Spider-Man: Ben Reilly Omnibus Vol. 1 [New Printing]

Tom DeFalco’s earliest comic-book scripts were for Archie and DC; he soon moved to Marvel, where he wrote Avengers, Machine Man and other titles, also launching Dazzler, a hit series of the early ’80s. In addition to writing long and well-received runs on Amazing Spider-Man and Thor, DeFalco edited many titles, eventually becoming editor in chief. During the 1980s, he headed the creative team that provided fictional biographies for G.I. Joe members, originally included with Hasbro’s toys and later used as the basis for multiple storylines on the animated series. Perhaps his best-known work is multi-title character Spider-Girl, whom he introduced in 1998. DeFalco has authored multiple books, including Ultimate Guides for Avengers, Fantastic Four, Hulk and Spider-Man.

Writer Todd Dezago began his career on X-Factor. He then penned several Clone Saga-era Spider-books, including a lengthy Spectacular Spider-Man run. Dezago soon moved to Sensational Spider-Man, where he teamed with artist Mike Wieringo. For DC Comics, Dezago co-created Young Justice, wrote the JLA: World Without Grown-Ups miniseries and penned an acclaimed run on Impulse. In 1999, Dezago and Wieringo re-teamed to create the Image Comics fantasy series Tellos, and he co-created the Perhapanauts with artist Craig Rousseau in 2003. Dezago has written several stories for Marvel’s all-ages titles, including Marvel Age Spider-Man and Super Hero Squad.

Howard Mackie got his start at Marvel during the late 1980s as an editor and then a writer. One of his first series as full-time scribe was 1990’s massively popular Ghost Rider, which introduced the alter ego Danny Ketch to the mythos of the Spirit of Vengeance. He also wrote prolifically in the Spider-Man and X-Men titles of the ’90s.

Tom Morgan started his comics career at Marvel in the mid-1980s. He contributed inks, pencils and cover art to a variety of series, including several Spider-Man and New Universe titles. Morgan next illustrated short runs on Captain America, Power Pack and Alpha Flight, along with the miniseries The War and two Excalibur special editions. During the early 1990s, Morgan landed his first long-term assignment as penciler of Punisher 2099. He went on to illustrate several Iron Man issues, an Extreme Justice arc for DC Comics and Topps Comics’ licensed miniseries Xena: Warrior Princess vs. Callisto. In 2008, Morgan illustrated IDW’s comic biography Presidential Material: Barack Obama.

Hired on the strength of his Official Marvel Tryout penciling submission, Mark Bagley rose to prominence as the artist of 1990s sleeper hit New Warriors. Following an acclaimed run on Amazing Spider-Man, he worked with writer Kurt Busiek on Thunderbolts. When Marvel launched its Ultimate line, Bagley and Brian Michael Bendis led the way with Ultimate Spider-Man, whose years of success made the pair the longest-running creative team in Marvel history. Bendis and Bagley have also collaborated on Avengers Assemble and the creator-owned Brilliant. His subsequent credits include Fantastic Four, Cataclysm: The Ultimates’ Last Stand, Hulk, All-New X-Men and Venom.

The career of the late Gil Kane began in comicdom's Golden Age. Following his role in ushering in the Silver Age of Comics via the re-creations of Green Lantern, the Atom and others, he became Marvel's star cover artist and the regular penciler on Amazing Spider-Man. Kane also helped develop Iron Fist, Morbius the Living Vampire and other Marvel mainstays. In 1971, he published the sword-and-sorcery/science-fiction hybrid Blackmark, often called the first American graphic novel. He was a multiple winner of the National Cartoonist Society Award; in 1997, he was inducted into both the Eisner Award Hall of Fame and the Harvey Award Jack Kirby Hall of Fame.

John Romita Jr. is a modern-day comic-art master, following in his legendary father’s footsteps. Timeless runs on Iron Man, Uncanny X-Men, Amazing Spider-Man and Daredevil established him as his own man artistically, and his work on Wolverine and World War Hulk is among the most explosive comic art of the 21st century. In addition to Eternals with writer Neil Gaiman, JRJR teamed with Mark Millar on the creator-owned Kick-Ass, later developed into a blockbuster feature film starring Nicolas Cage. Spidey fans rejoiced at the artist’s return to Amazing Spider-Man with the “Brand New Day” storylines “New Ways To Die” and “Character Assassination.” He later helped relaunch Avengers with writer Brian Michael Bendis and Captain America with Rick Remender, and contributed to the blockbuster crossover Avengers vs. X-Men. For DC Comics, he has drawn big-name characters such as Superman, Batman and the Suicide Squad.