r/MarvelUnlimited

For those who don’t know this is a great tool to have for reading along with comics! Even if you’re not planning on reading the entirety of marvel comics it’s a cool tool to use to track what you’ve read and it has cool info about your favorite characters! The whole site has been recently updated.

I am in no way affiliated with the site I just really enjoy it. This has been a public service announcement

I was into reading on the app consistently about a year ago and then life happened and I fell out of habit. I’d like to get back into comics starting with the X-men. I’ve never read X-men comics so what issues would be great for new readers.

I’ve always like Marvel. Spider-Man, Daredevil, Gambit (especially), Wolverine, Punisher etc. I just wanna know what to read. If anyone can help me and find starting points for my favourite characters and stuff. My favourite team is obviously the X-Men then Fantastic Four then Avengers. If it’s any help, I’ve started Invincible, I’m on like volume 20 but finished the show. I read online but I wanna start reading physical.

Hey True Believers,

1964 had a strong Daredevil debut, and Spider-Man became in my opinion, marvel's best magazine. u/trinityfan99 taught us all quite a bit about Steve Ditko and how maybe binging Iron Man without context and writing about it a year later isn't a good way to enjoy the comics. Well...... best practices be damned, let the numeric reviews continue! But seriously, I really look forward to his comments on all of these books because I am very uninformed on the process and intention of much of these incredible creators.

One thing to note is that the Captain America and Iron Man issues were both in Tales of Suspense and after reading through the full issues, very few did I find outshined each other, so they share the same number rating, even though some stories may have been 0.5 points higher in my rating system in the same issue.

1964 Notes:

Amazing Spider-Man - Pretty cool annual here with Ditko getting to bring Peter through Dr. Strange's universe. Norman Osborn makes his first appearance in a Green Goblin issue, probably no connection. Strong issues with Spencer Smythe, Mysterio, some really, really good isues with the Crime Master. The gem here is the "If this be my destiny" arc, which I had completely forgotten has the first appearances of Harry Osborn, Gwen Stacy, and Miles Warren. We also get the first cameo of Mary Jane Watson, though it would be a while before they met. This along with the FF issues are some of the best Marvel has ever put out. These are the storylines everyone will be trying to copy for the next six decades.

Avengers - Janet got hurt in 1964 and they rush her to the hospital. It's tough to see a founding Avenger and the only woman on the team be treated as so fragile, but fortunately they make Rick Jones even weaker and more helpless, so at least they're giving the genders equal representation as helpless victims. This year was alright. We get debuts from Swordsman, more Kang, the start of the Avengers having a tenuous relationship with the government, and a solid Dr. Doom arc. These issues are fun and it's nice to see Don Heck drawing some solid action, and relieving some of the burden off of Jack. Never mind, he did way more books than last year.

Tales of Suspense (Captain America & Iron Man) - Iron Man is taken over by Don Heck, while Jack continues on Captain America. Tony spends a lot of time working on his government contracts and helping the war effort, while much of the CA issues are Steve and Bucky back in World War 2 with Red Skull. Tony's love triangle with Pepper and Happy becomes a very big and very clunky part of these issues. Both Cap and IM are forlorn hopeless romantics who find being an adventurer is the only things that feels right anymore. Tony does have a fun arc where he has to fight the Titanium Man in front of a live TV audience, which leads to the creation of "The Freak". The Freak arc is pretty terrible and it's something they return to way to much in future years. I did like the work Kirby did on the Sleeper arc of Cap. Overall, not much of a fan of these issues, as with Cap especially, it feels like they don't know how to write him in the present yet.

Daredevil - The red costume arrives in issue #7, and the greatest Daredevil villain of all time, Stilt-Man, makes his debut in #8. the nice thing about Daredevil, is that even when the writing is terrible, the art is always pretty good and Wally Wood puts forth some nice pencils here. Ka-Zar's borther makes an appearance in one of the worst arcs of the year, and a slew of animal themed bank robbers make their debuts. 1965 was not as kind to Daredevil as 1964, and these issues are tough to recommend.

Strange Tales (Dr. Strange) - S.H.I.E.L.D. debuts to split this book with Dr. Strange, but I didn't read those stories. Strange spends the first half of the year in battle with Dormmomu and Baron Mordo in a mildly decent arc, but things get much better with the debut of Eternity, and then Mordo and Dormmy come back and battle more. Not as strong as last year, but Ditko is still cookin'.

