Follow the Leader: Episode 12: Favorite Comic Arc!
Martinex1: It is Tuesday so you know what to do! And if you don't understand what is going on, come back a little later, jump into the comments section and Follow the Leader! It is more fun than a bag of glass!
Ha, I discovered yesterday that America puts its' clocks forward one hour on March 12th - for us it's March 26th so for two weeks the time difference between us is one hour less. But it only occurred to me in the last few minutes that BITBA now begins for us in the UK at 11am not mid-day and so Luther beat me to the first suggestion. Never mind, it'll wait for another day...anyway, my favorite Bronze Age arc is without doubt the Hellfire Club/Dark Phoenix saga. I bought Uncanny X-Men #132-136 but the double-sized #137 wasn't available due to stupid UK distribution but I acquired it via mail order a year or so later. Of course, they spoiled it by bringing Jean back but the Hellfire Club/Dark Phoenix storyline was utterly gripping at the time. I also loved that adaptation of Wagner's "Ring Of The Nibelung" in The Mighty Thor also in 1980 but I seem to be alone in that :D
Korvac and Dark Phoenix arcs aside, I am always partial to that FF run with Skrulls, Galactus, the Aging Ray, the Sphinx, Herbie, Terrax, Nova, Spider-Man, Xandarians...so much scale, so much cosmic adventure, great characters, fantastic battles. What could a 13-year old boy want more than that?
One day I'll get up early enough on a Tuesday to post first. LOL
Favorite Bronze-Age arc? Well you can't go wrong with the Dark Phoenix Saga. But I suspect a lot of people will say that. So, I'm going to go with the Elektra Saga in Frank Miller's Daredevil. DD was my favorite comic at the time, and the first comic I ever got a subscription to. So the Elektra Saga holds a special place in my heart.
It's funny how many stories that are considered "the greatest" involve the main character's girlfriend getting killed - Elektra, Jean Grey, Gwen Stacy, etc. Hmm, I guess there was "girl in the fridge" syndrome even back in the BA.
Here's my list, obviously the incidents reveal my 'active collecting years'...
1) Gwen's death (ASM 121-122), and the dozen or so after-effect issues after that.. 2) Avengers/Defenders Clash, my entire summer of '73 revolved around it, 3) Reed and Sue's separation, FF issues 134-150.., quite a nail-biter, especially compared to reading the reprints in MGC those summers, and 4) Cap's Secret Empire saga..., issues 165 (first hint of negative PR campaign) to 183 when Cap dons his identity again., loved it.
And for a fifth..? Englehart's entire Vish-Wanda-Mantis-Swordsman love arc (Avengers 120-129). Just excellent and precise tension in the pages of our beloved Avengers team.
Off the top of my head I have two: the Avengers Kang/Celestial Madonna and Jungle Action Panther's Rage.
As for would they stand up today: I've often had the thought that I'd like to sit and binge read some of these old stories like watching an entire season of a show on Netflix and see what I think. I actually got about halfway through Panther's Rage that way several months ago and was rather enjoying it. But, then real life got in the way. I have to go back and finish that soon.
I'll just throw in this thought as well. Part of the enjoyment of those extended arcs was the anticipation/can't wait until the next issue attitude that came along with it. Hopping on my bike and riding to the local convenience store thinking "I hope that next Avengers came in today".
ugh, David B, I forgot the Avengers vs Defenders! My summer revolved around it too. The Cap-Submariner cover is still one of my all time favorites. I have it in a collected trade and read it at least once a year. The Dark Phoenix saga was great, but sadly lost its steam once they brought her back. In fact the retcons caused me to stop reading the X-men. The secret empire arc in Cap was another great. The Kirby mad bomb come back to the title was complete madness, but I loved it as a kid. I still have all the issues. They look like they were found in a landfill. But I can't bring myself to toss them. They are bagged and boarded and kept as safe as my Silver age gems. William, did you read the DD 121-123 Hydra arc? Great covers and story. 122 is a Gil Kane classic and is burned into my brain.
