Marvel Graphic Novel (MGN) is a line of graphic novel trade paperbacks published from 1982 to 1993 by Marvel Comics. [1] The books were published in an oversized format, 8.5" x 11", similar to French albums. In response, DC Comics established a competitor line known as DC Graphic Novel .
The decision to launch the line was made in late 1979, after strong sales reports for the summer. Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter envisioned the "books as being in the format of European albums, with cardboard covers, full-color, slick pages". [2] In September 1980, Shooter indicated the line was delayed because of complications in putting together the contracts, which he was drafting in consultation with Marvel attorneys. [3] In early 1981, Marvel hired Michael Z. Hobson away from Scholastic Books to be Vice-President/Publishing. His expertise in writing author contracts, which was greater than Shooter's, was a key reason. [4] A few months later, contracts with writer/artist Jim Starlin were finalized for The Death of Captain Marvel and Dreadstar. [5]
The Death of Captain Marvel , the first book in the line, was published in January 1982. [6] Marvel numbered stories through 1985 up to number 20, but released many other stories in the same format that are considered unnumbered parts of the series according to the Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide . Overstreet continued numbering beyond the original "official" numbering, following a Marvel-published list of graphic novels. When the list stopped being published, Overstreet stopped trying to number the issues, halting at number 38, although they list 29 more issues published from 1983 through 1991, although the list is known not to include every graphic novel from this period.
The line was divided evenly between author-owned and company-owned titles. Several characters were featured in an issue of Marvel Graphic Novel before receiving their own miniseries or ongoing series. The most successful of these was The New Mutants , which ran for 100 issues. [7] Other series which were spun-off from a Marvel Graphic Novel are Dreadstar , [8] Void Indigo , Starstruck , and The Swords of the Swashbucklers . In addition, Star Slammers had a miniseries published by Malibu Comics and Futurians was a short-lived title published by Lodestone Comics.
# | Title | Year | Writers | Artists | Notes | Omnibus Reprints | Epic Collection Reprints | Masterworks Reprints | Essential Reprints | Citations |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Officially numbered titles | ||||||||||
1 | The Death of Captain Marvel | 1982 | Jim Starlin | The Thanos Wars: Infinity Origins; Marvel 75th Anniversary; Captain Marvel: The Complete Collection | Captain Marvel, Vol. 6 | [6] [9] | ||||
2 | Elric: The Dreaming City | 1982 | Michael Moorcock Roy Thomas | P. Craig Russell | [9] | |||||
3 | Dreadstar | 1982 | Jim Starlin | [8] [9] | ||||||
4 | The New Mutants | 1982 | Chris Claremont | Bob McLeod | First appearance of the New Mutants. | The New Mutants Vol 1 | The New Mutants, Vol. 1: Renewal | [7] [9] | ||
5 | X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills | 1982 | Brent Anderson | Elements of this story are used in the film X2 . | Marvel 75th Anniversary; The Uncanny X-Men Vol 5 | X-Men Epic Collection Vol. 11: God Loves, Man Kills | Uncanny X-Men Vol 9 | X-Men Vol 5 | [9] | |
6 | Star Slammers | 1983 | Walt Simonson | [9] | ||||||
7 | Killraven: Warrior of the Worlds | 1983 | Don McGregor | P. Craig Russell | Killraven, Vol. 1: Warrior of the Worlds | Killraven, Vol. 1 | Killraven, Vol. 1 | [9] | ||
8 | Super Boxers | August 1983 | Ron Wilson John Byrne | Ron Wilson | [9] | |||||
9 | The Futurians | 1983 | Dave Cockrum | [9] | ||||||
10 | Heartburst | 1983 | Rick Veitch | [9] | ||||||
11 | Void Indigo | 1983 | Steve Gerber | Val Mayerik | [9] | |||||
12 | Dazzler: The Movie | 1984 | Jim Shooter | Frank Springer | Women of Marvel: Celebrating Seven Decades | Dazzler Vol. 3 | Dazzler Vol. 2 | [9] | ||
