Timeslip Collection #1
Timeslip Collection #1 is a fascinating snapshot of late-1990s Marvel's experimental spirit, assembling in one place a curated showcase of what some of the era's most distinctive artists would have done with Silver Age characters had they been there at the founding. The concept anticipated the alternate-universe anthology format that Marvel would later pursue more formally under its 'What If?' banner, making this one-shot an early proof of concept for that kind of creative sandbox. Its true cultural significance lies in the roster of contributors — a who's-who of 1990s alternative and mainstream comics talent invited to deconstruct and reimagine the very characters that defined Marvel's identity. The issue also functions as the only surviving print archive of the Timeslip run from Marvel Vision, a for-purchase promotional magazine that has otherwise largely vanished from collector consciousness.
A deep dive into the mysterious origins of the Time Slip character, presented as a special collection from Marvel Vision magazine, this 1998 issue offers a curated look at the character's background alongside thumbnail sketches of seven other profiles that didn’t make the final cut. Written by Jim Krueger and illustrated by a rotating team of artists including Keith Giffen, Dennis Calero, and Dave Johnson, with inks by the same, and colors by Calero, the issue builds intrigue around a broader, still-unrealized digital archive hinted at in the text—though the promised website remains a footnote. The cover, by Vince Evans, captures the retro-futuristic tone of the series.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The Timeslip feature originated as a recurring two-page spread in Marvel Vision, Marvel's official fan magazine, beginning in 1996, with writer Jim Krueger providing text in a pastiche Stan Lee voice while guest artists imagined how Silver Age characters might look if designed from scratch in the contemporary moment. Over the run of the feature, Krueger evolved the concept away from pure visual reimagining toward compressed alternate-origin vignettes — essentially condensed Elseworlds-style stories. When Marvel Vision ceased publication in 1998, editor-in-chief Bob Harras oversaw the gathering of the complete run of Marvel Vision pin-ups into this one-shot, released in September 1998 with a November cover date; the Doctor Octopus entry, illustrated by John Totleben, was created exclusively for this collection and had no prior Marvel Vision appearance. A new painted cover was commissioned from artist Vince Evans to wrap the package.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published as a one-shot by Marvel Comics; released September 9, 1998, with a November 1998 cover date; editor-in-chief Bob Harras.
- Written throughout by Jim Krueger, with art by a rotating roster of guest creators including Mike Allred, John Paul Leon, Bill Sienkiewicz, Paul Pope, Kelley Jones, Guy Davis, Tommy Lee Edwards, Jeff Smith, Scott McDaniel, Dan Jurgens, John Totleben, Tim Sale, Phil Hester, Glenn Fabry, Cully Hamner, Frank Teran, and others.
- Reprints the complete run of Timeslip two-page spreads that originally appeared across multiple issues of the Marvel Vision fan magazine from 1996 through 1998 (issues including #7, #8, #9, #19, #21, #22, and #27 among others).
- The Doctor Octopus entry (Earth-98111), illustrated by John Totleben, is the sole piece created exclusively for this collection and had no prior Marvel Vision publication.
- The concept posited: what if Stan Lee had handed a contemporary 1990s artist his original Silver Age character brief — with earlier entries functioning as visual/design reimaginings and later entries evolving into compressed alternate-origin narratives with tweaked character histories.
- Cover art by Vince Evans was newly commissioned for this collection and does not derive from any Marvel Vision issue.
- None of the alternate-universe character versions depicted across the Timeslip entries — spanning characters from Spider-Man and Doctor Doom to the Punisher, Galactus, and Ghost Rider — were ever carried forward into any ongoing Marvel continuity beyond their original two-page spread.
- The back matter of the issue includes thumbnails of seven additional Timeslip entries from Marvel Vision that were omitted from the full-page reprint section, and references plans to post the complete run on Marvel's website — plans that, per contemporary sources, were not fulfilled.
Cast · 40 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Background on the origin of the Time Slip character profiles in Marvel Vision magazine, along with thumbnails of seven other entries which didn't make it into the full page reprints in this collection. Mentions the full collection of profiles would be made available on Marvel's website, and along with possible new profiles, but neither seems to have occurred around the time of this publication.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).