Best of Marvel #1995
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeBest of Marvel #1995 is Marvel's own editorial snapshot of what the House of Ideas considered its finest work from a pivotal year — one dominated by the Clone Saga, the debut of Generation X, Warren Ellis's politically charged Doom 2099, and the Age of Apocalypse. By packaging these stories under a single painted cover in late 1995, Marvel gave readers and retailers a curated gateway into an unusually fertile creative moment in the publisher's modern era. The inclusion of Amazing Spider-Man #400 — the issue that memorialized Aunt May's (then-permanent) death — lends the collection a genuine emotional anchor that still resonates with Spider-Man historians. As a deliberately assembled reprint volume rather than a random anthology, it also stands as a rare direct statement from Marvel about which creators and stories it believed defined the year.
In "Don't Touch That Dial!", the Genosha-born mutant team known as Gene Nation holds Emma captive, using the former Morlock Leech to suppress her abilities. With Artie leading Jubilee, Skin, and Synch into the underground lair, tensions rise as Leech’s influence begins to warp their powers—until Emma breaks free and turns the tide. The issue closes with quiet moments between Xavier and Emma, a rare conversation between Jubilee and a feral, adamantium-laced Wolverine, and a surprisingly awkward flirtation between Paige and Chamber that ends in a dramatic explosion. Written by Scott Lobdell and illustrated by Chris Bachalo, with inks by Mark Buckingham and colors by Steve Buccellato and Electric Crayon, the cover by Igor Kordey captures the chaos in bold, striking detail.
In "Don't Touch That Dial!", Banshee reaches out to Penance amid growing tension, while Paige grapples with the weight of the Legacy Virus, turning to drink as a coping mechanism. Meanwhile, a group of Gen kids journey to New York to meet Emma at the Frost Foundation—only to discover Hemingway, a member of Gene Nation, has slaughtered her staff and taken their teacher.
In "Notes from the Underground," Emma is held captive by Gene Nation operatives Hemingway and Marrow, with the ex-Morlock Leech suppressing her abilities. When Artie leads Jubilee, Skin, and Synch on a rescue mission to the underground lair, Leech’s presence begins to disrupt their powers too. Emma overcomes the suppression, regains her control, and joins forces with the Gen X team to confront their captors. Afterward, she shares a quiet moment with Xavier, Jubilee exchanges words with the newly transformed Wolverine, and Paige’s flirtation with Chamber leads to an accidental explosion in the girl’s dorm.
In "Blockbuster," the aftermath of a cataclysmic clash between Terrax and the Silver Surfer leaves a city block in ruins—and its survivors grappling with loss, grief, and the raw desire to rebuild, or perhaps retaliate. Written by an unnamed author and illustrated by an unnamed artist, the story captures the quiet, human cost of cosmic battles in a world that rarely stops to notice.
In "The Enemy of My Enemy...", Rogue and Iceman hit the road, trying to make sense of the lingering echoes of Gambit’s memories after their kiss. When Gambit reappears, Rogue makes a sudden decision to step away from the X-Men—and from him—leaving behind a mystery that ties Remy to Mr. Sinister in ways neither of them expected.
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The volume is the second entry in Marvel's three-issue Best of Marvel reprint series, which ran annually from November 1994 through November 1996. Released November 24, 1995, it was assembled during a period of enormous editorial flux at Marvel: Bob Harras became Editor-in-Chief mid-year, and the line was simultaneously juggling the sprawling Clone Saga, the Generation X launch, and the aftermath of Age of Apocalypse. The striking painted cover was provided by Igor Kordey, whose painted style was a deliberate contrast to the interior material's range of penciling and inking voices.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published November 24, 1995 (cover date: November 1995) as the second issue of Marvel's three-volume Best of Marvel reprint series (Vol. 1, 1994–1996).
- Cover art by Igor Kordey — painted, prestige-format presentation that visually distinguishes it from standard monthly packaging.
- Reprints Amazing Spider-Man #400, written by J.M. DeMatteis with art by Mark Bagley, Larry Mahlstedt, and Randy Emberlin — the issue in which Aunt May Parker dies, a landmark moment in Spider-Man publishing history.
- Reprints Generation X #5–6, featuring the early adventures of the new Xavier Institute class including Chamber (Jonothon Starsmore), Skin (Angelo Espinosa), Husk (Paige Guthrie), Synch (Everett Thomas), M (Monet St. Croix), and Jubilee under the guidance of Emma Frost and Banshee.
- Reprints Doom 2099 #29, part of Warren Ellis's run in which the future Victor Von Doom wages war against the mega-corporations ruling a dystopian United States.
- Reprints Avengers #384, co-written by Bob Harras and Terry Kavanagh with art by Mike Deodato and Tom Palmer, in which Zeus strips Hercules of his immortality after Hera's deception is exposed.
- Reprints Tales of the Marvels: Blockbuster (written by Mike Baron, art by Shawn Martinbrough), a prestige-format one-shot examining civilian casualties from a classic Fantastic Four-era Silver Surfer/Tyros battle — part of the short-lived Tales of the Marvels series inspired by the Marvels format.
- Also collects Spectacular Spider-Man Super Special #1, Incredible Hulk #426, and X-Man #45, making it a cross-line sampler touching the Clone Saga, the 2099 universe, and the post-Age of Apocalypse X-books in a single volume.
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Reprints
↩ Reprints The Incredible Hulk #426 (1995), The Avengers #384 (1995), Tales of the Marvels: Blockbuster #1 (1995), The Amazing Spider-Man #400 (1995), Doom 2099 #29 (1995), Generation X #5 (1995), Generation X #6 (1995), The Spectacular Spider-Man Super Special #1 (1995), X-Men #45 (1995)
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