13 | Starstruck: The Luckless, the Abandoned and Forsaked | 1984 | Elaine Lee | Michael Kaluta | Collection of the Starstruck stories serialized in Heavy Metal . | [9] | ||||
14 | The Swords of the Swashbucklers | October 1984 | Bill Mantlo | Jackson Guice | [9] | |||||
15 | The Raven Banner (A Tale of Asgard) | 1984 | Alan Zelenetz | Charles Vess | [9] | |||||
16 | The Aladdin Effect | 1985 | David Michelinie | Greg LaRocque | Features Storm, the She-Hulk, Tigra, and the Wasp. | Women of Marvel: Celebrating Seven Decades | [9] | |||
17 | Revenge of the Living Monolith | June 1985 | Marc Silvestri Geof Isherwood | [9] [10] | ||||||
18 | The Sensational She-Hulk | 1985 | John Byrne | John Byrne Kim DeMulder | Marvel Universe by John Byrne Vol 2; The Sensational She-Hulk by John Byrne Vol 1; Women of Marvel: Celebrating Seven Decades | [9] | ||||
19 | Conan the Barbarian: The Witch Queen of Acheron | 1985 | Don Kraar | Gary Kwapisz | Savage Sword of Conan: The Original Comics Years Vol 9 | [9] | ||||
20 | Greenberg the Vampire | 1985 | J. M. DeMatteis | Mark Badger | [9] | |||||
Overstreet -numbered titles | ||||||||||
21 | Marada the She-Wolf | 1985 | Chris Claremont | John Bolton | Collects material originally serialized in Epic Illustrated #10-12. | [9] | ||||
22 | Amazing Spider-Man: Hooky | 1986 | Susan K. Putney | Bernie Wrightson | Spider-Man: The Graphic Novels | Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 26 | [9] [11] | |||
23 | Doctor Strange: Into Shamballa | 1986 | J. M. DeMatteis Dan Green | Dan Green | [9] | |||||
24 | Daredevil: Love and War | 1986 | Frank Miller | Bill Sienkiewicz | Daredevil by Frank Miller Companion | [9] | ||||
25 | Alien Legion: A Grey Day to Die | 1986 | Carl Potts Alan Zelenetz | Frank Cirocco | [9] | |||||
26 | Dracula: A Symphony in Moonlight & Nightmares | 1986 | Jon J Muth | [9] | ||||||
27 | Emperor Doom | 1987 | David Michelinie | Bob Hall | features the Avengers | Doctor Doom: The Book of Doom | Avengers, Vol. 17: Judgment Day; Avengers West Coast, Vol. 3: Tales to Astonish | [9] | ||
28 | Conan the Reaver | 1987 | Don Kraar | John Severin | [9] | |||||
29 | The Incredible Hulk and the Thing: The Big Change | 1987 | Jim Starlin | Bernie Wrightson | The Thing | Fantastic Four, Vol. 18: The More Things Change…; Incredible Hulk, Vol. 15: Ground Zero | [9] | |||
30 | A Sailor's Story | 1987 | Sam Glanzman | Biographical story about Sam Glanzman's service aboard the USS Stevens (DD-479) during World War II. | [9] | |||||
31 | Wolfpack | 1987 | Larry Hama | Ron Wilson | Wolfpack Complete | [9] | ||||
32 | Death of Groo | 1987 | Mark Evanier | Sergio Aragones | [9] | |||||
33 | The Mighty Thor: I, Whom The Gods Would Destroy | 1988 | Jim Shooter Jim Owsley | Paul Ryan | The Mighty Thor Vol. 22 | [9] | ||||
34 | Cloak and Dagger: Predator and Prey | 1988 | Bill Mantlo | Larry Stroman | Cloak and Dagger Vol 2 | [9] | ||||
35 | The Shadow: Hitler's Astrologer | 1988 | Dennis O'Neil | Michael Kaluta Russ Heath | [9] | |||||
36 | Willow: Movie Adaptation | 1988 | Mary Jo Duffy | Bob Hall Romeo Tanghal | [9] | |||||
37 | Hercules, Prince of Power: Full Circle | 1988 | Bob Layton | [9] | ||||||
38 | Silver Surfer: Judgment Day | 1988 | Stan Lee | John Buscema | Silver Surfer, Vol. 4: Parable | [9] | ||||
Unofficially-numbered titles | ||||||||||
39 | The Inhumans | 1988 | Ann Nocenti | Bret Blevins | [9] | |||||
40 | The Punisher: Assassin's Guild | 1988 | Mary Jo Duffy | Jorge Zaffino | Punisher, Vol. 2: Circle of Blood | [9] | ||||
41 | Who Framed Roger Rabbit | 1988 | Don Ferguson | Dan Spiegle | [9] | |||||
42 | Conan of the Isles | 1988 | Lin Carter | John Buscema | Conan the Barbarian: The Original Marvel Years | [9] | ||||
43 | The Dreamwalker | 1989 | Miguel José Ferrer | Gray Morrow | [9] | |||||
44 | Ax | 1988 | Ernie Colón | [9] | ||||||
45 | Arena | 1989 | Bruce Jones | [9] | ||||||
46 | The Amazing Spider-Man: Parallel Lives | 1989 | Gerry Conway | Alex Saviuk Andy Mushynsky | Spider-Man: The Graphic Novels | Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 19: Assassin Nation | [9] | |||
