Marvel Masterworks: Marvel Team-Up, Vol. 3

Marvel Masterworks: Marvel Team-Up #3

by Len Wein

Collects Marvel Team-Up (1972) #23-30 and Giant-Size Spider-Man #1-3.

With his popularity skyrocketing, Spider-Man became comicdom's top seller — and fans wanted more, more, more! MARVEL TEAM-UP provided a second monthly dose of Spidey action with the added bonus of a new heroic guest star every issue. When even that wasn't enough, Marvel launched GIANT-SIZE SPIDER-MAN, featuring double-sized extravaganzas! And lucky you, they're both being collected here! The action includes adventures with Daredevil, Shang-Chi and the Falcon; horrific tales featuring Dracula and Brother Voodoo; and Spidey vs. the Hulk! And while Spider-Man takes the stage in GIANT-SIZE, the Human Torch teams up with Thor, Iron Man and the X-Men! It's all brought to you by some of the greatest writers and artists Spidey has ever known!

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Collections, Spider Man

266 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 9, 2018

About the author

Len Wein was an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men (including the co-creation of Nightcrawler, Storm, and Colossus). Additionally, he was the editor for writer Alan Moore and illustrator Dave Gibbons' influential DC miniseries Watchmen.

Wein was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2008.

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, a bunch of silly errors and plot holes stop this volume being as fun as it should have been. It does, however, contain some classic moments, such as Spidey meeting Dracula (sort of) and Doc Savage (this is the Doc’s only appearance in the Marvel Universe, as far as I’m aware) and Hercules slapping on some chains and towing the whole of Manhattan Island! Great cheesy stuff.

My next book: The Land of Heart’s Desire

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collecting MTU #23-#30 & Giant-Size Spider-man #1-3 this was a hefty volume team-ups!
My favorites actually involved The Human Torch teaming with Thor in #26 and Iron-man in #29 but I am also a homer for those two Avengers so there is that.
Weakest story easily is Spidey’s team-up with Falcon in #30. Way too cookie cutter and forgettable.

[Blindzider · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume was a good example why the Team-Up formula is nice in theory but the execution can be difficult. The best issues were the Giant-Size ones with extra pages, allowing the story to develop with more details. In the regular issues, there just isn't that much room to introduce two heroes and a villain, get the heroes to either fight or join up, then defeat the villain. The worst offender in this volume was the one with Hercules, where the ending was both abrupt and unrealistic, even for a super-hero comic. Occasionally an issue is quite creative and despite the length, actually feels well thought out like the Doc Savage issue. As an aside, all of the Team-Up issues were drawn by Jim Mooney, while perfectly acceptable, his artwork just feels mundane while the Giant-Size issues generally had Al Milgrom, whose work seems to have a little more excitement to it.

[Tim Deforest · Rating 4 out of 5]

The highlights of this volume are reprints of the first three issues of Giant Size Spider-Man, all with great stories and excellent art. The best of those is Giant Size Spidey #2, guest starring Shang Chi. In addition to a good story, it features some of the best drawn and expertly choreographed fight scenes from that era.

[Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Conway is more my speed by bringing in more of Peter’s intelligence and giving a better structure to the stories but still ultimately uneven

[Kris Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stuff, although the team up with Doc Savage on Giant-Size Spider-Man #2 was weak.