10 Iconic Stories Perfect for the Marvel Premier Collection

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Marvel Comics has had several classic storylines throughout the years, though not all of these are easy to come by. Now, it’s making these titles a bit easier to read through the Marvel Premier Collection, which is very similar to the already-successful DC Compact Comics line. With only a few stories confirmed so far as being rereleased in this line, there are several other iconic tales that need to be included, as well.

The Marvel Premier Collection should involve major stories from all of Marvel’s heavyhitters, from Spider-Man and the X-Men to the different members of the Avengers. Some of these are already covered, but there’s a lot that still needs to become a part of the line. While some of these might have already been released elsewhere, the success of DC’s Compact Comics series shows the strength in providing more affordable versions of the best stories for the newest fans.

10

Kraven’s Last Hunt Is Perfect for the Marvel Premiere Collection

Created by J.M. DeMattis and Mike Zeck

“Kraven’s Last Hunt” is one of the most notable Spider-Manstories ever, and for a while, it lived up to its name by saying goodbye to Kraven the Hunter. Tired of losing to the Wall-Crawler, the story sees Kraven imitating Spider-Man and even burying him alive as he brags about his seeming victory. In reality, it’s instead a reflection of his crippling fear and growing madness that reach a poetic crescendo in the final moments.

As a seminal Spider-Man story, it would make sense for “Kraven’s Last Hunt” to be the first Spider-Man tale in the Marvel Premier Collection. Not only does it feature one of his classic foes, but it also has a somewhat darker tone that would appeal to older fans. It was also from the era in which Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson were married, and it’s now more clear than ever that fans love the Spider-Man/MJ relationship.

9

Days of Future Past Put the X-Men on the Brink of Extinction

Created by Chris Claremont, John Byrne and Terry Austin

The X-Men have had all manner of alternate timelines and dark futures, and chief among these is the storyline “Days of Future Past”. Showcasing a brutal world in which mutants are hunted down and imprisoned, it sent one of the X-Men back in time to keep a pivotal assassination from taking place and ensuring these events. Known for its general premise and iconic covers, the storyline helped cement the X-Menbrand as the cornerstone Marvel franchise besides Spider-Man.

“Days of Future Past” was adapted on X-Men: The Animated Series, and it was also the narrative basis for a movie set in Fox’s X-Men film universe. For these reasons in particular, fans will want an easy and accessible way to read the source material, especially if they’re already looking for similar DC classics from the Compact Comics line. From there, further stories from Claremont’s run can get the same treatment, building upon this legendary run’s success and how it pushed the mutants forward.

8

God Loves, Man Kills Was a Turning Point for Marvel’s Merry Mutants

Created by Chris Claremont, Brent Eric Anderson and Steve Oliff

A major watershed moment for the X-Men was in the graphic novel X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills, which was the fifth of its kind from Marvel Comics. Intended by Chris Claremont to really hone in on the brand’s themes of prejudice and bigotry, it saw televangelist William Stryker begin a public crusade against mutants. This forced the X-Men to deal with an issue that they couldn’t simply punch away, making for particularly riveting storytelling that’s continued to define the brand.

Inspiring the movie X2: X-Men United and followed up by other storylines, X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills signaled the transition of the X-Men away from just being generic superheroes. Since then, these sorts of themes have dominated the brand, which is all the stronger for it. Given its origins as a more thematic graphic novel, it should return to a similar form in the Marvel Premier Collection.

Created by Howard Mackie, Len Kaminski, Chris Cooper and Andy Kubert

Though their time in the spotlight was fairly brief, the Midnight Sons rose to some prominence in the 1990s amid the grim and gritty era. Featuring characters such as two different Ghost Riders, Blade the Vampire Hunter and Morbius, this group was formed to take down paranormal threats. Their first major enemy was Lilith, the Mother of All Demons, and their adventures together gave Marvel a definite “edge”.

Fans have increasingly clamored for the Midnight Sons to come back full-time in comics and be introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Given the chance of the latter happening, it would be best for their debut to be readily collected for fans to get a hold of in bookstores. This way, more fans will be familiar with who they are in time for their potential appearances in modern projects.

6

Armor Wars Remains the Go-To Iron Man Story

Created by Bob Layton, David Michelinie, M.D. Bright and Barry Windsor-Smith

Iron Man might be the face of the MCU’s Infinity Saga, but in comics, he’s mostly been a B-lister at best. Still, even he has had a few notable storylines, especially within the well-regarded run by Bob Layton and David Michelinie. The biggest of these was “Armor Wars”, which was also referred to as “Stark Wars”, and this saw Iron Man’s precious technology stolen by villains and business rivals.