Sidebar: wouldn't the upcoming Avengers movies be better if they did the Korvac saga? The GOTG would be perfect in it.
Our friend david_b and I had a parallel zuvembie experience. All of his could have made my list. But where did that Avengers arc begin and end, eh? The good writers could wrap up a particular adventure but still have interesting subplots brewing in the background that you never knew when they would come to the fore.
So I'd like to change my vote to my entire Marvel catalog from about April '73 to August '75. Or maybe it was September...
Good morning, if I may liberally use the word arc… I would say from the early 1970s when DC comics started running hundred page giants with reprints from the golden age, to Justice league of America 100 where the seven soldiers of victory are re-introduced and the Quality company heroes are re-introduced, to Roy Thomas starting with the Invaders series at Marvel comics. That 4 to 5 year period of bringing back the World War II heroes was a blast from the past for a nostalgia freak like me. Thank you
Since the Thing is my favorite character and I think Marvel Two-in-One is a perfect example of Bronze Age goodness, I'm gonna have to say the "Project Pegasus" issues of MTiO stands out for me.
Vision being my second favorite of the Bronze Age, I'll echo previous votes for the "Avengers Kang/Celestial Madonna" storyline.
I'm going with an obvious choice:The Hellfire Club/Dark Phoenix saga from Uncanny X-Men 129-138. I re-read it last year for the first time in 20 years and I found that it's just as good as it was back in 1979-80. Great story, multi-deminsional characters and art from Byrne and Austin that still looks (dare I say it) uncanny after all these years.
Tough question, with so many good answers already given. But if I choose the story I've reread more than any other, it would be Avengers/Kang/Celestial Madonna. Avengers/Defenders would be close. So would Avengers/Bride of Ultron. Seeing a pattern here. I loved X-Men and FF, and Spidey was my favorite. But somehow, overall story-wise, Avengers seem to have beaten all competition in my eyes.
Oh forgot the second half of the question. Yes, any of those Avengers tales mentioned still hold up today. Can't think of anything that particularly dates them; just good, solid, entertaining stories. And that has timeless appeal.
Yeah, it's impossible to pick just one. I agree with many of the suggestions here (Death of Gwen/Gobby, Drug trilogy, Korvac saga, Hellfire Club/Death of Phoenix).
I can think of a few I'd add: Daredevil Born Again; the 3 part JLA/JSA x-over in JLA 195-197; the extended storyline in All-Star Squadron involving Ultra-Humanite, Cyclotron, and Amazing Man that crossed over into Infinity Inc and one of the All-Star annuals; the Great Darkness saga in LSH; and of course, the Judas Contract.
I also personally like some of the extended storylines in Bronze Age Batman ... Englehart's Detective run and Conway's back and forth between Batman and Detective come to mind.
The first storyline that came to mind was The Celestial Madonna, my entry point to "new" Avengers comics.
As I've said many times, I quit collecting with X-Men #130, so missed the Dark Phoenix Saga. I agree with Colin and others who feel that thing gets rolling a bit earlier with the Hellfire Club. I read it much after the fact in trade paperback form, and loved it. It's long been on my "need to revisit" list.
I'll also agree with David B. that the FF drama with the break-up of Reed and Sue was really important to young Doug. Not necessarily the story one would say has enjoyment, but I think everyone here understands.
And, unlike many others, I thought the original clone saga in Amazing Spider-Man was gripping. It was a long story, lots of villains, and just enough of a tease each issue to keep us guessing how it would all turn out. The coda that took place in Peter Parker a few years after was good as well. I have to draw the line on the garbage that was the second clone saga. Ben Reilly... pfah.
Hey, us Brits have an unfair advantage when it comes to posting Tuesday suggestions. It's good to share it around *smiles*
So many stories, so little time. In no particular order:
'The Death of Iris Allen' in Flash #270-#284 changed my perception of Bronze DC forever. Here was Cary Bates, writing an extended story that seamlessly blended the best of both DC and Marvel in quite a workout for Barry Allen - and, frankly, even more of a workout for Iris. Oh dear, I seem to have stumbled into another 'girl in the fridge' situation.
