Why You Should Collect .... 


Amazing Adventures 1970 series 

    When Marvel returned to publishing superhero comics in 1961, they were limited to only 8 comics each month by the company that shipped the comics to newsstands.  As a result, when Marvel created new heroes, some times they put two into one comic. Tales of Suspense featured Iron Man and Captain America, Tales to Astonish had the Hulk and Sub-Mariner and Strange Tales had Nick Fury and Dr. Strange.
  
     It took the distributor seven years to realize Marvel comics sold fast enough to warrant distribution of more titles.  So, in 1968, Marvel split heroes into their own titles.  That's why the first issues of Iron Man, Sub-Mariner , Incredible Hulk , Captain America, Thor, Doctor Strange, Nick Fury and Captain Marvel are all dated 1968.  

    Just two years later, Marvel's "House of Ideas" had run out of room yet again.  So, they again put two series in one comic -- Amazing Adventures.  The first were the Inhumans and Black Widow.

    First appearing in Fantastic Four (1961 series) #45, the Inhumans were superheroes whose ancestors gained powers when exposed to the DNA-altering chemicals by the Krees.

    What’s special about the earliest stories in this series is they were written and drawn by the great Jack Kirby, who created them along with Stan Lee.  By 1975, with Marvel getting even better distribution deals, the Inhumans got their own self-titled series, Inhumans (1975 series).  

     The series also featured the first solo stories for Black Widow.  For years a mid-level Marvel character, her popularity skyrocketed with the enormous success of movies like The Avengers and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, where she’s portrayed by Scarlett Johansson.
    
   One of the more sought after issues is #11, which began the X-Men’s Beast run.  It was the first time he was seen in his mutated, fur form, a look he’s best known for today.


     With various formats, Amazing Adventures offers something for everyone. Issues for fans of the Inhumans are #1-10;  for the Black Widow (#1-8); and #11-17 for fans of the Beast and X-Men.
     
     Starting with #18, the series changed formats to sci-fi, with the War of the Worlds (#18 to #28 and #35-#39) and Killraven (#29-#34).

     Don't confuse this series with Amazing Adventures (1961 series), an anthology of monster and "amazing adventure" stories (with art by Jack Kirby), or Amazing Adventures (1979 series) which reprinted the original X-Men series.


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