The Marvel Epic Collection is an ongoing line of color trade paperbacks that republish Marvel comics in a uniform trade dress. Announced in April 2013, their stated intention was to collect entire runs of characters or titles as "big fat collections with the best price we can maintain",[1] in similar manner to the discontinued black-and-white Essential Marvel.[2]
The series is published out of order, though have a completist goal. Marvel's Senior Vice President of Sales David Gabriel said: "When all is said and done, the Epic volumes will fit seamlessly next to one another on readers' bookshelves, presenting a complete and unbroken run of each title."[3]
The original announcement consisted of six titles at the pace of one volume a month, with Gabriel adding: "Marvel's most storied titles – including Amazing Spider-Man, Avengers, Captain America, Fantastic Four, Iron Man and Thor – are going Epic."
The first book, The Enemy Within, Iron Man's 10th numbered volume, was released in September 2013.[4] It sold an estimated 864 copies in the first month, reaching no. 129 in the top-300 graphic novel chart.[5]
Initial sales were steady, with October's release – Thor's 16th volume, War Of The Pantheons – charting at 127 and selling 986 copies in the month of release. November's Amazing Spider-Man vol. 20: Cosmic Adventures reached no. 103, with 1,010 sales. The Avengers Epic vol. 9: Final Threat in December sold 943, with a chart position of 135.[6][7][8]
The first Epic Collection to crack the top-100 was the 10th overall release. Amazing Spider-Man vol. 15: Ghosts Of The Past, in May 2014, sold 1,152 copies, reaching no. 81 (51 for dollar rank).[9][10]
The series now has more than 50 lines, including licensed books, such Alien, Star Wars, Micronauts and ROM – Spaceknight.
The rate of publication has increased significantly since launch, with 19 Epic Collections released in 2014, the first full year of print. There were 45 in 2019, and 87 in 2024, including reprints. With the escalated rate, two sub-imprints launched in 2023 and 2025 respectively. The Modern Era Epic Collection covers more recent comic runs, and the Ultimate Epic Collection is for the 2000's Ultimate Universe.
DC Comics launched a similar line – DC Finest – in 2024, which it described as "affordably priced, large-size paperback collections" providing "a new line of comprehensive collections of the most in-demand periods, genres, and characters from across DC history".[11]
Epic Collections
The core books of the Epic Collection largely span Marvel's silver and bronze age of comic books. With a few exceptions, this roughly covers a period from the release of Fantastic Four #1 in 1961[12] until around 1998 and the launch of Marvel Knights.[13]
Aliens
In July 2020, Marvel Comics gained the rights to publish Alien and Predator in the wake of Fox's sale to Disney.[14] Since 2023, the company has been republishing comics originally produced by Dark Horse Comics as part of the Epic Collection.
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The Original Years
1988-1990
Aliens (vol. 1) #1-6; Aliens (vol. 2) #1-4; Aliens: Earth War #1-4; material from Dark Horse Presents #24, 42-43
Aliens: Genocide #1-4; Aliens: Hive #1-4; Aliens: Tribes; Aliens: Newt's Tale #1-2; material from Dark Horse Insider #14-27; Dark Horse Presents 5th Anniversary Special #1; Dark Horse Presents #56
The Peter Parker version of Spider-Man first appeared in 1962's Amazing Fantasy #15, before the character's ongoing series, Amazing Spider-Man, launched with a cover date of March 1963.
Notable storylines include: The Death Of Gwen Stacy in Vol. 7: The Goblin's Last Stand; Kraven's Last Hunt in Vol. 17; Spider-Man No More in Vol. 3; and Venom in Vol. 18.[15]
Amazing Spider-Man #361-367, Annual #26; Amazing Spider-Man: Soul of the Hunter; material from Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #12; Web of Spider-Man Annual #8; New Warriors Annual #2
Amazing Spider-Man #397-399; Spectacular Spider-Man #220-222; Web of Spider-Man #120-123; Spider-Man #54-56; Spider-Man Unlimited #8; Spider-Man: Funeral For An Octopus #1-3; Spider-Man: The Clone Journal
The character Hank Pym first appeared in Tales to Astonish #27, from 1962. In the first Epic Collection, his debut as both Ant Man (Tales to Astonish #35) and Giant Man (Tales to Astonish #49) is covered, plus the introduction of Janet van Dyne/Wasp (Tales to Astonish #44).
The first Avengers line-up consisted of Iron Man, Ant Man, Wasp, Hulk, and Thor. They were soon joined by Silver Age Captain America in issue #4, which is collected in Volume 1: Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
With a revolving cast of characters, major storylines include The Kree-Skrull War (Volume 5: This Beachhead Earth); Under Siege (Volume 16); and The Korvac Saga (Volume 10: The Yesterday Quest)[16]
Avengers #334–344, Annual #20, Marvel Graphic Novel No. 68 - Avengers: Death Trap – The Vault; material from Incredible Hulk Annual #17, Namor the Sub-Mariner Annual #1, Iron Man Annual #12 and Avengers West Coast Annual #6
Avengers #345–347, Avengers West Coast #80–82, Quasar #32–34, Wonder Man #7–9, Iron Man #278–279, Thor #445–446, Captain America #401; material from Captain America #398–400
Even though the Epic Collections are titled Avengers West Coast, the comic was published as The West Coast Avengers up until issue #46.
Volume 7: Ultron Unbound contains the first appearance of James Rhodes as War Machine, as well as the origin story for the Julia Carpenter version of Spider-Woman.
Meanwhile, Scarlet Witch showed her initial slip into madness in #56, reproduced in Vol. 5: Darker Than Scarlet. This eventually led to the events of "House Of M" and the "No More Mutants" Marvel age.[17]
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How The West Was Won
1984-1986
West Coast Avengers (vol. 1) #1–4; Iron Man Annual #7; Avengers #250; West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #1–7; The Vision and the Scarlet Witch #1–2; Wonder Man #1
Volume 1 of the Black PantherEpic Collection has the character's first appearance in Fantastic Four #52-53. Between that and the rest of the volume, he joins The Avengers with issue #52, which is collected in The AvengersEpic Collection Volume 3: The Masters Of Evil.[18]
His origin story is in The Avengers #87 (The AvengersEpic Collection Volume 5: This Beachhead Earth), before departing the team after issue #126 (The AvengersEpic Collection Volume 7: The Avengers/ Defenders War).
After that, his story continues in the rest of Panther's Rage.
Black Panther: Panther's Prey #1-4; material from Marvel Comics Presents #13-37, 148, Solo Avengers #19, Marvel Super Heroes #1, Marvel Fanfare #60 and Fantastic Four Unlimited #1
Don McGregor
Sandy Plunkett, Gene Colan, Dwayne Turner, Denys Cowan, Don Hillsman II
The debut of Natasha Romanova as the Black Widow is as an Iron Man villain in Tales Of Suspense #52. She is a reformed supporting character with The Avengers through the rest of Volume 1, and did not get her own individual series until 1999 - which is collected as a Modern Era Epic Collection Volume 1: The Itsy-Bitsy Spider.
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Beware The Black Widow
1964-1971
Tales of Suspense #52-53, 57, 60, 64, Avengers #29-30, 36–37, 43–44, Amazing Spider-Man #86, Amazing Adventures #1-8, Daredevil #81; material from Avengers #16, 32–33, 38–39, 41–42, 45–47, 57, 63–64, 76
Blade first appeared as a side character in The Tomb Of Dracula series, beginning in 1973. He largely disappeared from Marvel Comics between 1976 and 1992, when he reappeared in Ghost Rider.
