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Best SA Marvel title to read

Started by sufunk,

Best SA Marvel title to read?  

168 members have voted

  1. 1. Best SA Marvel title to read?

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30 posts in this topic

sufunk

sufunk

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I had never actually read the 1st 20-30 issues of the SA Marvel titles until the past few weeks. My LCS had a sale on graphic novels and i bought a bunch of Essentials so i could finally read the early issues of most titles. Growing up, my favorite titles were Avengers and X-men and i'm probably biased but imo, those 2 are definitely the best reads from issues 1-40.

 

I was never a huge fan of FF and i gotta say that the early FF issues are probably the corniest and most outdated in my eyes. Same with ASM. A little better than FF but still pretty corny. X-men was pretty good from issue 1 and only gets better but without question in my eyes, the early Avengers issues were the most fun to read. Some of the other titles i had to actually struggle to read and get thru them but the Avengers were actually really fun to read! After the 1st few issues it got REALLY good. Without question for me the Avengers had the best 1st 30-40 issues.

 

What are your guys favorites and why?

 

Two things that did jump out at me about ALL of the early Marvel titles:

 

1) almost all of the characters had very limited powers. They could only use them for a few minutes and then they had to "recharge" their powers. Human Torch, Cyclops, Scarlet Witch and a bunch of others were really limited since they could only use their powers for a few minutes of a fight before having to rest and recharge.

 

2) A LOT of the criminals were insanely weak by BA and later standards. Old men and villians that really had little to no super powers would hold the heroes at bay thruout the issues. A VERY common opponent were freaking carnival workers?!? Pretty funny to see the X-men or FF having to fight for their lives against carnival workers getting shot out of cannons at them or trying to lasso them! lol

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etanick

etanick

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I chose Avengers. While X-men is my favorite title, more so because of the Bronze age, I find the Silver age books not all that great (writing and art). I think FF and ASM have the greatest introduction of Marvel villains in the SA for Marvel. Who can argue about Dr. Doom, Galactus, Green Goblin, Doc Oc, etc..

 

...the X-men has some of the lamest in my opinion.

 

The Sentinels and Magneto are great villains...Blob, Brotherhood of evil mutants, etc...so many not memorable villains that are just bad/lame and thankful never to be return after their introductions.

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KirbyJack

KirbyJack

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If you compare Fantastic Four to X-Men and Avengers of the same time, I think you'll find FF and Spidey hold up nicely. I think Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's Fantastic Four of 1964 to 1967 is the high water mark of the silver age in terms of story and art.

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Ted Knight

Ted Knight

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I'm not too fond of SA x-men, there's a reason why it was canceled lol .

 

(thumbs u Yes, yes there is. Probably the worst reading between issues 15 and 48 that was on the stands at the time. I would rather read any other Marvel SA title, including westerns.

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sufunk

sufunk

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If you compare Fantastic Four to X-Men and Avengers of the same time, I think you'll find FF and Spidey hold up nicely. I think Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's Fantastic Four of 1964 to 1967 is the high water mark of the silver age in terms of story and art.

 

Yeah, i'd agree with that mostly. I should have been more clear and really said who had the best 1st 30-40 issues but oh well. FF started much earlier than Xmen and Avengers so their early issues are EXTRA corny to me.

 

If i had to read one more panel with the Thing and his beef with the Yancy Street gang and them sending him stupid things in the mail, i was going to lose it! lol

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KirbyJack

KirbyJack

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Just unbiasedly considering the 1st 30, I might change my answer to Avengers. It was good from the jump. Avengers #3 is a great read.

 

But now that I think about it, Avengers #2 wasn't any better than Kurrgo.

 

I vote Fantastic Four!

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sufunk

sufunk

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I'm probably biased because I'm a huge BA X-men fan but I didn't think the 1st 30 Xmen were bad at all. Most of them were pretty enjoyable IMO.

 

If I were to rank the 1st 30 or so issues of each title, fore it would be:

1) Avengers

2) x-men

3) FF

4) ASM

 

I really like ASM after say issue 50 or so but the 1st 30 were pretty hard for my to get thru. Definitely my least favorite of the 4. Aunt may was sick so often, it reminded menof the mom in the movie Johnny dangerously!

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Wayne-Tec

Wayne-Tec

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I voted for the Fantastic Four.

 

Having recently completed reading volume one (issues 1-10) of the Marvel Masterworks, I have to say that I never realized how good those early FF stories really were. Everyone has different tastes to be sure so I'm certainly not trying to say that my opinion is better than anyone elses; I just truly enjoyed those first ten issues.

 

I made it a habit to read one issue (or at least part of one) every evening and I really looked forward to each following issue. There were nights that I could have read more than one issue but since I enjoyed the stories so much, I didn't want to rush through them too quickly.

 

Right from the very beginning in FF #1, the groundwork was being laid for our modern-day Marvel Universe. The dramatic introduction to the characters, the "realistic" interaction between the four, the legendary origin, and their first meeting with the Mole Man who was IMO, a better villain than many may think.

 

Flip to "page 10" of FF #1 (page 11 in the Masterworks) and I see one of the most legendary pages in the history of comics. What some consider to be "crude " artwork on Kirby's part, I consider to be brilliant. I probably won't be able to explain it very well but there was a humanity he brought to his characters with a very special mystique surrounding those early FF incarnations.

 

Lee's dialog was at times, brilliant in his own right. Flash back to FF #6 for a moment (the 1st Marvel Age supervillian team-up) and for those who love the early birth of this Marvel Age, it's difficult not to be struck by the dialog between Doom and Namor as the readers can see the more villianous Doom slowly corrupt Namor's tortured spirit.

 

 

"What has happened to your thirst for revenge? Have you forgotten the glistening towers of your once-great civilization? --- The culture and comfort enjoyed by your happy subjects!

 

Where are your people and their proud works? Imagine how they had to flee for their lives before the barbarians from the surface could conduct their underwater H-Bomb test in this particular area...

 

Fortunately, you were absent during the destruction --- But the ruins testify to what must have happened! And your vanished subjects --- will you ever again find them as you search the endless depths?

 

Imagine -- your great and proud people --- struggling for thousands of years, defeating all the terrors of the deep to build a civilization superb and beautiful --- Yes, beautiful and glowing with life --- Until that last terrifying moment --- When that monster of a bomb lodged into the midst of that beauty ---

 

Gone! All that glorious history. Gone in one brief instant! -- Replaced by an ugly crater in the ocean floor --- Littered with fused masonry and bitter memories that cry out --- REVENGE! REVENGE!!

 

Revenge upon the surface world which did this in its ignorance! Revenge upon humanity's defenders! Death to the Fantastic Four!"

 

 

FF6Panel.jpg

 

 

If that isn't powerful stuff, I don't know what is.

 

I've heard people say that the Namor character was pretty much the same as he was on the GA. I'll be the first to admit that I've read very little GA Sub-Mariner material but from my (I know) limited exposure, it was never anything like this.

 

There was a psychology to this Namor. They took what was a solid backdrop and built upon it with Marvel Age flavor to create a perfect anti-hero for the times; a character who would became an early foundation to what would eventually become the Marvel Universe.

 

There were some cheesy moment to be sure; but I think that helped to create a tone much different from what we've grown accustomed to today (not that I've read much modern age stuff either).

 

What Lee and Kirby were able to create in those early issues of the Fantastic Four, helped to launch an entire universe of fictional brilliance...an era so fertile in creativity that Marvel created more everlasting characters during that five-year span (1961-1966) than the rest of comics have been able to produce in the last 50 years.

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