MIGHTY MARVEL COLLECTORS' EDITIONS CHECKLIST - ON SALE 26th DECEMBER...

WOLVERINE AND DEADPOOL #8

Copyright MARVEL COMICS.  Published by PANINI

76 pages of Marvel’s toughest heroes!  Three great stories!

‘The Long Night’ continues!  The net may be drawing in on Logan, but he isn't the one in trouble!  By Benjamin Percy & Marico Takara!

X-23 and Gabby have found a new 'sister', but can she be trusted?  By Mariko Tamaki & Diego Olortegui!

Wade Wilson gets a very nasty surprise in ‘Night of the Living Deadpool’!  By Cullen Bunn & Ramon Rosanas!

Featuring material first printed in Wolverine: The Long Night #4, X-23 #9 & Night of the Living Deadpool #3.

On sale 26^th December.

£4.99.

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AVENGERS UNIVERSE #8

76 pages of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes!

This is it, Marveldom; the awesome final chapter of ‘No Road Home’!  The Avengers assemble to battle Nyx, Goddess of Night, but it's the Vision who must confront her alone – at the very heart of the Marvel Universe!  By Al Ewing, Jim Zub, Mark Waid & Paco Medina!

Also: the first-ever meeting of the original Avengers, revealed at last!  By Dwayne McDuffie and Michael Oeming!

Featuring material first printed in Avengers: No Road Home #8-10 and Avengers Classic #1.

On sale 26^th December.

£4.99.

THE ETERNALS #1 FACSIMILE EDITION...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

I just can't help myself!  Not content with owning two copies of the original The ETERNALS #1 comic mag from 1976, I also have at least a couple of the TRUE BELIEVERS version, and now I've bought the facsimile edition to add to my collection.  That's it above (arrived today), and it's a pretty faithful replica (ads and all) of the debut issue of JACK KIRBY's closest MARVEL equivalent to his DC NEW GODS mag from way back when.

If you missed this mag first time around and the TB reprint passed you by, now's your chance to turn back the clock to when you were a carefree youth in the sizzlin' '70s.  Don't miss out again - available now!

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But this wouldn't be a Crivens! post if there weren't some element of criticism about it, now would it?  Look at IKARIS and in which direction he's indicating.  Presumably, the glow in the sky is where the returning gods are approaching from, but Ikaris isn't gesturing (or even looking) in that direction.  He's pointing to the left, but the glow is approaching from the right - in fact, it's debatable whether he'd even be able to see it from where he's standing/looking.  To paraphrase the late ERIC MORECAMBE, Jack's drawn all the right elements, but not necessarily in the right order.  Or am I just being too darn pernickety?

ASTONISHING TALES Of MARVEL SUPER-HEROES...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

Behold - MARVEL SUPER-HEROES #18 - the first appearance of GUARDIANS Of The GALAXY.  When I originally purchased this comic as a back issue more years ago that I care (or am able) to remember (sometime around the mid-'90s I think, though it could've been the late '80s), chances are I thought it was the mag I'd originally owned in 1975.  I no longer recall if I bought it a comic mart, mail order, or in a back issue shop, but when I saw it, I recognised the cover and snapped it up to add to my collection.  It wasn't all that long ago I learned that the main story had been reprinted (minus 4 pages) in ASTONISHING TALES #29, and I realised that must've been the comic I had, not the original presentation.

So, anyway, now I've got both, and I thought you might appreciate seeing the covers of both versions together.  Hard for me to believe that the latter mag is now 44 years old and that I was a mere teenager when I obtained my original copy.  Oddly, considering that it's an abridged version with 4 pages omitted, some sellers ask quite a high price for it.  I got it for a relative song, and really only wanted it out of nostalgia for the original one I had back in '75, so I'd never have paid an exorbitant figure to acquire it anyway.  If it's one you'd like to own, I'd suggest you either look for an inexpensive, VG copy of MSH #18 (which, in better condition, can also be costly, but at least the story is complete), or buy the collected edition volume from around two or three years ago.

Or, if you're lucky, maybe Marvel will publish a facsimile edition in the very near future.  I'd certainly buy it again, 'cos I'm a sucker for those babies.  Anyway, enjoy comparing the two cover images side-by-side and feel free to leave a comment if you'd like to.