Marvel: The Lost Generation
Encyclopedia
Marvel: The Lost Generation is a twelve-issue comic book
limited series
published by Marvel Comics
in 2000 and 2001. The series was written by Roger Stern
and drawn by John Byrne. Numbered in reverse order, it began with issue #12 (March 2000) and finished with issue #1 (Feb. 2001).
Marvel: The Lost Generation tells the story of superheroes active after World War II
but before the debut of the Fantastic Four
, which is considered to be the start of the "modern age" of heroes within the Marvel universe
. Although the Fantastic Four first appeared in comics in 1961, Marvel Comics utilizes a sliding timescale. The Lost Generation explored events in the gap between the retirement/disappearance of superheroes active during World War II and the emergence of the modern generation of heroes.
team, and each issue thereafter showed progressively earlier events until the final issue (#1), which depicted the team's origin.
, a loose confederation of superheroes, which lasted from the years shortly after World War II
up to the early 1980s. Members of the First Line included The Yankee Clipper (time traveller), Oxbow (super-strong archer), Pixie
and Major Mercury
(both Eternals
), Captain Hip and Sunshine (hippie
heroes mutated by a government experiment), Kid Justice (former sidekick of Yankee Clipper who later became Mr. Justice
), and the Black Fox (non-superpowered vigilante), as well as other, less prominent heroes during their "decades-long" adventures. Members of the First Line encountered a number of established Marvel characters, including the Skrulls, Doctor Strange
, Diablo, Namor, Thor
, Havok, Polaris
, the Monster Hunters
of Ulysses Bloodstone
, and Nick Fury
.
During their final mission against a Skrull invasion force, almost the entire cast of characters is killed, and this, along with a government conspiracy to cover up the attempted alien invasion, was given as the in-story reason why the First Line and its exploits had gone unmentioned.
#9 (June 1978) "What If the Avengers
Had Fought Evil During the 1950's?" In that comic, the heroes had been Marvel Boy
, 3-D Man
, Venus, Jann of the Jungle
, and Namora
. This would form the basis for the Agents of Atlas
.
The Monster Hunters
, also featured in this series, had been created in a similar way in the pages of Marvel Universe. It featured Ulysses Bloodstone and Makkari was retconned as the character Hurricane
.
Marvel: The Lost Generation is a twelve-issue comic book
limited series
published by Marvel Comics
in 2000 and 2001. The series was written by Roger Stern
and drawn by John Byrne. Numbered in reverse order, it began with issue #12 (March 2000) and finished with issue #1 (Feb. 2001).
Marvel: The Lost Generation tells the story of superheroes active after World War II
but before the debut of the Fantastic Four
, which is considered to be the start of the "modern age" of heroes within the Marvel universe
. Although the Fantastic Four first appeared in comics in 1961, Marvel Comics utilizes a sliding timescale. The Lost Generation explored events in the gap between the retirement/disappearance of superheroes active during World War II and the emergence of the modern generation of heroes.
team, and each issue thereafter showed progressively earlier events until the final issue (#1), which depicted the team's origin.
, a loose confederation of superheroes, which lasted from the years shortly after World War II
up to the early 1980s. Members of the First Line included The Yankee Clipper (time traveller), Oxbow (super-strong archer), Pixie
and Major Mercury
(both Eternals
), Captain Hip and Sunshine (hippie
heroes mutated by a government experiment), Kid Justice (former sidekick of Yankee Clipper who later became Mr. Justice
), and the Black Fox (non-superpowered vigilante), as well as other, less prominent heroes during their "decades-long" adventures. Members of the First Line encountered a number of established Marvel characters, including the Skrulls, Doctor Strange
, Diablo, Namor, Thor
, Havok, Polaris
, the Monster Hunters
of Ulysses Bloodstone
, and Nick Fury
.
During their final mission against a Skrull invasion force, almost the entire cast of characters is killed, and this, along with a government conspiracy to cover up the attempted alien invasion, was given as the in-story reason why the First Line and its exploits had gone unmentioned.
