Marvel Team Up was always a really good idea. Everyone always loves to see Marvel heroes team up and this way they wouldn’t have to constantly appear in each other’s series. The point of a guest star is the fact that they are a Guest. This time, the heroes can keep on teaming up and it’s okay that it happens every issue. There are so many great team ups that could happen so the series always has potential. Time to look into the collection and see how much fun it was!

For this collection, I’m just going to go comic by comic and give the summary, goods, bads, etc. Usually, I just do a broader version of that at the very end, but since each team up is a stand alone, (Except for multiparters) I’ll just break them all into groups. Not sure if I just explained that correctly, but read on and you’ll get the jist of it.

The first comic that we’ll talk about is the big annual. Spiderman must team up with The Incredible Hulk to save the world from World War Three! Peter Parker is attacked by the Soviet Heroes when he’s outside with a friend. They somehow manage to defeat him and hopefully this will teach Spiderman to fight at his full power next time. I don’t believe that these guys could really beat Spiderman. Even if he was in his Parker form, his spider sense should make mince meat out of those guys. Crimson Dynamo and Darkstar can be challenging opponents for mere mortals, but not somebody of Spiderman’s league. The Hulk is dragged into this as well, which may prove to be a mistake on the Soviet’s part.

Well, this was a fun team up. Crimson Dynamo isn’t a very likable character and he did aim to destroy the heroes. This is why he can’t be known as a hero. Darkstar and Vanguard are all right at best, but they were suckered way too easily. Hulk doesn’t look good during his first fight and that can be a little disappointing since Vanguard should have quickly been defeated by such a powerful opponent. Spiderman’s still a superb character in this comic, but the amount of plot hax against him can be a little hard to believe at times. I mean really? This isn’t the last time either!

The other big annual comic in this collection deals with Luke Cage and Iron Fist as they are hired to guard something of immense importance. Things are going well…until The Hulk arrives and steals it. A lady had told him to get it for her from the crooks and the Hulk is a hero so he decides to help. Luke Cage and Iron Fist find out that the Hulk is being manipulated and head out with the Machine Man to go stop him, recover the object, and also bring the trickster to jail. A lot of jobs to do, but these are The Heroes For Hire!

The Hulk was a decent character once again, except for the fact that he was tricked. It is a little sad to see him being deceived all of the time. He’s The Hulk after all! Luke Cage and Iron Fist were pretty fun and this is definitely during their better years. I do prefer Iron Fist because he seems like the better fighter and he takes things a lot more seriously than Luke. Seeing Iron Fist go up against the Hulk was definitely fun. The Machine Man was a nice addition to the cast and his plot was very interesting. I’d love to check out his comics someday. It had a bit of a Clark Kent feel to it and the supporting characters seemed to be pretty fun. Definitely another solid comic in the collection! (It should also be noted that Spiderman makes a brief cameo and nearly steals the show, but he realizes that the danger is over and leaves. Things would have been very different if he had come to help!)

One of the other team ups involve Ms Marvel, Spiderman, and Dr Strange as they must work together to stop the Silver Dagger. It’s a good thing that Spiderman was in the neighborhood and Ms Marvel gets involved when she runs into Wong. The heroes unite and prepare to take on their strongest foe yet!

Well, the Silver Dagger is definitely a fun villain and his abilities are definitely fearsome. he was easily able to match Ms Marvel’s strength and he had enough agility to fight against Spiderman as well. He is still a magical user as well, so he is a match for a weakened Dr Strange. The team up was pretty fun because it was mostly a lot of nonstop action and Spiderman looked pretty good. We didn’t have your usual plot hax in this comic and that’s a good thing. If I wanted to be picky about it, I’m sure that I could find some, but there are no big ones. It all flows naturally as you’re reading the fight scenes.

The next team up was with Wonderman! The Griffon has returned and he wants revenge on the Avengers! He heads to the mansion, but Wonderman is the only one there and he quickly challenges the beast. He’s easily overwhelmed and Spiderman says that he’ll go after the Griffon while Wonderman waits for backup. Wonderman makes the tough call and goes after Spiderman!

The Griffon is definitely a tough fighter and this issue proved it. Wonderman’s best blows don’t really seem to faze him and Spiderman can’t really slow him down either. He continues to get stronger and stronger as they fight. He would be a nice match for the Avengers, but since Spiderman is already here to help, Wonderman doesn’t really need to feel too afraid. This was another fun comic to read!

In the next team up, Doctor Strange returns and he is losing his soul! Doctor Strange is now a werewolf and Spiderman is forced to step in when he attacks his apprentice. Spiderman overpowers him pretty easily, but Dr Strange makes his escape. Satana appears and announced that she has the power to save him if he hasn’t destroyed anyone yet. If he has destroyed someone, then she will destroy him! The story has a tragic ending and one of the heroes will die! (Until he/she is revived in a future comic!)

