Shen

A late-entry voice in one of Marvel's more distinctive Bronze Age fantasy epics, Shen arrived in The Saga of Crystar, Crystal Warrior in 1984, brought to life by Jo Duffy and Ricardo Villamonte. The series itself was a wonderfully offbeat corner of the Marvel universe — a sword-and-sorcery world of crystalline warriors and elemental conflict — and Shen keeps vivid company indeed, sharing pages with the likes of Warbow, Moltar, the sinister Zardeth, and Lord Feldspar. With only a handful of appearances, Shen is the kind of deep-cut discovery that makes hunting through a short-lived gem of a series so rewarding for collectors who love the road less traveled.