Comic books in 'Contest of Champions'

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"Chapter 1: A Gathering of Heroes!" Guest-starring every super hero in the Marvel Universe. Story by Mark Gruenwald, Bill Mantlo, and Steven Grant. Art by John Romita, Jr. and Pablo Marcos. Cover by John Romita, Jr. and Bob Layton. The world's super heroes mysteriously disappear from Earth and then reappear in a giant arena in outer space. The Grandmaster and Death herself have decided to use the Earth's super heroes as pawns in a game they are playing against one another. If the Grandmaster wins the game, his brother, the Collector, will be restored to life. Both the Grandmaster and Death select 12 heroes to fight for their side and find the four pieces of the golden globe of life. Whichever team finds the most pieces wins! (Notes: Contest of Champions was the first Marvel Limited Series. The last two pages of this issue begin an index listing and description of each Marvel super hero.) 32 pages Cover price $0.60.

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"Chapter 2: Frenzy in the Frozen North!" Story by Mark Gruenwald, Bill Mantlo, and Steven Grant. Art by John Romita, Jr. and Pablo Marcos. Cover by John Romita, Jr. and Bob Layton. The first battle of the contest of champions takes place at the North Pole and pits the Invisible Girl, Iron Fist, and Sunfire against Daredevil, Darkstar, and Talisman. Daredevil captures the first piece of the golden globe and wins round one for the Grandmaster! "Chapter 3: Ghost Town Showdown" The second battle is set in an old west ghost town. Iron Man, Sabra, and the Arabian Knight fight Captain Britain, Defensor, and the She-Hulk for the golden globe. This time one of Death's champions, the Arabian Knight, finds the globe. After two rounds the score is tied. (Note: The last two pages continue the index listing of each Marvel super hero.) 32 pages. Cover price $0.60.

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"Chapter 4: Siege in the City of the Dead!" Story by Mark Gruenwald, Bill Mantlo, and Steven Grant. Art by John Romita, Jr. and Pablo Marcos. Cover by Ed Hannigan and Al Milgrom. The third battle of the contest of champions features Le Peregrine, Wolverine, and the Thing vs. the Angel, the Black Panther, and Vanguard. The Thing breaks up the fight between Wolverine and the Black Panther, and discovers the third piece of the globe! "Chapter 5: Struggle in the Jungle!" The fourth battle occurs in South America with Captain America, Sasquatch, and Blitzkrieg fighting Shamrock, Storm, and the Collective Man. Shamrock finds the globe right before Captain America does, and wins the final round for her team. "Chapter 6: Winner Takes None!" The heroes and all four pieces of the golden globe return to the giant arena; and it looks like the Grandmaster has won...or has he? (Notes: The story contains an apparent editorial error with respect to the actual final score of the contest. The last two pages conclude the index listing of each Marvel super hero.) NOTE: The story does not end here. The Grandmaster and Death's game continues in Avengers (Vol. 1) Annual #16 and West Coast Avengers Annual #2. 32 pages Cover price $0.60.

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"Death and Texas!" Guest-starring the Silver Surfer. Story by Steve Englehart. Art by Al Milgrom. The East Coast and West Coast teams have gathered for their annual softball game. Suddenly the Silver Surfer (fresh off the events in Silver Surfer #2) arrives with the warning that one of the Elders of the Universe plans to murder the Avengers. What follows is a contest of Champions. It's the East Coast Avengers, Captain America, Thor, Wasp, She Hulk, Dr. Druid, Captain Marvel, and Black Knight, vs. the West Coast Avengers, Hawkeye, Iron Man, Wonder Man, Tigra, Moon Knight, Mockingbird, and Hank Pym, and the heroes' very souls are the prize. Story continues in Avengers (1963-96) Annual #16. NOTE: This story is also a continuation of the classic Marvel Super-Heroes Contest of Champions mini series. 48 pages. Cover price $1.25.

