Here are the ones I collect:
SGT. FURY & HIS HOWLING COMMANDOS
May 1963- Dec 1981
167 issues + 7 Annuals/ King-Size Specials
STILL love Sgt. Fury. "C'mon you goldbricks! You wanna live forever?!". So cliche! Slaughtering Nazis! Kids love it!
CONAN THE BARBARIAN
Oct 1970- Dec 1993
275 issues + 12 Annuals
A further title that resonated with me in elementary school was CONAN THE
BARBARIAN. The early 1980's were a big period for the fantasy genre, and
I was an avid DUNGEONS & DRAGONS player. CONAN stormed my
imagination.
As time has passed my interest in CONAN continues. I like his approach to problem solving. Sometimes I feel it's what's missing in this world!
As time has passed my interest in CONAN continues. I like his approach to problem solving. Sometimes I feel it's what's missing in this world!
Marvel Premiere featuring Iron Fist
#15-25 (May 1974 – October 1975) have 'em all!
Iron Fist
#1-15 (November 1975 – September 1977) missing 3
Another comic I started
collecting early on was IRON FIST. Even in elementary school I was
fascinated by martial arts, which I would go on to study throughout my
life. The fact that the main character was named Daniel (my name!) meant
I had found a masked, suited champion that fought for me.
LUKE CAGE, HERO FOR HIRE/ POWER MAN/ & IRON FIST
June 1972- Sep 1986
125 Issues
Through IRON
FIST I began collecting POWER MAN, his soon-to-be partner. At a certain
point Black super heroes became my thing. 70's Marvel comics were so of
the times, so FUNKY. In retrospect it seems amazing to me that these
were the first Black super heroes to appear in print in their own
titles! What took society so long?!
THE HANDS OF SHANG-CHI: MASTER OF KUNG FU
Begins issue #15 Dec 1973- #125 June 1983
+ four giant-size issues & an annual
Continuing is the martial arts genre I began collecting MASTER OF KUNG FU at the young age of 5! Another character very much of the time! Part of the KUNG FU/ Bruce Lee craze of the 1970's.
JUNGLE ACTION Featuring BLACK PANTHER
#5 July 1973- #24 Nov 1976
BLACK PANTHER #1 Jan 1977- 15 May 1979
My interest in the BLACK PANTHER (and his original solo book JUNGLE
ACTION) would come later in my life. But, to repeat what I said above, for
someone that was raised in multi-racial Brooklyn it seemed amazing to me
that Black super-heroes only began to star in their own titles in the
early 1970's. Many of these characters were born into their first books around the same time I came into this world (1973). I feel a kinship with them!
Still, if you're gonna have the first Black super-hero with his own comic BLACK PANTHER is one hell of a name to start with! Better late than never!
And last but not least, a title I have all the issues of because there
aren't many, BLACK GOLIATH. There were 5 issues published in 1976, but I
guess the character wasn't popular enough to sustain his own title. He also did appearances in Power Man #24, Marvel Two In One #55 and Champion #11.
There you have it, the 70's Bronze Age Marvel titles I collect. Sgt Fury, Conan, Black super heroes, martial artists.
In recent years I've started to pick up other offbeat 70's Marvel Comics, especially those with a horror or macabre tone. The post-1960's loosening of the Comics Code made for an interesting generation of books, experimenting with new found creative freedom. I'm sure parents were excited their kids' hero was a flaming skull riding a chopper motorcycle, a living vampire, the son of Satan (!) or a big green creature from the swamp!
In recent years I've started to pick up other offbeat 70's Marvel Comics, especially those with a horror or macabre tone. The post-1960's loosening of the Comics Code made for an interesting generation of books, experimenting with new found creative freedom. I'm sure parents were excited their kids' hero was a flaming skull riding a chopper motorcycle, a living vampire, the son of Satan (!) or a big green creature from the swamp!
A good reason to collect 70's Bronze Age Marvel titles is that reading copies of a lot of these books can still be found without having to break the bank. I usually aim to spend $3 for a basic issue of any of these comics. If you want to complete your collection you'll have to splurge on the rarer issues, but think about it...Once your set is complete you'll be the coolest kid on your block!
