff with the power to battle a Celestial. For the sake of suspension of disbelief let's pretend that S.H.I.E.L.D. are smart enough to not contract stuff out and wind up with an Edward Snowden type who would be willing to air their dirty laundry to the world, and that this weapon could exist all of this time undetected. Two also previously unknown super soldiers, The Iron Nail and Dr. Mindbubble, are here to give Captain America and the Falcon a real run for their money.

Further complicating things is Jet Black, Arnim Zola's daughter who returned with Cap from Dimension Z. The Red Skull tried to woo her, but she is seemingly determined to stay on the side of the heroes for now. The Iron Nail plays his hand, and it ultimately strips Captain America of the Super Soldier formula, leaving him a feeble old man. Even though the heroes beat him and Dr. Mindbubble they lost, as their foes were playing a larger game than this battle. Again, this is another tip of the hat to Brubaker's brilliant run on the title.

This was free from the library so the only thing that I had to worry about was whether or not I enjoyed reading it. Once upon time that is all that comic books were to me. I am trying to get back to that mindset and away from worrying about continuity and stuff.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone-

Paper stock: Good weight coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover.

Review- AMAZING SPIDER-MAN VOL. 3: SPIDER-VERSE

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN VOL. 3: SPIDER-VERSE (Marvel, First Printing, 2015; Softcover)

Collects Amazing Spider-Man #9-15 (cover dates January- April, 2015)

Writer: Dan Slott

Artists: Oliver Coipel and Giuseppe Camuncoli with Inking by Cam Smith, Wade Von Grawbadger, Livesay, Victor Olazaba, Mark Morales, and Roberto Poggi

Colorists: Justin Ponsor with Antonio Fabela

My son and I's Spider-Man bedtime reading marathon continues! We were finally able to check this out of the library, as it was checked out for a while and we had to wait for it to be returned.

Morlun and the rest of the Inheritors are on a quest to kill every single Spider-totem across every world in the Multiverse. There are so many different Spider-Men (and women...a pig...and even a monkey) running around that it becomes a joke. It is funny but it's not. It smacks of the worst aspect of DC's hodge-podge continuity which always drove me nuts as a kid. The whole “it's all make believe so who cares” attitude that permeates modern day fandom has destroyed what once made Marvel so special: continuity that was as tight as a drum.

Dan Slott may be a jerk to fans on Twitter but the man does know his Spider-Man history and trivia. The kids these days call them “Easter eggs”, and there are a ton of them on each and every page. I know my Spider-Man stuff, and some of these were a real treat. Slott has used this silly event to bring each and every incarnation of the character from every medium into the real Marvel Universe (or the 616 Universe as they call it in a post-Alan Moore civilization). I particularly enjoyed the Spider-Man from the 1967 animated series and the brief glimpse that we got of his world.

All is revealed here. The origin of The Inheritors. The identity and purpose of the Master Weaver of the Web Of Life. The fate of MC2's Spider-Girl after her series cancellation. How Spider-Gwen (the dumbest retread of an idea, ever) and the second, non-Peter Parker Ultimate Spider-Man got stuck in the main Marvel Universe.

My 9 year old son's take: It was good. He liked That it was not like any other Spider-Man comic and he was traveling through dimensions. How it used a bunch of different versions of Spider-Man. His dislikes are It has too much swearing. The *boxes with the endless tie-ins were annoying.

Does swearing make this edgy or cool? No. Does swearing alienate a lot of potential new readers? Yes. It's sad that I have to edit that stuff out as I read it to my son. Comics are ostensibly written for "adults", but the reality of it is that Marvel/Disney aim this stuff right at kids through merchandising and cartoons. 

This was a fun read, but I still really dislike the whole Multiverse angle. Do you want to know what I really dislike? Crossovers. And boy is this a crossover! They use those *footnote boxes to try and suck you into multiple titles with each issue. It's ridiculous and insulting. Stunts like this are why I refuse to pay for modern Marvel Comics, content to check them out of the library and read them for free. If you pay for gimmicks like these crossovers then the terrorists win!

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone-

Paper stock: Coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover.

Review- THE X-MEN EPIC COLLECTION VOL. 1: CHILDREN OF THE ATOM

THE X-MEN EPIC COLLECTION VOL. 1: CHILDREN OF THE ATOM (Marvel, First Printing, 2014; Softcover)

Collects X-Men #1-23 (cover dates September, 1963- August, 1966)

Writers: Stan Lee and Roy Thomas

Artists: Penciling by Jack Kirby, Werner Roth, and Alex Toth, with Inking by Dick Ayers, Chic Stone, Paul Reinman, Vince Colletta, and Joe Sinnott

This is not only the third time that I have read these issues, but the third time that I have bought this material as well. Allow me to explain. I owned the first three hardcover Marvel Masterworks many moons ago but sold them when the hardcover Omnibus came out, as the Omnibus boasted vastly superior linework and color restoration. The Omnibus fell out of print, and when I saw how much it was going for I dumped it a year or so ago and picked this book up. As long as I have the material with the finest restoration I am fine. Plus, I honestly enjoy the paper stock in this Epic over the one found in the Omnibus.

One of the creepiest Stan Lee plotlines ever. Professor X's crush on the teenage Jean Grey (Marvel Girl). This was thankfully dropped. 

OCD upgradeitis/ eBay flipping exploits aside, I enjoyed this material more the third time through. The X-Men were always the red-headed stepchild of Marvel's Silver Age. Neither Stan Lee nor Jack Kirby seemed to give this series much thought out of the gate. Compare these issues to anything else that these two were doing during the same cover month and you will see what I mean.

Kirby's successor was Werner Roth. I disliked Werner Roth's artwork until a couple of years ago, when I read his 1950's Atlas output. I still feel like his style is not as energetic as Kirby's, nor as nuanced as Ditko's, because he draws superheroes that look like regular people. If you read this as a book about normal teenagers who happen to be mutant superheroes his artwork makes more sense. He is a solid artist that was ill-suited to Silver Age superhero comics.

Stan Lee and Jack Kirby lay down the entire foundation for the series here. Professor Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters. Cerebro, Professor X's mutant-detecting device. Magneto as well as the Brotherhood Of Evil Mutants. Future Avengers Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. The Blob. The Juggernaut. The Sentinels and the first wave of anti-mutant hysteria that Roy Thomas and later Chris Claremont would use to great dramatic effect. It's all here, even if it isn't spit-shined or ready for prime time yet. Like I said, neither Lee nor Kirby nor Thomas nor Roth made this series seem like it was their priority. It falls short of every other book that Marvel was publishing during this time. Reading this for the third time was the charm, though, as I finally got what made it special to a small group of fans back then. It was those fans who would become the creators who would go on to make this one of Marvel's most popular titles a decade or so later.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

If you enjoy Magneto in the movies, thank Jack Kirby. 

The OCD zone- When I returned to comic books in 2003 after a thirteen year hiatus I discovered the Essential line, which were 500 page black and white phone books. At the time I wished that they were in color. The Epic line is an answer to my prayers. Five hundred page chunks of classic comic books at a reasonable price.

Linework and Color restoration: The absolute best version of this material, using the same files found in the Omnibus and softcover Marvel Masterworks. Excellent linework and a color palette that is faithful to the original comics.

Paper stock: Matte coated stock of sufficient thickness and weight. This is the same stock found in the softcover Marvel Masterworks and Epic line books. This paper is my favorite paper used out of any collected editions from any company.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover.