Larry Lieber

During the 1960s, under the hands of the inimitable creative team of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, Marvel’s Thor combined the raw material of ancient Norse mythology with the nonstop action of super-heroic adventure comics and the speculative reach of classic science fiction. The result was a heady brew: epic, operatic, melodramatic, even psychedelic. This collection gathers some of the most important story arcs from the foundational years of the series and includes seminal early appearances of characters such as Hercules and Ego, the Living Planet, as well as Thor’s first encounter with Galactus! The Penguin Classics Marvel Collection provides a detailed scholarly introduction, contextualizing Kirby’s work on Thor within his larger oeuvre, alongside an extended critical apparatus and an appendix of additional material drawn from Kirby and Lee’s popular back-up series “Tales of Asgard.”

A man of action and a man of science, Dr. Henry Pym invented an amazing growth serum and a cybernetic helmet, and with them he became -- the Astonishing Ant-Man Pym soon teamed with Janet Van Dyne, the winsome Wasp, and the two tiny titans went on to battle an array of mini- and maxi-sized menaces from the Scarlet Beetle to the Black Knight But adventures in the microscopic world weren't enough for one of the Marvel Age's first super heroes. Soon, Ant-Man became the biggest Avenger there ever was -- Giant-Man And his foundational adventures are all here in this debut Epic Collection COLLECTING: Material from Tales to Astonish (1959) 27, 35-59

Pull up a seat to the beginning of one of the greatest tales of modern myth: the epic saga of the Mighty Thor While vacationing in Norway, Dr. Donald Blake discovered a strange, gnarled cane. Upon striking it, a shower of lightning rained down -- and the hobbled doctor found himself transformed into Thor, God of Thunder In these pages, you'll journey across the Rainbow Bridge to Eternal Asgard -- and meet Lord Odin, Heimdall, Balder and Thor's evil half-brother, Loki, for the first time. And to top it off, the mythological origins of Asgard are revealed in fan-favorite backup features COLLECTING: Journey into Mystery (1952) 105-109, material from Journey into Mystery (1952) 83-104

Marvel proudly presents an Epic Collection pairing Namor, the Sub-Mariner's complete early Silver Age appearances with his Tales to Astonish solo series for the very first time. An icon of comics' Golden Age, the Sub-Mariner hadn't seen newsstands in nearly a decade when Stan Lee and Jack Kirby reintroduced him in 1962. His anarchic energy instantly made every appearance an exploit unlike any before. Bold and brash, the Sub-Mariner fought Marvel's heroes, teamed up with Doctor Doom and attacked the surface world just as readily as he might save it. His appearances were so popular, he quickly graduated to his own series, questing for the Trident of Neptune that would prove his status as rightful heir to the throne of Atlantis. Vol. 1: Fantastic Four (1961) 4, 6, 9, 14, 27, 33; Fantastic Four Annual (1963) 1; Strange Tales (1951) 107, 125; Avengers (1963) 3-4; X-Men (1963) 6; Daredevil (1964) 7, Tales to Astonish (1959) 70-76

Adventure Into Fear with Man-Thing, Morbius and monsters in the Mighty Marvel Manner The classic 1970s horror series is collected in full - including every last reprint, backup tale and hair-raising adventure of its iconic series stars First, thrill to a scintillating selection of terrifying Atlas Era and Silver Age stories by such legends as Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko Then, the shambling muck-monster Man-Thing oozes into the spotlight - and those who know fear will burn at his touch That includes demon cults, sorcerers and Thog the Nether-Spawn - but what about the sky-being named Wundarr? Next, Morbius the Living Vampire claims the title role - and faces threats including the Cat People, the Caretakers of Arcturus and the deadly Daemond But will Morbius be staked by Blade the Vampire Slayer? Prepare to know fear in its full form COLLECTING: FEAR (1970) 1-31

After the groundbreaking debut of Fantastic Four, readers couldn't get enough of Marvel's innovative new heroes - especially the Human Torch So Stan Lee and Jack Kirby gave the fi ery teen sensation his own series in the pages of Strange Tales. After a hot streak of solo stories, the Torch was joined by the Ever-Lovin' Blue-Eyed Thing, and the two teammates tackled some of the wildest ne'er-do-wells of the Silver Age: the Wizard, the Sandman, the Rabble Rouser, Plantman and the one and only Paste-Pot Pete Also featuring Marvel's first fi re and ice battle between the Torch and the X-Men's Iceman and guest stars Spider-Man, Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Woman and a Famous Foursome named John, Paul, George and Ringo. Collecting: STRANGE TALES (1951) #101-134 & ANNUAL (1962) #2

When Stan Lee set the tone for the Marvel Age of Comics it came with a healthy dose of humor. When fans demanded more of that Marvel mayhem, Stan, along with Jack Kirby, Gene Colan and the Bullpen's mistress of mirth, Marie Severin, turned the dial up to 11 and let loose - creating a masterpiece of Silver Age satire Each issue is packed with Marvel's greatest talents taking a sideways look at the super heroes they made famous. Now, Charlie America, Scaredevil, the Revengers, Sore Son of Shmodin, the Sunk-Mariner and the one and only Forbush Man are coming at you in this enormous Marvel Masterworks COLLECTING: Not Brand Echh 1-13; material from Amazing Spider -Man Annual 5, Avengers Annual 2, Daredevil Annual 1, Fantastic Four Annual 5, Sgt . Fury Annual 4