Fantastic Four - One of their best years yet. First off, the wedding of Reed and Sue is one of the best annuals yet. We get debuts from The Trapster (Paste Pot Pete), a great two-issue arc with Daredevil and Doctor Doom, a Frightful Four three-parter where everyone gets a turn being kidnapped, a four part arc with the debut of the Inhumans, AND the start of the Coming of Galactus arc with Silver Surfer and Galactus making their debuts. This might be the biggest and best year of Fantastic Four ever. Kirby & Lee were firing on all cylinders here, and creating some of the most influential mythos of Marvel at the time. You shouldn't skip these issues. There are a few so-so comics sprinkled in here bringing the annual average down, but these are some of the best issues of FF.

Tales to Astonish (Incredible Hulk) - Halfway through the year, it switches from Giant-Man backups to Submariner. I didn't read either. The Hulk spends most of the year jumping around the planet, falling asleep, and Bruce waking up in ripped pants. The Leader is around for most of this, along with Rick Jones, Talbot, and THunderbolt Ross. Pretty forgettable issues, btu Kirby's Hulk is always fun to read.

Journey Into Mystery (Mighty Thor) - Crusher Creel is such a cool villain and he always proves a creative outlet for the artist drawing him. He reminds me a bit of Sandman in the ever-evolving ways our heroes need to devise their victories. We also get the first appearance of the Destroyer who is a very cool concept, and a great debut issue. The Warriors Three all debut. THere was some excellent storytelling in here and another great year of world building, with a few average issues mixed in. Overall, another great year for Goldilocks.

The X-Men - Ka-Zar and the Savage Land beocme a part of the X-Verse in 1965. Trask and Master Mold also debut here. This year is VERY uneven. There are some truly awesome issues in here, mixed in with some very average ones. X-Men was still bi-monthly at this point, so not too much to write about here. it's easy to forget some of Jack Kirby's contributions to X-Men, but this was a very good year for the Xavier Institute.

1964 Marvel Book Ratings

1964	1964 Books
Amazing Spider-Man	4.19 - 13 issues
Fantastic Four	4.00 - 13 issues
Mighty Thor (Journey Into Mystery)	3.88 - 13 issues
Doctor Strange (Strange Tales)	3.79 - 12 issues
The Avengers	3.58 - 12 issues
The X-Men	3.56 - 8 issues
Daredevil	2.79 - 7 issues
Iron Man (Tales of Suspense)	2.71 - 12 issues
Captain America (Tales of Suspense)	2.71 - 12 issues
Incredible Hulk (Tales to Astonish)	2.62 - 12 issues
Average	3.50 - 102 total

1964 Best & Worst Issues

Top Comics	Amazing Spider-Man #31-33	5/5
	Amazing Spider-Man #27	4.5/5
	Fantastic Four #40, 46, 48
	The X-Men #12, 14
	Journey Into Mystery #116, 118-119
	Strange Tales #139
Worst Comics	Daredevil #12-13	2/5
	Tales to Astonish #67

Top Characters

		Avg. Score	# of Books
Most Read Hero	Steve Rogers	3.2	25
	Johnny Storm	3.9	20
	Ben Grimm	3.9	19
Highest Rated Hero	Peter Parker	4.1	14
	Reed Richards	4	17
	Sue Storm	4	17

For these ratings, these are combined for issues, the writer, penciller, and inker. so while Kirby might be doing amazing work, the script may be holding him back.

Top Creatives

	Artist	Avg. Score	# of Books
Best Writers	Stan Lee	3.5	101
Best Interior Artists	Steve Ditko	3.8	27
	Vince Colletta	3.6	32
	Jack Kirby	3.5	71
	Dick Ayers	3.5	15

Omnibus Buyer's Guide

Adding Thor Volume 1 to the list as this finished up in 1965.

Must Buys

Should Buys

• Fantastic Four Volume 1 (1961) (4/5) - These are the early formative years and are some of the best of Marvel's early work. Great for Jack Kirby fans or pulp sci-fi nerds. I own this one and have read through a few times.
• The Mighty Thor Volume 1 (1962) (4/5) - Short and awesome, some great issues in here paired with a bunch of Tales of Asgard backups. this might be one of the most underrated runs of the Silver Age.

Can Buys

Don't Buys

What did I get right or wrong about 1965? What were your favorite issues of the year? Hey, you can ask me questions if you want.

