For nearly 40 years, Marvel Masterworks has been one of Marvel Comics’ definitive archival collections, bringing classic stories from across the company’s history to readers in carefully produced hardcover editions. Now the long-running line enters a new era with a new publisher, as Clover Press takes over publication.
The boutique publisher behind the line of comics-related art books, special editions and original comics launched its first Marvel Masterworks releases yesterday through Kickstarter, with plans to bring them to the direct market. The first wave includes Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 18; The Mighty Thor, Vol. 25; The Tomb of Dracula, Vol. 6; and Super-Villain Team-Up, Vol. 1.
The new editions will retain the familiar Marvel Masterworks legacy trade dress while also introducing a new variant design by Clover Press art director and co-founder Robbie Robbins. But the publisher’s plans go well beyond a new look. The books will feature extensive restoration work overseen by longtime Marvel Masterworks editor Cory Sedlmeier, including material restored from original art, new scans and high-resolution reproduction.
I spoke with Clover Press co-founder Hank Kanalz about how the partnership with Marvel came together, why maintaining continuity with the existing line was important, the challenges of restoring hundreds of pages of classic comics and what Clover Press has planned for Marvel Masterworks over the next three years.
The Marvel Masterworks line has been a very popular archival line for nearly 40 years now, and gets a lot of praise and at the same time scrutiny from fans. What did it mean to Clover Press to be entrusted with carrying that legacy forward?
We’re honored and flattered that Marvel has trusted us to continue the legacy. We pride ourselves on the quality of our books, and we’re thrilled to bring that to this fan favorite collection of books. With our first Eisner nomination this year, plus a robust line of art books are our shelves, I think Clover Press is a good match for this.
For Clover Press, this seems from the outside like a natural extension of some of the other projects you’ve worked on with Marvel — the art books, the recent Spider-Man newspaper strips. But how did the partnership to continue the Masterworks line come about?
We reached out when we heard the initial news. What might not pencil out for a company like Marvel could possibly work out for small boutique shop like Clover Press. We were hopeful, but didn’t expect Marvel to respond. It turns out that Marvel was already discussing internally reaching out to us about continuing the line, when they received our query – so we really think it was meant to be.
From the announcement it sounds like you’re continuing the line vs. rebooting it. Is the idea for these new editions to match the look, feel and production values of the existing Marvel Masterworks on readers’ shelves?
Yes. It was important to us to not discard the equity and quality of the existing line, nor discard the loyal customer base. At the same time, we think it’s important to create a “jumping on point” for folks who never had the chance to collect all 389 previous volumes. So we’ll be producing the legacy versions as well as a newly designed Clover Press edition. Robbie Robbinshas done a terrific job designing a new look for the series, and for those committed collectors, we will maintain both of those lines.
Cory Sedlmeier has been synonymous with the Marvel Masterworks line for more than two decades. How important was it to bring him aboard for this new era?
He’s amazing, and a treat with whom to collaborate. We couldn’t think of a better choice to bring the quality readers have come to expect from a Marvel Masterwork. He brings a depth of knowledge and enthusiasm for the line that is hard to match.
The initial wave includes Uncanny X-Men, Thor, Tomb of Dracula and Super-Villain Team-Up. What made those four books the right place to begin?
Timing! We wanted a good mix, something for everyone. It’s important to us to continue and/or complete some of the existing lines, and introduce new lines. Super-Villain Team-Up is our new volume (done in one!), and we’re capping off Tomb of Dracula.
SVTU features an introduction by Roy Thomas. The book itself is well over 500 pages by Steve, Roy Thomas, and Bill Mantlo, with art by so many great artist of the time like Bob Hall and Herb Trimple, plus Sal Buscema and so many more.
Tomb of Dracula concludes the amazing run by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan – there are some gorgeous pencil scans including, too. So many fans have already written in to us about this one, as they didn’t want to be left hanging with just one more volume to go.
The Mighty Thor features art shot directly from Walter Simonson’s original art. Man, when this came out, everyone was talking about it on new comic book day.
The Uncanny X-Men continues the Claremont/Lee run, but this collection also features art by Marc Silvestri, Whilce Portacio, and more – and we’re heading into X-men territory.
One question I’ve already heard from collectors is whether Clover Press plans to reprint earlier, out-of-print Masterworks volumes that can be difficult to find today, perhaps with the new trade dress. Is that something you’re planning to tackle in the future?
Short answer: Yes!
But let’s see how we do with these new volumes. We’re confident the audience is still there. Reprints are another matter altogether, as print runs are much lower, which means the cost to produce them goes up significantly – but if the demand is there, we will meet it.
The new editions launched through Kickstarter before reaching the direct market, which you’ve done with most of your projects of this nature. What advantages does crowdfunding offer for a premium archival line like Marvel Masterworks?
It gives us a direct connection with the readers, and that provides invaluable feedback on how to grow the line. I think it’s a great way to gauge interest, too. Kickstarter represents such a small percentage of the book buying public (but is growing!), so it really is a great way to reveal the true interest of a project.
And we can also offer some super limited edition extras that we normally wouldn’t be able to do so with traditional distribution. We have some really fun and special additions for our launch campaign!
Getting into the process a bit, does Marvel provide ready-to-use digital scan files from previous projects, or is the entire creation from start to finish entirely up to you? How much restoration work goes into a project like this?
It depends on the era of the material, and what is available. It’s not as easy as Marvel handing us files, though, unfortunately. There is extensive work that Cory and his team add to the material to bring the quality up to the standards of a Masterworks book. And because of the sheer number of pages, it’s not an inexpensive task. And that’s where the crowdfunding comes in, as it contributes the funds needed to complete the work.
You describe this as only the first wave of an ambitious publishing plan. What excites you most about the long-term future of Marvel Masterworks under Clover Press?
Oh, the things we have planned! We’ve mapped out the next 36 months, and we hope folks will be as excited as we are! One of our guiding principles at Clover Press is to publish books we want to read and enjoy and put on our bookshelf. We’re as passionate about our Marvel Masterworks planned for the years ahead.