ROM: THE ORIGINAL MARVEL YEARS OMNIBUS VOL. 2

Bill Mantlo began his Marvel career on Deadly Hands of Kung Fu, in which he introduced White Tiger, one of the industry’s earliest Hispanic super heroes. Eventually writing stories for almost every Marvel title, he did some of his most fondly remembered work on Incredible Hulk and Spectacular Spider-Man. He also launched Cloak and Dagger in a pair of miniseries and guided Alpha Flight through some of its most harrowing ordeals. Mantlo excelled at integrating licensed properties into the Marvel Universe, as demonstrated by Micronauts and Rom: Spaceknight, both of which he wrote from start to finish. At DC, he wrote the Invasion miniseries for one of the company’s biggest crossover events.

Few writers/editors influenced Marvel more than Mark Gruenwald (1953-1996). Famed for pioneering work on Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe and his magnum opus Squadron Supreme, he also wrote a hundred-plus-issue run of Captain America; multiple Marvel Two-in-One sagas; and several miniseries, including Contest of Champions, the first of Marvel’s multi-hero sagas. He explored the Marvel Universe’s ancient history in a series of What If? backup stories he also penciled.

Steven Grant has written Captain America, Incredible Hulk, Master of Kung Fu, Spidey Super Stories and more. In 1985, he penned the first Punisher miniseries, revisiting the character in several Holiday Special stories and the graphic novel Return to Big Nothing. Grant has also written First Comics’ American Flagg, Shatter and his creator-owned Whisper.

After a start as inker to his older brother John, Sal Buscema penciled Captain America, Defenders, Incredible Hulk and more. Famed for his ability to meet tight deadlines, he spread his talents across multiple genres. His 1970s work ranged from Ms. Marvel and Nova to Sub-Mariner and Spider-Woman’s first appearance in Marvel Spotlight. He was the uninterrupted artist on Spectacular Spider-Man for more than one hundred issues and penciled the web-slinger’s adventures in Marvel Team-Up, in which he and writer Bill Mantlo introduced Captain Jean DeWolff. After handling more team-ups in the Thing’s Marvel Two-in-One, he reunited with brother John on Steve Englehart’s Fantastic Four. He later provided inks for Tom DeFalco’s Spider-Girl titles and Thunderstrike miniseries.

During the 1970s, Pat Broderick depicted cosmic sagas on literally multiple levels as artist on Captain Marvel and Micronauts. At DC, he penciled Captain Atom, Firestorm and Green Lantern, among others; on Batman, he co-created Tim Drake, the third and current Robin. Returning to Marvel in stints on Alpha Flight and Doom 2099, he also worked for the short-lived Future Comics and revisited Micronauts in a newly licensed variant at Devil’s Due Publishing. 

West Coast Avengers artist Bob Hall also penciled Avengers, Champions, Defenders, Marvel Team-Up, Super-Villain Team-Up and other Marvel titles. He was a major art contributor to Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Deluxe Edition. At Valiant Comics, he worked on Shadowman and Timewalker.