Take a guided tour through the vast cosmos known as the Marvel Universe and meet the superheroes -- Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four -- and the supervillains -- Green Goblin, Magneto, Galactus, Doctor Doom -- whose adventures have thrilled millions of comic book readers. Comics insider Peter Sanderson recounts Marvel's main story lines and delves into the lives of major characters, showing how different writers shaped their fates. The illustrations include scenes from ground-breaking stories, showcasing the best work of important Marvel artists.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Captain American, Spider-Man, Wolverine, the nonviolent Doctor Strange, caster of rhymed spells, the swashbuckling vigilante Daredevil, the Manhattan-based Fantastic Four, Eastern European tyrant Doctor Doom, the rampaging Incredible Hulk and his alter-ego, mild-mannered physicist Bruce Banner, are among the heroes and villains we meet in this lavish, nostalgic survey of Marvel Comics' major characters, story lines and artists. Sanderson, Marvel's former archivist, views these fantasies as a modern-day mythology recasting age-old themes of heroism and human struggle in pop cultural trappings. His entertaining text, decked out with kinetic story-captioned artwork, insets and comic-book lore, interprets these comics as parables of the Cold War, space race, multiple personality disorder, teen angst, love and hate between the sexes?and as good, old-fashioned storytelling with more than camp appeal for adults. Featuring 400 color illustrations, the book is a visual knockout. BOMC selection.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
YA. Sanderson traces the evolution of the Marvel superheroes from their conception in 1939 to the present day. He discusses their decline in popularity in the early 50s and the resurgence of interest in the 60s when new characters emerged and the settings moved into other dimensions and galaxies. The history and contributions of Marvel artists and writers such as Jack Kirby and Stan Lee are highlighted throughout the text and numerous illustrations. On a fundamental level, the story lines haven't changed significantly, but have become more science-fiction oriented in recent years. The illustrations have changed somewhat more over time, and the newer characters appear more dynamic. For comic-book fans, this survey of the evolution of these popular characters and their fantasy world will be interesting reading.?Deborah Francis, R. E. Lee High School, Springfield, VA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An appreciative and affectionate look at Marvel Comics,
By Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (COMMUNITY FORUM 04) (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)
This review is from: Marvel Universe (Hardcover)
"Marvel Universe" is the companion volume to "Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics," but I did not read that volume so I am looking at the volume introducing the superheroes and supervillains of Marvel Comics. Unlike the other volume, which looked at the history of Marvel Comics decade by decade, author Peter Sanderson takes a more thematic approach, although there is a semblance of chronology involved in the order, beginning with the Fantastic Four, the comic book that effectively created Marvel Comics, and ending with the X-Men, the most popular series of today (comics like "Conan the Barbarian" therefore fall outside the scope of the "Mravel Universe"). Specifically the eight chapters divide the Marvel Universe as follows:1. The Fantastic Four: Marvel's First Family, begins with the working relationship of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, relates the origin of the FF, focuses on the compelling character drama of the Thing, and the group's main villain Dr. Doom. After covering some of the FF's epic adventures, including the first confrontation with Galactus and the Silver Surfer, the chapter looks at some of the heroes that were created in the comic such as the Black Panther and the Inhumans. 2. The Antiheroes: Human Torch, Sub-Mariner, and Hulk looks at how two Silver Age heroes were updated for the modern era but focuses primarily on old Greenskin, including the pivotal issue #140 written by Harlan Ellison. 3. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man looks at Marvel's most popular superhero, drawn originally by Steve Ditko. This chapter covers the problems of a teenage superhero, his remorse over Uncle Ben's death, and the supporting cast, as well as the darker vision of Spider-Man brought to the comic by Todd McFarlane. Special consideration is given to the "Kraven's Last Hunt" storyline and "The Death of Aunt May" issue. 4. Avengers Assemble! covers not only Marvel's answer to the Justice League of America as a group, but the individual comic books of Captain America, Henry Pym and the Wasp, Iron Man, Hawkeye and the Black Widow, the Mighty Thor, the Vision, Wonder Man, and even the Black Knight (so you know they have covered pretty much everybody). 