Marvel Preview Presents
Curtis
1975 - 1980
Fans of magazine style comic books may want to check out a relatively forgotten series from Curtis, an imprint of Marvel Comics, who published a quarterly rag entitled, Marvel Preview Presents. Not only will you find a great series of black and white tales, but the first appearance of characters, such as Star-Lord and Dominic Fortune. Marvel Preview Presents is also notable for featuring the first collaborations with the celebrated X-Men creative trio, Chris Claremont, John Byrne and Terry Austin in issue number eleven - Coincidentally, also featuring Star-Lord.
Despite the low demands of a quarterly magazine, it's interesting to note that the series was plagued by delays and inconsistencies. Not necessarily on it's quarterly release schedule, but rather the order in which stories were announced. For example, issue number two's ad promised that the following book would contain a story about Thor. However, when published, this instead was a Blade story, with Thor not making his appearance until issue number ten.
As you can see from the various covers, the stories ranged from super heroes to aliens, to horror and even mystery. The magazine seemed to have, at some point or another, something for just about everyone.
Another thing worth noting is the issues denoted as Bizarre Adventures and Bizarre Adventures 2. These are pointed out because with the conclusion of issue number twenty-four, and the following issue number twenty-five, the title of the series was changed to just that.
Bizarre Adventures
Curtis / Marvel Comics
1981 - 1983
Bizarre Adventures picked up right where marvel Preview Presents left off, and for the most part, the themes and styles of the books did not change. Each issue continued to feature a different story and set of characters.
Bizarre Adventures wrapped up with issue number thirty-four, and while I showcase it as the same size as the others, it was actually not. Rather, it was the size of a standard comic book. Additionally, it was also the only issue printed in color, and instead of being published by Curtis, was published by the Marvel Comics Group.
Despite the obscure nature of the titles, secondary markets have been rather kind to both series. On average, books sell between $6.00 and $25.00. Of course, the keys go for much higher. Most notably, is the first Star-Lord appearance, which can go for over over a hundred dollars. I suppose that's to be expected.
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