Golden Age Marvel Comics Volume 1

In August 1939 a new voice hit the newsstands and changed the comic-book world forever: MARVEL COMICS #1, with its blazing Human Torch cover, had arrived! And this 64-page pulp package wasn't your typical assortment of super-powered, straight-laced, do-gooders-this was something completely new. The amazing android creation of Dr. Phineas Horton, the Human Torch was neither man nor hero-he was a blazing force of nature that shocked and unsettled mankind. Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner, the half-human/half-Atlantean, ventures from his undersea kingdom into the world of man-not with a mind set on peace, but towards vengeance! These two characters would form the foundation for the style of conflicted hero that defi nes Marvel to this day, and you'll see them evolve across twelve full issues from their raw forms into the battling fire and water mega-hits of the Golden Age! They're flanked by an eclectic set born out of the fast-paced energy and imagination of the Golden Age including the heroic Angel; the wild and incomparable robot invention, Electro; the hard-edged detective, the Ferret; Terry Vance, the boy adventurer; the Western Masked Raider; and the ongoing jungle adventures of Ka-Zar, the Great. Featuring an extensive essay on Marvel's pulp magazine pre-history, publisher Martin Goodman and the birth of Marvel Comics by noted historian Will Murray, and topped off with special bonus features including original artwork and items never seen since 1939, this collection forms the cornerstone of Marvel history essential for every comic book fan, collector and historian! COLLECTING: MARVEL COMICS 1 & MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 2-12

In September 1939 a new voice hit the newsstands and changed the comic book world forever: Marvel Comics #1 had arrived! And this 64-page pulp package wasn't your typical assortment of super-powered, straight-laced, do-gooders--this was something completely new. The amazing android creation of Dr. Phineas Horton, the Human Torch, was neither man nor hero--he was a fiery force of nature that shocked and unsettled mankind. Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner,the half-human/half-Atlantean, ventured from his undersea kingdom into the world of man--not with a mind set on peace, but towards vengeance! These two characters would form the foundation for the style of conflicted hero that defines Marvel to this day. Beautifully restored with an amazing host of bonus material, there's no doubt this volume is an absolute must for every comic reader's library. COLLECTING: MARVEL COMICS 1, MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS 2-4

In 2009, the influence of comic books is everywhere. It has enmeshed itself so completely into the fabric of popular culture - on television and the silver screen, in ubiquitous forms of merchandising, and even Pulitzer Prize winning literature - that it's virtually impossible to envision a world without the heroes of Marvel Comics. But 70 years ago, in 1939, the comic book was in its infancy. Born from the hearts and minds of a scrappy group of writers and artists, amazing adventurers leapt onto the four-color page for the first time in stories that no one then knew would launch a Golden Age. These larger-than-life heroes were a unique product of the American soul - a cast of utopian defenders and outcast heroes with startling powers that expressed the hopes and dreams of the immigrant nation. So great were their aims and their abilities that the term "hero" was too small to contain them. They were super heroes. For Timely Comics, the upstart comics concern started by pulp publisher Martin Goodman, it was a twin set of heroes that resonated with the buying public: the aquatic anti-hero, the Sub-Mariner, and the fiery emblem of action, the Human Torch. On August 31, 1939 they made their debut in the pages of Marvel Comics #1 - the very first Marvel comic - and seven decades later the world still reverberates from their impact

Sizzling with thrills! 16 exciting classics that you demanded!! Starring Marvel Comics' big three - Captain America! Human Torch! Sub-Mariner!

In 1939, Marvel Comics (soon rechristened Marvel Mystery Comics) launched a storytelling revolution that lasted eight decades and ultimately birthed the modern Marvel Universe! The title's first year was a mix of pulp adventure seeded with the first sparks of the colourful heroes to come but in its second year, Marvel Mystery followed the path of the fiery Human Torch and the aquatic Sub-Mariner with super heroes galore! Those twin trailblazers were soon joined by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby's Vision, the all-American Patriot and the joyously wild robot Electro. Backed up by boy sleuth Terry Vance, the pre-comics jungle king Ka-Zar and the noir adventurer the Angel, each issue delivered 64 pages of nonstop 1940s action! Now, relive the glories of the Golden Age in this painstakingly restored, oversized omnibus edition! Collecting: Marvel Mystery Comics (1939) 13-24

Includes a collection of tales about the Human Torch that were originally released in magazine form.

The Marvel Masterworks proudly present the debut of the Human Torch, that fiery chart-topper of the Golden Age, in his own comic series! Leaping from the pages of Marvel Mystery Comics, the Torch was hotter than hotcakes in 1940. And now you can experience his series from the very beginning, which just so happens to be issue #2! Starting off with the first appearance of Torch's kid sidekick, Toro the Flaming Kid, Carl Burgos and company present page after page of action and adventure in incomparable 64-page, jam-packed issues. See the Torch and Toro fight side-byside with Bill Everett's Sub-Mariner, as he once again terrorizes New York City! Also featuring the adventures of Microman, Mantor the Magician, the Fiery Mask and the Patriot. COLLECTING: Human Torch (1940) 2-5a

A Hulk-sized tome spanning eight decades of the heroic rise of Marvel as it magically mutated from 1939's four-color upstart to a 1960s pop-culture dynamo to current Hollywood heavy hitter. With essays by comics historian Roy Thomas and a huge fold-out timeline that chronicles the entire Marvel history