Marvel Comic Book Library Vol. 1

First, the packaging claims the CD-ROM includes "100 original, full-length digital comics." It doesn't. It includes only the story panels from the comics. No ads for X-ray specs or pepper gum or a bazillion plastic army men *now with grenadier!* No Stan Lee's Soapbox (or its equivalent). No fan mail. A good portion of the nostalgia and charm of these comics is missing with these exclusions.

Second, the front and back of the box highlight an offer for "3 FREE COMICS!" Only once you fire up the CD-ROM and click on the offer do you discover a Shipping & Handling charge. Granted $3 isn't a big deal, but it's aggravating having it snuck in at the last minute.

Third, the on-screen interface to the X-Men Comics doesn't work. Someone miscoded the standard hyperlink code, using backslashes (\) instead of forward ones (/). You can still get to the comics through Windows Explorer, but an end-user workaround is a poor substitute for incomplete product testing. Customer support did give me a prompt reply and offered to send a replacement CD-and this accounts for the 4-star rating instead of a 3.

Fourth, the Character Bios apparently have been taken from the Marvel Comics Encyclopedia without any cleaning up for this product. This means there are extraneous page numbers on the bio pages. Hyperlinks that would take you to other characters in the encyclopedia do nothing in this product. Artwork bleeds from one page to the next in the encyclopedia, but since all pages are shown singly, there are bits and pieces of art in the margins that give the pages a sloppy look.

Finally, while the exterior packaging is very nice (full-color embossed cover, hero shots all the way around, fold-out front cover with more graphics and info inside, etc.) the interior packaging is laughable: a cardboard box containing a half-sheet of installation instructions and a CD-ROM in a paper sleeve. Like a number of these criticisms, it's disappointing to think you're getting one thing (full comic books, totally free bonus comics) and wind up with something much less satisfying.

On a positive note, given the way characters were introduced, you wind up with a lot of Iron Man and The Hulk in these comics. Iron Man shows up in his 10 self-titled books, plus he's a member in all 10 Avengers comics and a co-star in all 10 Captain America comics. The Hulk appears in his 10, plus half the Avengers, plus all the Sub-Mariners. Sub-Mariner, the Fantastic Four, and other characters cross-over into other titles, as well. If you're not a fan of these characters, maybe this is a turn-off; but after so many other aspects of this product fell short, it was nice to get something extra for a change.

My advice: Wait for this product to come down in price, be packaged in a stand-alone jewel case (which will probably also mean a price reduction), or for current buggy versions to work their way off store shelves. It's not a bad product (the stories are the selling point and they (mostly) come through), but it currently suffers by failing to meet customer expectations.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews   Was this review helpful to you?

Report this | Permalink Comment Comment

Even though I own about 60-80% of this material already in either Paperback or Hardcover Marvel Masterworks, I bought this mainly to support the project: it is so good FINALLY to have an affordable way to access these great old comics. For the price of one Hardcover Marvel Masterwork, you get 10! Certainly makes it easier to hang onto the comics and enjoy them without using up too much physical space. I heard from the manufactuer that they are going to release a 2nd and 3rd volume (more Marvel masterworks! and a Spidey volume!) -- let's support their efforts.

As for the product itself, once I got the revised Mac version, I was pleased. The viewer is a bit primative, but it's easy to use and no instructions are really necessary. The pages look beautiful and the transfer to digital went really well -- consistent for each of the comics Iooked at.

Amazon's current price for this item is incredible -- but even if it is at list (24 or 29 bucks) -- you should pick this up. It's awesome tool and treasure for the collector. I give it 4/5 stars because 1) this stuff has been reprinted so much I just wished they could have included a few "non-standard" volumes like Doc Strange or Thor and saved Iron Man or Cap for later; 2) as I supported the first reviewer before, we need _all_ of the pages (oh, at least the letters page, c'mon!).

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews   Was this review helpful to you?

Report this | Permalink Comment Comment (1)

The content is as described and the quality is very good. The only reason I give 4 stars instead of 5, is that it requires Microsoft Explorer to view the content. The browser plug in does not work with Safari. Perhaps that will come in a future version.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews   Was this review helpful to you?

Report this | Permalink Comment Comment