Marvel Comics; $24.99

Not only does this hardcover collect the ultra-cool mini-series by writer Jeff Parker and artist Leonard Kirk, it also contains the 1950s material that inspired it.

Parker and Kirk took FBI Agent Jimmy Woo (who was later seen as an agent of SHIELD) and built a team of super-powered agents around him out of other characters from that period. They developed a history for them, which of course had been covered up until now, and then brought them back together in the modern era.

The team consisted of Woo, Namora, the Human Robot, Marvel Boy, Gorilla Man, and Venus. One of the main reasons this collected edition is so cool, is that it also includes the first appearances of these characters from the pages of Marvel Mystery Comics #82, Yellow Claw #1, Venus #1, Menace #11, Men’s Adventures #26, and Marvel Boy #1, all gloriously restored. The beautiful rendition of Yellow Claw #1 alone is worth the price of admission.

This is a great way to tie modern stories and an appreciation of where these characters come from. It also includes What If? #9, the first attempt at using some of these characters.

– J.C. Vaughn