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Nightstalkers
1991-1993
Tomb of Dracula (vol. 3) #1-4; Nightstalkers #1-6; Ghost Rider (vol. 3) #31; material from Midnight Sons Unlimited #1
The first comics appearance of Captain America was in Captain America Comics #1 from 1940, printed by Timely. Nothing from that era is collected in the Epic Collection, which begins with the character's Silver Age return, in Strange Tales #114, from 1963.
Notable storylines include Mark Gruenwald'sCaptain America No More, which stretches through Vol. 14: The Captain; Death Of The Red Skull by J. M. DeMatteis in Vol. 11: Sturm und Drang; Operation: Rebirth by Mark Waid in Vol. 22: Man Without A Country; and The Strange Death Of Captain America by Jim Steranko in Vol. 2: The Coming... Of The Falcon.[19]
Captain America #444–454, Ashcan Edition, Thor #496, Iron Man #326, Avengers #396, Captain America: The Legend; material from Captain America Collectors' Preview
The villain Carnage has never had an ongoing series, with all Epic Collection releases compiled of miniseries, or appearances in various Spider-Man comics. Large parts of Carnage Volume 1: Born In Blood are also reprinted in Amazing Spider-Man Volume 25: Maximum Carnage.
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Born In Blood
1991-1994
Amazing Spider-Man #361-363, 378–380, Web of Spider-Man #101-103, Spider-Man #35-37, Spectacular Spider-Man #201-203; material from Spider-Man Unlimited #1-2, Amazing Spider-Man Annual #28
Venom: Carnage Unleashed #1-4, Carnage: Mind Bomb, Sensational Spider-Man #3, Spider-Man #67, Spectacular Spider-Man #233, Carnage: It's A Wonderful Life, Venom: On Trial #2-3; material from: Amazing Spider-Man Super Special, Spider-Man Super Special, Venom Super Special, Spectacular Spider-Man Super Special, Web of Spider-Man Super Special
From 2022, Marvel lost the license to publish new Conan comics. "The trademark for the name Conan and the names of Robert E. Howard's other principal characters, is maintained by Conan Properties International and licensed to Cabinet Entertainment. This company, or new owners, now wish to publish Conan comic books themselves. And so won't be renewing the Marvel Comics license."[20]
This led to the cancellation of the second King ConanEpic Collection. The license ended up with Titan Publishing.[21]
Conan The Barbarian: The Original Marvel Years
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The Coming Of Conan
1970-1972
Conan the Barbarian #1-13; material from Chamber of Darkness #4
Conan and the Midnight God (2007) #1-5, King Conan: The Scarlet Citadel (2011) #1-4, King Conan: The Phoenix on the Sword (2012) #1-4, Conan: The Phantoms of the Black Coast (2012) #1-5; material from Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (2006) #1
Joshua Dysart, Timothy Truman
Victor Gischler, Will Conrad, Tomas Giorello, Attila Futaki
464
Aug 16, 2022
Conan: The Phantoms of the Black Coast #1 cover: 978-1302945954
2
Wolves And Dragons
2012-2016
King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon (2013) #1-6, King Conan: The Conqueror (2014) #1-6, Conan: Wolves Beyond the Border (2015) #1-4; material from Robert E. Howard's Savage Sword #5
Notable storylines already reproduced include the fall of Kingpin in Vol. 15: Last Rites; and the introduction of Typhoid Mary in Vol. 13: A Touch Of Typhoid.[22]
The first appearance of Deadpool is also contained in New MutantsEpic Collection Volume 8: The End Of The Beginning. Volume 1 of his own Epic Collection contains various cameos and miniseries, before the character's first ongoing series is collected from Volume 2: Mission Improbable.
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The Circle Chase
1991-1994
New Mutants #98; X-Force #2, 11, 15; Nomad #4; Deadpool: The Circle Chase #1-4; Secret Defenders #15-17; Deadpool #1-4; material from Avengers #366; Silver Sable & the Wild Pack #23
Doctor Strange led the initial version of Defenders, with a team also composed of Hulk and Namor. As opposed to other Marvel teams, such as The Fantastic Four or Avengers, Defenders tended to focus on mystical enemies.
The origin of the team is also covered in Doctor StrangeEpic Collection Volume 3: A Separate Reality; Incredible HulkEpic Collection Volume 4: In The Hands Of HYDRA and Namor The Sub-MarinerEpic Collection Volume 3: Who Strikes For Atlantis?
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The Day Of The Defenders
1969-1973
Doctor Strange #183; Sub-Mariner #22, 34–35; Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #126; Marvel Feature #1-3; Defenders #1-11; Avengers #116-118; material from Avengers #115
Fantastic Four #84-87, 116, 142-144; Sub-Mariner #20, 47-49; Thor #182-183; Incredible Hulk #143-144; Hero For Hire #8-9; material from Astonishing Tales #1-8
Created by Steve Ditko, Doctor Strange first appeared in Strange Tales #110. The character was popular enough that the book became Doctor Strange with issue #169.
Major stories for the character include Triumph & Torment (Volume 8) and A Separate Reality (Volume 3).[23]
Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #1–13; Marvel Graphic Novel No. 49 - Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment
Peter B. Gillis, Roy Thomas, Roger Stern
Richard Case, Butch Guice, Mike Mignolia
488
Oct 23, 2019
Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #1 cover: 978-1302920562
Mar 21, 2023
Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #1 cover: 978-1302950408
9
The Vampiric Verses
1990–1991
Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #14–33; Ghost Rider (vol. 3) #12
Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas
Jean-Marc Lofficier, Butch Guice, Chris Marrinan
504
Aug 10, 2021
Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #19 cover: 978-1302930745
10
Infinity War
1991–1992
Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #34–47, Annual #2; Silver Surfer (vol. 3) #67; Spider-Man/Dr. Strange: The Way To Dusty Death
Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas
Don Lawlis, Geof Isherwood, Michael Bair
480
Aug 2, 2022
Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #37 cover: 978-1302945374
11
Nightmare On Bleecker Street
1992-1994
Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #48-61, Annual #3; Morbius the Living Vampire #9; material from Marvel Super-Heroes #12, 14, Marvel Comics Presents #146
Len Kaminski, Roy Thomas, David Quinn
Geof Isherwood, Mel Rubi
488
Jan 31, 2023
Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #54 cover: 978-1302951054
12
Strangers Among Us
1994-1995
Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #62-75, Annual #4; Midnight Sons Unlimited #6
David Quinn
Melvin Rubi, Kyle Hotz, Peter Gross, Mark Buckingham
Strange Tales (vol. 3) #1; Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #76–90, Ashcan Edition; Doctor Strange: What Is It That Disturbs You, Stephen?
David Quinn, Warren Ellis, J.M. DeMatteis
Evan Skolnick, Marie Severin, Mark Buckingham
496
Oct 4, 2017
Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #83 cover: 978-1302907891
Excalibur
The basic pitch of Excalibur is X-Men set in the United Kingdom. Writer Chris Claremont, who worked on Uncanny X-Men for 16 years, was born in London and launched the series in 1987. The initial line-up contained former X-MenShadowcat, Phoenix and Nightcrawler - as well as fellow Claremont creation, Captain Britain.
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The Sword Is Drawn
1988-1989
Captain Britain #1–2 (1976), Excalibur #1–11, Excalibur Special Edition, Excalibur – Mojo Mayhem #1; material from Mighty World of Marvel #7 (1983), #14–15 (1984), Marvel Comics Presents #31–38
Chris Claremont, Michael Higgins
Alan Davis, Marshall Rogers, Arthur Adams, Erik Larsen
Fantastic Four was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, with Kirby drawing the first 102 issues. A storyline highlight includes the debut of Galactus, plus This Man, This Monster! in Volume 3: The Coming Of Galactus.[24]
Generation X is a team of young mutants, mentored by Banshee and Emma Frost, created after the events of 1994's X-Men event, Phalanx Covenant. That event is reprinted at the beginning of Volume 1: Back To School, before the advent of the ongoing Generation X series.