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"The Day Death Died!" Part 2 of 2. Guest-starring the Silver Surfer. Script by Tom DeFalco. Chapter 1 : Art by Bob Hall (breakdowns) and Tom Palmer (finishes). Chapter 2: Art by John Romita, Jr. (breakdowns) and Bill Sienkiewicz (finishes). Chapter 3: Art by Keith Pollard (breakdowns) and Al Williamson (finishes). Chapter 4: Art by Marshall Rogers (breakdowns) and Bob Layton (finishes). Chapter 5: Art by Jackson Guice (breakdowns) and Kevin Nowlan (finishes). Chapter 6: Art by Ron Frenz (breakdowns) and Bob Wiacek (finishes). Cover by Bob Layton. The Grandmaster stands revealed as the master manipulator of the Avengers! The ancient elder of the universe has captured Death! And now forces Earth's Mightiest Heroes to play a most dangerous game! Five bombs have been scattered across the cosmos with the power to destroy the universe! The Avengers have to find the bombs and disarm them before they explode! But the Grandmaster has stacked the deck in his favor by reviving deceased heroes and villains from days gone by! When the fifteen avengers arrive at the bombs' various locations…so do the Grandmaster's long departed warriors! All-time classic battles erupt: the Silver Surfer vs. Korvac, She-Hulk vs. Drax the Destroyer, Hawkeye vs. the Swordsman, Captain Marvel vs. Captain Marvel, Moon Knight vs. the Green Goblin, and Iron Man vs. Terrax the Tamer! Wow! When the epic confrontations are over, only two avengers are left standing: Hawkeye and Captain America! Do the star-spangled avenger and the ace archer have a puncher's chance against the awesome Grandmaster? Perhaps, but only if everything comes down to a simple game of chance! Flashback cameos by the Collector, Korvac, Black Panther, Thing, Vanguard, and Wolverine to recap the events of Avengers #174 and the Contest of Champions Limited Series. Avengers Lineup: Black Knight, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Doctor Druid, Hercules, Hawkeye, Iron Man, Mockingbird, Moon Knight, She-Hulk, Tigra, Thor, Wonder Man, Henry Pym, and the Wasp. NOTE: The Grandmaster returns in Silver Surfer (2nd series) #4.

48 pages Cover price $1.25.

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"The Gathering" Script by Chris Claremont. Pencils by Oscar Jimenez. Inks by Eduardo Alpuente. Cover by Oscar Jimenez and Eduardo Alpuente. On a beautiful day along the Hudson River, Iron Man and the Human Torch participate in a training exercise for West Point cadets. But the exercise is interrupted by the sudden appearance of Rogue! Shell-Head and the torch chase after her, and then abruptly all three of them disappear! What is going on? Apparently, an alien race called the Coterie has abducted the super-heroes of Earth and transported them to a massive starship. And now under the influence of tiny nanites, the Earth's super-heroes are ready to battle one another for the grand prize! However one hero is unaffected by the nanites: the Invincible Iron Man! As a result the golden avenger is chosen for the first fight in the arena. And as shown of the cover, his opponent is Psylocke! Let the games begin! Cameo appearances by the Black Panther, Captain America, Hulk, Shadowcat, Spider-Man, Storm, Thing, Thor, and Brother Royal. X-Force Lineup: Bedlam, Cannonball, Domino, Meltdown, Moonstar, Proudstar, Siryn, and Sunspot. (Notes: The first (Marvel Super Hero) Contest of Champions limited series was published in 1982. This five-issue limited series was reprinted in 2001 in the trade paperback: Contest of Champions II.) 32 pages. Cover price $2.50.

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"Process of Elimination" Script by Chris Claremont. Pencils by Oscar Jimenez. Inks by Eduardo Alpuente. Cover by Oscar Jimenez and Eduardo Alpuente. The galactic games continue somewhere deep in outer space at the Coterie's behest! The first clash is the new Spider-Woman (aka Mattie Franklin) vs. the Human Torch! Next is Mr. Fantastic vs. the Incredible Hulk! Then after a short break, the Human Torch draws another match. This one against his ex-teammate She-Hulk. The torch triumphs for a second time, so he receives a third opponent: Storm! Will the X-Men's wind-rider bring Johnny Storm's winning streak to an end? Meanwhile, after defeating Psylocke is his first contest, the golden avenger was defeated by X-Force. And subsequently exiled to an alien bio-system of unknown origin and location! But Iron Man discovers that Psylocke is here too! Can the former combatants work together to escape? Cameo appearances by Shadowcat and Brother Royal. (Note: As a novelty Marvel created a website for fans and readers to vote for their desired winners of key matches.) 32 pages. Cover price $2.50.