Well, Doctor Strange doesn’t look so good since his magical blocks should be able to stop something like this from happening. Unfortunately, that was not the case and he lets the animal inside of him do whatever it wants. Spiderman quickly puts a stop to that and proceeds to beat him up when he needs too. This definitely shows why Spiderman shouldn’t be underestimated and it was one of his better comics. Satana was a pretty cool character as well and she definitely has some powerful abilities. It’s too bad that she doesn’t appear that much in the comics.

Next up was a long comic arc involving the Black Widow. Spiderman saves her from some crooks and realizes that she has lost their memory. For some reason, S.H.I.E.L.D. wants to destroy her so now Spiderman must find out what is happening. Shang Chi, Boomerang, and Silver Samurai are also involved, so the battle will be a very tough one. Has SHIELD (Yeah, I’m going to stop with the periods) been compromised?

Well, it certainly seems that way since Nick Fury actually attempts to destroy Black Widow! Unfortunately, there is a scene with major plot hax towards the beginning. After Nick Fury “destroys” Black Widow, Spiderman vows vengeance and quickly lunges at Nick Fury….only to be shot and knocked out. Spiderman was in complete rage mode so he should have easily defeated Fury. That was definitely the worst part of the comic and the biggest moment of plot hax that I’ve seen in Marvel in a long time. I just don’t know what to say…it was disappointing. Spiderman looked good for the rest of the comic as he dealt with Silver Samurai. He did have one moment where he didn’t look good and had a little romance with Black Widow that was very forced and unnecessary, but he seemed to have gotten over it by the end. Black Widow was all right, but she was at her best when she regained her memories. Her civilian persona just wasn’t that good and her fighting skills weren’t quite as lethal.

Shang Chi was actually a pretty good fighter and he reminded me of Iron Fist. He took on Boomerang and it was a pretty close battle. I’m not sure about Shang Chi having the upper hand in that fight, but he is an experienced warrior so we can’t count him out. Boomerang was cool and the Silver Samurai was also impressive. His teleporting skills mixed with his sword skills make him a very lethal opponent. Black Widow’s big fight against Viper was also good and Viper is definitely very good at hand to hand combat. She’d have to be to keep up with the Black Widow! It was a decently solid collection of comics and it had a lot of action! They just should have edited out that Spiderman scene and also made the comic more accurate.

We also had a comic where Spiderman teamed up with the Guardians of the Galaxy! Remember, this isn’t the (cool) current group of members. This is back where they had a character who looked like Wolfsbane, a Crystal man, Starhawk, and some other guys. The group couldn’t be taken seriously back in the day because Starhawk was the only member who could actually fight. Needless to say, they don’t look so good in this comic. Their mission is to destroy some evidence that is on file in a building, but they don’t move quickly enough and a kid snaps a photo of them. Now they must crush the photo and make him forget that they were ever there.

That’s a pretty rookie mistake to make right? Well, luckily Spiderman’s in town and he saves the kid. The kid isn’t too grateful and Spiderman does end up destroying the kid’s camera and saving the Guardians. It’s too bad since I think he could have done it in a nicer way, but it happens. I’m still satisfied with Spiderman’s portrayal because he knocked out Starhawk in a single hit. That’s definitely how you do it if you want an accurate comic. The Guardians are all right, but I just don’t really like the members. Starhawk is the most amusing and it’s because he’s always talking in a way that upsets the others. (On purpose) It was a fun comic, but there weren’t really any stakes and felt like a filler comic.

Spiderman also teamed up with the Beast and they had to work together if they had any hope of defeating the Modular Man and Killer Shrike. Well, Spiderman could probably beat both of them, but he doesn’t want to be a showoff…right? The Beast and Spiderman make a bet since Spiderman has to leave at one point and Beast bets that Spiderman won’t be able to find him. Spidey does with ease of course (and a Spider tracer) and they fight the villains. It wasn’t a very eventful comic and the enemies were pretty weak, but it was all right. The important part is the fact that Spiderman looked pretty good and Killer Shrike was just no match for someone of his talents!

Spiderman also got to team up with the Invisible Woman, but it wasn’t one of the better ones. Some crooks managed to kidnap Franklin Richards so now they are forcing Invisible Woman to rob banks if she wants to see him. With her abilities, it should be a simple matter for Invisible Woman to save the day. Unfortunately, it appears that she doesn’t have much appearance with this sort of trouble. Luckily, Spiderman is on hand to help save the day!

The comic must take place during some of her earlier days because her abilities are not really at their peak yet. She has to exert great effort to keep her barrier up and there are a few times where she nearly fails. If Spiderman had not called the cops, things could have gotten ugly. Unfortunately, Spiderman’s portrayal isn’t that good. Not only does he have to call the cops for help, but he also trembles with fear after driving a car for a while. We get that he doesn’t have a license, but driving is a piece of cake with his spider sense! Invisible Woman also could have looked better and just defeated the crooks without all of that effort. This definitely wasn’t one of the better comics in the collection.