'Attuma and Doom' story in Super-Villain Team Up #9 and Avengers #155-#156 is a sentimental favorite. The action and team dynamics are relentless, and how many other story arcs can claim both writing and pencilling credits for Jim Shooter?
Byrne's consecutive Doom and Trial of Reed Richards stories in Fantastic Four #258-#262. Byrne running on full power here, building respectfully and intelligently on what Stan and Jack built.
The 'Elf With A Gun' in Defenders #25-#46 just because.
I know this may seem odd but I really separate Dark Phoenix from the Hellfire Club story in terms of judging the stories. I would put the Hellfire Club way up on my list. But after the team dealt with the Club and Jean took care of Mastermind in such a brutal fashion, I felt the Dark Phoenix arc went downhill. Now don't get me wrong it is still a great story and probably in my top 15, and the issue with Jean dying is itself a masterpiece. But I felt the issues where Jean really becomes the Dark Phoenix, and where she visits her family, and the interaction with the Shi'ar and the drama in space etc, are a bit of a slog. So The extended Hellfire interaction from issue 129 to that finale is a 10+ in my book, but the following Dark Phoenix arc is maybe an 8.5 to a 9. I guess the build up was much more fun than the resolution. It's probably weird but I have more nostalgia for the Proteus arc, the two issues with Wendigo, and definitely "Days of Future Past". The Claremont-Byrne X-Men as a whole maybe cannot be beat.
Some real outliers that I just love from my youth are Avengers 69 - 71 with Kang, the Growing Man, The Black Knight, the Invaders, Sal Buscema, Squadron Sinister, Grainger inks, wonderful covers, a significantly great pin-up of the team etc.
But hey, I also really like the odd Avengers two-parter in issues 85 and 86 where Wanda, Viz, Clint, and Quicksilver go to the Squadron Supreme's homeworld to battle Brainchild. I know this is horribly unpopular to say but I like the succinctness, art, and subtle character development in these Roy Thomas tales more than some of the bigger splashier arcs down the line.
And of course there is the Nefaria arc in Avengers 164 to 166.
I also really like the Spider-Man, Kingpin, Schemer arc from the pre-100 issues of ASM. I cannot remember the exact issue numbers.
So those handful of stories are what first came to mind when the question was asked. I suspect much of it is nostalgia driven but I go back to those stories often.
Colin Bray- Elf with a gun! Yes! Yes! I almost mentioned the Headmen arc in Defenders, with evil Bambi, and all...
Marti- you bring up some good stuff there. Maybe a Silver Age edition of this topic is called for (ooh, oooh, the "Petrified Tablet" / Kingpin arc in Amazing Spidey).
Quick question since I am somewhat the newbie here... What years do you call "Bronze Age" just generally (not trying to spark a debate, lol). Reason being I was digging Marti's references and you mention a "silver age edition." So I am thinking my references to 100-page reprints and Invaders and wondering if that is late silver age? Thanks folks.
Charlie- it depends on who you ask, but very generally, the Silver Age ran from about 1956 (Silver Age Flash debuts in Showcase) until about 1970. The Bronze Age, approximately 1970 until 1985 (Crisis on Infinite Earths). After that, you enter the Copper and modern ages. There is substantial debate on what actually marks the boundaries, but those dates are ' within the ballpark'.
I have a habit of marking the start of the Bronze Age with Marvel's shift to $0.15 comic book pricing in mid-1969. All 12 cent issues are Silver so Avengers reached the change point with issue 66. Not sure when I first heard that delineation but I've followed it since. Redartz is right though - there is much debate.
Cool. In that case I'll also offer up the Amazing Spidey 100 - 102.