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"Culling the Herd" Script by Chris Claremont. Pencils by Oscar Jimenez. Inks by Eduardo Alpuente. Cover by Oscar Jimenez and Eduardo Alpuente. The next round of contests starts with a doozy: Cable vs. the Scarlet Witch! And ends with a classic: Thor vs. Storm! In between many heroes score victories to advance...including the Black Panther, Black Widow, Daredevil, Deadpool, Domino, Gambit, Hawkeye, Invisible Woman, Phoenix, and Spider-Man. While the losers of the matches are dumped into the strange bio-system where Iron Man and Psylocke are currently trapped. However thanks to a hex thrown during Wanda's fight, Lockdown and Rosetta Stone -- two heroes from the negative zone -- appear in the bio-system and join forces with Earth's heroes. And that becomes very, very important once Psylocke realizes the alien Coterie are actually: the Brood! Cameo appearances by Brother Royal, Shadowcat, and Warbird. 32 pages. Cover price $2.50.

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"Final Cut" Script by Chris Claremont. Pencils by Michael Ryan. Inks by Jon Livesay and Ray Kryssing. Cover by Oscar Jimenez and Eduardo Alpuente. The superhero battles are almost over, and the Brood Queen is ready to select her champions (or more apropos select her new embryo hosts)! Once the Hulk, Spider-Man, and Captain America defeat Deadpool, Domino, and the Black Panther, respectively; the queen assembles her awesome team! How can anyone beat this lineup? The Scarlet Witch, Phoenix, Gambit, Thor, Cap, Spider-Man, and the Hulk. Whatever counterattack Iron Man and Psylocke are planning to launch from the bio-system, it better be a good one! Cameo appearances by the Beast, Daredevil, Hawkeye, Hercules, Lockdown, Rosetta Stone, Wolverine, Rogue, Shadowcat, and the Wasp. (Notes: The X-Men have fought the Brood several times. Most notably in the classic Brood saga in Uncanny X-Men (1st series) 161-167.) 32 pages. Cover price $2.50.

"Victory!" Script by Chris Claremont. Pencils by Oscar Jimenez and Michael Ryan. Inks by Eduardo Alpuente and Jon Livesay. Cover by Oscar Jimenez and Eduardo Alpuente. The Contest of Champions is drawing to a close! And the ultimate winner appears to be the Brood Queen! The queen mother possesses Rogue's body and then absorbs the awesome powers of her group of champions! However while the Brood Queen is celebrating; Iron Man, Psylocke, Lockdown, and Rosetta Stone breach the Badoon's control room and start sending Earth's super-heroes back to Earth! Eventually, the only heroes left on the gigantic starship are Rosetta, Shadowcat, and Warbird. So it's up to Carol Danvers to knock out Rogue! And payback has been a very long time coming! What a finish to the Contest of Champions! Cameo appearances by Captain America, Deadpool, Gambit, Hawkeye, Hulk, Human Torch, Phoenix, Scarlet Witch, Spider-Man, Thing, Thor, and Brother Royal. (Notes: Warbird's history with Rogue dates back to the classic Avengers Annual #10. This five-issue limited series was reprinted in 2001 in the trade paperback: Contest of Champions II.) 32 pages. Cover price $2.50.

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Reprint One Shot. The Grandmaster enters a cosmic wager with Death herself, using Earth's mightiest heroes as his chess pieces! His goal? To return his fellow Elder of the Universe, the Collector, to life! The stakes? Nothing less than the fate of the Earth itself! Now, heroes from around the globe must battle it out in a contest like none ever seen before. Marvel's historic first miniseries is re-released in a single volume, packed with extras! Guest-starring... everyone! (Everyone circa 1982, that is.) Collects MARVEL SUPER HERO CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS #1-3. 88 pages, full color. Rated T Cover price $7.99.

Add to cart Near Mint $26.00

1st printing. Collects Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions (1982) #1-3, The Avengers West Coast (1986) Annual #2 and The Avengers (1963-1996 1st Series) Annual #16.