• Why is Cap so much better in the Avengers than his solo series? Has this ever happened at Marvel?
• Why am I remembering not enjoying X-Men as much but thinking they're great when flipping back through?
• Is Doc Strange about to get stale or will the power of Ditko and his flowy cape keep him at the top of my charts? (I already know the answer)
• Will Daredevil ever be good again? Does Daredevil have a brother he can call in?
• Who was better in Tales of Suspense in 1965?
• Is Crusher Creel Thor's best foe?
• How does Jack Kirby turn out so many comics in a year?
• Will Peter ever meet Anna Watson's (probably) ugly neice?

Previous Years

1964

1963

1962

1961

Scoring System

5/5 Great comic - Excellent art and storytelling, compelling me to spend more time rereading panels and enjoying the art. I do think I may have ranked a bit too many X-Men and Spider-Man books this high, but I'll let you judge as I post my reviews.

4.5/5 A very, very good comic - Writing and art are both exceptional and the plot is interesting. These are books that will still be good a decade from now.

4/5 A good comic - Writing and art are both strong and the comic tells a good story. For me, this is where creators like Roger Stern live. These aren't my favorite comics, but they are worth rereading and I tend to buy these in collected editions.

3.5/5 Above-average - Either writing OR art is strong here. This could also be a book that is average but has one amazing panel that gets a bump up. When I think of 3.5, I think of writers like Steve Englehart. These are solid books that have a good idea or move the character forward in some way.

3/5 Average comic - Inoffensive, but with a good pace. I don't want to reread these any time soon, but I'm certainly not angry I read them.

2.5/5 Below-average comic - These are either have poor art OR poor writing. Confusing plots, or inadvertently offensive. I wouldn't want to reread this if I could avoid it.

2/5 A bad comic - Comics that seem pointless. The plot is confusing or adds nothing to the character.

1.5/5 and below Awful comic - These books for make me angry with the editor for allowing them to be published. They're either promoting horrible view points, extremely lazy, or maybe I was having a disagreement with my partner and took it out on an average comic. Either way, we definitely talked things through in the end and we're doing great, but I couldn't be bothered to go back and edit my ratings.

Hi everyone,

I’m pretty new to comics. I’ve read a few comics before, but I’ve never really gotten into X-Men

Would X-Men: Blue & Gold be a good starting point for someone new to the X-Men, or would I be missing too much context? I’m looking for a run that’s beginner-friendly

Seems like the late 80s Spider-Man writers thought "bad guy is a mutant" instead of writing another accident-based or experimental-surgery-based supervillain origin story.

Did everyone forget about The PERSUADER who mind-controlled the Punisher into becoming a mob assassin?

What about Eduardo and Carlos Lobo, a pair of Texan werewolves who didn't need a full moon to attack the Kingpin?

They brought Apocalypse to Krakoa, why not the good ol' Lobo Bros? They def wanted to MAKE MORE MUTANTS with Glory Grant

Is there a comprehensive list, preferably alphabetical, of all the content currently available on Marvel Unlimited?

I don't know if I'm allowed to say this, but I screencap issues and organize them in a personal library (which I do not redistribute).

For the purpose of being thorough, I'm wondering how I can see if I've overlooked anything without having to scroll through thousands of titles in the app.

Hi all i recently got into comics ing general. Ive really liked Absolute Wonder Women and I have really wanted to learn more about the Xmen.

​

I know about Xmen Evolution as I belive it was my first Xmen taste. The other being the Xmen movies at the time.

​

So my question is...would it be good to learn about the xmen with Marvel Unlimited? For example Chris Claremonts run? Are there Omni uses with him?

got a gift of some cash

but short to get 70$ 1 year

wondering if anybody have some discount codes

thanks.

I’ve logged over 1200+ comics on League of Comic Geeks and just realized Bilquis Evely is the only non-male artist I’ve read more than 1-2 issues of their work. She’s great, and Peach Momoko’s X-Men looks cool but I haven’t gotten to it yet.

There have been waves of female writers and editors since the 70’s with trailblazers like Louise Simonson & Ann Nocenti. But I don’t seem to know if any women got the chance to do extended runs on works like a lot of their male counterparts.

Who are some of your favorites? Are there any pioneers or trailblazers that don’t get enough recognition? Would love to learn more!

Yet it wasn’t until a couple years ago that I actually subscribed

I always think about how much money could have been saved if I knew about this sooner

Hello, all!