47 | Kull: The Vale of Shadow | 1989 | Alan Zelenetz | Tony DeZuniga | Kull the Conqueror: The Original Marvel Years | [9] | ||||
48 | A Sailor's Story Book Two: Winds, Dreams and Dragons | 1989 | Sam J. Glanzman | [9] | ||||||
49 | Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment | 1989 | Roger L. Stern | Mike Mignola Mark Badger | Doctor Doom: The Book of Doom | Dr. Strange, Vol. 8: Triumph and Torment; Fantastic Four, Vol. 19: The Dream Is Dead | [9] | |||
50 | Wolverine/Nick Fury: The Scorpio Connection | 1989 | Archie Goodwin | Howard V. Chaykin | Wolverine Vol. 2 | Wolverine, Vol. 2: Back to Basics | [9] | |||
51 | The Punisher: Intruder | 1989 | Mike Baron | Bill Reinhold | Punisher, Vol. 4: Return to Big Nothing | [9] | ||||
52 | William Gibson's Neuromancer: The Graphic Novel | 1989 | Tom DeHaven | Bruce Jensen | [9] | |||||
53 | Conan the Barbarian in The Skull of Set | 1989 | Doug Moench | Paul Gulacy Gary Martin | [9] | |||||
54 | Roger Rabbit: The Resurrection of Doom | 1989 | Bob Foster | Todd Kurosawa Dan Spiegle Bill Langley | [9] | |||||
55 | Squadron Supreme: Death of a Universe | 1989 | Mark Gruenwald | Paul Ryan Al Williamson | Squadron Supreme by Mark Gruenwald; Squadron Supreme Classic | [9] | ||||
56 | Power Pack & Cloak and Dagger: Shelter from the Storm | 1989 | Bill Mantlo | Sal Velluto Mark Farmer | Cloak and Dagger Vol 1; Power Pack Classic Vol 1 | [9] | ||||
57 | Rick Mason: The Agent | 1989 | James D. Hudnall | John Ridgway | [9] | |||||
58 | Silver Surfer: The Enslavers | 1990 | Stan Lee | Keith Pollard Chris Ivy | [9] | |||||
59 | Conan the Barbarian: The Horn of Azoth | 1990 | Gerry Conway Roy Thomas | Michael Docherty Tony DeZuniga | [9] | |||||
60 | Rio Rides Again | 1990 | Doug Wildey | [9] | ||||||
61 | The Black Widow: The Coldest War | 1990 | Gerry Conway | Ernie Colón Mark Farmer George Freeman Mike Harris Val Mayerik Josef Rubinstein | Black Widow Strikes | Black Widow, Vol. 2: The Coldest War | [9] | |||
62 | Ka-Zar: Guns of the Savage Land | 1990 | Chuck Dixon Timothy Truman | Gary Kwapisz Ricardo Villagran | [9] | |||||
63 | Spider-Man: Spirits of the Earth | 1990 | Charles Vess | Spider-Man: The Graphic Novels | Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 21: Return of the Sinister Six | [9] [12] | ||||
64 | The Punisher: Kingdom Gone | 1990 | Chuck Dixon | Jorge Zaffino | Punisher, Vol. 4: Return to Big Nothing | [9] | ||||
65 | Wolverine: Bloodlust | 1990 | Alan Davis | Alan Davis Paul Neary | Wolverine Vol. 2 | Wolverine, Vol. 3: Blood and Claws | [9] | |||
66 | Excalibur: Weird War III | 1990 | Michael Higgins | Tom Morgan Josef Rubinstein | Excalibur Vol. 2 | Excalibur, Vol. 3: Girls' School from Heck | [9] | |||
67 | Wolverine: Bloody Choices | 1991 | Tom DeFalco | John Buscema | Wolverine Vol. 3 | Wolverine, Vol. 3: Blood and Claws | [9] | |||
68 | Avengers: Death Trap - The Vault | 1991 | Danny Fingeroth | Ron Lim Fred Fredericks James Sanders III | Reprinted as Venom: Death Trap - The Vault (March 1993) | Spider-Man vs. Venom | Avengers, Vol. 21: The Collection Obsession; Venom, Vol. 1: Symbiosis | [9] | ||
69 | Conan the Rogue | 1991 | John Buscema | John Buscema | [9] | |||||
70 | Punisher: Blood on the Moors | 1991 | Alan Grant | Cam Kennedy | [9] | |||||
71 | Silver Surfer: Homecoming | 1991 | Jim Starlin | Bill Reinhold | [9] | |||||
72 | Spider-Man: Fear Itself | 1992 | Stan Lee | Ross Andru | Spider-Man: The Graphic Novels | Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 22: Round Robin | [9] | |||
73 | Conan: The Ravagers Out of Time | 1992 | Roy Thomas | Michael Docherty | [9] | |||||
74 | Punisher/Black Widow: Spinning Doomsday's Web | 1992 | D.G. Chichester | Larry Stroman Mark Farmer | Punisher, Vol. 7: Capital Punishment; Black Widow, Vol. 2: The Coldest War | [9] | ||||
75 | Daredevil/Black Widow: Abattoir | 1993 | Jim Starlin | Joe Chiodo | Daredevil, Vol. 17: Into the Fire; Black Widow, Vol. 2: The Coldest War | [9] | ||||
In 2013, Marvel started publishing a new line of graphic novels titled Marvel Original Graphic Novel or Marvel OGN.
