This slim volume gathers all of Jim Steranko's non-Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. work for Marvel. No, there's not a lot of material here, but what you do get is almost uniformly excellent. I'm not even a big fan of superhero comics as such, but it's impossible not to love the three-part Captain America story in which Cap and Bucky #2 (Rick Jones) battle the hordes of HYDRA, with special guest star the Incredible Hulk. Steranko's art elevates this piece from mere comic book storytelling into the realm of the magical; most filmmakers would kill to do something half as interesting as what the artist achieves here on the printed page. While it's always evident that Steranko owed a stylistic debt to Jack "King" Kirby (as, indeed, every comic artist does), it's equally obvious how far Steranko ventured into previously uncharted territory, and how successfully.

An earlier X-Men two-parter is okay, but the art looks like it was dashed off rather hastily. (And it ends on a cliffhanger: disappointing for folks who are reading just for fun and not to analyze Steranko's work.) You also get the award-winning horror story "At the Stroke of Midnight!" from Tower of Shadows #1, and a dated but visually arresting romance tale from the pages of Our Love Story. Adaptability is key for any artist regardless of medium, and it's fascinating to see how Steranko refashioned his style for non-superhero material. Near the back of the book, Steranko's Marvel covers are reproduced (including his archetypal illustration for the cover of Incredible Hulk King-Size Special #1). ( )

A bit of a mixed bag. The Arnold Drake-penned X-Men issues are not Steranko's best or most interesting work for Marvel. Aside from the Eisner-inspired title pages, there's little there that doesn't feel fairly mainstream even by Silver Age artwork standards.

Far better is the work on Captain America, leaving one to wonder if the X-Men pencils were done off of a more detailed script than Stan Lee's notoriously light story pitches. The faces still come out as occasionally off-model — always a problem with Steranko — but his trademark page layout and design sensibilities are present in full force.

Finally, the book ends with a pair of anthology tales, allowing a sampling of Steranko's work in mediums other than superheroes.

It's probably not the best introduction to Steranko, but given his limited output in the medium it's still a must for any fan. ( )