#9 (June 1978) "What If the Avengers
Had Fought Evil During the 1950's?" In that comic, the heroes had been Marvel Boy
, 3-D Man
, Venus, Jann of the Jungle
, and Namora
. This would form the basis for the Agents of Atlas
.
The Monster Hunters
, also featured in this series, had been created in a similar way in the pages of Marvel Universe. It featured Ulysses Bloodstone and Makkari was retconned as the character Hurricane
.
Marvel: The Lost Generation is a twelve-issue comic book
limited series
published by Marvel Comics
in 2000 and 2001. The series was written by Roger Stern
and drawn by John Byrne. Numbered in reverse order, it began with issue #12 (March 2000) and finished with issue #1 (Feb. 2001).
Marvel: The Lost Generation tells the story of superheroes active after World War II
but before the debut of the Fantastic Four
, which is considered to be the start of the "modern age" of heroes within the Marvel universe
. Although the Fantastic Four first appeared in comics in 1961, Marvel Comics utilizes a sliding timescale. The Lost Generation explored events in the gap between the retirement/disappearance of superheroes active during World War II and the emergence of the modern generation of heroes.
team, and each issue thereafter showed progressively earlier events until the final issue (#1), which depicted the team's origin.
, a loose confederation of superheroes, which lasted from the years shortly after World War II
up to the early 1980s. Members of the First Line included The Yankee Clipper (time traveller), Oxbow (super-strong archer), Pixie
and Major Mercury
(both Eternals
), Captain Hip and Sunshine (hippie
heroes mutated by a government experiment), Kid Justice (former sidekick of Yankee Clipper who later became Mr. Justice
), and the Black Fox (non-superpowered vigilante), as well as other, less prominent heroes during their "decades-long" adventures. Members of the First Line encountered a number of established Marvel characters, including the Skrulls, Doctor Strange
, Diablo, Namor, Thor
, Havok, Polaris
, the Monster Hunters
of Ulysses Bloodstone
, and Nick Fury
.
During their final mission against a Skrull invasion force, almost the entire cast of characters is killed, and this, along with a government conspiracy to cover up the attempted alien invasion, was given as the in-story reason why the First Line and its exploits had gone unmentioned.
#9 (June 1978) "What If the Avengers
Had Fought Evil During the 1950's?" In that comic, the heroes had been Marvel Boy
, 3-D Man
, Venus, Jann of the Jungle
, and Namora
. This would form the basis for the Agents of Atlas
.
The Monster Hunters
, also featured in this series, had been created in a similar way in the pages of Marvel Universe. It featured Ulysses Bloodstone and Makkari was retconned as the character Hurricane
.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
in 2000 and 2001. The series was written by Roger Stern
Roger Stern
Roger Stern is an American comic book author and novelist.-Early career:In the early 1970s, Stern and Bob Layton published the fanzine CPL , one of the first platforms for the work of John Byrne...
and drawn by John Byrne. Numbered in reverse order, it began with issue #12 (March 2000) and finished with issue #1 (Feb. 2001).
Marvel: The Lost Generation tells the story of superheroes active after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
but before the debut of the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
, which is considered to be the start of the "modern age" of heroes within the Marvel universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. Although the Fantastic Four first appeared in comics in 1961, Marvel Comics utilizes a sliding timescale. The Lost Generation explored events in the gap between the retirement/disappearance of superheroes active during World War II and the emergence of the modern generation of heroes.
Publication history
The series employed the unusual stylistic device of having the issues numbered in reverse (from #12 down to #1) and occurring in reverse chronological order. Thus the first issue to be published (#12) depicted the final mission of its superheroSuperhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
team, and each issue thereafter showed progressively earlier events until the final issue (#1), which depicted the team's origin.
Plot synopsis
The Lost Generation starred the First LineFirst Line (comics)
The First Line was a fictional team of superheroes and adventurers from the Marvel Comics series Marvel: The Lost Generation. Essentially a retcon to fill the gaps caused by Marvel's "sliding timescale", in which the emergence of major superheroes and events was only supposed to have occurred...