Title | Year | Writers | Artists | ISBN | Notes | Citations |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Avengers: Endless Wartime | 2013 | Warren Ellis | Mike McKone | 978-0785184676 | Features the Avengers against an ancient enemy from Thor's past. | [13] |
Amazing Spider-Man: Family Business | 2014 | Mark Waid James Robinson | Gabriele Dell'Otto Werther Dell'Edera | 978-0785184409 | Revolves around Peter Parker, not Spider-Man, being targeted by a vengeful Kingpin. As Parker combats the threat, he is helped by a woman who claims to be his long-lost sister, Teresa. | [14] |
X-Men: No More Humans | Mike Carey | Salvador Larroca | 978-0785154020 | Features the aftermath of the "Battle of the Atom" event. | [15] | |
Thanos: The Infinity Revelation | Jim Starlin | 978-0785184706 | Features the return of Adam Warlock. | [16] | ||
Avengers: Rage of Ultron | 2015 | Rick Remender | Jerome Opeña | 978-0785190400 | Explores the early relationship between Hank Pym and Ultron and features two generations of the Avengers. | [17] |
Thanos: The Infinity Relativity | Jim Starlin | 978-0785193036 | Adam Warlock, the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Silver Surfer, Gladiator, and the reunited Infinity Watch join together to thwart the threat of Annihilus. | [18] | ||
Thanos: The Infinity Finale | 2016 | Jim Starlin | Ron Lim | 978-0785193050 | Concludes Starlin's first Infinity trilogy. | [19] |
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Beats Up the Marvel Universe | Ryan North | Erica Henderson | 978-1302903039 | [20] | ||
Deadpool: Bad Blood | 2017 | Chris Sims | Rob Liefeld | 978-1302901530 | The return of Rob Liefeld to Marvel, with a new Deadpool story featuring Cable and Domino. | [21] |
Thanos: The Infinity Siblings | 2018 | Jim Starlin | Alan Davis | 978-1302908188 | This is the first OGN in a trilogy. Jim Starlin has stated that this trilogy will be his final Thanos story. | [22] |
Thanos: The Infinity Conflict | 978-1302908140 | The second book in Starlin's final Thanos trilogy. | [23] | |||
Thanos: The Infinity Ending | 2019 | 978-1302908164 | The conclusion to Starlin's final Thanos trilogy. | [24] |
James P. Starlin is an American comics artist and writer. Beginning his career in the early 1970s, he is best known for space opera stories, for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock, and for creating or co-creating the Marvel characters Thanos, Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Nebula, and Shang-Chi, as well as writing the acclaimed miniseries The Infinity Gauntlet and its many sequels including The Infinity War and The Infinity Crusade, all detailing Thanos' pursuit of the Infinity Gems to court Mistress Death by annihilating half of all life in the cosmos, before coming into conflict with the Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and the Elders of the Universe, joined by the Silver Surfer, Doctor Strange, Gamora, Nebula, and Drax.
Adam Warlock is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four #66–67 created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, originally named Him. The character would later be significantly developed by Roy Thomas and Jim Starlin. Debuting in the Silver Age of Comic Books, the character has appeared over several decades of Marvel publications, and starred in the titles Marvel Premiere and Strange Tales as well as five eponymous volumes and several related limited series.
The Infinity Gauntlet is an American comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics. In addition to an eponymous, six-issue limited series written by Jim Starlin and pencilled by George Pérez and Ron Lim, crossover chapters appeared in related comic books. Since its initial serialization from July to December 1991, the series has been reprinted in various formats and editions.
