Fantagraphics Unearths a Marvel Masterpiece with Jim Steranko

Lately, some of the most exciting Marvel collections on my shelf have not been coming directly from Marvel. They have been coming from Fantagraphics.

One of the most anticipated releases from this partnership is Marvel Creator Collection No. 2: Whatever Happened to Scorpio? The Complete Jim Steranko at Marvel. This stunning 504-page, two-volume hardcover slipcase set gathers the entire Marvel output of legendary writer and artist Jim Steranko.

What Marvel might see as less marketable to a mainstream audience is often exactly the kind of material collectors like me want to revisit. There is something special about discovering comics that prioritize artistic experimentation, bold storytelling, and creative risk-taking over blockbuster recognition. That is why the growing partnership between Marvel and Fantagraphics feels like such a perfect fit.

For Marvel, it gives new life to overlooked gems buried deep within its publishing history. For Fantagraphics, it provides access to some of the most influential and innovative work ever produced in the medium. Most importantly, it gives readers a chance to discover characters, creators, and stories that might never find a place in Marvel’s regular publishing schedule.

Steranko’s Marvel career was surprisingly brief, spanning fewer than 30 full issues between 1966 and 1969. Yet his impact on comics remains enormous. Raised on Golden Age adventure strips and pulp heroes, Steranko fused those influences with modern graphic design, cinematic storytelling, and contemporary fine art. The result was a body of work that transformed the visual language of mainstream comics.

His groundbreaking run on Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., captured the cool sophistication of the 1960s spy craze better than anyone else. Steranko infused every page with dramatic camera angles, film noir lighting, psychedelic imagery, and graphic design elements that felt decades ahead of their time.

What made Steranko truly revolutionary was his willingness to challenge every convention. He abandoned the rigid panel grids that dominated superhero comics and introduced more than 150 original storytelling techniques. Readers found themselves navigating literal mazes, rotating comic books upside down, and experiencing layouts that transformed reading into an interactive experience. His pages moved with the rhythm of cinema while still embracing the unique strengths of comics.

Before Steranko, mainstream superhero comics rarely ventured beyond traditional action storytelling. Inspired by artists such as Salvador Dalí, he introduced surrealism, Op Art, psychedelic imagery, and photographic collage techniques into Marvel’s universe. His work turned comic pages into visual experiments that still feel fresh today.

The collection includes everything. Every story. Every cover. His work on Captain America, X-Men, Daredevil, Nick Fury, and even his lone romance story. It also gathers his iconic covers for Fantastic Four, Supernatural Thrillers, Incredible Hulk Special, Shanna the She-Devil, and later Marvel projects, along with illustrations created for Marvelmania and FOOM fan publications. For the first time, Steranko’s complete Marvel legacy has been assembled in a single archival edition.

Jim Steranko did more than draw comics. He changed the grammar of comic-book storytelling.

His work created a bridge between Golden Age adventure comics and the modern graphic storytelling techniques that dominate today’s industry. His influence can be seen everywhere, from cinematic superhero comics to graphic novels and even modern film storyboards.

His Nick Fury stories established the visual blueprint for Marvel espionage. The gadgets, fashion, architecture, and sleek presentation helped define the stylish spy-fiction side of the Marvel Universe.

The collection also highlights the breadth of his influence across multiple Marvel titles. Whether drawing Captain America, Daredevil, X-Men, or S.H.I.E.L.D., Steranko consistently pushed the medium forward.

Perhaps most importantly, this is the first time his entire foundational Marvel body of work has been curated into a dedicated collector’s edition. No hunting down scattered back issues. No piecing together different collections. It is all here in one beautifully designed package.

Many fans see this set as a dream project. The premium slipcase presentation has generated tremendous excitement, especially among collectors familiar with Fantagraphics’ reputation for producing gorgeous archival editions.

There is also considerable discussion surrounding restoration. Longtime readers know that previous Marvel collections featuring Steranko’s work have sometimes drawn criticism for muddy colors and inconsistent reproduction. Many collectors are eager to see whether Fantagraphics uses new high-resolution scans or relies on existing Marvel digital files.

Another fascinating point of discussion involves Steranko’s page design. His original stories were carefully constructed around the placement of advertisements in 1960s comic books. Because of that, readers are curious to see how Fantagraphics preserves the pacing, page turns, and impact of his famous splash pages and double-page spreads within this new format.

For me, that anticipation is part of the fun. Fantagraphics has been digging deep into Marvel’s vaults and uncovering treasures that deserve a second life. If this collection is any indication, there are still plenty of golden nuggets waiting to be rediscovered. And for comic fans who appreciate innovation, artistry, and the history of the medium, Whatever Happened to Scorpio? Looks impossible to pass up.