In a broader sense, Stan the Man was promoting some kind of competition in ASM between Roy Thomas/ Gil Kane and ?/Ross Andru like through issue 110ish (I might have the teams mixed up). I remember in his Soapbox or the Letters Pages asking us Fearless Front Facers to weigh in on which team we liked best in ASM.
Also, there was this run of Avengers from like 89 - 100 with art by the Buscemas, Adams, Windsor-Smith (anyone else?) and Skrulls and Cpt Marvel and WW 2 Timely Heroes. I need to go back and reread it. I remember my emotions, it was really quite a ride for an 11 year old, but don't recall if it was one long inter-related story arc. Long live the Bronze Age!
Distribution issues were a factor in my early collecting, so I rarely got through any entire arcs without missing a few issues. That was part of the reason why I was later coming into Marvel......I would get a couple of issues, then there would be a few months where I missed issues. DC usually had three-parters at most....not really enough to be an arc, so that's what I was initially into.
The first complete arc that I was able to get through on the Marvel side was Avengers 141-149 (omitting the two fill-ins). I have to claim that one as a favorite. It was really my first introduction to a lot of the Marvel line of heroes, too, plus my first introduction to George Perez. I had attempted to get into the Celestial Madonna a year or so before, but just couldn't keep up.
As a kid in the Bronze Age, by far my favorite epic/events were Jim Starlin's runs on Captain Marvel & Warlock, both involving Thanos but each story very unique. Other faves include the grande finale of the Moench/Gulacy run in Master of Kung Fu (which, admittedly, I didn't actually collect and read until many years after it was originally on the stands); the Secret Empire in Captain America & the Falcon; Hellfire Club/Dark Phoenix in X-Men; and the Headmen/Nebulon Defenders arc.
28 comments:
What was your favorite Bronze comic event/arc? Would it stand up today?
The Korvac arc in the Avengers is still one of my favorites. Great art, mystery, all the members and neatly tied up at the end. Thoughts....
Ha, I discovered yesterday that America puts its' clocks forward one hour on March 12th - for us it's March 26th so for two weeks the time difference between us is one hour less. But it only occurred to me in the last few minutes that BITBA now begins for us in the UK at 11am not mid-day and so Luther beat me to the first suggestion. Never mind, it'll wait for another day...anyway, my favorite Bronze Age arc is without doubt the Hellfire Club/Dark Phoenix saga. I bought Uncanny X-Men #132-136 but the double-sized #137 wasn't available due to stupid UK distribution but I acquired it via mail order a year or so later. Of course, they spoiled it by bringing Jean back but the Hellfire Club/Dark Phoenix storyline was utterly gripping at the time. I also loved that adaptation of Wagner's "Ring Of The Nibelung" in The Mighty Thor also in 1980 but I seem to be alone in that :D
Korvac and Dark Phoenix arcs aside, I am always partial to that FF run with Skrulls, Galactus, the Aging Ray, the Sphinx, Herbie, Terrax, Nova, Spider-Man, Xandarians...so much scale, so much cosmic adventure, great characters, fantastic battles. What could a 13-year old boy want more than that?
Yoyo
One day I'll get up early enough on a Tuesday to post first. LOL
Favorite Bronze-Age arc? Well you can't go wrong with the Dark Phoenix Saga. But I suspect a lot of people will say that. So, I'm going to go with the Elektra Saga in Frank Miller's Daredevil. DD was my favorite comic at the time, and the first comic I ever got a subscription to. So the Elektra Saga holds a special place in my heart.
It's funny how many stories that are considered "the greatest" involve the main character's girlfriend getting killed - Elektra, Jean Grey, Gwen Stacy, etc. Hmm, I guess there was "girl in the fridge" syndrome even back in the BA.
Here's my list, obviously the incidents reveal my 'active collecting years'...
1) Gwen's death (ASM 121-122), and the dozen or so after-effect issues after that..