I'm about to start reading through some 80's runs that I've been putting off. I would like to hit the following:

Amazing Spider-Man by Stern; Avengers by Stern; Captain America by Gruenwald; Daredevil by Miller & Nocenti; Fantastic Four by Byrne; Hulk by David; Moon Knight by Moench; & Thor by Simonson. I'll also be slotting in Secret Wars at some point.

My question is: do you find that any of these runs benefit from being read alongside one another? The Daredevil and Moon Knight runs seem to be pretty self-contained, but it looks like Byrne FF and Stern Avengers cross over on occasion. Anything you would recommend reading at the same time? Thanks!

So I haven't bought a marvel comic in quite awhile ( prior to covid ) so I used to redeem them on marvel.com/redeem and read them on comixology so I had no idea they we're no longer in a partnership. I got a new comic today and wentr to redeem it only to log into marvel unlimited to find none of my old comics are actually there. I contacted support who told me that my account was created today even though I have prior support tickets with them going back to 2017.

What exactly is there for me to do? Was there a time limit to transfer my purchases to the new app when it moved in 2023?

Hey True Believers,

I was late on 1963, so I'm going to post 1964 a few days early to try and get back on schedule. There were big improvements this year and some great debuts to new mags. If you haven't read my earlier posts, I've been reading Marvel for the past 3+ years, and am working through my league of comic geeks ratings to give some reviews and recommendations for those who may not be initiated in Silver and Bronze Age Marvel. While some of this can only be interesting in a historical context, there are a lot of great and timeless books being made in the 1960's. I hope anyone familiar can comment on what they agree/disagree with, and anyone not familiar can ask questions and get discussion going.

Also note that I haven't read everything, mostly the mainline books, or those I was interested in. I didn't read the S.H.I.E.L.D., Namor, or Ant-Man/Giant-Man books.

1964 Notes:

Amazing Spider-Man - The Bennett Brant arc cements this as the best soap opera mag at Marvel. Great drama and the best supporting cast in the whole line make this such a strong start to the run. Doc Ock is immediately menacing. Mysterio pops up and while he isn't my favorite villain, I will always look forward to seeing his books because of how hyped the artists gets. Ditko is doing really strong work here. Green Goblin, Kraven the Hunter, Ned Leeds, Scorpion, and Princess Python all make first appearances. Very few duds, each month feels like a great installation to the mythos of Peter Parker.

Avenegrs - Baron Zemo makes his first appearance as Namor aggressively thaws out Steve Rogers. Avenger Rick Jones appear and we see some cool super-villain team-ups with the Masters of Evil. This may not be a popular opinion, but I cannot get enough Kang, and he debuts here in my favorite issue of the year, Avengers #8. Count Nefaria, I could take or leave, but like many of the other mags, 1963 & 1964 lay the ground work for decades of stories. The initial issues weren't great, but adding Steve and building out the villains adds to a stronger direction for the book, that is competing with Fantastic Four for the best team book at Marvel.

Tales of Suspense (Captain America) - Issue #58 is a weird fakeout, but with ToS #59, we get Steve in his first solo book since World War 2. Jarvis makes his first appearance here as hopeless romantic, Steve Rogers, mopes his way into the present. These issues aren't great, but they are building towards what I believe is the most consistent run of any character at Marvel with Captain America....we just aren't there yet.

Daredevil - I love me some yellow-suit DD. Leland Olwsley is throwing people out of windows, Matador debuts and sticks around quite a while in DD world, and trash human, the Purple Man starts hypnotically suggesting everyone who has vision, or who only hears at average levels or something. #4 is the standout, but these are a lot of fun. Daredevil is being pushed through on the coattails of Spider-Man as they seem a bit uncertain this character can sell on his own. Wally Wood does a few issues. It would be nice if they could keep this up, but every Matt Murdock fan should check out these issues.

Strange Tales (Dr. Strange) - The House of Shadows debuts, we get some awesome Nightmare plots and art, and Loki and Asgard make their way to Bleecker Street. There's a lot of Mordo this year, but I'm here for all of it. Ditko gets stronger each month as the illustrations make the book. Dormmomu and Clea also have their first issues, though these aren't the strongest issues quite yet. It does feel like Doctor Strange hasn't had a great villain debut since Ditko left the book, but that may eb a mix of his strong work and not enough attention to the good doctor. These are all worth checking out, especially as short backups to Human Torch stories.