The Ghost Rider team up (With Spiderman again!) was not the best comic as well. The big reason involves the fact that Ghost Rider is quickly mind controlled. I don’t believe that a being such as he could be controlled so easily and he just doesn’t look impressive. It’s nice to see Spiderman take him on with such ease, but that just shouldn’t have been what happened. Moondark is the mastermind behind this and he runs a circus that is actually evil! Peter Parker heads there with a friend, but he’s thrown out by some “tough” guys. As Spiderman, Parker decides to go back and save the day!

This is one of those comics that does have a decent amount of plot hax at the ready. Peter Parker says that he reacted with his full strength when the men grabbed him, but they didn’t even feel it as they threw him away. I can accept that they had enhanced strength, but that is just a little too high tier. Spiderman is definitely not a pushover. Beyond that, his portrayal was good, but he looked way too weak. Ghost Rider also looked bad since his mental abilities are definitely beyond that.

The Hawkeye team up was a little worse than you may have guessed. Spiderman is having a jolly time until he notices that Hawkeye seems completely terrified and faints at the sight of Spiderman. Hawkeye explains that there is a villain known as Mr Fear and he can make you deathly afraid. They split up and decide to look for Mr Fear, but Spiderman bumps into him first. This could get ugly!

Well, I’m also calling some serious plot hax on this one. Mr Fear makes you feel true fear through gas and needles like the Scarecrow. It’s the type of power that I could never take seriously and I don’t think that it would work on Spiderman. Spiderman is far too powerful and resilient for that. Hawkeye should also be able to resist its effects. Since that is the point of the whole comic, I just couldn’t take it seriously and everyone looked pretty bad. That’s definitely how you don’t make a team up!

Nightcrawler is having fun with his friend when he notices Arcade’s plane. He quickly finds out that an assassin is planning on terminating Spiderman while at the circus so he decides to impersonate the Web Crawler. It’s easy enough to pull off since he doesn’t even need to switch costumes. With the circus lights and everyone’s failing eyesight, they quickly think that he’s Spiderman. The Assassin pulls the trigger, but the real Spiderman saves Nightcrawler. Can they find and stop Cutthroat before he hurts someone!?

Well, it was nice to see Spiderman take the whole thing in stride. He was just having fun at the circus, but when he noticed Nightcrawler and the gunshot, he quickly sped into action. This is definitely the Spiderman that you want to see! They had a little too much trouble trying to take out Cutthroat, but we all knew that Spiderman had the situation under control. Nightcrawler is still not my favorite character, but he can be cool when he wants to be. This was one of the better comics despite the weak villain.

The Black Panther has an embassy in America and he is a powerful political figure. This is why everyone is alarmed when he kidnaps someone and the government quickly gets involved. Spiderman also attacks the Black Panther and the Panther is forced to admit that Spiderman is stronger and faster than him. They realize that someone was actually impersonating Black Panther and that’s when Hellrazor walks in.

Spiderman looks very good in this comic and not only does he easily overpower Black Panther and Hellrazor, but he also shows why he’s just a good character. When the politician is kidnapped, Spiderman quickly goes over to stop Panther and show that he’s a true hero. Black Panther is still a good hero and I like him when he’s written correctly. Hellrazor is a pretty good villain and he’s also really good at hand to hand combat. He was dealing with two powerful heroes after all. This was one of the better comics in the collection and the fight scenes were very good!

Spiderman also got to team up with The Werewolf. It doesn’t count as a big team up since they’re both part of the Spiderman EU, but it’s still cool I suppose. Tatterdemalion strikes during a big party and thanks to the smoke/darkness, Peter Parker quickly changes into Spiderman and The Werewolf transforms. Will they be able to stop such a tough fellow?

Tatterdemalion is apparently tougher than he looks because it’s hard for either of the heroes to get a grip on him. That being said, I don’t think that Spiderman should really have any trouble with him. The Werewolf has always come across as a pretty weak character and this comic definitely didn’t help to change things for me. He looked pretty bad right up until the very end. This comic actually leads into the next one, which is always cool to see.

Spiderman noticed that a woman had been following him and he chases her to her secret base. Her name is Dansen Macabre and she quickly hypnotizes Spiderman with her dancing and sends him off to kidnap the Shroud. Spiderman listens and being the ultimately powerful being that he is, defeats the Shroud with absolutely no effort. Luckily, the Shroud is smarter than we think and that was actually a decoy. After helping Spiderman break free from the spell, they must join forces to defeat Dansen!