Compared to the rest of the 1990s X-books, Generation X was pitched differently. "This was a book stripped of all the gimmicks that were so common in the '90s. (Writer Scott Lobdell) understood that the X-Men are essentially the comic book equivalent of a soap opera, and that the real focus should always lie upon the interaction between the team members."[25]
After a seven-issue run in Marvel Spotlight, the Johnny Blaze version of Ghost Rider got his own ongoing series. The book ran for 11 years, and 81 issues, from 1973 to 1983.
Ghost Rider: Danny KetchEpic Collection Vol. 1: Vengeance Reborn was originally solicited as Ghost Rider Epic Collection Vol. 6 Vengeance Reborn.[26] The decision to split the line was taken shortly before the book went to print with distributor, Penguin Random House, reflecting the change.[27]
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Vengeance Reborn
1990-1991
Ghost Rider (vol. 3) #1-12; Marc Spector: Moon Knight #25; Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #28; material from Marvel Comics Presents #64-71
Howard Mackie
Javier Saltares, Mark Texeira, Mark Bagley, Larry Stroman
Ghost Rider (vol. 3) #44-45; Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance #17-18, and more
Nightstalkers #14-15; Marvel Comics Presents #143-146; Darkhold: Pages from the Book of Sins #15-16; Morbius: the Living Vampire #16-17; Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #60-61; Midnight Sons Unlimited #4
Howard Mackie, Steven Grant, Chris Cooper, Gregory Wright, Daniel Chichester
The 1960s Guardians Of The Galaxy are largely separate from the rest of Marvel continuity.[28] Volume 2 includes the first six issues of the characters' first ongoing series, debuting in 1990.
The original HawkeyeEpic Collection has Clint Barton as the superhero archer. Volume 1: The Avenging Archer includes the Mark Gruenwald miniseries, which is "particularly noteworthy for launching Hawkeye's longstanding relationship with Mockingbird, and for being an early exploration of the character's hearing loss and how he comes to deal with that."[29]
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The Avenging Archer
1964-1988
Hawkeye #1-4; Avengers #16, 63–65, 189, 223; Marvel Team-Up #22, 92, 95; Captain America #317; material from Tales of Suspense #57, 60, 64; Marvel Tales #100; Marvel Fanfare #3, 39; Marvel Super Action #1
Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Mark Gruenwald, Steven Grant
Hawkeye (vol. 2) #1-4; Hawkeye (vol. 3) #1-8, and more
Hawkeye: Earth's Mightiest Marksman #1; Avengers #502; The Pulse #10; New Avengers #26, 30; Young Avengers Presents #6; material from Marvel Comics Presents #159-161
The Hulk debuted in his own book in 1962. Notable storylines include: Future Imperfect in Volume 20; Wolverine Versus Gray Hulk in Volume 15; and Hulk Versus Juggernaut in Volume 19.[30][31]
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Man Or Monster?
1962-1964
Incredible Hulk #1–6; Fantastic Four #12, 25–26; Avengers #1–3, 5; Amazing Spider-Man #14; Tales to Astonish #59; Journey into Mystery #112
The first Epic Collection for Iron Fist contains the character's first full 1970s run, before the series was cancelled. Following that, Iron Fist joined Luke Cage in the series Power Man & Iron Fist.
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The Fury Of Iron Fist
1974-1977
Marvel Premiere #15–25; Iron Fist #1–15; Marvel Team-Up #63–64
Iron Man first appeared in Tales of Suspense in 1963. The character was a founding member of The Avengers in 1963, before getting his own series five years later.
His most famous storyline, Demon In A Bottle is yet to be reprinted in an Epic Collection.
Other notable tales include: The Invincible Iron Man across Volume 10: The Enemy Within and Volume 11: Duel Of Iron; plus Armor Wars in Volume 13: Stark Wars.[32][33]
Iron Man #325-332; War Machine #23; Avengers: Timeslide #1; Avengers #395-396; Age of Innocence: The Rebirth of Iron Man #1; Onslaught: Marvel Universe; Iron Man: The Legend #1
Jonathan Raven - Killraven - is a freedom fighter who appeared in 22 issues of Amazing Adventures, before the series was cancelled in 1976. Issue #31, collected in Killraven's only Epic Collection, "is notable as the first mainstream comic to feature an interracial kiss".[34]
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Warrior Of The Worlds
1973-1983
Amazing Adventures #18–39; Marvel Graphic Novel No. 7 - Killraven: Warrior of the Worlds; Marvel Team-Up #45
In 1972, Luke Cage became the first Black American superhero to star in his own comic-book series.[35] The book was retitled Luke Cage, Power Man, then simply Power Man from issue #17.
Cage's two Epic Collections contain the full 1970s run for the character as, in an effort to avoid full cancellation for the series in 1977, Cage was paired with Danny Rand in the joint book Power Man & Iron Fist.
Marvel Two-in-One features Fantastic Four member, The Thing, teaming up with a different Marvel superhero each issue. Issue #21 is excluded due to the Thing teaming up with a licensed character in Doc Savage.
The Master Of Kung FuEpic Collections showcases the character Shang-Chi, who was born out of the 1970s craze for martial arts content. "Marvel Comics wanted to adapt the television series Kung Fu as a comic book, but with WarnerMedia, the property's owner, also owning Marvel's rival DC Comics, that was never going to happen."[36]
Marvel's own series was popular enough to last until 1983 and issue #125.
Meanwhile, Epic Collection Volume 3: Traitors To The Crown was cancelled due to rights issues.[37]
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Weapon Of The Soul
1973-1975
Special Marvel Edition #15–16, Master of Kung Fu #17–28, Giant-Size Master of Kung Fu #1–4, Giant-Size Spider-Man #2; material from Iron Man Annual #4
Based on a Mego Corporation toy line, the Micronauts comics were produced by Marvel between 1979 and 1986. Marvel re-acquired the publishing rights in 2023.[38] The series is complete with five volumes.
The Micronauts: The New Voyages #2 cover: 978-1302967420
Moon Knight
The character of Moon Knight debuted as a villain in 1975's Werewolf By Night, though by his appearance in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #22, he was seen as more heroic.
Notable storylines include writer Doug Moench's run in Vol. 2: Shadows Of The Moon; and the introduction of Midnight Man in the first Epic Collection.[39]
Marc Spector: Moon Knight #39-51, Moon Knight: Divided We Fall #1, Moon Knight Special #1, Web of Spider-Man #93-94; material from Marvel Comics Presents #152-154
Terry Kavanagh
Denys Cowan, Gary Kwapisz, James Fry, Kelley Jones
Morbius The Living Vampire first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #101 from 1971, which is also collected The Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection #6: The Death Of Captain Stacy.
Both Morbius Epic Collections were released ahead of the 2022 Morbius film.
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The Living Vampire
1971-1975
Amazing Spider-Man #101–102, Marvel Team-Up #3–4, Giant-Size Super-Heroes #1; Adventure Into Fear #20-26; material from Vampire Tales #1-8, Giant-Size Werewolf #4
Adventure Into Fear #27-31, Marvel Premiere #28, Marvel Two-in-One #15, Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #6-8, 38, Savage She-Hulk #9-12; material from Vampire Tales #9-11, Annual #1, Marvel Preview #8
The Carol Danvers version of Ms. Marvel first appears in #1 of her own self-titled series in 1977. Many of her appearances are reprinted through AvengersEpic Collections, however her most notable storyline, involving pregnancy and alcoholism, from Avengers #200, appears in Volume 2: The Woman Who Fell To Earth.
As a character, Namor "traces so far back that the character was established before Marvel Comics even existed". His first comics appearance in 1939 "was included in Marvel Comics #1, the first publication by Timely Comics, the company that would evolve into Marvel Comics."[40]
None of Namor'sGolden Age appearances have been collected in the Epic Collection, with Volume 1 consisting of Silver Age cameos in other books and his shared series in Tales to Astonish. His own series, Sub-Mariner, launched in 1968.
Vol. 2: The Demon Bear Saga contains art from Bill Sienkiewicz "who made New Mutants one of the most visually bold series of the 80s". Sienkiewicz "preferred to push the boundaries of what was considered acceptable for the superhero comic book medium".[41]
Other notable storylines include "We Were Only Foolin", issue #45, which is collected in Vol. 4: Fallen Angels; and the elevation of Magneto to headmaster in issue #35, from Vol. 3: Asgardian Wars.[42]
The first appearance of Deadpool is in issue #98, and, after issue #100, both of which are republished in Vol. 8: The End Of The Beginning, the story continues with the X-Force Epic Collection.
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Renewal
1980-1984
Marvel Graphic Novel No. 4 - The New Mutants, The New Mutants #1–12, Uncanny X-Men #167, Marvel Team-Up Annual #6, Magik #1–4; material from Marvel Team-Up #100
The New Mutants #95-100, Annual #7, Uncanny X-Men #270-272; X-Factor #60-62; material from New Warriors Annual #1; Uncanny X-Men Annual #15; X-Factor Annual #6
As well as releasing new Planet Of The Apes material, Marvel's Epic Collection has republished full-color comics initially produced in 1975.[43] The first Planet Of The Apes book is so far the smallest in the Epic Collection at just 224 pages. It re-tells the 1968 film storyline, and the 1970 sequel.
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The Original Marvel Years
1975-1976
Adventures on the Planet of the Apes #1-11
Doug Moench
George Tuska, Alfredo Alcala
224
May 24, 2024
Planet of the Apes Adventures Omnibus cover: 978-1302959999
Power Man & Iron Fist
In an effort to avoid cancellation for the separate Iron Fist and Luke Cage books, Marvel created Power Man & Iron Fist in 1977. The Epic Collection contains almost the full series until its 1986 cancellation. The missing issue 73 is collected within Rom: Spaceknight volume 2: The Original Marvel Years.
Punisher was first an antagonist in Amazing Spider-Man #129 from 1974. The character got his own miniseries in 1986, before a full ongoing a year later.
Notable storylines collected as an Epic Collection include: the Circle Of Blood miniseries and a crossover spanning Punisher #10 and Daredevil #257 - both contained within Volume 2: Circle Of Blood.[citation needed]
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2
Circle Of Blood
1986-1988
The Punisher (vol. 1) #1–5; The Punisher (vol. 2) #1–10; Daredevil #257; Marvel Graphic Novel No. 40 - The Punisher: Assassin's Guild
The Punisher (vol. 2) #63–75; Punisher: G-Force; Punisher: Die Hard in the Big Easy; Marvel Graphic Novel No. 74 - Punisher/Black Widow: Spinning Doomsday's Web
Marvel's original 1979 comic, Rom: Spaceknight, ran for seven years and was based on a toy line. IDW Publishing produced Rom comics from 2016, before Marvel regained the license in 2023.[44] Even though the series includes licensed characters, stories take place in Marvel's main Earth-616 universe. In the first two Epic Collections, there are appearances from the X-Men, Power Man and Iron Fist, plus The Brotherhood Of Mutants.
She-Hulk was "the last major character Stan Lee co-created for Marvel", with Jennifer Walters as the estranged cousin of Bruce Banner.[45] The series was revolutionary in the way it consistently broke the fourth wall.[46]
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Breaking The Fourth Wall
1989-1990
Sensational She-Hulk #1-12; She-Hulk Ceremony #1-2; material from Solo Avengers #14; Marvel Comics Presents #18; Marvel Fanfare #48
Sensational She-Hulk #51-60; Doc Samson #1-4; Incredible Hulk #441-442; Thing & She-Hulk: The Long Night; material from Marvel Comics Presents #123-126; Incredible Hulk #412
Scott Benson, Michael Eury, Peter David, Dan Slott
The Silver Surfer first appeared in Fantastic Four #48, where he saved the Earth and was exiled as a result.
Notable storylines include Rebirth Of Thanos, split between Vol. 5: The Return Of Thanos and Vol. 6: Thanos Quest; Freedom in Vol. 3; and Parable in Vol. 4.[47]
Following the October 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm by Disney, it was announced that the Star Wars comics license would return to Marvel Comics in 2015.
Marvel's Senior Vice President of sales and marketing, David Gabriel, said the Star Wars releases would “be bouncing around to different periods of Star Wars history with each Epic Collection, constructing one huge tapestry, collecting full unbroken runs of all the greatest Star Wars comics from the past 35 years.”[49]
Outside of the Original Marvel Years books, many of Star Wars Epic Collection contains contents originally published by Dark Horse comics.
The Original Marvel Years
Spine lettering: White
#
Years covered
Issues collected
Pages
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ISBN
1
1977-1979
Star Wars (1977) #1–23; material from Pizzazz #1–16 and Star Wars Weekly UK #60
496
Oct 26, 2016
Marvel Special Edition Featuring Star Wars #1 back cover: 978-1302902216
2
1979-1980
Star Wars (1977) #24–38, Annual #1; Star Wars Weekly UK #94–99, 104–115
Classic Star Wars: The Early Adventures #1–9, Classic Star Wars: Han Solo at Stars' End #1–3, Classic Star Wars #1–3, Sunday strips from 11 Mar to 9 Sep 1979, daily & Sunday strips from 11 Aug to 5 Oct 1980; material from Classic Star Wars #4
Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi - Force Storm #1-5; Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi - Prisoner of Bogan #1-5; Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi - Force War #1-5; Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi #0
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi - The Golden Age of the Sith #0-5; Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi - The Fall of the Sith Empire #1-5; Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi #1-5; Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi - The Freedon Nadd Uprising #1-2
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi - Dark Lords of the Sith #1-6; Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi - The Sith War #1-6; Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi - Redemption #1-5; material from Star Wars Tales #23; Dark Horse Comics #7-9
480
Jul 11, 2023
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi - The With War #1 cover: 978-1302951887
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic/Rebellion #0 cover: 978-0785197171
May 21, 2024
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic/Rebellion #0 cover: 978-1302957865
2
2007–2009
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #19–37; Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Handbook
480
Mar 8, 2017
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #25 cover: 978-1302903770
3
2004–2012
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #38–50, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - War #1–5; material from Star Wars Tales #24
432
Mar 20, 2019
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - War #2 cover: 978-1302916466
4
2005-2012
Star Wars: The Old Republic #1-6; Star Wars: The Old Republic - The Lost Suns #1-5; Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith - Spiral #1-5; material from Star Wars Tales #17, 23; Star Wars Visionaries
Star Wars: Knight Errant #1-5, Star Wars: Knight Errant - Deluge #1-5, Star Wars: Knight Errant - Escape #1-5, Star Wars: Jedi Vs. Sith #1-6; material from: Star Wars Tales #16
512
Mar 7, 2023
Star Wars: Knight Errant - Deluge #5 cover: 978-1302950699