, a loose confederation of superheroes, which lasted from the years shortly after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
up to the early 1980s. Members of the First Line included The Yankee Clipper (time traveller), Oxbow (super-strong archer), Pixie
Pixie (eternal)
Pixie is a fictional character, a member of the Eternals, a race in the Marvel Comics universe, who first appeared in Marvel: The Lost Generation #12 .-Fictional character biography:...
and Major Mercury
Makkari (comics)
Makkari, formerly known as Hurricane and Mercury, is a member of the Eternals, a fictional race of superhumans in the Marvel Comics universe...
(both Eternals
Eternals (comics)
The Eternals are a fictional race of superhumans in the Marvel Comics universe. They are described as an offshoot of the evolutionary process that created sentient life on Earth. The original instigators of this process, the alien Celestials, intended the Eternals to be the defenders of Earth which...
), Captain Hip and Sunshine (hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
heroes mutated by a government experiment), Kid Justice (former sidekick of Yankee Clipper who later became Mr. Justice
Mr. Justice
Mr. Justice is a fictional character, a superhero in Marvel Comics' shared universe, the Marvel Universe, and a member of the superhero team, called the First Line. He was created by Roger Stern and John Byrne, and had his first appearance in Marvel: The Lost Generation #12. He was the younger...
), and the Black Fox (non-superpowered vigilante), as well as other, less prominent heroes during their "decades-long" adventures. Members of the First Line encountered a number of established Marvel characters, including the Skrulls, Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
, Diablo, Namor, Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
, Havok, Polaris
Polaris (comics)
Polaris is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular the X-Men family of books. Created by Arnold Drake, Don Heck, Werner Roth and Jim Steranko, Polaris first appeared in The X-Men #49...
, the Monster Hunters
Monster Hunters
The Monster Hunters were a fictional group, appearing in comic book series published by Marvel Comics. This group exists in Marvel's shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe....
of Ulysses Bloodstone
Ulysses Bloodstone
Ulysses Bloodstone is a fictional character, an immortal monster-hunter in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:John Warner has explained the development of Ulysses Bloodstone: "Len Wein and Marv Wolfman came up with the spark that would become Bloodstone—the premise of a man who fights...
, and Nick Fury
Nick Fury
Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 , a World War II combat series that portrayed the...
.
During their final mission against a Skrull invasion force, almost the entire cast of characters is killed, and this, along with a government conspiracy to cover up the attempted alien invasion, was given as the in-story reason why the First Line and its exploits had gone unmentioned.
Similar concepts
Marvel had earlier explored a similar concept of superheroes banding together after World War II in What IfWhat If (comics)
What If, sometimes rendered as What If...?, is the title of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics, exploring "the road not traveled" by its various characters...
#9 (June 1978) "What If the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
Had Fought Evil During the 1950's?" In that comic, the heroes had been Marvel Boy
Marvel Boy
Marvel Boy is the name of several fictional comic book characters in the Marvel Comics universe, including predecessor companies Timely Comics and Atlas Comics.-Martin Burns:...
, 3-D Man
3-D Man
-Publication history:Although his adventures take place in the 1950s, the character was created by Roy Thomas in the 1970s in the anthology series Marvel Premiere...
, Venus, Jann of the Jungle
Jann of the Jungle
Jann of the Jungle is a fictional comic book jungle girl protagonist created by writer Don Rico and artist Jay Scott Pike in the anthology title Jungle Tales #1 , published by Marvel Comics' 1950s predecessor, Atlas Comics....
, and Namora
Namora
Namora is a fictional character, a superhero in the . She is from Atlantis and is the daughter of an Atlantean father and a human mother. She is the cousin of Namor the Sub-Mariner.-Publication history:...
. This would form the basis for the Agents of Atlas
Agents of Atlas
Agents of Atlas is a fictional superhero team in comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is composed of characters originally appearing in unrelated stories published in the 1950s by Marvel's predecessor company, Atlas Comics....
.
The Monster Hunters
Monster Hunters
The Monster Hunters were a fictional group, appearing in comic book series published by Marvel Comics. This group exists in Marvel's shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe....
