MARVEL: JUNE 1962 OMNIBUS

by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby (Illustrator), Marvel Various (Illustrator)

Where were you in June of 1962? We know where Spider-Man was: Making his historic debut in Amazing Fantasy #15. But that wasn't the only thing going on in that all-important month in Marvel history: Thor first held aloft the hammer Mjolnir. Hank Pym donned his cybernetic helmet, becoming Ant-Man. The FF squared off against Namor and Doctor Doom. Kid Colt mixed it up with the Circus of Crime. Millie the Model got mixed up in more Hanover hijinks. Patsy and Hedy worked on their frenemy-ship. Star-crossed lovers dealt with the ups and downs of romance, all while tales of horror and fantasy stories crept from the pages of titles like Strange Tales. Marvel: June 1962 Omnibus collects every comic from this month of Marvel milestones! Collecting JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY (1952) #83; AMAZING FANTASY (1962) #15; TALES TO ASTONISH (1959) #35; KATHY #18; LIFE WITH MILLIE #18; PATSY WALKER #102; KID COLT, OUTLAW #106; FANTASTIC FOUR (1961) #6; LINDA CARTER, STUDENT NURSE #7; MILLIE THE MODEL #110; STRANGE TALES (1951) #100; TALES OF SUSPENSE (1959) #33; LOVE ROMANCES #101; INCREDIBLE HULK (1962) #3; GUNSMOKE WESTERN #72; PATSY AND HEDY #84 and RAWHIDE KID (1955) #30.

Genres: Superheroes, Fiction, Comics

520 pages, Hardcover

Published May 31, 2022

About the author

Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber) was an American writer, editor, creator of comic book superheroes, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics.

With several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor as a superhero, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, The Inhumans, and many other characters, introducing complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into superhero comic books. He subsequently led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation.

Reviews

[Bill Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second of Marvel's omnibus volumes featuring all the comics published in a specific period, this time in 1962 during the months that introduced Thor, Ant-Man, and that teenager in a spider costume. Like the 1961 edition, this collection showcases Marvel when it was still figuring out its new approach to superhero comics. Although the creators' intense interest in their new creations is evident here, the other material is more revealing. In this one, I was especially struck by how unpleasant some of the characters in the teen and romance comics are, especially in the issues of PATSY WALKER and PATSY AND HEDY reprinted here. While Stan was figuring out how to make his superheroes more like real people, the women in these comics are depressing stereotypes, obsessed with material things, clothes, and catty rivalries. The boys aren't much better. Still, it's a reminder of how diverse comic book subject matter was in the 60s and of how much things changed in the ensuing years.

[Rex Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

June of 1962 was a huge month for the future Marvel. We see the first appearances of Spider-Man & Thor, plus the first time Hank Pym donned his Ant-Man costume. Added to this we see the transformation of the Hulk. Before he would emerge at night only to recess at day, but now due to being further irradiated by "gamma rays" Banner becomes what we now know as standard, the hulk emerging when Banner is angry. Plus the first super-villain team-up between Dr. Doom and the Submariner in Fantastic Four number 6.

What I found most interesting wasn't the superhero books, but that there were so few of them. There are 17 issues in this volume. 5 are superhero. 2 are horror anthologies (tales of Suspense & Strange tales). 3 are westerns (Kid Colt Outlaw, The Rawhide Kid, & Gunsmoke Western), with an astonishing 7 of them devoted to young girls and romance comics - Kathy, Millie the Model, Life with Millie, Patsy Walker (who eventually became Hellcat in the 616 universe), Linda Carter Student Nurse, Love Romances, & Patsy and Hedy.

Very few issues of these girl's comics have been collected. I've been to tons of conventions, rooted through scores of long boxes and literally never seen one. So I found it interesting. It was a mainstay of the industry that would be gone in ten years time.

[Marc Steiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains multiple issues published by Marvel that went to press in June 1962. What is amazing is the amount of genres they were addressing with two writers and eight artists (including pencillers and inkers). Jack Kirby was deftly handling super heroes, science fiction and fantasy, suspense, western, and love stories in the same time period. Stan Lee and Larry Lieber were plotting and scripting all 17 issues.

What is fascinating as pointed out in the introduction is that you can see that this is the true changeover to super heroes at Marvel with the introduction of Thor, Spider-Man, and garbing Hank Pym in an Ant Man costume all while Fantastic Four and Hulk were chugging along.

Not all the stories were great nor the art. Some of the stories and art can make you wince.

However, it is a great time capsule showing Marvel shifting into high gear. By 1963 you get an explosion of super heroes taking over existing titles or in new titles.

[Matthew Ledrew]

Covered:
AMAZING FANTASY (1962) #15: 5 stars.
FANTASTIC FOUR (1961) #6: 5 stars.

Yet to Be Covered:
JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY (1952) #83;
TALES TO ASTONISH (1959) #35;
KATHY #18;
LIFE WITH MILLIE #18;
PATSY WALKER #102;
KID COLT, OUTLAW #106;
LINDA CARTER, STUDENT NURSE #7;
MILLIE THE MODEL #110;
STRANGE TALES (1951) #100;
TALES OF SUSPENSE (1959) #33;
LOVE ROMANCES #101;
INCREDIBLE HULK (1962) #3;
GUNSMOKE WESTERN #72;
PATSY AND HEDY #84 and
RAWHIDE KID (1955) #30.