With the Kickstarter campaign live for the Marvel Masterworks collection from Clover Press, we are delighted to be joined by Hank Kanalz, publisher at Clover Press.
Hi Hank, it’s so lovely to have you here with us again.
Can you tell us about your history with Marvel Masterworks?
HK: Like many of us, I’ve bought volumes off and on over the years. I bought so many of the first volumes back in the day, then sold them when I had to move, then regretted it and bought some of them back. I don’t have an entire run like Ted Adams and so many others have, but I do like my set of X-Men volumes.
What makes Marvel Masterworks so special?
HK: They are high-quality chronological snapshots of Marvel history! What a great format to collect entire runs, with the highest fidelity reproduction possible for its time. And they are the right size to read comfortably. Not too large (heavy), but still substantial and a satisfying read.
As a comic fan, is comic preservation important to you?
HK: Yes, both as a fan and a publisher. That’s one of the reasons we’ve partnered with the Library of American Comics – so much of our rich history needs to be preserved, and in tangible, hold-with-my-hands formats. Marvel Masterworks fits into that philosophy perfectly as an added line to our offerings.
And to have the opportunity to be a part of preserving Marvel history has us over the moon.
Can you tell us a bit about how Clover Press got involved with Marvel Masterworks?
HK: We were disappointed to read that the line was going on hiatus, and reached out to Marvel about it. What might not work for them pencilled out to work out ok for us. It turns out that at the same time, Marvel was considering their options for the future of the line, and we had just completed a few of our Marvel Art Of… books, so were top of mind with Marvel, for the quality and look of our books. So it was a well timed query from us, and after a few conversations, we were able to reach an agreement to take on the line.
We understand that there is a new trade dress. What can you tell us about the new trade dress?
HK: The new trade dress is designed to update and modernize a line that hasn’t changed much since 1987. It’s important for collectors of the existing line to maintain that look, uninterrupted, but we need to also attract new readers, so we are introducing a new look that celebrates the interior art and the teams that worked on them. It will (hopefully) give reason to start collecting the new line, whether by individual series or the line as a whole.
What can you tell us about the first wave of Clover Press’ Marvel Masterworks?
HK: We decided to continue some of the more popular runs, including Uncanny X-Men and The Mighty Thor, plus complete the popular Tomb of Dracula (probably one of the most requested Marvel Masterworks) series so no one is left hanging without the last volume. And we wanted to debut a new Vol. 1, hence Super-Villain Team-Up. This is done in one, so is a complete series in itself.
SVTU features a new introduction by Roy THomas. Dr. Doom – he’s in the spotlight this year, right? Steve Englehart, Roy Thomas, and Bill Mantlo, with art by so many great artists of the time like Herb Trimpe and Bob Hall, plus Geroge Pérez, Sal Buscema and so many more.
Tomb of Dracula concludes the incredible run by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan, with inks by Tom Palmer. This series concludes with this volume, so no one has to worry about having an incomplete collection. Plus, it’s really fantastic top-of-game work for both Wolfman and Colan.
The Mighty Thor concludes Simonson’s run on what was one of the most talked-about arcs at the time. And this volume features art shot directly from Walter Simonson’s original art.
The Uncanny X-Men continues with the Claremont/Lee run, but this collection also features art by Marc Silvestri, Whilce Portacio, and more – and we’re soon heading into X-men #1!
Any message for the ComicBuzz readers?
HK: If you’re a Marvel Masterworks collector – come on back and continue your run. We’ll be matching the current format, so won’t miss a beat! If you’ve lapsed, or never tried one, now is a great time to jump on board, with one of our updated editions! Thanks for your support!
We would like to say a big thank you to Hank for chatting with us and wish him the best of luck with the Marvel Masterworks collection Kickstarter campaign.
Feel free to check out the Kickstarter campaign.