Star Wars #0–3, Star Wars: Darth Maul #1–4, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace #½, 1–4, Star Wars: Episode I: Anakin Skywalker, Queen Amidala, Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi; material from Star Wars #4–6 and Star Wars Tales #3, 5, 7, 14, 20
Star Wars: The Bounty Hunter - Aurra Sing #1; Star Wars: Starfighter - Crossbones #1-3; Star Wars: Republic 46–48; Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones #1-4; Star Wars: Hasbro/Toys 'R' Us Exclusive #1-4; Free Comic Book Day 2002: Star Wars #1
448
Jan 23, 2024
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones #3 cover: 978-1302953911
Star Wars: Republic #68-73, Star Wars: General Grievous #1-4, Free Comic Book Day 2006: Star Wars, Star Wars: Obsession #1-5; material from Star Wars: Visionaries, Star Wars Tales #17
FCBD 2005: Star Wars #1; Star Wars: Darth Maul - Son of Dathomir #1-4; Star Wars: Republic #74-77 and #81-83; Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith #1-4; Star Wars: Tag & Bink II #2; material from Star Wars Visionaries, Star Wars Tales #4
440
Aug 9, 2022
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith #2 cover: 978-1302932305
The Empire
Spine lettering: Red
#
Years covered
Issues collected
Pages
Released
ISBN
1
2005-2013
Star Wars: Republic #78–80; Star Wars: Purge #1; Star Wars: Purge – Seconds to Die #1; Star Wars: Purge – The Hidden Blade #1; Star Wars: Purge – The Tyrant's Fist #1–2; Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Lost Command #1–5; Star Wars: Dark Times #1–5
Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison #1–5; Star Wars: Dark Times – Fire Carrier #1–5; Star Wars: Dark Times – A Spark Remains #1–5; Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Ninth Assassin #1–5
Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Cry of Shadows #1–5, Star Wars: Jabba the Hutt – The Gear Suppoon Hit, The Hunger of Princess Nampi, The Dynasty Trap, Betrayal, Star Wars: Boba Fett – Enemy of the Empire #1–4; material from Star Wars Tales #7, 11–12, 15, 18–20, Star Wars: Visionaries, Dark Horse Presents Annual '99 and Free Comic Book Day 2012: Star Wars
Star Wars: Droids (1994) #1–6, Special; Star Wars: Droids (1995) #1–8; Star Wars: The Protocol Offensive #1; material from Star Wars Galaxy Magazine #1 and Star Wars Tales #16, 20
Star Wars: Agent of the Empire - Iron Eclipse #1-5, Star Wars: Agent of the Empire - Hard Targets #1-5, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II; material from Star Wars Tales #11, 15 and A Decade of Dark Horse #2
Star Wars: Blood Ties #1-4; Star Wars: Blood Ties - Boba Fett Is Dead #1-4; Star Wars: Empire #1-4; Star Wars: Underworld - The Yavin Vassilika #1-5; Free Comic Book Day: Star Wars 2013; material from Star War Tales #1-2, 6, 16
Star Wars: Empire #5-6, 8–13, 15; Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron #½; Star Wars: A New Hope Special Edition #1-4; Star Wars: Tag & Bink Are Dead #1; material from Star Wars Tales #1, 6, 8–10, 12, 14, 16, 19
Star Wars: Rebellion #1-16, Star Wars: Boba Fett - Overkill #1, Star Wars: Boba Fett #½; material from Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic/Rebellion #0 and Star Wars Tales #3, 15, 17, 21
Star Wars: Splinter of the Mind's Eye #1-4; Star Wars: Shadow Stalker #1; Star Wars: Rebel Heist #1-4; Star Wars: A Valentine Story #1; Classic Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back #1-2; Star Wars: Tag and Bink are Dead #2; material from Star War Tales #4-6, 15–17, 20
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire #1-6; Star Wars: The Bounty Hunters - Scoundrel's Wages #1; Classic Star Wars: Return of the Jedi #1-2; Star Wars: Tales from Mos Eisley #1; Star Wars: Tag & Bink II #1; Sergio Aragones Stomps Star Wars #1; Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire Minicomic #1-2; material from Star Wars Kids #12; Star Wars Visionaries; Star Wars Tales #2, 4–8, 10, 12, 14, 20
Star Wars: Mara Jade – By the Emperor's Hand #0–6, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire – Evolution #1–5, Star Wars: The Jabba Tape, Star Wars: Boba Fett – Twin Engines of Destruction; material from Star Wars Tales #1, 3–5, 10, 14–15, 20, 22
Star Wars: Dark Empire #1-6; Star Wars: Dark Empire II #1-6; Star Wars: Empire's End #1-2; Star Wars Handbook (1998) #1, 3; material from Star Wars Tales #8, 11, 16-17
Star Wars: Crimson Empire #0-6; Star Wars: The Bounty Hunters - Kenix Kil #1; Star Wars: Crimson Empire II - Council of Blood #1-6; Star Wars: Crimson Empire III - Empire Lost #1-6; material from Dark Horse Extra #21-24; Dark Horse Presents #1
Star Wars: Boba Fett - Bounty on Bar-Kooda #1, Star Wars: Boba Fett - When the Fat Lady Swings #2, Star Wars: Boba Fett - Murder Most Foul #3, Star Wars: Boba Fett - Agent of Doom #1; Star Wars: Jedi Academy - Leviathan #1-4; Star Wars: The Mixed-Up Droid #1; Star Wars: Union #1-4; Star Wars: Chewbacca #1-4; material from Star Wars Tales #19
Star Wars: Invasion #0-5; Star Wars: Invasion: Rescues #1-6; Star Wars: Invasion: Revelations #1-5; Star Wars Handbook 2: Crimson Empire; material from Star Wars: Tales #18-19, 21
Star Wars: Infinities – A New Hope #1–4; Star Wars: Infinities – The Empire Strikes Back #1–4; Star Wars: Infinities – Return of the Jedi #1–4; The Star Wars #0–8
The character of Thor launched in Journey Into Mystery #83 and became so popular that the book was retitled to Thor with issue #126.
Some of the character's most notable storylines - including The Surtur Saga and The Ballad of Beta Ray Bill - are yet to be reprinted in an Epic collection, though others include To Wake The Mangog in Volume 4, and The Eternals Saga in Volume 10.[50]
That issue has yet to be reprinted in the Hulk series of Epic Collections, though will be in Incredible Hulk Volume 23.
Spine lettering: Gold
#
Subtitle
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Issues collected
Writers
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ISBN
1
Justice, Like Lightning
1997-1998
Thunderbolts #1-12, Annual '97; Thunderbolts: Distant Rumblings #-1; Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #449; Spider-Man Team-Up #7; Heroes for Hire #7; material from Tales of the Marvel Universe #1
Venom did not get his own ongoing Marvel Comics series until 2003. Marvel's legacy numbering for the title started with 1993's, Lethal Protector, with various miniseries making up 60 issues before crossing into the Modern Era.[51]
Spine lettering: Grey
#
Subtitle
Years covered
Issues collected
Legacy
Writers
Artists
Pages
Released
ISBN
1
Symbiosis
1984-1992
Amazing Spider-Man #258, #300, #315–17, #332–33, #346–47, and more
Web of Spider-Man #1; Marvel Graphic Novel No. 68 - Avengers: Deathtrap - The Vault; Darkhawk #13-14; material from Amazing Spider-Man #388 (1994), Annual #25-26; Web of Spider-Man Annual #7-8; Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #12
Amazing Spider-Man #361–363, #374; Spider-Man: The Trial of Venom, and more
Web of Spider-Man #95-96; Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance #5-6; Venom: Lethal Protector #1-6; material from Marvel Comics Presents #117-122; Amazing Spider-Man #373, 375
Venom: Along Came A Spider #1-4; Venom: The Hunted #1-3, and more
material from: Amazing Spider-Man: Super Special; Spider-Man: Super Special; Venom: Super Special; Web Of Spider-Man: Super Special; Spectacular Spider-Man: Super Special; Venom: Sinner Takes All #1-4; Spider-Man: Holiday Special (1995)
Venom: The Hunger #1-4; Venom: Tooth And Claw #1-3, and more
Venom: On Trial #1-3; Venom: License to Kill #1-3; Venom: Seeds Of Darkness #-1; Venom: Sign Of The Boss #1-2; Spider-Man: The Venom Agenda #1; Venom: The Finale #1-3
#44-60
Len Kaminski, Larry Hama,
Ted Halsted, Joe St. Pierre, Josh Hood, Mark Pajarillo
Wolverine's first appearance is collected in Incredible Hulk Epic Collection Vol. 7: And Now... The Wolverine. The character has many more appearances, beginning in X-Men Epic Collection Vol. 5: Second Genesis, before his first miniseries is reproduced in X-Men Epic Collection Vol. 10: God Loves, Man Kills.
Notable storylines in Wolverine's own Epic Collection line include the character fighting sentient cocaine, and Jungle Adventure, both in Vol. 2: Back To Basics; the Bone Claw Era (Vol. 8: The Dying Game); and the Origin miniseries (Vol. 13: Blood Debt).[52][53]
Launched in 1986, X-Factor featured Angel, Beast, Cyclops, Marvel Girl and Iceman, the original line-up of X-Men from 1963.
The team debuted in Fantastic Four #286, with notable storylines including the introduction of villain Apocalypse in Volume 1: Genesis & Apocalypse, the conclusion of the Inferno event in Volume 4: Judgment War, plus the introduction of a new roster, led by Havok, in Volume 7: All-New, All-Different X-Factor.[54][55]
Spine lettering: Blue
#
Subtitle
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Issues collected
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Pages
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ISBN
1
Genesis & Apocalypse
1986
Avengers #263, Fantastic Four #286, X-Factor #1–9, Annual #1, Iron Man Annual #8, Amazing Spider-Man #282; material from Classic X-Men #8, 43
John Byrne, Bob Layton, Louise Simonson, Bob Harras
The first appearance of X-Force is in New Mutants Epic Collection Volume 8: The End Of The Beginning. That book leads directly into X-Force Epic Collection Volume 1: Under The Gun.
A notable storyline includes Destination Unknown from Vol. 7: Zero Tolerance.[56]
The X-MenEpic Collection has two distinct periods. Volumes 1 to 4 reprint Classic X-Men books, written by Stan Lee and Roy Thomas, chronicling the period up to the comic's cancellation in 1970, and various guest appearances in other Marvel titles between 1970-1975.[57]
Volume 5: Second Genesis starts with the reinvention of the team, in Giant-Sized X-Men from 1975. It then reproduces Chris Claremont's 16-year run on Uncanny X-Men, concluding with volume 19: Mutant Genesis.
Marvel's "Modern Era" has never been specifically defined, however, when Marvel Knights launched in 1998, it was described as "the first wave of Marvel's renaissance".[58] The imprint was launched partly as a way to redefine the company, following Marvel's bankruptcy - and was "a major factor behind the revival of Marvel Comics".[59]
The first Modern Era Epic Collection was solicited by Marvel in December 2022. Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider - Edge Of Spider-Verse was released in May 2023 to coincide with the release of the Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse movie.[60]
All-New Wolverine
Laura Kinney - or X-23 - was originally introduced in the television series, X-Men Evolution. Her first comics appearance was in the 2003 NYX series as a clone of Wolverine.[61][62] Tom Taylor's new take on the character launched at the end of 2015, exploring Kinney's relationship with her cloned sisters.
#
Subtitle
Years covered
Issues collected
Writers
Artists
Pages
Released
ISBN
1
The Four Sisters
2015-2017
All-New Wolverine #1-18, Annual (2016)
Tom Taylor
David López, David Navarrot, Marcio Takara, Ig Guara, Nik Virella, Djibril Morissette-Phan
The character's modern era begins with J. Michael Straczynski, who wrote The Amazing Spider-Man for six years from 2001. His first arc, Coming Home, introduced the villain Morlun, and saw Peter Parker's Aunt May discover his alter-ego.
Later, the writer attempted to reinvent parts of Spider-Man's origin, with storylines such as Spider-Totem and The Other. He caused controversy with the Sins Past storyline, which involved Gwen Stacy - then navigated the Civil War event, before finishing with One More Day, which saw Peter's marriage to Mary-Jane removed from history.[63][64]
Annihilation is the first Marvel Event to be published as an Epic Collection. The contents of the first volume are identical to 2018's Complete Collection. The event leads into the beginning of 2008's Guardians Of The Galaxy reboot.
#
Subtitle
Years covered
Issues collected
Writers
Artists
Pages
Released
ISBN
1
Annihilation Day
2005-2006
Drax the Destroyer (2005) #1-4; Annihilation: Prologue (2006); Annihilation: Nova (2006) #1-4; Annihilation: Silver Surfer (2006) #1-4; Annihilation: Super Skrull (2006) #1-4
Keith Giffen, Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, Javier Grillo-Marxuach
Mitch Breitweiser, Ariel Olivetti, Scott Kolins, Kev Walker, Renato Arlem, Gregory Titus
The first two Astonishing X-Men volumes contains the entire 25-issue run from Joss Whedon and John Cassaday. For the most part, the series continued Grant Morrison's New X-Men series, while ignoring much of Marvel's ongoing continuity.[65]
Black Widow (1999) #1-3, Black Widow (2001) #1-3, Black Widow: Pale Little Spider (2002) #1-3, Black Widow (2004) #1-6, Black Widow: The Things They Say About Her (2005) #1-6
Devin Grayson, Greg Rucka, Richard Morgan
Jeffrey Glen Jones, Scott Hampton, Igor Kordey, Bill Sienkiewicz, Goran Parlov, Sean Phillips
Black Widow Deadly Origin #1-4; Black Widow (vol. 4) #1-8; Widowmaker #1-4; Fear Itself: Black Widow; Black Widow Saga; material from Enter The Heroic Age; Iron Man: Kiss And Kill
The storyline was not only "one of the best-selling comics of the decade" but also "perhaps one of the best moves that Marvel could have made ... (as it) provided the perfect opportunity for the gravity of the Civil War’s outcome to be felt".[66][67]
In 1998, Daredevil was cancelled and relaunched, with a new #1 - plus filmmaker Kevin Smith as writer and Joe Quesada as artist. This relaunch "set the tone for the entire Marvel Knights line, directly inspired subsequent depictions of the character in film and television and set the template for how to relaunch a Marvel character."[68]
The rest of the volume was dominated by Brian Michael Bendis' 55 issues, then 33 from Ed Brubaker. Bendis' run starts with Volume 2: Underboss; Brubaker's with Volume 6: The Devil In Cell-Block D
Dark Avengers was a 2009 spin-off from Brian Michael Bendis' main New Avengers book, following the events of the Secret Invasion event. It saw Norman Osborn take charge of a revamped Avengers team, crossing over with the Utopia event, before concluding with Siege.
Title lettering: Purple
#
Subtitle
Years covered
Issues collected
Writers
Artists
Pages
Released
ISBN
1
Osborn's Reign
2009-2010
Dark Avengers #1-16, Annual #1; Dark Avengers / Uncanny X-Men: Utopia; Dark Avengers / Uncanny X-Men: Exodus; Uncanny X-Men #513-514
Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction
Mike Deodato, Marc Silvestri, Terry Dodson, Luke Ross, Greg Horn, Chris Bachalo
Even though the individual comic issues are named Cable & Deadpool, the collected Modern Era Epic line is called Deadpool & Cable. Marvel's legacy numbering for Deadpool continues from the original Epic Collection, through the Deadpool & Cable books, then onto Deadpool's Modern Era Epics.[69]
Despite the same name, the Modern Era Guardians Of The Galaxy are largely separate from the 1960s version.[28] The 2008 team line-up - Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Phyla-Vell, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, and Adam Warlock - first came together during the Annihilation: Conquest event.
Title lettering: Light blue
#
Subtitle
Years covered
Issues collected
Writers
Artists
Pages
Released
ISBN
1
Somebody's Got To Do It
2007-2009
Annihilation: Conquest - Star-Lord #1-4, Guardians Of The Galaxy (vol. 2) #1-12
Keith Giffen, Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning
Timothy Green II, Paul Pelletier, Brad Walker, Carlos Magno, Wes Craig
416
Sep 19, 2023
Guardians Of The Galaxy (vol. 2) #1 cover: 978-1302953751
2
War Of Kings
2009-2010
Guardians Of The Galaxy (vol. 2) #13-25; Thanos Imperative: Ignition #1; Thanos Imperative #1-6
Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning
Brad Walker, Wes Craig, Miguel Sepulveda
488
Jan 7, 2025
Guardians Of The Galaxy (vol. 2) #20 cover: 978-1302959968
Hawkeye
The modern era of Hawkeye releases begin later than almost any other character. Spider-Girl's first volume starts with an issue from 1997, while Hawkeye doesn't kick off until 2009.
The Clint Barton version of the character was killed during 2004's Avengers Disassembled event, though returned to the team as Ronin in New Avengers. His separate Modern Era series begins after the events of Secret Invasion, in which his wife, Mockingbird, returns.
New Avengers: The Reunion #1-4; Hawkeye & Mockingbird #1-6; Widowmaker #1-4; Hawkeye: Blindspot #1-4; Hawkeye & Mockingbird Sketchbook #1; material from Dark Reign: New Nation #1; Enter the Heroic Age #1
Jim McCann, Duane Swierczynski
David Lopez, Manuel Garcia, Paco Diaz, Nick Dragotta, Valentine De Landro, Lee Weeks
Launching at the same time as Marvel's first Iron Man movie, volumes three to six of the character's modern era covers the Matt Fraction-Salvador Larroca run on the title. Readers "were treated to a version of Tony [Stark] that embraced his mistakes and flaws", plus arcs which were "filled with stories that pushed the Armored Avenger to his limit, and revealed new layers to the tortured genius underneath the suit".[70][71]
Miles Morales was created by Brian Michael Bendis and debuted in Ultimate Fallout #4 from 2011.
The first three Modern Era Epic Collections, have the same content and page count as 2015's Ultimate Collection line. All three volumes take place in Marvel's Ultimate Universe, labelled Earth-1610, before the character moved to the company's main Earth-616 multiverse.[72]
David Marquez, Mark Bagley, Mark Brooks, Sara Pichelli, David Lafuente
368
Jan 27, 2026
Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man #3 1:25 cover: 978-1302961077
New Avengers
The first four New Avengers volumes have been solicited with the same contents, and page count, as the previously released New Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis Complete Collections from 2017.
Bendis relaunched The Avengers with the 2004 event Avengers Disassembled, which is included in the first Modern Era Epic. He wrote New Avengers for seven-and-a-half-years, alongside sister series Mighty Avengers, (2007-2010), and Dark Avengers (2009-2013).
New Avengers #11-25, Annual (2006); New Avengers Guest Starring the Fantastic Four; Giant-Size Spider-Woman; New Avengers: Illuminati One-Shot; Civil War: The Confession
#514-528
Brian Michael Bendis, Dan Jurgens
David Finch, Frank Cho, Steve McNiven, Mike Deodato, Olivier Coipel, Alex Maleev, Howard Chaykin, Leinil Francis Yu, Pasqual Ferry, Jim Cheung
New X-Men ran for 44 issues from 2001 to 2004. It was written by Grant Morrison, with the majority of the art from Frank Quitely. The series numbering continued from the previous X-Men (vol. 2), despite the change in title.
Title lettering: Orange-yellow
#
Subtitle
Years covered
Issues collected
Writers
Artists
Pages
Released
ISBN
1
E Is For Extinction
2001-2002
New X-Men (2001) #114-126, Annual 2001
Grant Morrison
Frank Quitely, Leinil Yu, Ethan Van Sciver, Igor Kordey, Tom Derenick
Mayday Parker debuted in What If... (vol. 2) #105, released on 17 December 1997.[73] This makes it the earliest issue covered by the Modern Era Epic Collection line so far. The first full issue of the Spider-Girl series was released on 12 August 1998, with a cover date of 1 October.[74]
The series takes place outside of the main Marvel continuity, on Earth-982.[72]
Spider-Gwen initially appeared in Edge Of Spider-Verse #2, from 2014. The story explores a world in which Gwen Stacy was bitten by a radioactive spider, instead of Peter Parker. The character's first ongoing series was Spider-Gwen a year later, with the core stories taking place outside of main Marvel continuity, in the Earth-65 universe.[72]
Edge Of Spider-Verse, was the first release of Marvel's Modern Era line.
Joe Kelly was Deadpool writer in 1997 when the character first got his own series. The writer introduced the concept of Deadpool breaking the fourth wall, although he left the book after 33 issues. After 19 years, Kelly returned to the character with Spider-Man/Deadpool, which ran for exactly 50 issues.[75]
Title lettering: Red
#
Subtitle
Years covered
Issues collected
Writers
Artists
Pages
Released
ISBN
1
Isn't It Bromantic?
2016-2018
Spider-Man / Deadpool #1-14, 17–18, 1.MU
Joe Kelly, Scott Aukerman, Gerry Duggan, Penn Jillette, Paul Scheer, Nick Giovannetti, Joshua Corin
Ed McGuinness, Reilly Brown, Scott Koblish, Todd Nauck, David Walker
The return of Star Wars comics rights to Marvel saw the continuity of previous releases reset to "Legends", with "any material published since April 2014 now considered canon."[76] That means only the Modern Era releases are in the same world as the Star Wars films and television series.
Star Wars (ongoing)
The first issue of the 2015 Star Wars relaunch "exceeded one million copies sold on the direct market ... the top-selling single issue of the past 20 years."[77] That version of the comic ran for 75 issues, exploring the time between Episode IV: A New Hope and Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.
Charles Soule's 2020 relaunch ran for 50 issues, bridging the gap from Episode V until Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi.[78]
Title lettering: Yellow
#
Subtitle
Years covered
Issues collected
Writers
Artists
Pages
Released
ISBN
1
Skywalker Strikes
2015-2016
Star Wars (2015) #1-14, #1: Director's Cut; Star Wars: Vader Down #1; Darth Vader #13-15
Jason Aaron, Kieron Gillen
John Cassaday, Simone Bianchi, Stuart Immonen, Mike Deodato Jr, Salvador Larroca
Kieron Gillen's 2015 Darth Vader series lasted 25 issues, filling the gap between Episode IV: A New Hope and Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.[79] Gillen wrote: "This was my story... Vader must fall from power in some way after A New Hope and then climb to whole new heights. My go-to reference was House Of Cards - where a powerful man feels slighted and turns to methods that he would have previously avoided to reach whole new levels of power."[80]
The series was relaunched in 2017 by writer Charles Soule, for a separate 25-issue run that immediately follows the events of Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith.[81]
It was relaunched a third time in 2020, for a 50-issue arc, with writer Greg Pak bridging Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi.[82]
Title lettering: Red
#
Subtitle
Years covered
Issues collected
Writers
Artists
Pages
Released
ISBN
1
Shadows And Secrets
2015
Darth Vader (2015) #1 Director's Cut; #2-12, Darth Vader Annual (2015)
After 2004's Avengers Disassembled event, the Thor comic was cancelled. J. Michael Straczynski and Olivier Coipel relaunched the series three years later by bringing the kingdom of Asgard to the skies above Oklahoma. The first issue of the new series debuted at #1.[84]
Nineteen years after Venom's debut in Amazing Spider-Man, the character received an own ongoing series, written by Daniel Way. The full 18-issue run is collected in the first volume, Shiver. By volume four, Agent Venom, Flash Thompson had replaced Eddie Brock as the main protagonist.