Fantastic Four - Strong year for the FF. Hulk v. Thing has it's first round, the Avengers team up, Namor starts creeping on Sue, and Ben's inner-demons start playing a bigger role. Sue and Johnny lose their father, and Dragon Man, Attuna, Medusa, and Diablo all debut. Not all of these issues hit, but the first family is becoming a more dynamic unit to read through as their personalities are mined for better drama. The marriage dynamic between Reed and Sue is supposed to be playful, but ends up being quite cringe-inducing, especially when it's marketed to young boys who might see this as a healthy marriage discourse.

Tales to Astonish (Incredible Hulk) - I didn't read the Giant-Man books, but the Hulk issues I had read made me wish I had read Hank & Janet's adventures instead. These play out as one non-stop adventure of the same thing happening over and over. Hulk has a very different dynamic, and is surprisingly less swoll than the present. It feels like a horror mag for children that is short on ideas.

Tales of Suspense (Iron Man) - Natasha Romanov and Clint Barton make first appearances in what make up some forgettable red scare Iron Man books. Tony's manufacturing plants are the only thing stopping the Soviets, and he is always on the brink of financial ruin. There's not much daylight between these and the Cap backups. Again, these are building toward some great things in the future, but this feels like Marvel's least baked idea.

Journey Into Mystery (Mighty Thor) - At this point, they are tapping into more mythology every issue. Hela, Sif, Enchantress, Skurge, Grey Gargoyle, and more debut. We get the first Cobra & Mr. Hyde team-ups, and a cute story where Thor tells a group of kids who would win a fight between him and the Hulk. I like Odin's lunatic parenting style here, but Jane Foster is the weak link here as a the perpetual damsel in the stress. I swear she's half fainting goat. Still, these are some great issues, no matter what the reviews on League of Comic Geeks says. it just feels like Jack Kirby is cutting loose and really bringing up the storytelling with his mighty pencil work.

The X-Men - The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants certainly knows which side they're on, as Wanda and Petro Maximoff debut, along with my man Mortimer. While the roster changes quite a bit, this is probably one of the most long enduring legacies of super-villainy outside of Wizard's crew. There's some fun with the "beatnik scene" as the team goes out around the city. These issues aren't bad, though much of the tension revolves around who's going to date Jean which is pretty weird. Also, is this just a boy's school with one girl invited. These issues are interesting, but the X-Men were the worst team book at Marvel in 1964.

1964 Marvel Book Ratings

1964	1964 Books
Amazing Spider-Man	4.00
Mighty Thor	3.92
Dr. Strange	3.83
Daredevil	3.75
Fantastic Four	3.65
The Avengers	3.65
The X-Men	3.42
Iron Man	2.83
Captain America	2.8
Incredible Hulk	2.71
Average	3.57

1964 Best & Worst Issues

Top Comics (4.5 out of 5)	Amazing Spider-Man #'s 11, 12, 14
4 out of 5	Daredevil #4
	Journey Into Mystery #103
Worst Comics	Tales to Astonish #'s 59-60
2.5/5	Tales of Suspense #53, 58, 61-62

Top Characters

Avg. Score	# of Books
Most Read Hero	Johnny Storm
	Thor
	Tony Stark
HIghest Rated Hero	Peter Parker
	Dr. Steven Strange

For these ratings, these are combined for issues, the writer, penciller, and inker. so while Kirby might be doing amazing work, the script may be holding him back.

Top Creatives

Artist	Avg. Score	# of Books
Best Writers	Stan Lee	3.6
	Larry Lieber	3.8
Best Pencilers	Vince Colletta	3.9
	Jack Kirby	3.7
	Steve Ditko	3.7
Best Inker	Chic Stone	3.6
	Dick Ayers	3.3

Omnibus Buyer's Guide

Alright, reading through these really kicked off my steamy love affair with Marvel Comics, so with Fantastic Four Omnibus Volume 1 finishing up in 1964, I'll start building out this section. Must Buys are for all comic book fans, should buys are for fans of the character, can buys are for die-hard fans of characters, and don't buys are books that even the biggest fans may want to avoid.

Must Buys

Should Buys

• Fantastic Four Volume 1 (1961) (4/5) - These are the early formative years and are some of the best of Marvel's early work. Great for Jack Kirby fans or pulp sci-fi nerds. I own this one and have read through a few times.

Can Buys

Don't Buys

What did I get right or wrong about 1964?

