''Monsters Unleashed'' is the title of an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

black-and-white comics magazine published by

Magazine Management Magazine Management Co., Inc. was an American publishing company lasting from at least 1947 to the early 1970s, known for men's-adventure magazines, risque men's magazines, humor, romance, puzzle, celebrity/film and other types of magazines, and ...

and two color comic-book miniseries from

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

. The first ran from 1973 to 1975. The two miniseries ran consecutively in 2017.

Magazine Management (1973–1975)

The first publication titled ''Monsters Unleashed'' was an American black-and-white

horror comics Horror comics are comic books, graphic novels, black-and-white comics magazines, and manga focusing on horror fiction. In the US market, horror comic books reached a peak in the late 1940s through the mid-1950s, when concern over content and the ...

magazine published by

, a corporate sibling of

. The series ran 11 issues

cover-date The cover date of a periodical publication is the date displayed on the cover, which is not necessarily the true date of publication (the on-sale date or release date); later cover dates are common in magazine and comic book publishing. More unusu ...

d 1973 to April 1975), plus one

annual publication Annual publications, more often simply called annuals, are periodical publications appearing regularly once per year."Annuals", in ''Encyclopedia of library and information science'' (1968), vol. 1, pp. 434–447. Although exact definitions may var ...

. With sister titles including ''

Dracula Lives! ''Dracula Lives!'' was an American black-and-white horror comics magazine published by Magazine Management, a corporate sibling of Marvel Comics. The series ran 13 issues and one '' Super Annual'' from 1973 to 1975, and starred the Marvel version o ...

'', ''

Tales of the Zombie ''Tales of the Zombie'' was an American black-and-white horror comics magazine published by Magazine Management, a corporate sibling of Marvel Comics. The series ran 10 issues and one '' Super Annual'' from 1973 to 1975, many featuring stories of t ...

'' and ''

Vampire Tales ''Vampire Tales'' was an American black-and-white horror comics magazine published by Magazine Management, a corporate sibling of Marvel Comics. The series ran 11 issues and one annual publication from 1973 to 1975, and featuring vampires as both ...

'', it was published by

' parent company,

, and related corporations, under the brand emblem Marvel Monster Group. The first issue was dated simply 1973, but the second issue of the magazine, published quarterly, was cover-dated September 1973.''Monsters Unleashed''
at the Grand Comics Database. A magazine rather than a comic book, it did not fall under the purview of the comics industry's self-censorship

Comics Code Authority The Comics Code Authority (CCA) was formed in 1954 by the Comics Magazine Association of America as an alternative to government regulation. The CCA allowed the comic publishers to self-regulate the content of comic books in the United States. ...

, allowing the title to feature stronger content — such as moderate profanity, partial nudity, and more graphic violence — than color comics of the time. ''Monsters Unleashed'' primarily featured standalone horror stories, both original and reprinted, including from pre-Comics Code comics from

' 1950s iteration, Atlas Comics. It occasionally featured stories starring the Marvel Comics swamp monster

Man-Thing The Man-Thing (Dr. Theodore "Ted" Sallis) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writers Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Gerry Conway and artist Gray Morrow, the character first appeared in ''S ...

, the Marvel version of the

Frankenstein monster Frankenstein's monster or Frankenstein's creature, often referred to as simply "Frankenstein", is a fictional character who first appeared in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus''. Shelley's title thus compare ...

, the bestial

Wendigo Wendigo () is a mythological creature or evil spirit originating from the folklore of Plains and Great Lakes Natives as well as some First Nations. It is based in and around the East Coast forests of Canada, the Great Plains region of the U ...

, the science-fiction adventurer

Gullivar Jones ''Lieut. Gullivar Jones: His Vacation'' is the last novel by Edwin Lester Arnold, combining elements of both fantasy and science fiction, first published in 1905. Its lukewarm reception led Arnold to stop writing fiction. It has since become his ...

. and the superheroine

Tigra Tigra (Greer Grant Nelson) is a fictional superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Introduced as the superpowered and gadget-wielding crime fighter the Cat in ''The Claws of the Cat'' #1 (November 1972). The ...

. It also included text features on monster movies. ''Monsters Unleashed'' was edited by

Roy Thomas Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibl ...

for the first six issues, succeeded by

Tony Isabella Tony Isabella (born December 22, 1951) is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, artist and critic, known as the creator and writer of Marvel Comics' Black Goliath; DC Comics' first major African-American superhero, Black Lightning; and as ...

, and then

Don McGregor Donald Francis McGregor (born June 15, 1945) is an American comic book writer best known for his work for Marvel Comics; he is the author of one of the first graphic novels. Early life Don McGregor was born in Providence, Rhode Island, where he w ...

for the last two issues. The painted covers were illustrated by the likes of

Gray Morrow Dwight Graydon "Gray" Morrow (March 7, 1934 – November 6, 2001).e., the Gilberton Company, publisher of the ''Classics Illustrated'' comic-book series of literary adaptations], and I was given a script. One thing led to another and I was soo ...

Boris Vallejo Boris Vallejo (born January 8, 1941) is a Peruvian-American painter who works in the science fiction, fantasy, and erotica genres. His hyper-representational paintings have appeared on the covers of numerous science fiction and fantasy fiction ...

Neal Adams Neal Adams (June 15, 1941 – April 28, 2022) was an American comic book artist. He was the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates, and was a creators-rights advocate who helped secure a pension and recognition for Supe ...

Frank Brunner Frank Brunner (born February 21, 1949) is an American comics artist and illustrator best known for his work at Marvel Comics in the 1970s. Early life Brunner attended Manhattan's High School of Art and Design. He was in the same graduating class ...

