Tales To Astonish

Tales to Astonish tells the spectacular life and times of Jack Kirby, the legendary forefather of American comic books. In the 1960's, Kirby joined with Stan Lee to develop many of our best-known and most beloved superheroes, including the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, the X-Men, Thor, Iron Man, the Avengers, and the Silver Surfer. Ronin Ro chronicles Kirby's poverty-stricken origins in New York's Lower East Side, his early commercial triumphs and failures, his renowned partnership with Lee, and his revolutionary artistic innovations, tracing the comic book industry from its inauspicious beginnings to its sensational successes. Ronin Ro lives in New York City and is the author of Gangsta: Merchandising the Rhymes of Violence, the award-winning international bestseller Have Gun Will Travel, and the novel Street Sweeper. He has written for Vanity Fair, USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Herald, Playboy, Rolling Stone, and Spin. "Ro cleanly lays out Kirby's story...He does well by the facts."-The Onion "Ro deftly handles Kirby's relationships...Tales to Astonish celebrates the stubbornness that kept Kirby, a superhero of comic books in his own right, creative as if against his will."-San Francisco Chronicle Also available: HC 1-58234-345-4 $24.95

Classic comic book titles from the past inspire fully painted Marvel masterworks featuring some of the world's greatest heroes! When a sadistic killer who claims to be descended from Loki goes on the rampage, it will take three Avengers to face a mad Viking - Hank Pym, the Wasp and the Hulk! Things take a turn for the monstrous in stories featuring Doctor Strange, the Thing, Human Torch and Nick Fury! And old friends Captain America and Iron Man are recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D. to stop a deadly new terror threat using Stark technology! Celebrate the heroic legacy of the Marvel Age of Comics with these strange tales of suspense guaranteed to astonish! COLLECTING: TALES TO ASTONISH (1994) 1, STRANGE TALES (1994) 1, TALES OF SUSPENSE (1995) 1

In August 1961, FANTASTIC FOUR #1 hit newsstands, heralding a new take on super hero stories and the birth of the Silver Age Marvel Universe! But Marvel Comics had been around for years before that, publishing Western, romance, comedy, monster and science fiction titles...and in August 1961, FANTASTIC FOUR was just one of over a dozen very different Marvel books! Now, sixty years later, experience the excitement of being a comic book fan in that momentous month -- with a complete collection of every issue that shared the shelves with FF #1, many never before reprinted! COLLECTING: Journey Into Mystery (1952) 73-74; Kathy (1959) 13; Life with Millie (1960) 13; Patsy Walker (1945) 97; Amazing Adventures (1961) 6; Fantastic Four (1961) 1; Kid Colt, Outlaw (1949) 101; Linda Carter, Student Nurse (1961) 2; Millie the Model (1945) 105; Strange Tales (1951) 90; Tales of Suspense (1959) 23; Tales to Astonish (1959) 25; Gunsmoke Western (1955) 67; Love Romances (1949) 96; Teen-Age Romance (1960) 84; Amazing Adult Fantasy (1961) 7; Patsy and Hedy (1952) 79; Rawhide Kid (1960) 25

Here are five fabulous decades of the world's greatest comics. Now in paperback, 288 information-packed pages and more than 700 illustrations of the original hardcover edition are sure to appeal to every comicbook fan. Includes 17 profiles of the main Marvel super heroes and 40 pages of facsimile stories.

Collects Marvel Feature (1971) #4-10, Power Man #24-25, Black Goliath #1-5, Champions (1975) #11-13, Marvel Premiere #47-48, and material from Tales To Astonish (1959) #60-69 And Iron Man (1968) #44. Progenitor of the famous Pym Particle, biochemist Dr. Henry Pym started off his super-heroing career as the tiny Ant-Man, but he soon burst into a new role as Giant-Man! The Avengers co-founder's adventures with the Wasp continue here as the two heroes beat back the Beast of Berlin and battle other adversaries big and small! Then, there's a new Giant-Man on the block when Pym's friend and lab partner, Bill Foster, becomes the Black Goliath in a series all his own! Last, but far from least, thrill to the debut of Scott Lang as Ant-Man, the small hero who's made it big both in Marvel's comics and on the silver screen!

In 1962, in the pages of a comic book slated for cancellation, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko gave birth to one of the most enduring icons in American popular culture - the one and only Amazing Spider-Man! Turning the concept of a super hero on its head, they imbued the young, guilt-ridden Peter Parker with the fantastic powers of an arachnid and the unbearable pressures of an everyday teenager...and the combination was pure magic! So come experience Spidey's adventures from the very beginning - including the first appearances of the Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson, Dr. Octopus, the Sandman, the Vulture, Electro and more! COLLECTING: Amazing Fantasy 15, Amazing Spide r-Man 1-10

Collects West Coast Avengers (1985) #25-37, West Coast Avengers Annual (1986) #2, Avengers Annual (1967) #16, Marvel Graphic Novel (1982) #27: Emperor Doom. Zodiac attack! Scorpio’s insidious Zodiac has wiped out the original group, and now they’re targeting the West Coast Avengers! The astrological androids plan an infiltration, but do the Avengers have a countermove up their sleeves? As Moon Knight hunts down the last surviving member of the original Zodiac, Scorpio’s endgame is revealed — but there’s a twist! Then, when the Whackos investigate the fate of Hank Pym’s deceased wife, it kicks off a tale to astonish that leads them through Latveria and behind the Iron Curtain! Plus: The Grandmaster has a deadly game for both teams of Avengers! Ghosts from Mockingbird’s past return to torment her! And when Doctor Doom conquers the world, can Wonder Man stand alone?

Marvel's green goliath is pulling no punches! After the cancellation of his debut series, the incredible Hulk returns in Tales to Astonish...and he means business! Dr. Robert Bruce Banner's alter ego battles General "Thunderbolt" Ross, the Leader and his Humanoids, the Executioner, and more communists than you can shake a tank at. And if that's not enough, round two pits the Hulk against Hercules, introduces classic villain the Abomination, dives into the intrigue of the Secret Empire, and goes cosmic with the Silver Surfer and the High Evolutionary! Featuring stories by Stan Lee and art by a who's who of Marvel greats - Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, Gil Kane, Bill Everett and John Buscema - these are the tales that made the Incredible Hulk a global icon! COLLECTING: VOL. 2: TALES TO ASTONISH (1959) #60-96; MATERIAL FROM NOT BRAND ECHH (1967) #3.