Marvel Masterworks: The Man-Thing Vol. 2

The Marvel Masterworks boast an all-new restoration that makes these stories look better than ever! A rotten swamp monster never looked so good! Artist Mike Ploog joins writer Steve Gerber, and they'll have you turning pages to shuffle through the muck and loving every second of it. Gerber's stories continue to expand the strange world surrounding the Man-Thing - and the people, both helpful (Richard Rory) and hateful (F.A. Schist), who have been drawn into the monster's orbit. Of course, there's also top-notch, good-ol'-fashioned fighting. Who wouldn't want to see the Man-Thing and the Glob swinging fists? Do they even have fists? It doesn't matter, it's comic-book perfection. Meanwhile, the Foolkiller debuts, and Man-Thing is hauled to New York City where Reed Richards is left to wonder whether there's still a man inside the mire! Collecting MAN-THING (1974) #2-14, GIANT-SIZE MAN-THING (1974) #1-2 and material from MONSTERS UNLEASHED (1973) #5 and #8-9.

Steve Gerber (1947-2008) first came to attention writing Defenders, in which he gave the non-team a non-traditional outlook equaled by few. In Adventure of Fear, he introduced Howard the Duck. Gerber’s other 1970s contributions included scripts for Iron Man, Sub-Mariner and more. Elsewhere, he is equally well-remembered for DC’s Phantom Zone, Eclipse’s Destroyer Duck and others.

Not a traditional super-hero artist, Val Mayerik made his mark on other Marvel Comics titles starting with Chamber of Chills’ “Brak the Barbarian” in 1973. Mayerik worked on Supernatural Thrillers, Creatures on the Loose and Conan before taking over the “Man-Thing” feature in Adventure into Fear, helping introduce Howard the Duck. Since his tenure at Marvel during the 1970s, Mayerik has produced artwork for other comic-book publishers and roleplaying-game companies.