Two Marvel classics for 2016

Cover by Alex Ross.

Ah, if only a UK publisher would do something like this for British comics. In 2016, Marvel Comics are releasing two new books in their huge Omnibus format that are sure to appeal to fans of their classic comics. Doctor Strange Omnibus Volume 1 will reprint all the Stan Lee / Steve Ditko Dr.Strange stories from Strange Tales, plus the Spider-Man/Dr.Strange team up from Amazing Spider-Man Annual No.2, and a load of back up features. Some of the best comics of the 1960s (or of any decade come to that) in one big volume containing hundreds of pages, with pin-sharp printing on quality paper, no doubt to be released in time for the Doctor Strange movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch.

Shang-Chi's first appearance. Cover by Jim Starlin.

In summer next year, Marvel are also publishing the first of four Master of Kung-Fu Omnibus hardbacks. Fans had given up hopes of ever seeing this series reprinted as it includes the Fu Manchu character owned by the Sax Rohmer estate that Marvel no longer had the rights to use. Apparently any legalities have been sorted out now and the fan-favorite series will be back in print in 2016. Although it was created to cash in on the 1970s Kung-Fu craze, Master of Kung-Fu spun off in its own direction as a martial arts spy series with great art by Jim Starlin, Paul Gulacy, Gene Day and more, and scripts by Doug Moench that raised the bar for superhero comics at that time.

I hope you'll forgive this blog's temporary foray into American comics but this material is too good to ignore! For more information check out the interview with the editor of the books, Cory Sedlemeier at this link:
http://www.collectededitions.com/marvel/features/ce_spotlight_111215.html  (Images shown here are from that site. More to see there.)