, also featured in this series, had been created in a similar way in the pages of Marvel Universe. It featured Ulysses Bloodstone and Makkari was retconned as the character Hurricane
Hurricane (comics)
Hurricane is a name used by many different fictional characters appearing in the comic books published by Marvel Comics.The characters are unrelated and include a western gunslinger, superheros, and supervillains.-Harry Kane:...
.
Marvel: The Lost Generation is a twelve-issue comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
in 2000 and 2001. The series was written by Roger Stern
Roger Stern
Roger Stern is an American comic book author and novelist.-Early career:In the early 1970s, Stern and Bob Layton published the fanzine CPL , one of the first platforms for the work of John Byrne...
and drawn by John Byrne. Numbered in reverse order, it began with issue #12 (March 2000) and finished with issue #1 (Feb. 2001).
Marvel: The Lost Generation tells the story of superheroes active after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
but before the debut of the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
, which is considered to be the start of the "modern age" of heroes within the Marvel universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. Although the Fantastic Four first appeared in comics in 1961, Marvel Comics utilizes a sliding timescale. The Lost Generation explored events in the gap between the retirement/disappearance of superheroes active during World War II and the emergence of the modern generation of heroes.
Publication history
The series employed the unusual stylistic device of having the issues numbered in reverse (from #12 down to #1) and occurring in reverse chronological order. Thus the first issue to be published (#12) depicted the final mission of its superheroSuperhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
team, and each issue thereafter showed progressively earlier events until the final issue (#1), which depicted the team's origin.
Plot synopsis
The Lost Generation starred the First LineFirst Line (comics)
The First Line was a fictional team of superheroes and adventurers from the Marvel Comics series Marvel: The Lost Generation. Essentially a retcon to fill the gaps caused by Marvel's "sliding timescale", in which the emergence of major superheroes and events was only supposed to have occurred...
, a loose confederation of superheroes, which lasted from the years shortly after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
up to the early 1980s. Members of the First Line included The Yankee Clipper (time traveller), Oxbow (super-strong archer), Pixie
Pixie (eternal)
Pixie is a fictional character, a member of the Eternals, a race in the Marvel Comics universe, who first appeared in Marvel: The Lost Generation #12 .-Fictional character biography:...
and Major Mercury
Makkari (comics)
Makkari, formerly known as Hurricane and Mercury, is a member of the Eternals, a fictional race of superhumans in the Marvel Comics universe...
(both Eternals
Eternals (comics)
The Eternals are a fictional race of superhumans in the Marvel Comics universe. They are described as an offshoot of the evolutionary process that created sentient life on Earth. The original instigators of this process, the alien Celestials, intended the Eternals to be the defenders of Earth which...
), Captain Hip and Sunshine (hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
heroes mutated by a government experiment), Kid Justice (former sidekick of Yankee Clipper who later became Mr. Justice
Mr. Justice
Mr. Justice is a fictional character, a superhero in Marvel Comics' shared universe, the Marvel Universe, and a member of the superhero team, called the First Line. He was created by Roger Stern and John Byrne, and had his first appearance in Marvel: The Lost Generation #12. He was the younger...
), and the Black Fox (non-superpowered vigilante), as well as other, less prominent heroes during their "decades-long" adventures. Members of the First Line encountered a number of established Marvel characters, including the Skrulls, Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
, Diablo, Namor, Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
, Havok, Polaris
Polaris (comics)
Polaris is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular the X-Men family of books. Created by Arnold Drake, Don Heck, Werner Roth and Jim Steranko, Polaris first appeared in The X-Men #49...
, the Monster Hunters
Monster Hunters
The Monster Hunters were a fictional group, appearing in comic book series published by Marvel Comics. This group exists in Marvel's shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe....
of Ulysses Bloodstone
Ulysses Bloodstone
Ulysses Bloodstone is a fictional character, an immortal monster-hunter in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:John Warner has explained the development of Ulysses Bloodstone: "Len Wein and Marv Wolfman came up with the spark that would become Bloodstone—the premise of a man who fights...
, and Nick Fury
Nick Fury
Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 , a World War II combat series that portrayed the...
.