2) Avengers/Defenders Clash, my entire summer of '73 revolved around it,
3) Reed and Sue's separation, FF issues 134-150.., quite a nail-biter, especially compared to reading the reprints in MGC those summers, and
4) Cap's Secret Empire saga..., issues 165 (first hint of negative PR campaign) to 183 when Cap dons his identity again., loved it.
And for a fifth..? Englehart's entire Vish-Wanda-Mantis-Swordsman love arc (Avengers 120-129). Just excellent and precise tension in the pages of our beloved Avengers team.
I'll just clarify that I've always considered the Hellfire Club and Dark Phoenix stories to be a single arc.
Off the top of my head I have two: the Avengers Kang/Celestial Madonna and Jungle Action Panther's Rage.
As for would they stand up today: I've often had the thought that I'd like to sit and binge read some of these old stories like watching an entire season of a show on Netflix and see what I think. I actually got about halfway through Panther's Rage that way several months ago and was rather enjoying it. But, then real life got in the way. I have to go back and finish that soon.
I'll just throw in this thought as well. Part of the enjoyment of those extended arcs was the anticipation/can't wait until the next issue attitude that came along with it. Hopping on my bike and riding to the local convenience store thinking "I hope that next Avengers came in today".
Tom
ugh, David B, I forgot the Avengers vs Defenders! My summer revolved around it too. The Cap-Submariner cover is still one of my all time favorites. I have it in a collected trade and read it at least once a year. The Dark Phoenix saga was great, but sadly lost its steam once they brought her back. In fact the retcons caused me to stop reading the X-men. The secret empire arc in Cap was another great. The Kirby mad bomb come back to the title was complete madness, but I loved it as a kid. I still have all the issues. They look like they were found in a landfill. But I can't bring myself to toss them. They are bagged and boarded and kept as safe as my Silver age gems.
William, did you read the DD 121-123 Hydra arc? Great covers and story. 122 is a Gil Kane classic and is burned into my brain.
Sidebar: wouldn't the upcoming Avengers movies be better if they did the Korvac saga? The GOTG would be perfect in it.
Another thought - Define "event/arc".
Our friend david_b and I had a parallel zuvembie experience. All of his could have made my list. But where did that Avengers arc begin and end, eh? The good writers could wrap up a particular adventure but still have interesting subplots brewing in the background that you never knew when they would come to the fore.
So I'd like to change my vote to my entire Marvel catalog from about April '73 to August '75. Or maybe it was September...
Tom
Good morning, if I may liberally use the word arc… I would say from the early 1970s when DC comics started running hundred page giants with reprints from the golden age, to Justice league of America 100 where the seven soldiers of victory are re-introduced and the Quality company heroes are re-introduced, to Roy Thomas starting with the Invaders series at Marvel comics. That 4 to 5 year period of bringing back the World War II heroes was a blast from the past for a nostalgia freak like me. Thank you
Since the Thing is my favorite character and I think Marvel Two-in-One is a perfect example of Bronze Age goodness, I'm gonna have to say the "Project Pegasus" issues of MTiO stands out for me.
Vision being my second favorite of the Bronze Age, I'll echo previous votes for the "Avengers Kang/Celestial Madonna" storyline.
I'm going with an obvious choice:The Hellfire Club/Dark Phoenix saga from Uncanny X-Men 129-138. I re-read it last year for the first time in 20 years and I found that it's just as good as it was back in 1979-80. Great story, multi-deminsional characters and art from Byrne and Austin that still looks (dare I say it) uncanny after all these years.
Tough question, with so many good answers already given. But if I choose the story I've reread more than any other, it would be Avengers/Kang/Celestial Madonna. Avengers/Defenders would be close. So would Avengers/Bride of Ultron. Seeing a pattern here. I loved X-Men and FF, and Spidey was my favorite. But somehow, overall story-wise, Avengers seem to have beaten all competition in my eyes.
Oh forgot the second half of the question. Yes, any of those Avengers tales mentioned still hold up today. Can't think of anything that particularly dates them; just good, solid, entertaining stories. And that has timeless appeal.