Spiderman definitely isn’t the type to get hypnotized, but I did like how they portrayed his power and skill. He was definitely in a different league from the other fighters and he proved this as he essentially wiped the floor with them. The Shroud is a cool character, but he could have explained his objective to Spiderman a little better. I’m assuming that he is trying to control the mobs to make the world a safer place or something, but Spiderman assumes the worst and tries to stop him. The Shroud escapes, but Spiderman gave it his all and heads home. It was a pretty fun comic and we got a lot of action in this one. It was one of the best comics in the collection!

The Mocking Bird is reported to actually be a traitor to SHIELD and it seems like she is planning on assassinating Nick Fury! Spiderman certainly isn’t going to let that happen so it’s up to him to bring her down for the count! (Since he let her escape at first when he thought that she was a hero) It’s definitely going to be one of his toughest fights yet, but is SHIELD telling him the full story?

The comic has a pretty tragic ending for one of the characters and Nick Fury doesn’t look too good. The problem is that SHIELD will always have traitors and there will always be leaks. It’s impossible not to have such things happen when you have such a large organization. Spiderman looks all right, but he nearly dies from a car crash and that just doesn’t seem like it was accurate. Such a fall wouldn’t defeat The Spiderman! Also, there aren’t really any super villains, so it’s just about corruption and guys with guns. Another decent comic, but nothing that will really get your heart racing!

Finally, we have a team up without Spiderman! Spider Woman and the Hulk are the ones teaming up, although they don’t really get to team up. Spider Woman is in town to arrest a fugitive and the Hulk is kidnapped by an old man. Spider Woman infiltrates the lair and wakes up Bruce Banner who gets pretty upset. Can the Hulk really defeat the villains?

There isn’t really a sense of danger in the comic since the Hulk is around, but that’s all right I suppose. It was ingenious of the villains to use a pleasure ray to make the Hulk turn back into Bruce Banner, but also a little disappointing for Hulk fans. The Hulk still managed to easily destroy the robots and basically save the day when he woke up. Spider Woman looked decently good, but the villains were a little too numerous in this comic so it’s good that the Hulk was around. It was a decent comic, but I have to say that I missed Spiderman. The portrayals for Spider Woman and the Hulk were sound, but the villains were pretty boring. It was a decent comic.

Spiderman gets another team up with the Black Widow, but this time there is no amnesia to take away her fighting skills. They beat up on some random crooks for a while, but then the Owl appears. It gets pretty dicey since this guy has taken on Daredevil in the past! (In the Essential that I reviewed not too long ago) Can they really defeat an old man who can’t really fight!?

The Owl definitely has his tricks, but he’s seriously no match against these two fighters. Once again, that means that there isn’t really a threat. Still, it’s always good to see these heroes beat up on the expendables and there isn’t really much chance for plot hax. The Owl gets a cheap shot on Spiderman, which definitely counts, but it’s pretty minor. Another decent comic for the collection.

Spiderman’s team up with Howard The Duck is easily one of the greatest team ups in the collection! There is a new villain on the block named Status Quo and he uses Howard’s cab to get all the way to Manhattan. From there, he convinces everyone that fads are evil, so they attack joggers and other innocent people. While Spiderman deals with them, Howard goes off to battle Status Quo in an ultimate showdown!

This comic was pretty awesome and it’s totally how such a team up would go. I didn’t really like Spiderman’s attitude since he was downright rude to Howard the whole time, but I’ll just assume that it was an off day for him. He just didn’t seem like he was in the mood to save the day at the time. Howard gave a pretty deep speech and showed Status Quo that he may not be in the right. Status Quo had some pretty big revelations and it was definitely interesting. New York’s Finest also looked pretty good and it was just a very solid comic all around!

The Art is consistently good for just about all of the comics. I seem to recall at least one comic that I thought looked a little strange, but I can’t remember which team up it was. That being said, the rest still look really good and the art is not a problem in this collection. This is basically the prime of Marvel’s character designs, so everyone can look really cool.

Pretty much all of the team ups involve Spiderman and that is definitely a good thing. It’s nice to see him portrayed back in the good ole days and he is definitely a good hero. With his Spider Sense at the ready, there aren’t many opponents who could really hope to defeat him. There were some moments that were not great for him, but the majority of the comics did their best to portray him accurately.That’s what counts in the end!

Overall, Marvel has done it again! This is another really fun Essential and it’s the best one that I’ve read in a while. We got to see many different heroes in the collection and they were mostly all likable. The art is solid and there aren’t really any big negatives in the comics. We have some plot hax, (Fury shooting Spiderman) but that is just something that will come with just about anything that you witness, Whether it be comics, movies, or games. I highly recommend this collection and all Marvel fans should get a kick out of it. There aren’t really any bad comics in the collection and that’s pretty rare for any team up of the week series. Usually there is at least one bad team up, but I couldn’t really see any. Add Spiderman to anything and it can become cool!

Overall 8/10

This is a pretty large collection, so you can expect that there will be a lot of plots going on. The first few comics deal with The Torpedo, as he has a job to do. He tries to convince Daredevil that he has a mission that he must fulfill, but Daredevil can’t let him keep on creating so much destruction! More than one person assumes the guise of the Torpedo in this collection because one of them…doesn’t make it out alive!

There is a comic about Death Stalker and Daredevil, but I’m just going to leave it alone because nothing really comes of it. Still, it was an interesting comic. Likewise, I shall also skip over the Man-Beast comics because he wasn’t an interesting villain. He’s tough and he tried to give the law a shot, but it’s just hard to root for him. He comes off as a generic villain who won’t last long against the hammers of justice!

Next up, Bullseye comes to town with a two parter! He’s easily one of the bigger threats that Daredevil has to deal with. In a fair fight, I think it’s fair to say that Daredevil has the edge. That being said, it’s rarely a fair fight with this guy. Bullseye does like to show off his skill with weapons, so he gives Daredevil’s athletics a true test.

After dealing with the Chameleon, Daredevil finally gets to match wits with the Jester. The Jester actually lasted for a long time and his plot continued through the background during the previous arcs. His plan was very ambitious since he made fake TV reports that showed President Reagan was still alive and that the Vietnam War never happened! He made many shocking TV articles and the President gave an announcement that all of the police in Daredevil’s town had gone crazy. It was a very thorough plan, and while it may not have been realistic, it was fun to watch. He’s not a great villain himself and can be considered as a pushover for a man of Daredevil’s ability, but his plan was intriguing.

Daredevil’s next big threat was with Death’s Head, as the villain’s powers are incredible. One touch can mean instant death to whomever is his victim. Daredevil’s not very experienced with the supernatural, so it’s good that Ghost Rider is! With Ghost Rider by his side, things just got a lot better for Daredevil as they face this new threat!

There’s also a two parter in Iron Man’s series that is included in the collection. He must team up with Daredevil to face the Blood Brothers and defeat them before anyone is harmed. This may seem like a tall feat, but not to someone as powerful as Daredevil! The two of them are definitely up against some steep competition!

We also can’t forget the big annual comic where Daredevil, Black Panther, and Sub Mariner come to blows. A scientist wants to build something that will be very beneficial for the people above ground, but it has dire consequences for the water dwellers. Black Panther doesn’t know about this and he prepared to seal the deal while Namor decides to stop this..by force. Daredevil is caught in the middle and now he must make them both see the light. Namor doesn’t actually get to fight Black Panther, but he proceeds to effortlessly defeat Daredevil and I believe that he would have beaten the Panther as well. It was a pretty fun comic and while I usually don’t care for annuals, it was just fun. Since they had to share a comic, I’ll just quickly discuss Black Panther and Namor in this part of the section.

Namor looks pretty good once we find out the reason why he’s doing this. His actions may be drastic, but he’s always been that type of guy. He still ends up saving Daredevil and he continues to pull his punches as well. Black Panther is a good character as well and he realizes that he almost made a big mistake and cancels his deal. Everything turns out well for the heroes and it was fun to see them go at it. Daredevil vs Black Panther is a really good match up!

For the rest of the comics, Daredevil runs into some of the old villains like Bullseye and Man-Bull, while also fighting threats like the Beetle and the Owl. Fighting these guys may be tough for an ordinary superhero, but Daredevil’s been fighting for a long time…and he’s ready to show them just how tough he really is!

Daredevil is the main character of this collection and he’s a very good lead. He may be blind, but that doesn’t stop him from getting the job done. Sure, his radar sense plays a part in that, but one comic deals with him temporarily losing that ability…and he still pulls it off. I’m not sure if it’s completely believable that he could adapt so quickly, but it shows that he is determined. He doesn’t make almost any threats compared to other heroes like the Fantastic Four, but he does make sure to make a lot of puns.

He talks constantly, which was the norm for heroes back in the day. A really minor subplot is that Daredevil wants to have his own catchphrase, but he can’t think of any. In a fight, Daredevil is a very good fighter and he’s not someone that can be defeated easily. He’s a very likable character and basically does what needs to be done. His Matt Murdock plot is also enjoyable and deals with mystery and intrigue. I really wouldn’t mind a comic that just shows his Lawyer skills off. Daredevil has an ongoing subplot where he keeps wondering if he should stop being Daredevil, but there’s no need to go on about it that much. After all, can he really make that decision for long in a comic series called Daredevil?

