Books in Epic Collection: Thor series

In 1962, in the pages of a comic book slated for cancellation, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko gave birth to one of the most enduring icons in American popular culture - the one and only Amazing Spider-Man! Turning the concept of a super hero on its head, they imbued the young, guilt-ridden Peter Parker with the fantastic powers of an arachnid and the fantastic pressures of an everyday teenager. The combination was pure magic. With this Epic Collecti on you can leap into Spider-Man's web-slinging world from the very beginning. COLLECTING: AMAZING FANTASY (1962) 15, AMAZING SPIDERMAN (1963) 1-17, ANNUAL (1964) 1 (AMAZING SPIDER-MAN EPIC COLLECTION VOL. 1)

Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the creative team that sparked the Marvel revolution, set off on Asgardian adventures featuring the fight-to-end-all-fights between Thor and the Incredible Hulk; the return of the Grey Gargoyle; the debut of the Absorbing Man and the unstoppable Destroyer; Thor and Loki's exile to Skornheim; and the introduction of Hercules and the Greek gods! It all leads to an epic adventure that pits Thor against Hercules and concludes in the depths of Pluto's Underworld.COLLECTING: VOL. 2; JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY (1952) 110-125, ANNUAL (1965) 1, THOR (1966) 126-130, MATERIAL FROM NOT BRAND ECHH (1967) 3

Pull up a seat to the beginning of one of the greatest tales of modern myth - the epic saga of the Mighty Thor! While vacationing in Norway, Dr. Donald Blake discovered a strange, gnarled cane. Upon striking it, a shower of lightning rained down and the hobbled doctor found himself transformed into Thor, God of Thunder! In these pages you'll journey across the Rainbow Bridge to Eternal Asgard, and meet Lord Odin, Heimdall, Balder, and Thor's evil half-brother, Loki, for the first ti me. And to top it off , the mythological origins of Asgard are revealed in fan-favorite backup features! COLLECTING: JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY (1952) 83-109 (THOR EPIC COLLECTION VOL. 1)

With great power comes great responsibility but what happens with unlimited cosmic power? When a science experiment goes wrong, Peter Parker's spider-powers are enhanced to an unbelievable degree! And the timing can't be beat - because with a cabal of deadly villains unleashing unpredictable attacks on Marvel's heroes, Spider-Man will need all his newfound power just to survive! But who or what is the real force behind Spidey's cosmic empowerment? And what is the battle he is destined to fight? Plus: Spider-Man teams up with the Punisher and deals with the return of Venom! COLLECTING: Amazing Spider-Man 326-333 & Annual 24, Spectacular Spider-Man 158-160 & Annual 10, Web of Spider-Man 59-61 & Annual 6

It's the epic saga that reintroduced Elektra to the Marvel Universe! A super-virus is unleashed on New York by the Hand ninja clan, and only Daredevil can stop them - but not without some unexpected help from a long-lost love and a new, armored costume! Can the Man Without Fear come to terms with his past with Elektra in time to halt the Hand's terror plot - even if it means the end of his secret identi ty? And when Baron Strucker assembles a team of cyber-terrorists to plunge the world's computer systems into global anarchy, will even Captain America's aid be enough to defeat them? Guest-starring Nick Fury, Black Widow and more!COLLECTING: Daredevil (1964) 319-332, Annual 10 (Daredevil Epic Collection Vol. 18)

From the darkened depths, rises a threat greater than any Thor has ever before faced. Mangog threatens to unsheathe the Odinsword and bring Ragnarok upon the Norse gods in this collection of Asgardian classics. And that's just the beginning! In Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's Thor there's always another cosmic adventure around the corner. Point in case: Ego the Living Planet vs. Galactus, the return of "Him"-the man who would come to be known as Adam Warlock-and the origin of Galactus! It gets personal, too, with a surprising revelation regarding Donald Blake, the return of Jane Foster, and the dramatic dance between Balder and the Norn queen Karnilla. COLLECTING: THOR (1966) 154-174 (THOR EPIC COLLECTION VOL. 4)

The Masters of Evil take Avengers Mansion! In one of the greatest comic book epics of all time, Baron Zemo strikes at the very heart of the Avengers, as he leads a revamped and larger-than-ever Masters of Evil in an attack on the team's home -- and wins! And as if that wasn't enough, Earth's Mightiest Heroes must survive the climax of Secret Wars II and a battle for the ages between Kang and Immortus! The Sub-Mariner's membership leads to public protests, but that won't stop the Avengers and Alpha Flight from lending a hand during Attuma's assault on Atlantis. Meanwhile an old friend turns enemy: What's gotten into Quicksilver? Two teams of Avengers will assemble to find out! COLLECTING: AVENGERS (1963) #264-277, ALPHA FLIGHT (1983) #39, AVENGERS ANNUAL #15, and WEST COAST AVENGERS ANNUAL #1 (AVENGERS EPIC COLLECTION VOL. 16)Written by Roger Stern, Bill Mantlo, Danny Fingeroth & Steve EnglehartPenciled by John Buscema, Dave Ross, Steve Ditko & Mark Bright