First Comics is an American comic book publisher that was active from 1983 to 1991 and then from 2011 to present, known for titles like American Flagg!, Grimjack, Nexus, Badger, Dreadstar, and Jon Sable. Along with competitors like Pacific Comics and Eclipse Comics, First took early advantage of the growing direct market, attracting a number of writers and artists from DC and Marvel to produce creator-owned titles, which, as they were not subject to the Comics Code, were free to feature more mature content.
Thanos is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in The Invincible Iron Man #55. An Eternal–Deviant warlord from the moon Titan, Thanos is regarded as one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe. He has clashed with many heroes including the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men.
Gamora is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in Strange Tales #180. Gamora is the adopted daughter of Thanos, and the last of her species. Her powers include superhuman strength and agility and an accelerated healing factor. She also is an elite combatant, being able to beat most of the opponents in the galaxy. She is a member of the superhero group known as the Infinity Watch. The character played a role in the 2007 crossover storyline "Annihilation: Conquest", becoming a member of the titular team in its spin-off comic, Guardians of the Galaxy, before becoming the supervillain Requiem in the 2018 crossover storylines "Infinity Countdown" and "Infinity Wars".
Drax the Destroyer is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in The Invincible Iron Man #55.
Infinity Abyss is a six-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics from August to October in 2002. The series was written and pencilled by Jim Starlin.
William Timothy Mantlo is an American comic book writer, primarily at Marvel Comics. He is best known for his work on two licensed toy properties whose adventures occurred in the Marvel Universe: Micronauts and Rom, as well as co-creating the characters Rocket Raccoon and Cloak and Dagger. An attorney who worked as a public defender, Mantlo was the victim of a hit-and-run accident in 1992 and has been in institutional care ever since.
Epic Illustrated was a comics anthology in magazine format published in the United States by Marvel Comics. Similar to the US-licensed comic book magazine Heavy Metal, it allowed explicit content to be featured, unlike the traditional American comic books of that time bound by the restrictive Comics Code Authority, as well as offering its writers and artists ownership rights and royalties in place of the industry-standard work for hire contracts. The series lasted 34 issues from Spring 1980 to February 1986.
Lord Chaos is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2 ( 1977). Lord Chaos is an abstract entity. It is the cosmic counterpart of Master Order and serves as the embodiment of chaos.
Allen L. Milgrom is an American comic book writer, penciller, inker and editor, primarily for Marvel Comics. He is known for his 10-year run as editor of Marvel Fanfare; his long involvement as writer, penciler, and inker on Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man; his four-year tenure as West Coast Avengers penciller; and his long stint as the inker of X-Factor. He often inks Jim Starlin's work. Milgrom is the co-creator of DC superhero Firestorm.
Captain Marvel is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and designed by artist Gene Colan, the character first appeared in Marvel Super-Heroes #12. He is the first character to use the moniker Captain Marvel in the Marvel Universe.
Metamorphosis Odyssey is a lengthy allegorical story told in several distinct parts in several formats, from illustrated magazines to graphic novels to comic books. The work of American writer/artist Jim Starlin, the story introduces Vanth Dreadstar, who first appears in Epic Illustrated #3.
Dreadstar, published in 1982, was a science fiction comic book published by American company Marvel Comics, the third in the Marvel Graphic Novel series. This graphic novel is also the third part of the Metamorphosis Odyssey and was printed in color from paintings by Jim Starlin.
Dreadstar was the first comic-book series published by American publisher Epic Comics, an imprint of Marvel Comics, in 1982. It was centered on Vanth Dreadstar, sole survivor of the entire Milky Way galaxy, and an ensemble cast of crewmates, including cyborg sorcerer Syzygy Darklock, and their struggle to end an ancient war between two powerful, evil empires: The Church of The Instrumentality, run by the Lord Papal; and the Monarchy, administered by a puppet king.
Soul World is a fictional place appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, and created by writer/illustrator Jim Starlin. Soul World was first alluded to in Strange Tales #179 (1975), and first appeared in Warlock Vol 2 #6 (1983). Soul World is described as a "pocket dimension" contained within the Soul Gem, and is depicted as an idyllic alien landscape inhabited by the souls of characters most commonly associated with Starlin's recurrent fictional protagonist, Adam Warlock. Soul World serves the narrative as a place of purgatory for souls "captured" by Warlock.
Silver Surfer or The Silver Surfer is the name of several series of comic books published by Marvel Comics featuring the Silver Surfer.
The Annihilators are a fictional team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They are a group of powerful space-based characters from various alien races. They act as a deterrent to galactic war.
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