Marvel's X-Men by PAUL SMITH et al

      My first experience of Marvel characters were the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man cartoons on network television and the Capt. America, Thor, Iron Man, and other cartoons offered on syndicated television in the 1960's. These latter were the ones based on the Jack Kirby artwork with minimal animation. During this time period, my limited comic book purchases were mostly Disney and Hanna-Barbera funny animal comics. During Jr. High and High School in the 1970's, I started buying superhero comics heavily and most were Marvels. Starting at Avengers #105, Amazing Spider-Man #115, Fantastic Four #129, and the X-Men reprints. Soon, the new X-Men became my favorite comic. I gave up regular purchases before any of the #200 issues, but still pick up an issue here and there by a favorite artist such as the Bruce Timm Avengers and Terry Dodson Spider-Man. I'd rather see Frank Cho doing Liberty Meadows, but I pick up his Marvel work. For collecting artwork, older artwork is out of my price range, but I love my John Romita Sr. Mary Jane sketch and my vintage Werner Roth X-Men sketch. My favorite recent Marvel Comics are the two humorous Darwyn Cooke Spider-Man Tangled Web stories and I bought a few pages. French artist Pierre Alary drew a very fun Spider-Man/Fantastic Four crossover comic and I bought two of his rough pencils pages.

      This Kate Willaert X-Men chart clarified the date of my last regular issues as somewhere around 1983-84. Gave my back issues to help fund my niece's private school tuitiion. I'm largely ignorant of the new characters or the changes to my old favorites. Still have fondness for the characters and will pick up a sketch here or there.