Bob Larkin Bob Larkin (born July 10, 1949) is an American comics artist primarily known for his painted covers for Marvel Comics' magazine-format titles Marvel Magazines in the 1970s and early 1980s and for his 32 painted covers on the Bantam Books paperba ...

Richard Hescox Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong ...

Earl Norem Earl H. Norem (April 17, 1923 – June 19, 2015), who signed his work simply Norem, was an American artist primarily known for his painted covers for men's-adventure magazines published by Martin Goodman's Magazine Management Company and for G ...

, and Jose Antonio Domingo. In addition to the 11 issues there was one

in 1975 consisting completely of stories reprinted from the magazine.

Marvel Comics (2017)

Volume two

The second volume of ''Monsters Unleashed'' is a

series published in 2017.''Monsters Unleashed'' (Marvel, 2017 series)
at the Grand Comics Database. It is the flagship title of the "Monster Unleashed" company-wide crossover story arc. Additionally, a tie-in trade paperback book, ''Monsters Unleashed Prelude'', reprinted late 1950s and early 1960s "

pre-superhero Marvel Atlas Comics is the 1950s comic book, comic-book publishing label that evolved into Marvel Comics. Magazine and mass market paperback, paperback novel publisher Martin Goodman (publisher), Martin Goodman, whose business strategy involved having a ...

" stories starring several of the giant monsters seen in the new series. ''Monsters Unleashed'' volume two began publication in January 2017. The five-issue miniseries was

March–May 2017.

Synopsis

Monsters have been appearing on Earth upon falling from the sky. The

Avengers Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to: Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of ...

fight a reptilian monster in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, the

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...

fight a spider monster in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, the

Black Panther A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been d ...

and Shuri defend

Wakanda Wakanda () is a fictional country appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Wakanda has been depicted as being in East Africa. It is located in sub-Saharan Africa, and is home to the superhero Black Panther (comics), Black Pa ...

from a thick-skinned monster, the

Guardians of the Galaxy The Guardians of the Galaxy is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It may more specifically refer to: Comic book teams * Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), the original 31st-century team fr ...

defend

Groot Groot () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in '' Tales to Astonish'' #13 (Nov. 1960). An extraterrestrial, senti ...

from a snake-like monster in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, the

Inhumans The Inhumans are a fictional superhuman race of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The comic book series has usually focused more specifically on the adventures of the Inhuman Royal Family, and many peop ...

fight a multi-headed monster in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, and the

Champions A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the Victory, victor in a challenge, Competition, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and w ...

fight a tentacled eye monster in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. In

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

Elsa Bloodstone Elsa Bloodstone is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She first appears in Marvel's ''Bloodstone'' mini-series of 2001 written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. She is the daughter of the previously ...

finds a prophecy that tells of the Monster King whom all monsters fear. The

Winter Guard Winter guard (sometimes spelled "winterguard") is an indoor color guard sport and performance art derived from military ceremonies. Modern winter guard is a competitive, performance-based activity which incorporates choreographed staging, dance, ...

fights monsters in Moscow while

Valkyrie In Norse mythology, a valkyrie ("chooser of the slain") is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become (Old Norse "single (or once) fighters"Orchard (1997:36) ...

and Warrior Woman fight them in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

while

Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geographic ...

fights them in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Medusa In Greek mythology, Medusa (; Ancient Greek: Μέδουσα "guardian, protectress"), also called Gorgo, was one of the three monstrous Gorgons, generally described as winged human females with living venomous snakes in place of hair. Those ...

and

Karnak The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak (, which was originally derived from ar, خورنق ''Khurnaq'' "fortified village"), comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, pylons, chapels, and other buildings near Luxor, Egypt. Construct ...

discover that Kei Kawade is an Inhuman who can summon monsters called Goliathons to help fight the Leviathon invasion. Kei then learns how to use his powers perfectly and manages to defeat the Leviathon Queen with a team of new monsters.

Titles involved

* ''Monsters Unleashed'' vol. 2, #1–5 * ''All-New X-Men'' vol. 2 #1.MU * ''Avengers'' vol. 7 #1.MU * ''Champions'' vol. 2 #1.MU * ''Doctor Strange'' vol. 4 #1.MU * ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' vol. 4 #1.MU * ''Spider-Man/Deadpool'' #1.MU * ''Totally Awesome Hulk'' #1.MU * ''Uncanny Inhumans'' #1.MU * ''Marvel Free Previews: Monsters Unleashed!'' #1

Volume three

The third volume of ''Monsters Unleashed'' is a five-issue Marvel Comics miniseries

d June-Oct. 2017.''Monsters_Unleashed''_(Marvel,_[second
/nowiki>_2017_series.html" ;"title="econd">''Monsters Unleashed'' (Marvel, [second
/nowiki> 2017 series">econd">''Monsters Unleashed'' (Marvel, [second
/nowiki> 2017 seriesat the Grand Comics Database. It follows the adventures of Kei Kawade, vampire-hunter Elsa Bloodstone, and Kei Kawade's creations Aegish, Slizzik, Scragg, Hi Vo and Mekara. The series unfolds as the team takes on gargantuan creatures and protects the planet while also having to deal with the latest incarnation of Intelligencia.

Critical reception

The entire crossover received mixed reviews. According to Comic Book Roundup, the entire crossover received an average rating of 6.9 out of 10 based on 48 reviews.

Collected editions

References

External links

* {{Marvel events Comics by Don McGregor Comics by Gerry Conway Defunct American comics Marvel Comics storylines