Yeah, it's impossible to pick just one. I agree with many of the suggestions here (Death of Gwen/Gobby, Drug trilogy, Korvac saga, Hellfire Club/Death of Phoenix).
I can think of a few I'd add: Daredevil Born Again; the 3 part JLA/JSA x-over in JLA 195-197; the extended storyline in All-Star Squadron involving Ultra-Humanite, Cyclotron, and Amazing Man that crossed over into Infinity Inc and one of the All-Star annuals; the Great Darkness saga in LSH; and of course, the Judas Contract.
I also personally like some of the extended storylines in Bronze Age Batman ... Englehart's Detective run and Conway's back and forth between Batman and Detective come to mind.
Enjoy all these various arcs mentioned, especially the X-Men, Daredevil and Avengers ones.
(I have a soft spot for the Fantastic Four Sphinx/Skrull story mentioned above as well).
Has anyone mentioned Warlock vs. The Magus by Starlin? Classic!
The first storyline that came to mind was The Celestial Madonna, my entry point to "new" Avengers comics.
As I've said many times, I quit collecting with X-Men #130, so missed the Dark Phoenix Saga. I agree with Colin and others who feel that thing gets rolling a bit earlier with the Hellfire Club. I read it much after the fact in trade paperback form, and loved it. It's long been on my "need to revisit" list.
I'll also agree with David B. that the FF drama with the break-up of Reed and Sue was really important to young Doug. Not necessarily the story one would say has enjoyment, but I think everyone here understands.
And, unlike many others, I thought the original clone saga in Amazing Spider-Man was gripping. It was a long story, lots of villains, and just enough of a tease each issue to keep us guessing how it would all turn out. The coda that took place in Peter Parker a few years after was good as well. I have to draw the line on the garbage that was the second clone saga. Ben Reilly... pfah.
Doug
Hey, us Brits have an unfair advantage when it comes to posting Tuesday suggestions. It's good to share it around *smiles*
So many stories, so little time. In no particular order:
'The Death of Iris Allen' in Flash #270-#284 changed my perception of Bronze DC forever. Here was Cary Bates, writing an extended story that seamlessly blended the best of both DC and Marvel in quite a workout for Barry Allen - and, frankly, even more of a workout for Iris. Oh dear, I seem to have stumbled into another 'girl in the fridge' situation.
'Attuma and Doom' story in Super-Villain Team Up #9 and Avengers #155-#156 is a sentimental favorite. The action and team dynamics are relentless, and how many other story arcs can claim both writing and pencilling credits for Jim Shooter?
Byrne's consecutive Doom and Trial of Reed Richards stories in Fantastic Four #258-#262. Byrne running on full power here, building respectfully and intelligently on what Stan and Jack built.
The 'Elf With A Gun' in Defenders #25-#46 just because.
I know this may seem odd but I really separate Dark Phoenix from the Hellfire Club story in terms of judging the stories. I would put the Hellfire Club way up on my list. But after the team dealt with the Club and Jean took care of Mastermind in such a brutal fashion, I felt the Dark Phoenix arc went downhill. Now don't get me wrong it is still a great story and probably in my top 15, and the issue with Jean dying is itself a masterpiece. But I felt the issues where Jean really becomes the Dark Phoenix, and where she visits her family, and the interaction with the Shi'ar and the drama in space etc, are a bit of a slog. So The extended Hellfire interaction from issue 129 to that finale is a 10+ in my book, but the following Dark Phoenix arc is maybe an 8.5 to a 9. I guess the build up was much more fun than the resolution. It's probably weird but I have more nostalgia for the Proteus arc, the two issues with Wendigo, and definitely "Days of Future Past". The Claremont-Byrne X-Men as a whole maybe cannot be beat.
Some real outliers that I just love from my youth are Avengers 69 - 71 with Kang, the Growing Man, The Black Knight, the Invaders, Sal Buscema, Squadron Sinister, Grainger inks, wonderful covers, a significantly great pin-up of the team etc.
