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Lost Marvels #3
Lost Marvels No. 3: Savage Tales of the 1980s
The latest volume in Fantagraphics’ Lost Marvels series, collecting all eight issues of the long-out-of-print, tough-minded 1980s run of Savage Tales, will hit you like a punch in the face.
For 13 months in the mid-1980s, Marvel assembled some of its strongest artists and writers to tell gritty, harrowing, and blackly humorous adventure stories ranging from gangster noir to historical battlefields to the deadly old West to post-apocalyptic futures. Unseen for nearly 40 years, here is some of the most shocking work of artists John Severin, John Buscema, Sam Glanzman, Val Mayerik, Ron Wagner, Gray Morrow, Wayne Vansant, Herb Trimpe, Michael Golden, Joe Jusko, Mary Wilshire, Arthur Suydam, Will Jungkuntz, Vincent Waller, and Ken Steacy, and writers Chuck Dixon, Bill Wray, Don Kraar, Robert Kanigher, Denny O’Neil, Doug Murray, and Archie Goodwin. Stories include Severin and Dixon’s “By Rail to Vladivostock,” Murray and Golden’s “The Nam, 1967,” Glanzman’s “Of War and Peace: The Trinity,” Jungkuntz’s Blood & Gutz series, and Trimpe’s Skywarriors series. With a remembrance by Savage Tales editor Larry Hama.
Savage Tales of the 1980s reprints all 8 issues of the magazine’s run, the first time they have seen print since 1986 ― nearly 40 years ago! They are reproduced in facsimile format, including color covers.
Black-and-white with 8 full-color covers
For 13 months in the mid-1980s, Marvel assembled some of its strongest artists and writers to tell gritty, harrowing, and blackly humorous adventure stories ranging from gangster noir to historical battlefields to the deadly old West to post-apocalyptic futures. Unseen for nearly 40 years, here is some of the most shocking work of artists John Severin, John Buscema, Sam Glanzman, Val Mayerik, Ron Wagner, Gray Morrow, Wayne Vansant, Herb Trimpe, Michael Golden, Joe Jusko, Mary Wilshire, Arthur Suydam, Will Jungkuntz, Vincent Waller, and Ken Steacy, and writers Chuck Dixon, Bill Wray, Don Kraar, Robert Kanigher, Denny O’Neil, Doug Murray, and Archie Goodwin. Stories include Severin and Dixon’s “By Rail to Vladivostock,” Murray and Golden’s “The Nam, 1967,” Glanzman’s “Of War and Peace: The Trinity,” Jungkuntz’s Blood & Gutz series, and Trimpe’s Skywarriors series. With a remembrance by Savage Tales editor Larry Hama.
Savage Tales of the 1980s reprints all 8 issues of the magazine’s run, the first time they have seen print since 1986 ― nearly 40 years ago! They are reproduced in facsimile format, including color covers.
Black-and-white with 8 full-color covers
544 pages, Hardcover
Published February 17, 2026
2 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Archie Goodwin
976 books71 followersArchie Goodwin was an American comic book writer, editor, and artist. He worked on a number of comic strips in addition to comic books, and is best known for his Warren and Marvel Comics work. For Warren he was chief writer and editor of landmark horror anthology titles Creepy and Eerie, and for Marvel he set up the creator-owned Epic Comics as well as adapting Star Wars into both comics and newspaper strips. He is regularly cited as the "best-loved comic book editor, ever."
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 4, 2026
I was aware of the Savage Tales that morphed into Savage Sword of Conan, but until this volume came out, I didn't know Marvel had had another go in the 80's.
8 issues and then cancellation. No wonder it's mostly forgotten.
It's a mixed bag. There's some really lovely stuff in here. But there's also forgettable work. Some stories that pack a punch, and others that really don't stick the landing.
My biggest takeaway from reading these 8 issues is the absolute travesty that was the death (at just 30!!) of Will Jungkuntz. His serial, Blood & Gutz, appears in the first four issues and was meant to conclude in #5 but a heart attack took him instead. The story is entertaining enough but it's the art that was really great. Great character designs, great linework. I think he could have been massive. As it stands, he doesn't even have a Wikipedia page. In the letters pages of #5 it's claimed that the concluding part to his story would be completed by friends. If that happened, it never saw print in the remaining 3 issues, or anywhere else for that matter. A real shame.