Foggy Nelson is another one of the main characters and things don’t go so well for him. For one thing, his plot is one of the few that doesn’t finish in this collection. It goes on for quite a while and they’re no closer to finding the assailant than they were at the start. Well….I shouldn’t say that. Daredevil seems to have gotten a name in the final page of the final comic, so he should be ready to take this guy down in the next collection. Foggy is a decent character, but I didn’t like him all that much. He had a good run when he tried to become DA, but he resorts to drinking and gets sad because his friend was kidnapped. It’s definitely okay to feel sad, but he should do something about it! Still, he’s a loyal friend for Daredevil and he’s a good character overall. He’s not someone to be forgotten!

Heather is another one of the main characters and her first appearance is definitely not the typical first meeting that you would expect. She goes into Daredevil’s home because she used to have the keys since she knew the previous owner of that room. She gets along with Matt Murdock, but you can’t help but think that she’s an enemy agent for the first few comics. She hasn’t turned traitor yet, so I guess that my hunch was completely off base for once. She’s a decent character and she definitely has to put up with a lot since Matt is always having to abruptly leave for his heroic duties. She makes things a little difficult for Matt since her father is a suspect in one of the cases, but that’s life. She’s an all right heroine, so we’ll see where things go from here.

Bullseye is easily Daredevil’s most popular villain and it’s easy to see why. In these appearances, he’s definitely the most interesting villain for Daredevil. Death Stalker and Death’s Head are cool as well, but Bullseye is just a better match for Daredevil. They’re both good martial artists, but Daredevil is far superior in that regard while Bullseye is unrivaled with a gun. He appears quite a few times and even comes out on top when he shot Daredevil away. Daredevil had to deal with other opponents and they couldn’t have a rematch for a few comics. Bullseye was definitely written well and I gained some respect for him. I don’t really care for him in the newer comics, but he was pretty fun to see in action back in the day.

Peter Parker appears and it’s a pretty intense cameo. When Daredevil is arrested, Spidey asks if he wants to make a statement to the Bugle, but Daredevil declines to comment. That was likely something that he regretted as the day went by, but it was intense to see Parker there. I may have mentioned already that Peter Parker is one of the greatest Marvel Superheroes when written at his best, but it should be noted that he’s not just great at fights. He’s also a really good journalist and he could have helped DD over in court. Aw well, maybe next time!

Ghost Rider is a guest star for the team up against Death’s Head. In this era, Johnny Cage is in complete control so it’s still his personality when in human and demon forms. He tries to act mysterious while in Ghost Rider form, but nobody seems to believe him. He also seems to be significantly weaker and he just doesn’t know how to use this degree of power. Well, that may be a little disappointing, but he’s still fun to see in action and Daredevil would have been doomed without his help.

Iron Man is the other big guest star of the collection and the Blood Brothers are a pretty big threat. Iron Man barely survives their first encounter and it was good thinking to bring in DD. (Although, the risk was pretty great and Daredevil really could have died) Iron Man figures out the weakness of the Blood Brothers pretty quickly and exploits it. His plot seemed pretty interesting as well since Happy is currently injured and Pepper has decided to leave the company. The danger must have been immense and things weren’t looking good for him. Still, it was a good armor design and it was nice to see one of the Avengers around to help!

Lieutenant Rose is a police officer that is always after Daredevil. He’s against Vigilantes and Daredevil in particular. He’s less extreme than the usual stereotype for his character and he doesn’t try to arrest Daredevil for no reason. He doesn’t like Daredevil, but he doesn’t let it affect his professional assessment of the current situation. They reluctantly team up several times and he’s a pretty likable character. I wonder if he’s appeared in any of the newer comics!

The Torpedo is an intriguing villain and as I mentioned, two people used it in the collection. The first one didn’t have much character, but he was all right. The second one was pretty cool and he had a nice plot going. He used to be a Quarterback, but now he’s rich and wants to see some action again. He decides to don the costume to help innocents and also feel the rush that he wanted too. He and Daredevil are usually at odds in the beginning, but they eventually start to see eye to eye. I would like to see him again in the future as well.

Death’s Head is a really powerful villain who feels a little out of place in the Daredevil series. A single touch can terminate any living being as long as one is mortal. How Daredevil can fight him and hope to win is beyond me. It’s a good thing that Ghost Rider was around, but he won’t always be here to help. That being said, he would be a great character to see in another series like Thor or Ghost Rider. Ghost Rider mentioned that his physical abilities are very high, so he would possibly give those guys a run for their money. Once again, Daredevil has created a solid villain!

