James D'Angelo

Stepping out of the martial arts magazine boom of the Bronze Age, James D'Angelo made his debut in The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #13 in 1975, courtesy of the sharp storytelling of Doug Moench and the striking artwork of Rudy Nebres. That title was Marvel's black-and-white magazine showcase for its kung fu craze, and D'Angelo found himself moving through some genuinely electric company — sharing pages with the likes of Hector Ayala, White Tiger, Bob Diamond, and Abe Brown. His footprint in the catalog is modest but remarkably long, with appearances stretching all the way to 2011, and at least one of those turns rates as a key issue worth a collector's attention. A niche figure, certainly, but one whose nearly four-decade presence speaks to a quiet staying power in the corners of the Marvel Universe.