Doug Murray and Michael Golden's 5th to the 1st crops up twice and are both little vignettes about the Vietnam war. Golden's art is phenomenal and they really made me want to read The Nam which they soon went on to do. The omnibus of that only came out last year but is already selling for exorbitant prices! Oh well.
John Severin is a name I wasn't previously familiar with but now I'm a fan. His artwork appears in all 8 issues and is always great, although the writing isn't always worthy of his talent.
I could go on. There is a lot to unpack here. But as I said, it's a mixed bag.
For the package I'd give this 5 stars. It's a beautiful volume, with great paper quality and excellent reproduction of the artwork.
But for the content itself I can only give it 4 stars. There's several stories that just weren't very good.
I would recommend seeking it out though, there's material here that really deserves to be seen after being hidden away for 40 years.
8 issues and then cancellation. No wonder it's mostly forgotten.
It's a mixed bag. There's some really lovely stuff in here. But there's also forgettable work. Some stories that pack a punch, and others that really don't stick the landing.
My biggest takeaway from reading these 8 issues is the absolute travesty that was the death (at just 30!!) of Will Jungkuntz. His serial, Blood & Gutz, appears in the first four issues and was meant to conclude in #5 but a heart attack took him instead. The story is entertaining enough but it's the art that was really great. Great character designs, great linework. I think he could have been massive. As it stands, he doesn't even have a Wikipedia page. In the letters pages of #5 it's claimed that the concluding part to his story would be completed by friends. If that happened, it never saw print in the remaining 3 issues, or anywhere else for that matter. A real shame.
Doug Murray and Michael Golden's 5th to the 1st crops up twice and are both little vignettes about the Vietnam war. Golden's art is phenomenal and they really made me want to read The Nam which they soon went on to do. The omnibus of that only came out last year but is already selling for exorbitant prices! Oh well.
John Severin is a name I wasn't previously familiar with but now I'm a fan. His artwork appears in all 8 issues and is always great, although the writing isn't always worthy of his talent.
I could go on. There is a lot to unpack here. But as I said, it's a mixed bag.
For the package I'd give this 5 stars. It's a beautiful volume, with great paper quality and excellent reproduction of the artwork.
But for the content itself I can only give it 4 stars. There's several stories that just weren't very good.
I would recommend seeking it out though, there's material here that really deserves to be seen after being hidden away for 40 years.
February 27, 2026
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 4.5 of 5
I first reviewed this book back in September of 2025. You can read that abbreviated review here: https://lookingforagoodbook.com/2025/... I enjoyed what I'd read, but admitted that I'd only read a portion of the actual book because that was all that was available. Within days of that review going live I received an email from the publisher offering me a complete digital copy, which I accepted.It took awhile for the book to get back into my reading queue, and at 500+ pages it was not a light read, but I am so very glad to have had a chance to read the complete book because it's really remarkable.
This book collects the first eight issues of Savage Tales magazine - an anthology format, larger sized, black & white comic. I was initially surprised that I didn't recognize any of the stories, but the first issue was published in late 1985 which was a time I didn't read any comics. For me, this makes this book even more appealing as it gives me the opportunity to read something I'd missed.
As mentioned, this is an anthology format comic. Each issue includes a collection of short stories (as few as five, as many as eight) by a variety of authors and illustrators. Some of the creative names are quite familiar to me (Archie Goodwin, Val Mayerik, Armando Gil, Herb Trimpe, Gray Morrow, etc) while others I didn't recognize or remember from my comic-reading days.
As with any anthology, some of these stories were outstanding and an absolute joy to read, while others left something to be desired. Each of the individual issues had at least one story that I quite liked.
The title of the magazine, Savage Tales, should be a strong indicator as to what the stories will be like. They are indeed 'savage' - ie: violent. This would be another reason I wouldn't have read this in the 80's as I was more interested in superhero or sci-fi stories. There are an awful lot of war-related stories (WWII and Vietnam specifically), which makes sense as it is easier to tell about savagery from a savage time. There are also a handful westerns and motorcycle/gang stories.
I do love the B&W art in comics, and just as with the stories, the art ranges from strong and vibrant to something looking rushed. I've been a big Herb Trimpe fan (which I know is almost sacrilege given his long run on The Incredible Hulk comic book), but I actually liked his work here, which he both wrote and illustrated.
