Before trade paperbacks and hardcover collections, we had reprints, but no way of seeing classic tales reprinted on quality paper...until the Marvel Special Editions started in the 1980s.  They had some great wraparound covers and I'll be presenting a few of them here.

Fantastic Four Special Edition from 1984 reprinted the classic Lee-Kirby story from the very first FF Annual.  John Byrne depicted this event in a widescreen drawing that made it seem like the invasion of Normandy!  You have to admire the detail on that Atlantean fleet.  Sheesh, it's enough to make an NYC resident flee to the suburbs!  In addition to the reprint material, Byrne drew some interior pages filling in on Namor's history, as well as some pinups.

This pinup of the Sub-Mariner presents Namor in an apparently more mature phase of his life.  Byrne would later create a Namor series in 1990, which he wrote/drew for 25 issues and stayed on as writer until issue #32.

Byrne obviously had fun drawing this pinup of Sue Storm, the Invisible Girl...before she became a woman!  Sue's hairdo and costume puts her in the early 1960s Kirby era.  Groovy!  Nuff said.

It's time for I Love the 70s/80s with Michael Golden!

Golden drew this poster of the Marvel Universe in the 1970s.  It actually may have come out around 1980 or so--Moon Knight is featured, and he wasn't popular until the late 70s with his series starting in 1980.  But it's very 70s in spirit, with the All-New X-Men, Storm's classic costume, the Avengers (just love the Vision sinking into the ground), Black Bolt, Hulk, Doc Strange, Silver Surfer, and the Watcher on the left.  There's a few Marvel Monsters with Ghost Rider and Man-Thing.  Heck, even Ka-Zar, Luke Cage, and Captain Universe are in there.

Golden also drew this print that was featured in a 1980s Marvel Calendar.  You can immediately see the difference in this post-Secret Wars era, with Spidey's black costume, Beta Ray Bill, Grey Hulk Joe Fixit, New Mutants, Archangel, and Iron Man's armor that he donned in IM #200.  Note also the prominence of Daredevil and Elektra due to Frank Miller's work on the series.  The Punisher, another top seller, is also in the background.  Beyond the characters, the awesome sauce is the setting--the heroes in front of the Pan-Am building and crawling around the statue in front.

I think these two Golden masterworks are so great, Marvel could re-publish them today as posters!  Nuff said.

By the time I had discovered the X-Men, the series had already been cancelled!  The first full length X-Men tale I read was in the giant-sized reprint issue, X-Men 68, featuring the first titanic battle with the Sentinels.  I was immediately hooked and bought every X-Men issue after that--and remember, this was when mutants were uncool--in fact, even the Inhumans were more popular.  Some of these reprint issues had nifty original covers.

X-Men King-Size Annual #2 featured a dynamic cover by John Romita Sr, with a sweeping vista of Washington DC in the background as the mutants fought the Scarecrow, Eel, Unicorn, Plantman, and the biggest nutball of all time...the Porcupine!  Sheesh, what a bunch of losers, but Romita manages to sell this issue by giving the Angel and Iceman some terrific action poses.

X-Men #69 featured this cover by Sal Buscema with the Mimic attacking the team.  The Mimic's power can imitate the X-Men's abilities if he's near them.  In the first story, he's a villain, attacking the X-Men and then losing his power at the end of the story. 

Apparently the Mimic was popular, as he returned a few issues later, attacking the team while under the control of the Puppet Master.  By the end of the story, the Mimic is on his way to becoming the bad-boy member of the team--the equivalent of Hawkeye in the Avengers.   I really liked Cal Rankin, because his personality was edgy and he stirred up trouble within the team.  The Mimic only lasted as a team member for a few issues, and I always wanted to see him return.  Cal did make an appearance in Incredible Hulk #161, where he died absorbing the Hulk's gamma radiation.  I know there's more to the story after that, which seems baffling as hell.  I loved it when Judd Winick made an alternate reality version of the Mimic a team member of the Exiles.

The X-Men #76 cover by Gil Kane introduced us to the Banshee.  I like this perspective of the Banshee hurling his sonic terror at New York City, with Cyclops cringing to his knees in the foreground.  No matter how hokey the Banshee seemed in the reprint story, Kane made him cool.  I was excited when the Banshee was a member of the all-new X-Men.

X-Men #79, another Kane cover, introduced the Cobalt Man, or as I thought of him, Iron Man Blue!  Can't say much about the story, but as a kid, I always thought Iceman's power to create these frozen slides and walkways was the coolest way a hero could possibly travel.  I don't care for the way Iceman is drawn now, with all those icicles and ice spikes.  I prefer a clean shaven Iceman!

X-Men #80 (Kane, again) unveiled the threat that had been percolating for a few issues...the threat of the unstoppable Juggernaut.  If you had never seen Juggy before--and I had not--the cover was tantalizing because you only saw him from the back.

Hope you enjoyed this look back at The Strangest Teens of All!  Nuff said.

I have a fond attachment to Marvel’s reprint titles from the 1960s and 1970s.  This is where I was schooled in Mighty Marvel History, after all.  Marvel’s Greatest Comics was the home to Fantastic Four reprints, and issue #39 contained the story that originally appeared in FF #52, the debut of the Black Panther.

The reprint cover was by Jim Starlin and Joe Sinnott.  At first glance, you can’t determine the identity of the penciller, because Sinnott always managed to make these characters look consistent.  But if you look at the Thing, his expression and his stance, it is unmistakably a Starlin Thing.

Here’s the original art to the cover.  My apologies to the owner or gallery, I totally forgot where I found this scan!  Nuff said.

When Ghost Rider first appeared in Marvel Spotlight #5, I was absolutely run over (pardon the pun) by Mike Ploog's artwork and character design.  Especially intriguing was the cover blurb: Is He Alive or Dead?  I sold my original as a kid, but I was able to buy a back issue a few years ago.  It's still one of my favorite origin issues ever.

Here are the pencils to a recreation that Ploog did a few years ago, from Pheng Taing on comicartfans.

Marvel Spotlight #8 really showed me the potential of Ghost Rider as a character--by taking him out of the city and pitting him against another brand of magic.  It was also cool to see the Ghost Rider--a revamp of a Western character--in an Indian reservation.

Ploog's recreation--also from Pheng Taing--really oomphs up the crazy magic going on here.  What lucky guy to have both of these!  Nuff said.

Here’s a nifty little pinup that John Romita Sr drew, featuring Captain America, She-Hulk, and Spider-Man standing together in a group hug.  I think I saved this scan from Romitaman.  Nuff said!

John Byrne drew this pinup of Red Sonja in 1975.  I thought he captured everything great about this character in a single pinup.  Beyond her beauty, the way she carries that sword would make you think twice about propositioning her!

Red Sonja graduated from the pages of Conan to her own series, beginning in Marvel Feature #1, also circa 1975.  This title, written by Roy Thomas and drawn by Frank Thorne, lasted seven issues.  You can see from this cover to issue #6 that Mr. Thorne had an unmistakable art style.

Dave Cockrum drew this great pinup featuring Storm and Red Sonja, where they swap costumes.  It’s hilarious to see Storm wearing Sonja’s metal bikini, and her thought balloon says Good Lord—This bra is enormous!  It’s cold too!  Near Cockrum’s signature he says Heh Sorry, Ladies.  I think we all celebrate Cockrum’s art and design, but let’s not forget his fantastic sense of humor!

If you’re in the mood for more laughter, check out Storm critiquing Ms. Marvel’s costume.  Nuff said.

Neal Adams joined Roy Thomas on the Avengers with issue #93 (1971) to kick off the Kree-Skrull War.  That story was titled This Beachhead Earth by Thomas.

Adams originally wanted the story to be titled Three Cows Shot Me Down!  As you all know, the story opens with the Vision stumbling into Avengers Mansion.  He's severely damaged after a skirmish with three cows...who happen to be Skrulls in disguise!  When the Kree-Skrull saga was collected in trade paperback, Adams was able to use his original title on this dynamic new cover.

Here are the pencils to this cover.  This was published in the Neal Adams 2007 sketchbook.  Adams commented: You have no idea how many years I have waited to put those words on this picture.

And now the inked version, which was featured in the Neal Adams 2008 sketchbook.

For more tidbits on Neal Adams Avengers (and other Marvel) work, you can read the excellent interview with him from TwoMorrows Comic Book Artist #3.  Nuff said.