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10 Marvel Comics From the 1980s That Every Fan Needs to Read Once
When people think about the best era of Marvel, they often think about the ’60s or the ’00s, but an argument can be made that the 1980s were the greatest decade in the publisher’s history. The ’80s were an amazing decade for the comic industry, with a heaping helping of maturity changing the way that readers looked at the comics industry. While DC Comics often gets the most credit for making comics great in the decade of excess, the House of Ideas also played its role in the maturation of the medium. A whole new generation of creators brought an influx of creativity to the characters of the Marvel Universe, and it paid dividends.
’80s Marvel had some fantastic stories and series. This era of the publisher gifted readers with the kind of stories that made fans take notice, becoming timeless hits. These ten ’80s Marvel comics are some of the best of all time, and every fan of the company needs to read them at least once.
10) Wolverine (Vol. 1) #1-4
Wolverine has starred in some amazing solo stories, but an argument can be made that his first was the best. Wolverine (Vol. 1) #1-4, by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, was the character’s first solo book, and took the ol’Canucklehead to Japan. Logan just wanted to visit his fiancée Mariko, but learns that her Yakuza boss father has married her off to one of his lackeys. The hero goes to deal with the situation and is savagely beaten, forcing him to train with the wild ninja Yukio and find the man inside himself. This is a flawless story in every way; Claremont’s script sets the stage perfectly, and Miller’s pencils give readers some amazing images and beautifully fluid action scenes. Even 43 years later, this is still a beloved story, and its success launched hundreds of Wolverine solo stories.
9) Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #262
John Byrne’s Fantastic Four run is one of the greatest Fantastic Four runs ever. Byrne did an amazing job with the First Family of the Marvel Universe, and there are some best of all time comics from his time on the book. However, if there’s only one issue I could point to about why it’s so good, it’s Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #262. Titled “The Trial of Reed Richards”, this story sees the alien powers of the universe arrest Mister Fantastic, putting him on trial for saving Galactus’s life, vengeance for all of the people the World Devourer killed and will kill. What follows is an awesome little character piece, as the smartest man on Earth has to make his case for why what he did was right. It’s a sensational comic, and it’ll show you just how good Byrne could be when he was on (also Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #258 is nearly as good as this one, so read that one too if you can).
8) Captain America: War and Remembrance
Roger Stern and John Byrne became the creative team on Captain America (Vol. 1) with issue #247 and stayed on the book until issue #255. This short run consists mostly of single-issue stories, setting up a new status quo for Steve Rogers (which included becoming a comic artist) with Captain America contemplating a presidential run, a battle against Dragon Man, and the classic Baron Blood two-part story. Their time on the book is collected as Captain America: War and Remembrance, and it’s one of the best collections of Cap stories ever. Stern and Byrne were two of Marvel’s best at the time, and it’s honestly a shame that they didn’t spend more time on Captain America. However, what we got was sensational and a must-read.
7) “Under Siege”
The Avengers have a history of excellence, and one of the best eras of the team was Roger Stern’s run on The Avengers in the ’80s. Stern got to work with John Buscema, one of Marvel’s greatest artists, and delivered readers some action-packed bangers full of compelling characters and near-perfect superhero plots. However, the best of the Stern/Buscema run is easily “Under Siege”. This is the classic story that saw Baron Helmut Zemo bring together the at that point largest and most powerful team of the Masters of Evil, having made the perfect plan to destroy Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. This story is not only an action masterpiece, but a brilliant story, showing the team at their best and their worst, digging into who they are as people. It’s an Avengers epic, a flawless superhero team story that always impresses.
6) “Kraven’s Last Hunt”
“Kraven’s Last Hunt” is, in the opinion of this fan, the best Spider-Man story of all time. Kraven the Hunter decides that he’s going to prove his superiority to Spider-Man once and for all. The villain goes after the web-slinger and handily defeats him, burying him alive and taking his costume. What followed was one of the most shocking moments in the history of Marvel Comics. This classic from J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck is brilliant. It makes the argument for Kraven as Spidey’s best enemy, showing just how formidable the villains could be. We all know how this story ends by now, and it’s the pitch-black icing on a dark cake. DeMatteis and Zeck gelled together wonderfully, giving readers an unforgettable story.
5) Doctor Strange/Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment
Doctor Strange is a popular and important character, but let’s be real — he has very few memorable stories. In fact, there’s really one that nearly everyone agrees is a must-read. Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment, by Roger Stern and Mike Mignola, sees Doctor Doom go to the Sorcerer Supreme for help in freeing his mother’s soul from Mephisto’s clutches. It’s not only one of the best Strange comics ever, but it’s also gone down as one of Doom’s greatest. Stern and Mignola made for a sensational team (Stern doesn’t get enough credit for just how amazing a creator he was back then), supplying two of Marvel’s best characters with a story that every fan needs to experience.
4) “Born Again”
Daredevil has become a Marvel legend, and you can thank Frank Miller for that. Before Miller took over the Man Without Fear’s book, it was a D-list title that most fans skipped. Miller’s time on the book made it legendary, and there are some great stories that set the bar pretty high for everything that came later. However, Miller and artist David Mazzucchelli were able to vault over the bar with “Born Again”. This story saw Matt Murdock’s ex-girlfriend Karen Page (who had become a drug-addicted sex worker because Miller has never found a female character whose life he couldn’t destroy) sell his secret identity to Kingpin for a bag of heroin. The crime lord destroyed Daredevil’s life, but would be taught a terrible lesson: a man with nothing to lose is truly a man without fear. Miller and Mazzucchelli were amazing together, and this book is considered one of the greatest comics ever.
3) “The Dark Phoenix Saga”
“The Dark Phoenix Saga” is a perfect Marvel story. Chris Claremont and John Byrne’s X-Men opus sees Jean Grey fall to the darkness in her soul, thanks to the manipulations of the Hellfire Club, and become the Dark Phoenix. The X-Men do their best to save their friend as things get more and more out of hand, leading to a climactic and tragic showdown on the moon. A lot of people think about “The Dark Phoenix Saga” as this big battle between a dark cosmic force and the people who love her, but what really makes this comic sing is the emotional core of the book. This story is about how far people will go to save someone they love, and it will tear your heart out as you read it. Claremont and Byrne are always an amazing team, but this book took them both to the next level. Each plays an integral role in making this book perfect, and if you’ve never read it, you need to.
2) Squadron Supreme
Squadron Supreme is one of Marvel’s most underrated stories, and a book that deserves to be talked about in the same breath as Watchmen. This 12-issue series by Mark Gruenwald, John Buscema, Bob Hall, and Paul Ryan takes readers to the Earth of the Squadron Supreme, who were created as a Justice League pastiche that the Avengers could beat. After defeating yet another threat to humanity, the group decides that the best way to save the world is to take it over. However, not everyone agrees with him, leading to a desperate struggle for the fate of the world. This story injected maturity into superhero comics in a way that no other book at the time had, and actually came out before Watchmen even started. It’s a tremendous work, and I’ve made it my life’s work to convince everyone to read it.
1) God Loves, Man Kills
The X-Men in the ’80s starred in most of the publisher’s best books, but there’s one that is the perfect X-Men story. God Loves, Man Kills, by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson, sees Reverend Stryker and the Purifiers start their own war against mutants. This brings the X-Men and Magneto together to battle against the religious extremists, teaming the two rivals against someone who wanted to end their entire race. It’s a story about how religion and conservatism can lead to horrible bigotry, and it was published in the early ’80s, presaging the world we’re living in right now. It’s an amazing work, one that deserves it place on every fan’s shelf.
What are your favorite ’80s Marvel stories? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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