The Art for the comic is pretty a solid. A different artist takes over near the end, but he’s pretty good as well. They both do a good job of keeping the art clear and easy to decipher while in black and white. Nothing beats the classics right!? This essential has more romance than most and I think that they probably could have cut some of it out, but it’s all right I suppose. It’s handled better than it would be if this were a current comic. (Batman and Catwoman from New 52 is an example of how modern comics have died)

Overall, this is a pretty fun collection! It may not be quite as great as Fantastic Four, but it does give it a great shot. Daredevil can be a great character, but not all authors can really give him the appearance that he deserves. Daredevil may not be a science genius like Parker or Richards, but he is likely the most knowledgeable character on the law in Marvel and that definitely helps him a lot where villains are concerned. He has a pretty good supporting cast to back him up and I can safely say that Marvel has hit it out of the park with another solid comic. The villain cast is also pretty great for the most part and I like just about all of them. I hope to see Death’s Head appear in a comic again someday. I definitely miss these good ole days of comics and hope that I get to read another Daredevil essential at some point. I highly recommend this collection if you like action, comedy, suspense, good writing, or are a Marvel fan. There’s really no reason not to like this comic.

Overall 7/10

The Essentials are a way for Marvel to bundle together a lot of comics at once and get people to read the old classics. They are in black and white which is always a sad thing to be hold, but you have to admire the passion that went through these comics. They may be in black and white in this version, but you can still behold the impressive skills that were needed to draw these comics. The Fantastic Four have always been a fun bunch to read about, and this collection doesn’t change my mind!

The comic starts out with a bang since Franklin has been kidnapped by Agatha Harkness. The Fantastic Four go after them, but they have to get past the Eliminator. this guy is no weak potatos and he is ready to destroy the Fantastic Four once and for all. Perhaps they have finally met their match, but these heroes will not go down quietly and they will keep on fighting until Franklin is with them once more! They will have to deal with many threats and even Salem’s Seven are here to try and defeat the young heroes.

Reed Richards completely loses his powers during the arc and starts to have some doubts as to how useful he can be to the others. It doesn’t help that the Molecule Man decides to strike and ends up possessing the fearless leader. Can the other members of the FF save Reed and his pride without mortally injuring him? It will be tough, but nothing’s too tough to handle for the Fantastic Four!

Still, nothing can save Reed’s confidence and he disbands the Fantastic Four. We get to see solo comics for Human Torch, Invisible Woman, and the Thing as they get to have their own adventures. Disbanding was tough since the Plunderer was in town, but they managed to stay away from each other for a while. Unfortunately, The Invincible Man may prove to be the end of the heroes. They just don’t seem to stand a chance against this guy!

The next few comics are about the Fantastic Four’s greatest foe….Dr Doom! Dr Doom claims that he will step down from the throne and let his son take over, but the resistance decides that this should not happen. The Fantastic Four aid them and Reed Richards decides that this is the last time that they will face Dr Doom. He engages the dictator in a fight to the death. He declares that one of them will die in this fight and it almost makes you believe him! The fight is pretty epic and one that should not be missed!

Iron Man seemingly attacks the Fantastic Four after this event and they decide to go get their revenge. Unfortunately for them, it would appear that the real Iron Man had nothing to do with the attack. They decide to team up against the true threat and get ready for a solid fight!

Finally, the best group of comics was at the end with the Skrulls. A member of royalty arrives on Earth and is pursued by the Super Skrull. The Fantastic Four quickly try to help her, but they are effortlessly defeated. Reed manages to defeat the Skrull with a cool gun, but now they must face an entire army of them. Human Torch decides to stay on Earth because his social drama is more important than the fate of a planet. He goes to a college, but it’s evil and they quickly mind control him. Luckily Spiderman is here to save the day! Meanwhile, Nova and his pals are also closing in on the Skrulls!

There were two breaks from the ongoing issues as we got an Annual story where the Mole Men returned and this time he was not a complete villain. Will wonders never cease!? I didn’t really buy it since he still stole stuff and wasn’t very polite, but he tried. The comic was all right I suppose, but the Thing should have looked better, considering the circumstances. Another annual was about the Sphinx and he attacked the Inhumans and Fantastic Four. His abilities are considerable and none of the Fantastic Four were able to damage him in any way. The Inhumans looked equally helpless until Black Bolt arrived. Can he defeat the Sphinx once and for all!?

One thing that should be noted is that the Fantastic Four members are the quickest to enter “Rage Mode” than any other Marvel team. In almost every comic, they start unleashing their threats when their comrades are in danger. The only problem is that you cannot take them seriously after a while because of the fact that they keep losing. Sure, The Thing will threaten that he’ll destroy an opponent, but then he’s quickly defeated. Invisible Woman states that she will take down at least half of the opponents out of rage since the other members of the Fantastic Four were destroyed, but she is defeated without defeating any of them. Human Torch has a bundle of these moments as well, but someone always takes out a water hose or a bucket and just knocks him out. These guys need to play it cool or actually use their rage a little wiser. The threats are still fun to hear, but they cannot be taken seriously at all.

Mr Fantastic is still the courageous leader of the group and he’s not someone to be taken lightly and he proves this several times as he manages to go up against enemies without his powers. I think it’s fair to say that it takes guts and determination to do that. Invisible Woman gets upset at him several times because he’s constantly worrying about her, but he worries about all of the team members and can you blame him for being extra careful with her? He is still prone to losing his temper with the Thing and friends and the loss of his powers definitely not does not help with that. I’ll admit that he was a not a very great character to behold during that period, but he was still solid overall and he can talk a good game when he needs too. Also, Reed does knot how to fight with some decent hand to hand skills.

The Thing is still the power hitter of the group and he’s always ready for a solid fight. A lot of the enemies still end up being stronger than him, but he takes it pretty well. One could almost say that he talks more than Spiderman because he is constantly making quips or threats. Either way, The Thing is pretty enjoyable on screen and it reminds me why he was so much better back then. I dare say that he’s more fun to reed than the other members of the team because of all much he can talk. The whole issue of him reading from his diary may have been a little much, but it’s nice to see him take on so many people without breaking a sweat.

The Invisible Woman continues to show that her abilities can be very dangerous as she pulls off some pretty big feats in this comic. The Thing couldn’t make a dent in a forcefield that was standing up against the FF, but she was able to absorb it. It takes a lot of energy to stop The Thing, so you can imagine how tough it would be to absorb that. She still does make some rookie mistakes in the comics, such as underestimating her opponents which can lead to her defeat. Nonetheless, Invisible Woman does pretty well in this collection and she even got to make some threats of her own. It’ll be nice to see how her powers continue to improve as she has the potential to be the deadliest member of the Fantastic Four.

The Human Torch was my favorite Marvel character back in the day. He has dropped considerably through the years as I have uncovered many other Marvel characters over the years like Deadpool. The Human Torch is a solid character for the most part, but he does have his low moments. Getting brainwashed twice in a span of 24 hours was pretty bad, but not even that was as bad as his decision to stay on Earth and attend college instead of saving the universe from the Skrulls. Many innocents perished because of his actions, but The Human Torch does not even regret his actions. Aside from those unfortunate setbacks, The Human Torch is a pretty fun character to read about and he can be just as entertaining as the Thing.

The Sphinx is one of the more notable enemies in this collection. He’s a pretty great character and his power is definitely something that should be feared. Not even the Thing was able to deal any damage to the Sphinx, which is definitely a solid feat. The Sphinx was about to get some more action when the collection abruptly ends, so I’m definitely hyped for the next issue. The Super Skrull was another good villain, but he didn’t appear for very long. That being said, I eagerly await his next appearance.

Dr Doom is the main villain of one of the comic arcs and he’s as tough as you may have remembered. His plan may be a little risky, but he can fight his way out of almost any unforeseen event. He manages to make all of his opponents look pretty bad for a while. I wonder where he goes from here because Latveria is always his fortress, so it’s a little strange to see him have to leave. I have a feeling that things don’t end up going well for the Resistance! Dr Doom inadvertently saved the FF, so they owe him one!

Everyone’s favorite neighborhood friend Spidey also makes a guest star appearance in this collection. He goes undercover to find out what’s happening at the phony college that Human Torch went too and he quickly realizes that something is not right. Spiderman’s portrayal in this collection was spot on and his Spider Sense got the respect that it deserves. Spiderman really could not be touched in this issue and he defeated Human Torch effortlessly. Spiderman was also not mind controlled and he basically stopped the whole operation on his own. He may have only appeared for one issue, but it was definitely a great appearance!
The Art for the collection is very solid and this was before the digital age where everything got a lot easier. It took a lot of skill to get these comics out so regularly and without error. It’s definitely something to think about as you behold the comics. The size of this collection is considerable and you are getting a lot of funnies for your money. The collection brings over 20 comics and it’s a way to remember your favorite FF adventures forever!

There really aren’t any negatives with this comic, which is becoming the norm for Fantastic Four adventures. The only real negative that I would mention is the fact that the comics are in black and white. That’s a negative for the collection as a whole, but not really for the comics. That being said, I am used to black and white so it’s not a big negative for the comics and it certainly won’t impact the overall score. If Marvel wants to save some money on ink….it’s their choice. Also, we have the omnibus volumes now, which will eventually catch up to all of these and those are in color.

Overall, this is a very fun collection of Fantastic Four comics. They face many threats that range from local to cosmic in scale. The main reason why the comics are so great is that they are entertaining, no matter who the villain is. That’s because the main cast is likable and the dialogue is always strong. This is why I miss the classic days of comics right now. You just don’t see 5 Star dialogue like this nowadays. I highly recommend checking this comic out whether you are a Marvel fan or not. Don’t think that this means you should ditch DC for Marvel, but it’s a great comic. All comic fans should check out the happy adventures of the Fantastic Four, and I’m sure that you will enjoy it. The collection does end with an extremely epic cliffhanger that will make you want to keep reading. I don’t believe that they made a volume 10 for this series, so you may need to visit your local comic store for the single issues!

Overall 7/10