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Title Creator Publisher Series Price
Thor: Tales of Asgard Stan Lee, Jack Kirby Marvel Thor $27.99
($29.99 list)
OUT OF STOCK!
Talesofasgardhc
Read more and comment... 		Well, as much as we hate to admit it, every once in a while Marvel Comics gets it right, and this is one of those times.  This full color hardcover volume presents 260 pages of Kirby and Lee greatness from the pages of Journey Into Mystery and Thor, all taken from the magic era of their original runs in the early and mid-1960s.  Add to that a fairly swell 40+ page bonus section and wild six-page foldout of all six covers of the recent mini-series that forms an impressively dramatic portrait of the major players in the Nordic mythos that is the basis for the stories contained herein, and you've got a pretty darn decent entertainment value.  Yes, the stories have been recolored, and so are not 100% true to the spirit of the original, and while we'd be lying if we said this didn't bother us, we will give credit where credit is due and say that, Matt Milla, the colorist assigned the job, chose a suitably muted pallete of colors that helps to counterbalance the glaring brightness of the glossy, clay-coated paperstock that the powers that be at Marvel irritatingly continue to insist on for their archival productions, and so allows – for the most part – the strength and nobility of Kirby's compositions to come through. These are stories that old-timers will be certain to enjoy revisiting and newcomers should find quite worth their while.  Anyone interested in advancing their comics skills will find plenty to glean from these (mostly) five-pages tales, especially where it concerns efficient storytelling – Kirby and Lee can cram a lot of both plot and action into five pages, and usually manage to impart a little lesson along the way.  Action!  Drama!  Thrills!  Chills!  Romance!  Adventure!  They're all here in the mighty Marvel manner. (more than) 'Nuff said!
The Essential Fantastic Four Volume 4 Jack Kirby, Stan Lee Marvel Fantastic Four $15.29
($16.99 list)
Essentialff4
Read more and comment... 		This one collects  FF #64 - 83 plus Annuals #5 & #6 -- the two greatest annuals in the history of the Fantastic Four (at least in our humble opinion). Over five-hundred black & white pages of Lee/Kirby greatness.   The Silver Surfer, The Inhumans, Doctor Doom, Psycho-Man, Annihulus, Black Panther, Wyatt Wingfoot, the first appearances of Adam Warlock (here known only as "him"), and many, many more timeless characters march across these pages delineated as only Jack "King" Kirby ever could.
Fantastic Four Omnibus Stan Lee, Jack Kirby Marvel Fantastic Four $84.95
($99.95 list)
OUT OF STOCK!
Ff130
Read more and comment... 		This gigantic, toe-crushing hardcover volume collects the entirety of the first thirty issues -- along with  the first annual -- of "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine."  Not only does this book provide you with all the material contained in the first three Fantastic Four Archive volumes for $50 less, it includes material NOT found in the archive editions such as the letters pages.  AND The contents of FF #1, including the cover and all interior pages, have been newly restored for this volume.  It runs 848 pages in total.  Yes, the release of this volume is timed to shamelessly exploit the hype surrounding the release of the new Fantastic Four movie which will doubtless betray the greatness contained in these classic issues, but... who cares!  This is a great opportunity to get these issues at a (copacetic) price that is less than the cost of buying 31 new FF comics at today's prices (31 x $2.99 = $92.69)!  Think about it.
Arf Forum: The Unholy Marriage of Art + Comics #2 George Herriman, Craig Yoe, Ernie Bushmiller, Max Ernst and more ... Fantagraphics $16.95
($19.95 list)
Arf_forum_art_and_comics
Read more and comment... 		This giant oversize full color softcover is the third installment in Mr. Yoe's ongoing "Arf" series charting the links between art and comics with a emphasis on cheesy humor, the previous volumes being Modern Arf and Arf Museum.  A life long collector of all things comics with a focus on the obscure and esoteric and with a decided accent on fun, Yoe shares his rare finds in the spirit of friendship.  This issue's contents range far and wide indeed, including works by Ernie Bushmiller and Max Ernst; surrealist caricaturist, Ted Scheel and bizarre '50s horror comic artist, WIlliam Ekgren; and plenty of photos, magazine covers, and cartoons that display and situate comics in American culture.  Each issue also includes an original work of Yoe's own, and this time around his piece is -- amazingly! -- scripted by none other than Stan "The Man" Lee!