The classic ’80s maxiseries will get a new paperback edition…
Certain stories just endure and endure, decades after they were first published. It’s the very definition of a classic.
Well, longtime Marvel fans — or younger fans wanting to know what the fuss is about — can look forward to a new printing of one such story in 2021: Mark Gruenwald’s 1980s epic Squadron Supreme, a take-off on DC’s Justice League and how such power could devolve into fascism.
Dig the official description, according to an Amazon listing:
Hyperion! Power Princess! Dr. Spectrum! The Whizzer! Nighthawk! Together they and their many allies are the Squadron Supreme – the mightiest heroes of their other-dimensional Earth. But when the Squadron institutes the far-reaching Utopia Project – vowing to abolish war and crime, to eliminate poverty and hunger, and to cure death itself – everything changes! Can they possibly succeed? What lines will they cross to achieve their lofty goals? When the Project reaches its zenith and the Earth falls under the Squadron’s complete control, when do heroes stop being heroes? And when the Squadron’s foes flee to the Marvel Universe, which side will Captain America take? Master writer Mark Gruenwald explores the ethics of justice in his best-known story!
Squadron Supreme (1985) 1-12, Captain America (1968) 314
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A few thoughts:
— Gruenwald’s artistic collaborators included Bob Hall, Paul Ryan and John Buscema, among others. That’s a fine bunch, to say the least.
— The 368-page paperback is due June 8, 2021. It lists for $34.99.
— A little secret: I’ve never read this. But I most certainly plan on finally picking this up — especially since the animated Justice League’s similarly themed Justice Lords saga was so powerful.
— Standard caveat: As far as I can tell, this has not been solicited by Marvel yet, so nothing is official until it’s official. Even then, things can change. Just keep coming to 13th Dimension for updates.
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MORE
— MARVEL to Unleash Wave of New EPIC COLLECTIONS in Early 2021. Click here.
— Marvel to Re-Release Slew of Major EPIC COLLECTIONS. Click here.
December 12, 2020
I was always intrigued by theses heroes. I will certainly be picking this up.
December 12, 2020
I loved this series when it first came out but I remember being disappointed when Bob Hall stopped drawing it after only a few iseues.
I wish he would have stayed on for the entire run .
December 12, 2020
13 year old me loved this story. Really intrigued to see if 47 year old me likes it as much.
December 14, 2020
I bought this a few years ago… it was the first printing, with an Alex Ross cover… and a sticker on the front, saying that it was a special tribute to the creativity of Mark Gruenwald… In the introduction, you find out the ashes of the late Mark Gruenwald were added to the black printer’s ink and printed in that edition of the TPB!!! Apparently, this was a much-expressed wish of Mr. Gruenwald, and his daughter was the head of Marvel’s TPB and Hardcover department at the time of his passing….
December 14, 2020
I just want to add that it is a very interesting story, foreshadowing Identity Crisis and Kingdom Come, in many ways. It’s a very thought-provoking story with many levels and ethical challenges. Plus, it oozes with that mid-80’s Marvel style, which I always love.