80's Marvel had some of the best stuff but most for me was reading retrospectively because I didn't start collecting until the late 80's
I started with MARVEL back in the AMAZING SPIDER-MAN days when they first introduced characters like 'Hydro-Man' and 'Madame Web'...
But, I didn't branch out into comic books, in general, until I discovered two DC issues at a Kroger grocery store:
Beyond Saturday morning cartoons and "Super Friends", THAT was my introduction to DC Comics and my collecting comic books.
with the beginning of the Cap quits/John Walker Cap story
Hell yeah, man! While that's a bit into my collecting era, I totally remember The Captain's run. Walker losing his parents to the White Supremacists (suitably fracturing his already type-a psychological issues and giving Marvel their 'Guy Gardner') was subtly brutal for a Captain America comic. Not to mention, I was constantly waiting for Rogers to just come back and kick his ass. I don't think they fought until...
...right? That was also when they made the Skull Rogers' physical equal, if I remember correctly. Cloned his body, I think? Anyway, it was the kind of progress with the Red Skull that I liked. I mean, I know it's a comic trope to have the hero with the brawn's arch-nemesis be the villain with the brain. But, Batman/Joker is good enough. If Cap is known for being the very best hand-to-hand fighter on Earth, then he should have an arch-nemesis who puts that to the test, every single time. That's why I liked what they did with him in the movie.
the Evolutionary War Annuals(which really hooked me into the Marvel Universe).
Wow. And see, I've always viewed those Evolutionary War issues as some of Marvel's worst annual crossover events. Up there with Atlantis Attacks and World War Hulk. But, each their own. Did you ever read "What If? Vol. 2 #1" from that era? "What If...The High-Evolutionary Won the War"? Where humanity jumped a ladder rung? It was pretty good. Terrible art, though. Probably Al Milgrom.
The first issue of Iron Man's Armor Wars (#225)
The Armor Wars was awesome!! Isn't that the run where Tony has the Red-Silver (Centurion) armor and Rhodey has the Red-Gold? Right before that, one of my favorite covers of all times...
but I started with the Crystal & Ms. Marvel FF team and still enjoy that run.
Whoa! Memory flashback! That was near when they made Ben Grimm all spiky, right? And didn't that Ms. Marvel chick (this was the one who WASN'T Carol Danvers) also become, like, "She-Thing" or something? I remember Grimm being excited about being able to
fucklove another person because she was as ugly as he was. I think.
I loved the West Coast Avengers more.
Amen! Simon Williams FTW!
Inferno is the greatest X-Men crossover ever
Insanity! You must have missed The Mutant Massacre...
and Spider-Ham is the best back-up feature of all time.
If Groo the Wanderer never "backed-up" a title, then I agree 100%.