• Daredevil's Yellow Suit Year
• Why is Jane Foster not getting enough iron in her diet?
• Are the constant crossovers stunting the growth of the characters or vital to world building?
• Did I accidentally write about 1964 Spider-Man in my 1963 article and then change it later without telling anyone?
• Is Iron Man 1000x more interesting Avengers than in his own book?
• Will Steve Rogers ever find love?
• Is Batroc the best villain of all time?
• Am I missing out big time on Namor and S.H.I.E.L.D. or those Human Torch Stories in Strange Tales?

Previous Years

1963

1962

1961

Scoring System

5/5 Great comic - Excellent art and storytelling, compelling me to spend more time rereading panels and enjoying the art. I do think I may have ranked a bit too many X-Men and Spider-Man books this high, but I'll let you judge as I post my reviews.

4.5/5 A very, very good comic - Writing and art are both exceptional and the plot is interesting. These are books that will still be good a decade from now.

4/5 A good comic - Writing and art are both strong and the comic tells a good story. For me, this is where creators like Roger Stern live. These aren't my favorite comics, but they are worth rereading and I tend to buy these in collected editions.

3.5/5 Above-average - Either writing OR art is strong here. This could also be a book that is average but has one amazing panel that gets a bump up. When I think of 3.5, I think of writers like Steve Englehart. These are solid books that have a good idea or move the character forward in some way.

3/5 Average comic - Inoffensive, but with a good pace. I don't want to reread these any time soon, but I'm certainly not angry I read them.

2.5/5 Below-average comic - These are either have poor art OR poor writing. Confusing plots, or inadvertently offensive. I wouldn't want to reread this if I could avoid it.

2/5 A bad comic - Comics that seem pointless. The plot is confusing or adds nothing to the character.

1.5/5 and below Awful comic - These books for make me angry with the editor for allowing them to be published. They're either promoting horrible view points, extremely lazy, or maybe I was having a disagreement with my partner and took it out on an average comic. Either way, we definitely talked things through in the end and we're doing great, but I couldn't be bothered to go back and edit my ratings.

Hey True Believers,

I queued up this in my drafts since I was leaving town, but then it was formatted weird, and then got lost, so here is 1963, a bit late.

1963 Marvel Book Ratings

1962	1963	1963 Books
Fantastic Four	3.66	3.41
Amazing Spider-Man	4.25	3.88
Mighty Thor	3.07	3.59
Incredible Hulk	3	3
The Avengers		3.33
Iron Man	3	2.71
The X-Men		3
Dr. Strange		3.63
Average	3.4	3.37
Total Comics	24	59

Some huge new franchises started in 1963 as the output increases 150%.

I'll start listing the average scores for the creators, but it is a bit difficult to pull good data with the anthology books having so many authors on them, so it may not be as accurate as I'd like until later in the decade.

Creator Scores

Artist	Avg Score	Total Books Read
Best Writers	Stan Lee	3.5
	Larry Lieber	3.2
Best Pencilers	Steve Ditko	3.6
	Jack Kirby	3.2
Best Inker	Dick Ayers	3.2

Most Read Hero	Johnny Storm	3.6	24
Highest Rated	Peter Parker	3.8	12

Issue #(s)
Top Comics
Worst Comics

ASM #6 was my only 4.5/5 rated book, with the rest of the best getting 4/5.

The X-Men and Iron Man (Tales of Suspense) books all earned 2.5/5

Brief notes on this year's books

Fantastic Four - Uatu, Red Ghost and those crazy apes, Mad Thinker and Awesome And(y)roid, Super Skrull, Rama Tut, Molecule Man, Hate Monger, Infant Terrible all make their first appearance along with more Doom. This is a bit of a mixed bag, with a few very strong issues. The characters are mostly all strong, but the dynamics are still getting worked out. Still recommended reading for the year.

Amazing Spider-Man - Vulture, Doc Ock, Sandman, Lizard, Living Brain, Electro, and the Enforcers all make their debuts along with a DOOM appearance make for an awesome first full year. The high school years are short lived but very. Seeing Sandman invade the school and get hoovered up makes for such a great issue. Octavius' backstroy is well developed and he is instantly menacing, and the Johnny/Peter rivalry is a great addition to the lore that still gets a lot of milage now. This immediately stands out as Marvel's best book.

Journey Into Mystery - These all have terrible review on league of Comic Geeks, but I loved them. This second year of Thor is really fun. Radioactive Man, Cobra and Mister Hyde make first appearances along with a lot of characters you'll never see again, but the Norse mythology gets built out further and the Tales fo Asgard backups end up being the highlights here. I don't know why I enjoy this more than everyone else, btu don't sleep on Silver Age Thor.