Thor returns to Earth, but the enemies of Asgard aren't going to wait for him back home! Foes fit for a god one and all-from the Wrecking Crew and Galactus' heralds Gabriel and Firelord to the Frost Giants and Drax the Destroyer- come for a piece of the Asgardian Avenger. Speaking of Avengers, Thor team-ups with Iron Man to confront some of the strangest and most gruesome villains in the Marvel Universe. Then, Loki conspires to pit his half-brother against the stone men of Easter Island and the great dragon Fafnir. Topping it off are all-new Tales of Asgard and two Annual adventures featuring Odin vs. Dormammu and Thor joined with the gods of countless pantheons against the God-Eater. COLLECTING: THOR (1966) 303-319; ANNUAL 9-10, (THOR EPIC COLLECTION VOL. 11)

Soaring through the cosmos like a living comet, the Silver Surfer, herald of the world devourer Galactus, debuted in the pages of Fantastic Four and blew the minds of a generation of Marvel fans. This strange, stoic alien entered as harbinger of destruction, but was touched by human compassion, leading him to rebel against Galactus. Now, for the first time ever, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's original Silver Surfer stories are collected in one Epic Collection. COLLECTING: FANTASTIC FOUR (1961) 48-50, 55, 57-60, 72, 74-77; MATERIAL FROM TALES TO ASTONISH (1959) 92-93, FANTASTIC FOUR (1961) 56, 61, ANNUAL 5 (SILVER SURFER EPIC COLLECTION VOL. 1)

A new era in Earth's Mightiest Heroes begins with an all-new Avengers lineup under the guidance of writers Gerry Conway and Jim Shooter. Teamed with a who's who of top 1970s art talent-George Pérez, Jim Starlin and John Byrne-these storytellers pit the Avengers against the greatest threats in the Marvel Universe. From Dr. Doom to Ultron and Attuma to the Sub-Mariner, the Avengers are put to the test in issue after action-packed issue. Ant-Man amok, the return of Wonder Man, and the Avengers' all-time classic battle with Thanos highlight this epic collection! COLLECTING: AVENGERS (1963) 150-166, ANNUAL (1967) 6-7, SUPER-VILLIAN TEAM-UP (1975) 9 & MARVEL TWO-IN-ON E ANNUAL (1976) 2

One triumphant return, one diabolical debut! When Jean Grey is found alive -- with a little help from the Avengers and Fantastic Four -- she reunites with the rest of Xavier's original class to form X-Factor! But as Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Beast, Angel and Iceman face new enemies Tower and Frenzy, little do they realize the villains are part of an Alliance of Evil led by...Apocalypse! They'll fight Iron Man and Spider-Man,encounter uncanny foes such as Bulk and Glow Worm, and take on old sparring partners in Freedom Force -- but there's no question who will rise to the role of X-Factor's arch-nemesis. The story of En Sabah Nur begins here! Collecting: AVENGERS (1963) #263; FANTASTIC FOUR (1961) #286; X-FACTOR (1986) #1-9; X-FACTOR ANNUAL #1; IRON MAN ANNUAL #8, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #282; and Material from CLASSIC X-MEN #8 and 43Written by Roger Stern, John Byrne, Bob Layton, Louise Simonson, Bob Harras, Tom DeFalco, and Chris ClaremontArt by John Buscema, John Byrne, Jackson Guice, Keith Pollard, Marc Silvestri, Terry Shoemaker, Bob Layton, Paul Neary, Rick Leonardi, and more

After a lengthy absence, the Thing returns to the Fantastic Four! But he's returned just before his ex-girlfriend Alicia's wedding to the Human Torch, and Alicia's stepfather the Puppet Master isn't happy about the nuptials! Then, when Mr. Fantastic turns down the X-Men's request to help their dying teammate Shadowcat, Dr. Doom is more than happy to offer assistance! But is he secretly plotting to drive the FF apart? He's certainly up to something when he kidnaps Franklin and offers him to Mephisto! And when Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman take a leave of absence, the old order changeth as the Torch's old flame Crystal and the all-new Ms. Marvel join the team -- just in time to face down Diablo's vicious Elementals.COLLECTING: Fantastic Four (1961) #296-307, Fantastic Four Annual #20; Fantastic Four vs. the X-Men #1-4Marvel launches the Epic Collections -- a new way for fans to collect their favorite series! Each super-sized volume in the Epic line presents a heaping helping of Marvel's greatest heroics in one handy, affordable and self-contained package. What's more, each Epic Collection TPB is also a piece of a grand puzzle: When all is said and done, the Epic volumes will fit seamlessly next to one another on readers' bookshelves, presenting a complete and unbroken run of each title! So be sure to get in on the ground floor! Marvel's most storied titles -- including Amazing Spider-Man, Avengers, Captain America, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and Thor -- are going Epic, and there's no turning back!