Marvel Special #1
Marvel Special #1 (Panini Deutschland, 1997) holds a double distinction in German comics publishing history: it arrived as part of the wave of titles that marked the true launch of the Panini Comics brand in Germany, bringing Marvel's mid-1990s continuity — including both the Clone Saga Spider-Man era and the Captain America rogues'-gallery mythology — to German-speaking readers in a single oversized special format. The issue's unusually dense character roster, spanning Captain America's wartime nemeses (Red Skull as Johann Schmidt, Heinrich Zemo, Hate-Monger) alongside Clone Saga figures (Ben Reilly, Miles Warren/the Jackal, Peter Parker), made it a rare crossover showcase that introduced or reinforced several of Marvel's deepest villain histories to the German market. As the inaugural number of a series that ran through the turn of the millennium, it established the template for how Panini Deutschland would package American Marvel continuity for European audiences throughout the late 1990s.
In "Operation: Wiedergeburt, Teil Eins: Alte Soldaten sterben nie," Captain America finds himself trapped inside a mysterious cosmic cube, reliving pivotal moments from his past—each time altering fate to prevent tragedies like Erskine’s murder and Bucky’s death. With writer Mark Waid and Reinhard Schweizer guiding the story, Ron Garney’s dynamic art brings the high-stakes struggle to life, culminating in a desperate escape and a confrontation with the Red Skull that ends in a devastating explosion. The cover by Ron Garney captures the intensity of the moment, making this a standout issue for fans of classic Marvel storytelling.
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
Panini Verlags GmbH had published comics in Germany since the early 1990s, but 1997 was the pivotal year in which the publisher substantially expanded its Marvel licensing and began issuing comics under what would become the formal Panini Comics brand. Marvel Special was conceived as an oversized special/anthology format running alongside the regular ongoing German series, allowing Panini to collect story threads — including the Clone Saga and the Heroes Reborn-adjacent Captain America material — outside the constraints of a standard monthly schedule. The series ran for 24 issues between 1997 and approximately 2000, with early issues carrying the 'Marvel Deutschland' indicia.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published January 1997 by Panini Comics (Nettetal Kaldenkirchen, Germany) as a 'Sonderedition' (special edition) with a variant cover.
- Launched as issue #1 of the Marvel Special series, which ran for 24 issues from 1997 to approximately 2000 — making it the series premiere.
- Released during the foundational year in which Panini Deutschland dramatically expanded its Marvel publishing program, establishing the Panini Comics brand identity in Germany.
- Character roster confirms the issue reprinted material spanning both the Captain America mythology (Steve Rogers, Red Skull/Johann Schmidt, Heinrich Zemo, Baron Zemo/Helmut Zemo, Hate-Monger, Bucky, Nick Fury, Sharon Carter, Rick Jones, Namor) and the Spider-Man Clone Saga (Ben Reilly, Peter Parker, Miles Warren/the Jackal, Black Widow/Natasha Romanova, Quicksilver/Pietro Maximoff).
- The German catalog names include 'Das Ding' (The Thing/Ben Grimm), 'Der Schakal' (The Jackal/Miles Warren), and 'Rote Spinne' (Red Spider or Black Widow — likely Natasha Romanova), reflecting Panini Deutschland's standard practice of translating character names into German.
- Early issues of the Marvel Special series carried the 'Marvel Deutschland' publisher's brand in their indicia, a label that preceded the fully consolidated Panini Comics branding.
- The series used a staple-bound ('geheftet'), full-color format standard to Panini Deutschland's German Marvel line of the period.
- The concurrent Panini Deutschland Captain America monthly series is documented as reprinting the 1996 US Heroes Reborn Captain America series, suggesting Marvel Special #1 may have drawn on related or adjacent mid-1990s Captain America source material.
Cast · 24 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Im kosmischen Würfel gefangen, verhindert Cap einige Katastrophen in seinem Leben (wie die Ermordung von Erskine und den Tod von Bucky). Schließlich gelingt es ihm, aus dem Würfel zu entkommen und den Red Skull zu besiegen, der bei der anschließenden Explosion offenbar ausgelöscht wird.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).