“Armor Wars” is the perfect Iron Man story for the Marvel Premier Collection, especially since it’s a concept that’s been used in so many of the character’s adaptations. The same treatment could also be given to the lesser-known sequel, allowing for more of Iron Man’s classic comics to be readily printed. This way, Marvel can still take advantage of the hero’s remaining popularity from the MCU and use it to keep him consistently successful.

5

Future Imperfect Is the Perfect Hulk Story to Put Back Into Print

Created by Peter David and George Pérez

Many comic book characters have evil clones or counterparts, and the Hulk is no different in this regard. Maestro is one of Marvel’s most powerful villains, and his debut was blessed with both great writing and art. The Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect spun off from Peter David’s acclaimed run on the character (which itself paved the way for later runs such as Immortal Hulk), and it also featured the incredible artistry of the legendary George Pérez.

Future Imperfect showcased a dark timeline in which a maddened Hulk had become a villain and ruled with an iron fist. It’s one of the many standout moments from Peter David’s time with the Hulk, but it’s not something that newcomers would likely know about. Thus, adding it to the Marvel Premier Collection would be a good fit, especially since it’s a standalone two-issue story.

4

The New Ultimate Universe Needs Premier Collection Releases

Created by Jonathan Hickman, Deniz Camp, Peach Momoko and Others

For over a year, Marvel Comics has released a new version of the Ultimate Universe concept, with this timeline also reinventing various Marvel heroes. In the case of Spider-Man, he’s older and married and has a family, while the X-Men are reimagined in the vein of manga and the Avengers are once again replaced by the Ultimates. Many of these titles are already huge hits, so Marvel needs to make them as accessible as possible to keep this momentum going.

Releasing each trade of the new Ultimate Universe in the Marvel Premier Collection would be a great way to compete directly with manga. To differentiate from the main trade paperbacks, these could be sold in a sort of anthology format that collects the initial 1–2 issues of each book. This way, fans would be enticed to read more, the likes of which can be released faster than normal trades.

3

Runaways Works Best In a Manga-Style Format

Created by Brian Vaughan and Adrian Alphona

The Runawayscomic book was very different from a typical superhero series, to the point where the group didn’t even really have a team name for the longest time. It focused on the children of supervillains who discover the truth about their parents and are forced to go on the run to escape retribution for this knowledge. Much more of a surrogate family than most teams, and it combined superhero elements with aspects of almost slice-of-life storytelling.

Runaways was always meant to attract that crowd that gravitated toward manga, which is why it originally had a digest-size format. The Marvel Premier Collection is the closest thing to this, and it’s not as if the original series is now irrelevant. Thus, Runaways and its subsequent volumes could be collected again, with this new format introducing it to a readership that might not usually go for superhero comics.

2

The Death of Jean DeWolff Is Spider-Man’s Most Underrated Story

Created by Peter David, Rich Buckler, Brett Breeding, Josef Rubinstein, Kyle Baker and Pat Redding

One of the more overlooked Spider-Manstory arcs is “The Death of Jean DeWolff”, which saw the end for one of the Webslinger’s civilian allies. While the Wall-Crawler and even his street-level ally Daredevil (in his civilian identity as Matt Murdock) featured, it was a far grittier murder mystery than the hero was usually seen in. The story was also the big break into the comic book industry for writer Peter David, all while leading into the introduction of Eddie Brock and Venom.

By that point, Jean DeWolff had been a recurring part of Spider-Man’s world, and her death was analogous to those of Gwen Stacy and her police officer father. Sadly, despite how pivotal it was for the character and his mythos (let alone the career of Peter David), the story has rarely been collected. The last time it got this treatment was in 2011, so over a decade is enough time to wait for fans to be able to read it again.

Created by Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey

Moon Knight has become one of Marvel’s most consistently popular characters, especially as he’s been reinvented in the past two decades. The true beginning of his modern rebirth was the Warren Ellis run on the character, which was once collected into Moon Knight: From the Dead. This solidified the newer “Mr. Knight” persona and updated the character’s moody, almost noir sensibilities, paving the way for later runs by creators such as Jed McKay.

Sadly, the entirety of the Warren Ellis Moon Knight run is largely out of print at this point, despite being the best place for modern fans of the character to start. This can easily be corrected in the Marvel Premier Collection line, especially since the writer’s run wasn’t that long. From there, the rest of his modern comics could be printed in this style, helping to make the once-obscure hero even more popular.

“}]] With the DC Compact Comics line a success, Marvel needs to up the ante and add several classic stories to its similar Marvel Premier Collection.  Read More