During their final mission against a Skrull invasion force, almost the entire cast of characters is killed, and this, along with a government conspiracy to cover up the attempted alien invasion, was given as the in-story reason why the First Line and its exploits had gone unmentioned.
Similar concepts
Marvel had earlier explored a similar concept of superheroes banding together after World War II in What IfWhat If (comics)
What If, sometimes rendered as What If...?, is the title of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics, exploring "the road not traveled" by its various characters...
#9 (June 1978) "What If the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
Had Fought Evil During the 1950's?" In that comic, the heroes had been Marvel Boy
Marvel Boy
Marvel Boy is the name of several fictional comic book characters in the Marvel Comics universe, including predecessor companies Timely Comics and Atlas Comics.-Martin Burns:...
, 3-D Man
3-D Man
-Publication history:Although his adventures take place in the 1950s, the character was created by Roy Thomas in the 1970s in the anthology series Marvel Premiere...
, Venus, Jann of the Jungle
Jann of the Jungle
Jann of the Jungle is a fictional comic book jungle girl protagonist created by writer Don Rico and artist Jay Scott Pike in the anthology title Jungle Tales #1 , published by Marvel Comics' 1950s predecessor, Atlas Comics....
, and Namora
Namora
Namora is a fictional character, a superhero in the . She is from Atlantis and is the daughter of an Atlantean father and a human mother. She is the cousin of Namor the Sub-Mariner.-Publication history:...
. This would form the basis for the Agents of Atlas
Agents of Atlas
Agents of Atlas is a fictional superhero team in comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is composed of characters originally appearing in unrelated stories published in the 1950s by Marvel's predecessor company, Atlas Comics....
.
The Monster Hunters
Monster Hunters
The Monster Hunters were a fictional group, appearing in comic book series published by Marvel Comics. This group exists in Marvel's shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe....
, also featured in this series, had been created in a similar way in the pages of Marvel Universe. It featured Ulysses Bloodstone and Makkari was retconned as the character Hurricane
Hurricane (comics)
Hurricane is a name used by many different fictional characters appearing in the comic books published by Marvel Comics.The characters are unrelated and include a western gunslinger, superheros, and supervillains.-Harry Kane:...
.
Marvel: The Lost Generation is a twelve-issue comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
in 2000 and 2001. The series was written by Roger Stern
Roger Stern
Roger Stern is an American comic book author and novelist.-Early career:In the early 1970s, Stern and Bob Layton published the fanzine CPL , one of the first platforms for the work of John Byrne...
and drawn by John Byrne. Numbered in reverse order, it began with issue #12 (March 2000) and finished with issue #1 (Feb. 2001).
Marvel: The Lost Generation tells the story of superheroes active after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
but before the debut of the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
, which is considered to be the start of the "modern age" of heroes within the Marvel universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. Although the Fantastic Four first appeared in comics in 1961, Marvel Comics utilizes a sliding timescale. The Lost Generation explored events in the gap between the retirement/disappearance of superheroes active during World War II and the emergence of the modern generation of heroes.
Publication history
The series employed the unusual stylistic device of having the issues numbered in reverse (from #12 down to #1) and occurring in reverse chronological order. Thus the first issue to be published (#12) depicted the final mission of its superheroSuperhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
team, and each issue thereafter showed progressively earlier events until the final issue (#1), which depicted the team's origin.
Plot synopsis
The Lost Generation starred the First LineFirst Line (comics)
The First Line was a fictional team of superheroes and adventurers from the Marvel Comics series Marvel: The Lost Generation. Essentially a retcon to fill the gaps caused by Marvel's "sliding timescale", in which the emergence of major superheroes and events was only supposed to have occurred...
, a loose confederation of superheroes, which lasted from the years shortly after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
up to the early 1980s. Members of the First Line included The Yankee Clipper (time traveller), Oxbow (super-strong archer), Pixie
Pixie (eternal)
Pixie is a fictional character, a member of the Eternals, a race in the Marvel Comics universe, who first appeared in Marvel: The Lost Generation #12 .-Fictional character biography:...
and Major Mercury
Makkari (comics)
Makkari, formerly known as Hurricane and Mercury, is a member of the Eternals, a fictional race of superhumans in the Marvel Comics universe...
