# Marvel Classics Comics

Marvel Classics Comics was an American comics magazine which ran from 1976 until 1978. It specialized in adaptations of literary classics such as Moby-Dick, The Three Musketeers, and The Iliad. It was Marvel Comics' attempt to pick up the mantle of Classics Illustrated, which stopped publishing in 1971. Thirty-six issues of Marvel Classics Comics were published, 12 of them being reprints of another publisher's work.

## Overview

Classics Illustrated, created by Albert Kanter, began publication in 1941 and finished its first run in 1971, producing 169 issues. Editor Vincent Fago's Pendulum Now Age Classics, published by Pendulum Press, began adapting literary classics into black-and-white comics beginning in 1973. The Pendulum series was the direct antecedent to Marvel Classics Comics — in fact, the Marvel series' first 12 issues were colorized reprints of selected Pendulum comics, with new covers. These issues featured writers like Otto Binder, Kin Platt, and Irwin Shapiro doing the adaptations; with art by Filipino artists Alex Niño, Rudy Nebres, and E. R. Cruz, among others.
Issues in the Marvel Classics Comics series were 52 pages with no advertisements. Most of the titles in the series had previously been adapted in Classics Illustrated, but two new ones were added: Bram Stoker's Dracula (#9, a Pendulum Press reprint) and H. Rider Haggard's She (#24).
After the first 12 reprint issues, adaptations were handled by writers like Doug Moench and John Warner (Warner was the series editor from issue #13–24). Many issues were drawn by Dino Castrillo; artists like Jess Jodloman, Yong Montaño, and Rudy Mesina also had multiple contributions. Ernie Chan was in charge of most of the early covers. Michael Golden's first work for Marvel Comics was "The Cask of Amontillado", a backup story in Marvel Classics Comics #28 (1977) adapting an Edgar Allan Poe short story.
In 1984, Marvel teamed with Fisher-Price to re-issue a selection of Marvel Classics Comics titles in toy stores, packaged with a cassette tape of the book.
In 2007, Marvel re-entered the literary adaptations arena with their imprint Marvel Illustrated.

## Issue list
### Original run (1976-1978)

* Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, adapted by Kin Platt and Nestor Redondo
* The Time Machine, adapted by Otto Binder and Alex Niño
* The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, adapted by Naunerle Farr and Jun Lofamia
* Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, adapted by Otto Binder and Romy Gaboa & Ernie Patricio
* Black Beauty, adapted by Naunerle Farr and Rudy Nebres
* Gulliver's Travels, adapted by John Norwood Fago and E. R. Cruz
* Tom Sawyer, adapted by Irwin Shapiro and E. R. Cruz
* Moby-Dick, adapted by Irwin Shapiro and Alex Niño & Dan Adkins
* Dracula, adapted by Naunerle Farr and Nestor Redondo
* The Red Badge of Courage, adapted by Irwin Shapiro and E. R. Cruz
* The Mysterious Island, adapted by Otto Binder and E. R. Cruz
* The Three Musketeers, adapted by Naunerle Farr and Alex Niño
* The Last of the Mohicans
* The War of the Worlds
* Treasure Island, adapted by Bill Mantlo and Dino Castrillo
* Ivanhoe
* The Count of Monte Cristo, adapted by Chris Claremont and Dino Castrillo
* The Odyssey
* Robinson Crusoe
* Frankenstein
* Master of the World, adapted by Doug Moench and Dino Castrillo
* Food of the Gods, adapted by Doug Moench and Sonny Trinidad
* The Moonstone, adapted by Don McGregor and Dino Castrillo
* She, adapted by John Warner, Dino Castrillo & Rod Santiago
* The Invisible Man
* Iliad, adapted by Elliot S. Maggin and Yong Montano
* Kidnapped, adapted by Doug Moench, Pete Ijauco and Sonny Trinidad
* The Pit and the Pendulum, adapted by Doug Moench, Rudy Mesina, Yong Montano, Rod Santiago and Michael Golden
* The Prisoner of Zenda, adapted by Doug Moench and Rico Rival
* Arabian Nights, adapted by Doug Moench and Yong Montano
* The First Men in the Moon — cover mistakenly attributes authorship of the original novel to Jules Verne
* White Fang
* The Prince and the Pauper
* Robin Hood
* Alice in Wonderland
* A Christmas Carol

### Fisher-Price re-issue (1984)

* Alice in Wonderland
* The Arabian Nights
* Frankenstein
* Robin Hood
* Robinson Crusoe
* Treasure Island