Written by Mark Gruenwald, Bill Mantlo, Steven Grant, Steve Englehart, and Tom DeFalco. Art by John Romita, Jr., Pablo Marcos, Al Milgrom, Bob Hall, Tom Palmer, Bill Sienkiewicz, Keith Pollard, Al Williamson, Marshall Rogers, Bob Layton, Jackson Guice, Kevin Nowlan, Ron Frenz, and Bob Wiacek. Cover by John Romita, Jr. and Bob Layton. Introduction by Tom DeFalco.

The first-ever Marvel event series receives the extra-sized treatment it deserves!

When the Grandmaster plays a game of cosmic chess against Death herself, Earth's super heroes become the pawns! If the Grandmaster wins, his brother the Collector will be restored to life. But if he loses, Death will claim a bitter price! Each side selects twelve champions from across Earth to do battle for the fragments of the golden globe of life. But this clash of Marvel titans comes with unexpected twists and turns - and several surprising new combatants!

Then, months later, the fallout of the contest leads to a life-and-death saga pitting two teams of Avengers against one another - and a truly lethal Legion of the Unliving!

Hardcover, 224 pages, full color. Rated T

Cover price $44.99.

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1st printing. Collects Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions (1982) #1-3, Avengers West Coast Annual #2 and Avengers Annual #16.

Written by Bill Mantlo, Mark Gruenwald, Steven Grant, Steve Englehart and Tom Defalco. Art By John Romita Jr, Al Milgrom And Bob Hall. Cover By John Romita Jr. and Al Milgrom.

To return his fellow Elder of the Universe, the Collector, to life, the Grandmaster enters a cosmic wager with Death herself, using Earth heroes as their chess pieces! Heroes from around the world, including several never-before-seen, battle it out for nothing less than the fate of Earth itself in the Contest of Champions!

Featuring every Earth hero, circa 1982!

Then, Grandmaster causes more problems for the Avengers when he plans to wipe out all life in the universe, and he pits the Avengers of both coasts against each other to claim his prize! Starring 15 Avengers and special guest star, the Silver Surfer!

Hardcover, 168 pages, full color.

NOTE: "Without a doubt, this is one of my all time favorite Avengers stories. It begins in Contest of Champions and escalates into the Avengers Annuals that follow. The House of Ideas treats the readers to some of the best super hero showdowns in the history of comics." - Odinson, Lone Star Comics Archivist

Cover price $24.99.

Add to cart Near Mint $38.00

Add to cart Near Mint $38.00

Volume 17 - 1st printing. Collects The Incredible Hulk (1962-1999 1st Series) #256-265 and ANNUAL #10-11, and Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions (1982) #1-3. Written by Bill Mantlo, Mary Jo Duffy, Steven Grant, and Mark Gruenwald. Art by Sal Buscema, Rick Leonardi, Rich Buckler, John Romita, Jr., Al Milgrom, Frank Giacoia, Sal Trapani, Walt Simonson, Bruce Patterson, Bob Wiacek, Chic Stone, Dan Green, Joe Sinnott, Steve Mitchell, Pablo Marcos, Bob Layton, and Frank Miller. Cover by Frank Miller. Introduction by Steve Grant. Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema take the Hulk around the world! First, Israel's best defense against the Hulk is the super hero called Sabra! Next up is Egypt, where the Hulk faces the swashbuckling might of the Arabian Knight! Then it's off to Mother Russia for a battle against Darkstar and the Soviet Super-Soldiers! In Japan, Glenn Talbot faces a dramatic reckoning - after which the Hulk gets his passport stamped on Easter Island by the Absorbing Man! And in a pair of Hulk-sized Annuals, Rick Leonardi joins Mantlo to fuse Bruce Banner with the cosmic power of Captain Universe, and the Hulk battles the Avengers! Plus: Frank Miller's first Marvel story! And CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS - the Mantlo limited series that changed everything! Hardcover, 400 pages, full color. Rated T Cover price $75.00.

Add to cart Very Fine $39.00

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1st printing. Collects Contest of Champions II (1999) #1-5.

Written by Chris Claremont. Art by Oscar Jimenez and Michael Ryan.

The legendary Chris Claremont brings you the heroes of the Marvel Universe, as they battle each other in a winner-take-all tournament!

Softcover, 128 pages, full color.

Cover price $14.95.