Tuesday 10 August 2010

OURS IS A DRAMA DECREED BY THE FATES...


Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

I'm glad to be able to say that MARVEL have done themselves proud with the release of the softcover THOR MASTERWORKS volume.  Quite simply, these tales from JOURNEY Into MYSTERY #83-100, have never been presented better - anywhere.  For the first time since its initial printing back in 1962, Thor's origin is reproduced - in colour - from pristine proofs, with no evidence of clumsy, so-called 'restoration' or 'reconstruction' as was the case in a whole load of earlier reprintings in recent years.

For example, when the story was reprinted in MARVEL TALES #1, a badly lettered blurb on the splash page declared it was originally printed in JIM #38 (instead of 83) - and the final page was cropped to permit a wrap-up caption to the issue.  When the tale was reprinted  in the GOLDEN BOOK & RECORD Set, the splash page was printed in black and white, and the "Editor's Note" panel on the last page was eliminated, with the final two pictures being resized to fill the space.  In ORIGINS Of MARVEL COMICS, the corner page numbers were removed and some clumsy touch-up work was noticeable in places.  For the first printing of the Masterworks hardback (and subsequent editions up to now), the splash page was reconstructed from the reprint in Thor #158, and the final panel's changes were badly re-lettered back to the original wording.  (Though the misspelling of "THORR" was corrected.)

Rather than bore you with the details of every single presentation of this ace tale, see my previous post on the subject.  However, before you do, rush out and purchase this super edition before it's sold out.  (It's just a shame that they inadvertently missed out a paragraph in STAN LEE's introduction, originally written for the 1991 first printing.)

ISBN# 978-0-7851-4568-4.

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