The first Modern Era volume of Young Avengers contains the complete 2005 series, written by Allan Heinberg, with art from Jim Cheung. There was a run of limited series before volume two relaunched in 2013.
Title lettering: Turquoise
#
Subtitle
Years covered
Issues collected
Writers
Artists
Pages
Released
ISBN
1
Not What You Think
2005-2006
Young Avengers (vol. 1) #1-12, Director's Cut; Young Avengers Special (2005)
Allan Heinberg
Jim Cheung, Andrea Di Vito, Michael Gaydos, Neal Adams, Gene Ha, Jae Lee, Bill Sienkiewicz, Pasqual Ferry
Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways #1-4; Young Avengers Presents #1-6; Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers #1-3; Dark Reign: Young Avengers #1-5; Siege: Young Avengers
Zeb Wells, Ed Brubaker, Chris Yost, Paul Cornell, Sean McKeever
Stefano Caselli, Paco Medina, Takeshi Miyazawa, Mark Brooks, Mahmud Asrar
456
Aug 12, 2025
Young Avengers Presents #1-3, 6 combined cover: 978-1302961909
3
The Children's Crusade
2010-2011
Avengers: The Children's Crusade #1-9; Avengers: The Children's Crusade - Young Avengers; material from Uncanny X-Men #526
Allan Heinberg
Jim Cheung, Olivier Coipel, Alan Davis
248
Feb 17, 2026
Avengers: The Children's Crusade #1 cover: 978-1302961923
Ultimate Epic Collections
On 10 October 2024, Marvel announced - via the Epic Marvel Podcast - that the Ultimate Epic Collection would be separate from the main Epic Collection, with its own trade dress.[85]
While most Epic Collection releases take place in Marvel's main Earth-616 universe, the Ultimate series is designated as Earth-1610, with its own continuity.[72]
The first book released was Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 1: Learning Curve in March 2025, with a different Ultimate book released in April, May and June. The launch marked 25 years since the inception of Ultimate Marvel.
As well as the four lines below, the first three volumes of Miles Morales: Spider-Man also takes place in the Earth-1610 continuity.
Ultimate Fantastic Four
After Ultimate Spider-Man, X-Men, and Ultimates, Ultimate Fantastic Four was the final core book to launch in Marvel's new universe. Writers Mark Millar and Brian Michael Bendis worked together with artist Adam Kubert for the first six-issue arc, before Warren Ellis took on the series.
Compared to the main universe counterparts, the new series saw: "The more "superheroic" elements of the series done away with, as the Ultimate Fantastic Four book focused more on science fiction and exploration. Doctor Doom was given a less cartoony characterization than his more well-known mainstream counterpart. Other villains such as Mole Man, Annihilus and even Galactus also received massive makeovers."[86]
The first book in Marvel's Ultimate Universe was Ultimate Spider-Man. The title ran from 2000 until 2012, with a younger version of Peter Parker as the main protagonist. The new iteration was a response to "so much backstory that the stories (in the main books) were almost incomprehensible."[87]
Bill Jemas, President of Marvel Enterprises from 2000 to 2004, wrote: “Joe Quesada and I started the Ultimate books because we wanted Marvel to get back in touch with kids. We wanted Marvel's great teen heroes - Spidey and the X-Men - to star in comics for 2001 kids.”[88]
Creator Brian Michael Bendis said: “When I got hired, I literally thought I was going to be writing one of the last — if not the last — Marvel comics.”
The title went on to run for more than 150 issues and launched the character of Miles Morales.
Launched by writer Mark Millar, Ultimate X-Men saw "the superheroic side of the franchise pushed a bit to the sidelines. Instead, the prejudice mutants faced on a daily basis took center stage."
Millar was followed by superstar writers Brian Michael Bendis, Brian K Vaughan, and Robert Kirkman, and "the Ultimate X-Men comics quickly became the most popular titles at Marvel Comics, even outselling X-Men books in the mainstream continuity."[89]
The Ultimates portrayed a version of The Avengers, outside of the main Marvel continuity that "looked and sounded like a movie in a way that no Marvel story ever had."
Written by Mark Millar, and drawn by Bryan Hitch, the comic blurred the lines of right and wrong, where the heroes "have no idea they are supervillains. They think they’re merely doing what superheroes are supposed to do: defend truth, justice, and the American Way — with an emphasis on the latter."[90] Millar conceded that point, describing the series as a "pro-status quo book" and "kind of a right-wing book, like Rush Limbaugh doing super comics".[91]
Director of Marvel Studio's 2012 The Avengers movie, Joss Whedon, said: “It’s my feeling that Ultimates brought Marvel into the modern age in a way no other book did.”[87]
King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon (2013) #1-6, King Conan: The Conqueror (2014) #1-6, Conan: Wolves Beyond the Border (2015) #1-4; material from Robert E. Howard's Savage Sword #5
Star Wars: The Original Marvel Years: Droids & Ewoks
Nov 12, 2024
536
Epic
Avengers Vol. 11: The Evil Reborn
May 21, 2024
528
Epic
Avengers Vol. 12: Court-Martial
May 6, 2025
528
Epic
Daredevil Vol. 6: Watch Out For Bullseye
Mar 28, 2023
528
Epic
Daredevil Vol. 7: The Concrete Jungle
Apr 2, 2024
528
Epic
Daredevil Vol. 17: Into The Fire
Aug 8, 2023
528
Epic
Incredible Hulk Vol. 8: The Curing Of Dr. Banner
Oct 24, 2023
528
Epic
Iron Fist Vol. 1: The Fury Of Iron Fist
Jul 8, 2015
528
Epic
Thor Vol. 25: The Dark Gods
Jul 29, 2025
528
Epic
X-Men Vol. 5: Second Genesis
Mar 29, 2017
528
Shortest books
Line
Title
Released
Pages
Epic
Planet Of The Apes: The Original Marvel Years Vol. 1
May 24, 2024
224
Modern Era Epic
Young Avengers Vol.3: The Children's Crusade
Feb 17, 2026
248
Modern Era Epic
Annihilation Vol.3: Conquest Prelude
Jun 9, 2026
272
Modern Era Epic
Star Wars: Kanan - The Last Padawan
Aug 26, 2025
Epic
Conan: The Original Marvel Years Vol. 2: Hawks From The Sea
Mar 23, 2021
288
Epic
Ms. Marvel Vol. 1: This Woman, This Warrior
Jan 9, 2019
312
Epic
Silver Surfer Vol. 1: When Calls Galactus
Nov 19, 2014
320
Modern Era Epic
Astonishing X-Men Vol. 1: Gifted
Mar 26, 2024
Epic
Conan: The Original Marvel Years Vol. 6: Vengeance In Asgalun
Sep 22, 2022
328
Epic
Conan: The Original Marvel Years Vol. 3: The Curse Of The Golden Skull
Aug 10, 2021
336
Ultimate Epic
Ultimate X-Men Vol. 1: The Tomorrow People
Apr 15, 2025
Ultimate Epic
Ultimate X-Men Vol. 2: World Tour
Apr 21, 2026
Modern Era Epic
New X-Men Vol. 3: Planet X
Jun 2, 2026
Oldest books
Statistics for debut chart position and first-month sales come from ICv2. Estimates are for North American stores only, with UK purchases adding between three and 20 per cent to sales numbers.[92]
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