Avengers - These are fine. We get some good Jack Kirby action.

Tales of Suspense - Did you know there's a cold war going on? Well let me tell you, one of the sides is really bad. Also, silver armor scares children, so Tony switches to nice golden finish. Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan, Crimson Dynamo and Mandarin all make first appearances. This ends up being quite bad and more offensive than most of these books. We do see that Iron Man is established as a celebrity and the free world's fate relies on Tony Stark's plants not blowing up. Skip these unless you're interested in the historical context of Iron Man early years.

X-Men - Magneto and The Blob can't distract from a horny Prof Xavier lusting after PYT Jean Grey. The O5 X-Men make their debut and it's rough beginnings. The characters are mostly unlikable or boring outside of Hank, and Stan and Jack don't quite know where to take this yet. This are worth reading for X-Heads, but maybe only do one issue a day.

Strange Tales - The Doctor is in the House (Sanctum Sanctorum), babies!!! Baron Mordo, Wong, Ancient One, and Victoria "Get Bent" Bentley all start out this year. Doctor Strange benefits from some of Ditko's best work and the short issues help the pace. These books were split with Human Torch solo stories, and honestly, the shorter form story telling benefits Dr. S and Thor. This was Marvel's best book this side of Spidey.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on 1963 Marvel!

• Do you feel better now that Iron Man is gold?
• Do you love Thor and think everyone else is wrong?
• Are you upset I didn't read Ant-Man? Well I ordered the epics and will revise the posts after reading.
• Is Spidey played out by 1963?
• Should Scott Summers go by "Slim" forever?

Previous Years

1962

1961

Scoring System

5/5 Great comic - Excellent art and storytelling, compelling me to spend more time rereading panels and enjoying the art. I do think I may have ranked a bit too many X-Men and Spider-Man books this high, but I'll let you judge as I post my reviews.

4.5/5 A very, very good comic - Writing and art are both exceptional and the plot is interesting. These are books that will still be good a decade from now.

4/5 A good comic - Writing and art are both strong and the comic tells a good story. For me, this is where creators like Roger Stern live. These aren't my favorite comics, but they are worth rereading and I tend to buy these in collected editions.

3.5/5 Above-average - Either writing OR art is strong here. This could also be a book that is average but has one amazing panel that gets a bump up. When I think of 3.5, I think of writers like Steve Englehart. These are solid books that have a good idea or move the character forward in some way.

3/5 Average comic - Inoffensive, but with a good pace. I don't want to reread these any time soon, but I'm certainly not angry I read them.

2.5/5 Below-average comic - These are either have poor art OR poor writing. Confusing plots, or inadvertently offensive. I wouldn't want to reread this if I could avoid it.

2/5 A bad comic - Comics that seem pointless. The plot is confusing or adds nothing to the character.

1.5/5 and below Awful comic - These books for make me angry with the editor for allowing them to be published. They're either promoting horrible view points, extremely lazy, or maybe I was having a disagreement with my partner and took it out on an average comic. Either way, we definitely talked things through in the end and we're doing great, but I couldn't be bothered to go back and edit my ratings.

I've always been really into superhero movies but as a kid I never got into comics because they were always so convoluted and I never had any idea where to start. I legit got a 1960's Superman comic book at one point so I could "start from the beginning" and I hated it so much I completely gave up on comics. (I hated it because it was Superman fighting just like, random dudes, like bank robbers.)

Now for the past couple of years it's been a huge guilty pleasure of mine watching YouTube videos going over lore and character arcs from different comics, and I'm so hooked. I really want to be able to actually read these stories for myself and experience them the way the writers/artists intended, but I'm scared of breaking the bank trying to get specific comics or just any at all.

I initially went to my library to just check some comics out and see if I even enjoyed reading an actual comic but literally all my library had was a few random Batman comics (don't get me wrong, I'll get into Batman eventually but I was really more looking for Marvel/X-Men comics) and when I say random I mean, issue two of a series but no issue one. I've heard how great Marvel Unlimited is, but the price feels kind of hefty considering I don't even know if I'll really enjoy reading comics, should I bite the bullet knowing I already love the lore and will most likely enjoy the storytelling or should I just try to pick up a couple issues and see from there? Has anyone here regretted their decision getting MU?