But hey, I also really like the odd Avengers two-parter in issues 85 and 86 where Wanda, Viz, Clint, and Quicksilver go to the Squadron Supreme's homeworld to battle Brainchild. I know this is horribly unpopular to say but I like the succinctness, art, and subtle character development in these Roy Thomas tales more than some of the bigger splashier arcs down the line.
And of course there is the Nefaria arc in Avengers 164 to 166.
I also really like the Spider-Man, Kingpin, Schemer arc from the pre-100 issues of ASM. I cannot remember the exact issue numbers.
So those handful of stories are what first came to mind when the question was asked. I suspect much of it is nostalgia driven but I go back to those stories often.
Colin Bray- Elf with a gun! Yes! Yes! I almost mentioned the Headmen arc in Defenders, with evil Bambi, and all...
Marti- you bring up some good stuff there. Maybe a Silver Age edition of this topic is called for (ooh, oooh, the "Petrified Tablet" / Kingpin arc in Amazing Spidey).
Quick question since I am somewhat the newbie here... What years do you call "Bronze Age" just generally (not trying to spark a debate, lol). Reason being I was digging Marti's references and you mention a "silver age edition." So I am thinking my references to 100-page reprints and Invaders and wondering if that is late silver age? Thanks folks.
Charlie- it depends on who you ask, but very generally, the Silver Age ran from about 1956 (Silver Age Flash debuts in Showcase) until about 1970. The Bronze Age, approximately 1970 until 1985 (Crisis on Infinite Earths). After that, you enter the Copper and modern ages. There is substantial debate on what actually marks the boundaries, but those dates are ' within the ballpark'.
I have a habit of marking the start of the Bronze Age with Marvel's shift to $0.15 comic book pricing in mid-1969. All 12 cent issues are Silver so Avengers reached the change point with issue 66. Not sure when I first heard that delineation but I've followed it since. Redartz is right though - there is much debate.
Cool. In that case I'll also offer up the Amazing Spidey 100 - 102.
In a broader sense, Stan the Man was promoting some kind of competition in ASM between Roy Thomas/ Gil Kane and ?/Ross Andru like through issue 110ish (I might have the teams mixed up). I remember in his Soapbox or the Letters Pages asking us Fearless Front Facers to weigh in on which team we liked best in ASM.
Also, there was this run of Avengers from like 89 - 100 with art by the Buscemas, Adams, Windsor-Smith (anyone else?) and Skrulls and Cpt Marvel and WW 2 Timely Heroes. I need to go back and reread it. I remember my emotions, it was really quite a ride for an 11 year old, but don't recall if it was one long inter-related story arc. Long live the Bronze Age!
Distribution issues were a factor in my early collecting, so I rarely got through any entire arcs without missing a few issues. That was part of the reason why I was later coming into Marvel......I would get a couple of issues, then there would be a few months where I missed issues. DC usually had three-parters at most....not really enough to be an arc, so that's what I was initially into.
The first complete arc that I was able to get through on the Marvel side was Avengers 141-149 (omitting the two fill-ins). I have to claim that one as a favorite. It was really my first introduction to a lot of the Marvel line of heroes, too, plus my first introduction to George Perez. I had attempted to get into the Celestial Madonna a year or so before, but just couldn't keep up.
Hmm so much to choose from here, Dark Phoenix saga, Spidey & Gwen's death, Avengers/Korvac, I'll cheat and say I love them all!
- Mike 'until Howard the Duck becomes EIC of Marvel' from Trinidad & Tobago.
As a kid in the Bronze Age, by far my favorite epic/events were Jim Starlin's runs on Captain Marvel & Warlock, both involving Thanos but each story very unique. Other faves include the grande finale of the Moench/Gulacy run in Master of Kung Fu (which, admittedly, I didn't actually collect and read until many years after it was originally on the stands); the Secret Empire in Captain America & the Falcon; Hellfire Club/Dark Phoenix in X-Men; and the Headmen/Nebulon Defenders arc.
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