(both Eternals
Eternals (comics)
The Eternals are a fictional race of superhumans in the Marvel Comics universe. They are described as an offshoot of the evolutionary process that created sentient life on Earth. The original instigators of this process, the alien Celestials, intended the Eternals to be the defenders of Earth which...
), Captain Hip and Sunshine (hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
heroes mutated by a government experiment), Kid Justice (former sidekick of Yankee Clipper who later became Mr. Justice
Mr. Justice
Mr. Justice is a fictional character, a superhero in Marvel Comics' shared universe, the Marvel Universe, and a member of the superhero team, called the First Line. He was created by Roger Stern and John Byrne, and had his first appearance in Marvel: The Lost Generation #12. He was the younger...
), and the Black Fox (non-superpowered vigilante), as well as other, less prominent heroes during their "decades-long" adventures. Members of the First Line encountered a number of established Marvel characters, including the Skrulls, Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
, Diablo, Namor, Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
, Havok, Polaris
Polaris (comics)
Polaris is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular the X-Men family of books. Created by Arnold Drake, Don Heck, Werner Roth and Jim Steranko, Polaris first appeared in The X-Men #49...
, the Monster Hunters
Monster Hunters
The Monster Hunters were a fictional group, appearing in comic book series published by Marvel Comics. This group exists in Marvel's shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe....
of Ulysses Bloodstone
Ulysses Bloodstone
Ulysses Bloodstone is a fictional character, an immortal monster-hunter in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:John Warner has explained the development of Ulysses Bloodstone: "Len Wein and Marv Wolfman came up with the spark that would become Bloodstone—the premise of a man who fights...
, and Nick Fury
Nick Fury
Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 , a World War II combat series that portrayed the...
.
During their final mission against a Skrull invasion force, almost the entire cast of characters is killed, and this, along with a government conspiracy to cover up the attempted alien invasion, was given as the in-story reason why the First Line and its exploits had gone unmentioned.
Similar concepts
Marvel had earlier explored a similar concept of superheroes banding together after World War II in What IfWhat If (comics)
What If, sometimes rendered as What If...?, is the title of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics, exploring "the road not traveled" by its various characters...
#9 (June 1978) "What If the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
Had Fought Evil During the 1950's?" In that comic, the heroes had been Marvel Boy
Marvel Boy
Marvel Boy is the name of several fictional comic book characters in the Marvel Comics universe, including predecessor companies Timely Comics and Atlas Comics.-Martin Burns:...
, 3-D Man
3-D Man
-Publication history:Although his adventures take place in the 1950s, the character was created by Roy Thomas in the 1970s in the anthology series Marvel Premiere...
, Venus, Jann of the Jungle
Jann of the Jungle
Jann of the Jungle is a fictional comic book jungle girl protagonist created by writer Don Rico and artist Jay Scott Pike in the anthology title Jungle Tales #1 , published by Marvel Comics' 1950s predecessor, Atlas Comics....
, and Namora
Namora
Namora is a fictional character, a superhero in the . She is from Atlantis and is the daughter of an Atlantean father and a human mother. She is the cousin of Namor the Sub-Mariner.-Publication history:...
. This would form the basis for the Agents of Atlas
Agents of Atlas
Agents of Atlas is a fictional superhero team in comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is composed of characters originally appearing in unrelated stories published in the 1950s by Marvel's predecessor company, Atlas Comics....
.
The Monster Hunters
Monster Hunters
The Monster Hunters were a fictional group, appearing in comic book series published by Marvel Comics. This group exists in Marvel's shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe....
, also featured in this series, had been created in a similar way in the pages of Marvel Universe. It featured Ulysses Bloodstone and Makkari was retconned as the character Hurricane
Hurricane (comics)
Hurricane is a name used by many different fictional characters appearing in the comic books published by Marvel Comics.The characters are unrelated and include a western gunslinger, superheros, and supervillains.-Harry Kane:...
.