This collection appears to reprint the entire magazine, including letter column and advertisements (to subscribe to the magazine), which is also really appreciated. Reading the old letters is fun, even if it does make one roll their eyes a bit. I can't help but wonder what it might be like to read a letter I might have written 40-odd years ago.
I find it exciting to see a comic like this finally reprinted. The art and stories are timeless and even some of the art that I didn't find too exciting still seems stronger than a lot of the 'slick' computer-drawn work in some of the magazines today. This works more than just as nostalgia for us, the older generation of comic readers. Younger readers will enjoy this as well.
Looking for a good book? Lost Marvels #3: Savage Tales of the 1980's is a graphic novel collecting the first eight issues of a B&W, Marvel comic that has been overlooked or forgotten for too long.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, first through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.
I first reviewed this book back in September of 2025. You can read that abbreviated review here: https://lookingforagoodbook.com/2025/... I enjoyed what I'd read, but admitted that I'd only read a portion of the actual book because that was all that was available. Within days of that review going live I received an email from the publisher offering me a complete digital copy, which I accepted.It took awhile for the book to get back into my reading queue, and at 500+ pages it was not a light read, but I am so very glad to have had a chance to read the complete book because it's really remarkable.
This book collects the first eight issues of Savage Tales magazine - an anthology format, larger sized, black & white comic. I was initially surprised that I didn't recognize any of the stories, but the first issue was published in late 1985 which was a time I didn't read any comics. For me, this makes this book even more appealing as it gives me the opportunity to read something I'd missed.
As mentioned, this is an anthology format comic. Each issue includes a collection of short stories (as few as five, as many as eight) by a variety of authors and illustrators. Some of the creative names are quite familiar to me (Archie Goodwin, Val Mayerik, Armando Gil, Herb Trimpe, Gray Morrow, etc) while others I didn't recognize or remember from my comic-reading days.
As with any anthology, some of these stories were outstanding and an absolute joy to read, while others left something to be desired. Each of the individual issues had at least one story that I quite liked.
The title of the magazine, Savage Tales, should be a strong indicator as to what the stories will be like. They are indeed 'savage' - ie: violent. This would be another reason I wouldn't have read this in the 80's as I was more interested in superhero or sci-fi stories. There are an awful lot of war-related stories (WWII and Vietnam specifically), which makes sense as it is easier to tell about savagery from a savage time. There are also a handful westerns and motorcycle/gang stories.
I do love the B&W art in comics, and just as with the stories, the art ranges from strong and vibrant to something looking rushed. I've been a big Herb Trimpe fan (which I know is almost sacrilege given his long run on The Incredible Hulk comic book), but I actually liked his work here, which he both wrote and illustrated.
This collection appears to reprint the entire magazine, including letter column and advertisements (to subscribe to the magazine), which is also really appreciated. Reading the old letters is fun, even if it does make one roll their eyes a bit. I can't help but wonder what it might be like to read a letter I might have written 40-odd years ago.
I find it exciting to see a comic like this finally reprinted. The art and stories are timeless and even some of the art that I didn't find too exciting still seems stronger than a lot of the 'slick' computer-drawn work in some of the magazines today. This works more than just as nostalgia for us, the older generation of comic readers. Younger readers will enjoy this as well.
Looking for a good book? Lost Marvels #3: Savage Tales of the 1980's is a graphic novel collecting the first eight issues of a B&W, Marvel comic that has been overlooked or forgotten for too long.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, first through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.
March 20, 2026
This is exactly the kind of thing Lost Marvels should be doing. Taking an anthology series from the 80s I've never even heard of and bringing it back to light. Savage Tales made it 8 issues. Big 50+ page issues with multiple stories of war and mayhem, all in black and white. Packed with industry legends like John Severin, Archie Goodwin, Chuck Dixon, Denny O'Neil, John Buscema and Michael Golden to name a few. These are cool. Some are historical, some are set in the future. There's something for everyone. Plus it introduced me to Will Jungkuntz, the creator with the unfortunate last name who died of a heart attack at 30 after the 4th issue. I enjoyed his Blood and Gutz stories. I also wasn't aware that this is where Marvel's Vietnam War series "The Nam" came from. James O'Barr of The Crow fame has his first published work in here as well. I'm really hoping Fantagraphics can find more lost treasures at Marvel like this.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews