As talent began to leave for Image in the early nineties, a whole lot of Marvel titles wrapped up, disappearing like Thanos had snapped them out of existence. Cartoon Art Museum’s Andrew Farago grabs the gauntlet to highlight 90s runs that made maximum impact with minimum page count.

A loud, vocal contingent of modern comic book fandom insists that social and political commentary in superhero stories didn’t come along until 2016, when monthly comics turned overnight from epic Secret Wars-style slugfests to anti-Republican poetry slams drawn by CalArts dropouts in between Women’s Marches and Ani DiFranco concerts. Andrew Farago points out how long social issues have been key with Ann Nocenti as a shining example.

My generation knows Larry Hama best as the guiding force behind G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, the Marvel Comics series that launched in 1982 and was one of the publisher’s top sellers throughout the eighties. He’s a outstanding individual. Andrew Farago does a deep dive on the this pillar of comic books and pop culture.

The best lineup of artistic talent on a single Marvel Comics ongoing title with no fill-in artist drawing more than a single story wasn’t on Amazing Spider-Man, Avengers or Uncanny X-Men. Andrew Farago digs into the stacks for a deep cut of classic superhero artistry.