Weekly Update - 1/20/19

1962 was a year of groundbreaking debuts, and 1963 continues that trend with the addition of the X-Men, the Wasp, The Avengers, Iron Man, Nick Fury, and Dr. Strange. It is also the year that the Marvel Universe first started to feel like a shared Marvel Universe, with heroes popping up in each other's comics. Some series are still finding their voice and shape (and boy, does X-Men take a while to find its voice), while others are immediately familiar to modern readers.

In addition to Jack "King" Kirby's incredible (and ubiquitous) art, Steve Ditko brought his unique style to Spider-Man and Dr. Strange. His charms are less apparent at first, but he will prove himself an important visionary in the history of Marvel.

While there are hits and misses in 1963, it is undeniable that Marvel is going through an explosion of creativity this year. The premiering of new heroes and series slows down for a while after this, but we will see them use the following years to flesh out these characters and stories. Stick with us and you'll see more and more imagination on display each year!

This week's episode is Marvel Year Two: 1963 Pt. 1, due out tomorrow 1/21/19. All feedback for 1963 can be sent to mymarvelousyear@gmail.com, and the deadline is 1/29/19 by midnight.

The comics we're covering for Marvel Year Two: 1963 Pt. 1 are:

Fantastic Four #10
Amazing Spider-Man #1
Amazing Spider-Man #2
Amazing Spider-Man #3
Tales of Suspense  #39
Fantastic Four #12
Fantastic Four #13
Fantastic Four Annual #1

In addition, $5+ Patreons will get access to Extra Issues, the bonus show that fleshes out each year's readings. This episode covers the introductions of Sandman, The Hate Monger, Giant Man, Tales of Asgard, Happy Hogan/Pepper Potts, a very good Ant-Man issue (I know, I know, hard to believe, but I swear it's true), and many more.

EXTRA ISSUES

Fantastic Four #11 Worth Reading
Fantastic Four #20 Skip
Fantastic Four #21 Read If Interested
Tales to Astonish #39 Worth Reading
Tales to Astonish #49 Skip
Journey into Mystery #88 Read If Interested
Journey into Mystery #89 Read If Interested
Journey into Mystery #93 Skip
Journey into Mystery #97 Read If Interested
Tales of Suspense #43 Read If Interested
Tales of Suspense #45 Read If Interested
The Incredible Hulk #5 Read If Interested
The Incredible Hulk #6 Skip
The Amazing Spider-Man #4 Worth Reading
The Amazing Spider-Man #6 Read If Interested

Starting today, we're adjusting the $5 tier on Patreon slightly. We decided sharing our notes is probably not going to be as interesting as we thought, so we're removing it and replacing it with access to our Master Spreadsheet List, which compiles the entire MMY list with the Extra Issues lists all in one place. We'll also occasionally release bonus episodes at this tier, such as our Spider-Verse movie discussion. If anyone is still interested in seeing the notes, you're welcome to email us and we're happy to share them (Zack's at least... I hear Dave's are scrawled on bar napkins and coasters). An email will be going out shortly giving access to the list.

 UPCOMING PODCAST SCHEDULE:

Jan 21:  Marvel Year Two: 1963 Part 1 / Extra Issues 1963
Jan 28:  Marvel Year Two: 1963 Part 2
Jan 29:  Deadline for feedback about 1963
Feb 4:  Marvel Year Two: 1963 Variant Cover
Feb 11: Marvel Year Three: 1964 Part 1 / Extra Issues 1964
Feb 18:  Marvel Year Three: 1964 Part 2
Feb 19: Deadline for feedback about 1964

Come chat with us in the Slack channel (available to $3+ patrons), and find us on Instagram or Twitter.
You can find all the My Marvelous Year reading lists here and check out the rest of what Comic Book Herald has to offer here.
Thanks for joining us on this journey through Marvel comics! 

P.S. Check out this letter the Game of Thrones author, George R.R. Martin, wrote when he was 14. Too bad we don't hear Tyrion say "by gumbo" more often!