100 Greatest Marvels

From Cinescape on Sept 20, 2001

Marvel's Marketing Communications Manager Bill Rosemann recently issued a press release detailing the results of the publisher's recent "100 Greatest Marvels" survey and reiterating the plans to reprint the top 25 picks throughout October and November.

"In honor of our fantastic 40th Anniversary, we asked True Believers of all ages to select the 100 best Marvel Comics ever - and we're reprinting the Top 25 based on your votes!" said Rosemann. "Over 50,000 ballots were sent in to The House, each one hand counted and tabulated with tenacity by our very own boisterous Bullpen! The results were sealed and guarded by the loyal Lockjaw... until now!


What are the top titles that we've ever printed? The voting spanned every era of Marvel majesty - but we're not saying what incredible issues came out as the elite winners just yet, gang! After all, what fun is a countdown if you already know what's waiting in the top spots? The only way to find out is to head in to your local comics shop and pick up the red-hot reprint collections as we work our way down to what you, the mighty Marvel masses, have deemed the #1, hands-down champion - the Greatest Marvel Comic Of All Time!


So while we're not spoiling all the fun by revealing the entire list, we will get the ball rolling by unveiling a portion of your picks! Let's start the countdown off in style by revealing what you chose as the Greatest Marvels Of All Time, starting with book #100 and running all the way down to pick #26! Drumroll, please!


100: Generation X #1
99: Captain America (Vol. 1) #444 (1st Mark Waid/Ron Garney issue!)
98: Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #232 (1st John Byrne issue!)
97: X-Factor #87 (the 'psychiatrist' issue by Peter David & Joe Quesada!)
96: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #101 (1st Morbius!)
95: Iron Man (Vol. 3) #1 (Heroes Return!)
94: Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #18 (1st Super-Skrull!)
93: Uncanny X-Men #145 (Doctor Doom & Murderworld!)
92: Captain Marvel (Vol. 1) #34 (Mar-vell tragically contracts cancer!)
91: Uncanny X-Men #121 (1st Alpha Flight!)
90: Uncanny X-Men #283 (1st Bishop!)
89: Secret Wars #8 (1st Spider-Man black costume!)
88: Uncanny X-Men #248 (1st Jim Lee issue!)
87: X-Factor #24 (1st Archangel!)
86: X-Men #53 (1st Onslaught!)
85: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #238 (1st Hobgoblin!)
84: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #194 (1st Black Cat!)
83: Avengers (Vol. 1) #57 (1st Vision!)
82: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #90 (death of Captain Stacy!)
81: Captain America (Vol. 1) #117 (1st Falcon!)
80: Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) Annual #3 (Marriage of Reed & Sue!)
79: Tales Of Suspense #57 (1st Hawkeye!)
78: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #31 (1st Harry Osborn!)
77: Uncanny X-Men #266 (1st Gambit!)
76: X-Force #1
75: Punisher War Journal #6 (versus Wolverine by Jim Lee!)
74: X-Factor #6 (1st Apocalypse!)
73: Iron Man (Vol. 1) #55 (1st Thanos!)
72: Uncanny X-Men #162
71: Uncanny X-Men #172
70: Uncanny X-Men #14 (1st Sentinels!)
69: Uncanny X-Men #212 (Wolverine vs Sabretooth!)
68: X-Men #30 (Wedding of Scott & Jean!)
67: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #13 (1st Mysterio!)
66: X-Factor #1
65: Uncanny X-Men #129 (1st Kitty Pryde!)
64: Uncanny X-Men #256 (1st "new" Psylocke!)
63: Uncanny X-Men #210 ("Mutant Massacre"!)
62: New Mutants #1
61: Uncanny X-Men #100 (vs the Sentinels!)
60: Uncanny X-Men #303 (Death of Illyana!)
59: Iron Fist #14 (1st Sabretooth!)
58: Fantastic Four #100
57: Amazing Spider-Man #298 (1st Todd McFarlane issue!)
56: Uncanny X-Men #9 (vs the Avengers!)
55: Iron Man (Vol. 1) #225 ("Armor Wars"!)
54: Marvel Spotlight #5 (1st Ghost Rider!)
53: Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #4 (Return of the Sub-Mariner!)
52: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #2 (1st Vulture!)
51: Uncanny X-Men #108 (1st John Byrne art!)
50: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #129 (1st Punisher!)
49: Uncanny X-Men #171 (Rogue joins the X-Men!)
48: Uncanny X-Men #225 ("Fall Of The Mutants"!)
47: Uncanny X-Men #159 (1st vampiric Storm!)
46: Avengers (Vol. 3) #1 (Heroes Return!)
45: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #50 (1st Kingpin!)
44: Uncanny X-Men #12 (1st Juggernaut!)
43: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #6 (1st Lizard!)
42: Uncanny X-Men #58 (1st Havok!)
41: Uncanny X-Men #3 (1st Blob!)
40: Wolverine #145 (Return of the Adamantium!)
39: Incredible Hulk (Vol. 1) #340 (vs. Wolverine!)
38: Uncanny X-Men #2 (1st Vanisher!)
37: Wolverine #4 (of the Claremont/Miller mini-series!)
36: Secret Wars #1
35: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #3 (1st Doctor Octopus!)
34: Silver Surfer #1 (by Stan Lee & John Buscema!)
33: Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #12 (the Thing vs the Hulk!)
32: Uncanny X-Men #95 (Death of Thunderbird!)
31: Journey Into Mystery (Vol. 1) #83 (1st Thor!)
30: Uncanny X-Men #4 (1st Brotherhood!)
29: Tales of Suspense #39 (1st Iron Man!)
28: Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #5 (1st Doctor Doom!)
27: Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #14 (1st Green Goblin!)
26: Daredevil (Vol. 2) #1 (1st issue of the Marvel Knights run!)


Okay, so what received enough votes to make it into the titanic Top 25? In October, we'll publish five mega-sized mags that will collect four stunning stories each, presenting in whole picks #25 through #6... then, in November, we'll unveil the Top 5 as separate special reprint editions! So, which cool comics made the cut? Did your prized issue of Amazing Spider-Man make the list? Will your favorite issue of Fantastic Four be immortalized for all eternity? Or will those x-citing X-Men claim the bragging rights?


Keep your eyes peeled for these magnificent mags:


100 Greatest Marvels Collected Edition #1 (reprinting picks #25-22) - on sale October 3rd
100 Greatest Marvels Collected Edition #2 (reprinting picks #21-18) - on sale October 10th
100 Greatest Marvels Collected Edition #3 (reprinting picks #17-14) - on sale October 17th
100 Greatest Marvels Collected Edition #4 (reprinting picks #13-10) - on sale October 24th
100 Greatest Marvels Collected Edition #5 (reprinting picks #9-6) - on sale October 31st


100 Greatest Marvels #5: ? - on sale November 7th
100 Greatest Marvels #4: ? - on sale November 7th
100 Greatest Marvels #3: ? - on sale November 14th
100 Greatest Marvels #2: ? - on sale November 21st
100 Greatest Marvels #1: ? - on sale November 28th