5. Strange Tales: Heroes of the Supernatural covers a lot of ground as well with Doctor Strange, Dracula, The Man-Thing, Howard the Duck, Ghost Rider, and other Marvel monsters. 6. Protectors of the Universe is mostly about aliens such as Captain Mar-vel, the Silver Surfer, Adam Warlock, and Nova. Also covered are such diverse comics as "Power Pack," Don McGregor and P. Craig Russell's "Killraven," and Jack Kirby's last comic creations. 7. Vigilantes and Lawmen starts with Daredevil and the Electra Saga, continues with Nick Fury (both with his Holwing Commandos and as an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.), and ends with the Punisher. 8. Mutantis Mutandis: The X-Men begins with the original X-Men and Magneto, through the Second Genesis and the Dark Phoenix saga, the ascendancy of Wolverine, to the proliferation of mutants in Alpha Flight, Excalibur, X-Force, and Generation X. Artists Neal Adams, Bill Sienkiewicz, and Rob Liefeld are featured in this section. My test case for evaluating this volume was the section of Tomb of Dracula (146-48) a minor cult hit all things considered but one of the best comic books I have ever read. Sanderson agrees with the verdict, praising writer Marv Wolfman, penciller Gene Colan, and inker Tom Palmer for their skilled delineation of character. After a concise description of the cast of characters and their complex relationships, there is a description of the choice story line where a character (purporting to be) Dracula, removed his vampire powers. I would have liked to have seen a reference of Dr. Sun, and the comics wonderful sense of pacing, but this was a decent synopsis. The key thing to remember her is that Sanderson is juggling a lot of balls. He needs to not only describe the history of each comic book along with the key characters and villains, but also try to work in an appreciation of great artists from Jack Kirby and Jim Steranko to John Byrne and Todd McFarlane, along with some of the key issues and storylines. So I was quite impressed when Sanderson worked in Days of Future Past from X-Men #141 and the Silver Dagger story line in Doctor Strange. For that matter, I was also impressed that Sanderson worked in some of the most memorable PANELS from these comics: Jack Kirby showing Doctor Doom stripping the Silver Surfers powers from FF#57, Steve Ditkos Spider-Man struggling free in ASM#33, and John Byrnes shot of Mangeto from X-Men #111. Yes, you can quibble over the details in terms of what was included and omitted, and certainly there is a better way to reproduce comic art than photocopying it or whatever, but Sanderson gets credit for covering a lot of ground and for showing a clear sense of appreciation and affection for these comic books. That is what tips the scales for me in the end. The bottom line would be that Marvel Universe constitutes a nice walk down memory lane for those who remember buying 10 cent copies of these comic books when they were called Marvel Pop Art as well as a nice history lesson for those who have come to the game when Marvel launched Volume 2 for all of its major titles.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Make Mine Marvel!,
By João Paulo Nunes (V. N. Tazem, Portugal) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Marvel Universe (Hardcover)
If you read Marvel Comics you gotta have this book. I've been reading comicbooks from Marvel for 20 years now, so this title brought practically no news for me, but I love it. It's full of pictures and informative and usefull captions, as well as characters and creators profiles and synopsis of the greatest sagas of the Marvel Universe. So, if you read either Sider-Man, the Hulk or the X-Men this has it all ('till 1996, that is): from Namor's first appearence to the Elektra Saga and Marvels, from Byrne's run is the Fantastic Four to the Age of Apocalypse, Marvel Universe covers it all. 256 pages of pure Marvel. Excelsior! P.S. If you like this book take a look at 'Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades'.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Colourful Overview of Marvel Mainstays,
By
This review is from: Marvel Universe (Hardcover)
Peter Sanderson's Marvel Universe is brightly coloured and reads along at a sprighly pace. All the major characters are there plus a few (too few) surprises, such as the Zombie. This is a nice book to reminisce with or, for the very beginner, to catch up on past history. Most of the colour remains in the pictures (and there is a wonderful healthy selection of those) as the writing tells the story effectively but without the excitement of the characters being described. The book could have used more opinions (good, bad, or ugly) but this is not that kind of book. It is a straight ahead history looking at the amazing changes and the even more delightful consistencies of the weird lot peopling the Marvel Universe. A nice walk down memory lane (and a chance to see just how much has already changed since this book came out in 1996.)
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
