Product Description: All-new edition! Welcome to New York. Here, burning figures roam the streets, men in brightly colored costumes scale the glass and concrete walls, and creatures from space threaten to devour our world. This is the Marvel Universe, where the ordinary and fantastic interact daily. This is the world of Marvels! Collects Marvels #0-4.
Not to be missed Marvels should be included in any top ten list of must read mini-series for the true comic book fan. Alex Ross' style of painting his figures brings Marvels' super-heroes to life in a way never seen before. If you have always wanted to see what these characters would look like if they actually existed, Ross is the artist for the job. It's clear that Busiek loves the subject matter, and he finds a way to combine golden and silver age themes with a new story that truly engages the reader. Another treat for nostalgia buffs, Ross sneaks in celebrities from the eras he's dealing with. For example, during chapter 1, we see a couple in a movie theater who look like Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. Later during the silver age, we see pepole on the street who look like Dick Van Dyke, Dick York, and even JFK. Marvels in many ways is an "alternate universe" look at Marvel comics. The writer imagines a world in which the superheroes existed during the same time that their adventures were written. Thus, the debut of the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, Spider-Man, etc. all take place during the early to mid 1960s. The style of clothing and cars reflect this. This hardcover edition would make a fantastic gift for the comic book lovers in your life!
good artwork good artwork with an OK story. I think my expectations were a bit too high going in, and given that it was mostly a recap of comic history that I had already read the originals. I'm not sure how entertaining it would be for someone unfamiliar with the old stories.
Absolutely Marvelous Marvels is a comic book classic and rightly so. Combining the excellent writing of Kurt Busiek and the breathtaking painted visuals of Alex Ross, the story takes a look at the Marvel Universe from the common man's perspective. Following the life of a New York City reporter, this graphic novel shows humanity's reaction to the mighty superheroes that walk Marvel Earth.
The story is wonderful for several reasons. The most obvious is Alex Ross' artwork, which gives a very realistic look to a fantasy world. There is also Kurt Busiek's encyclopedic knowledge of Marvel continuity, which enables him to weave a tale that uses events ranging from the battle between the original Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner, the marriage of Reed Richards and Sue Storm followed quickly by the first appearance of the Sentinels, and the coming of Galactus, all without making the history seem unwieldy or unnatural. The most important piece of Marvels, though, is the human characters and their reactions as generations of super-powered individuals act as saviors, villains, and much more. In a world that is rescued from annihilation on an almost daily basis, we see the street-level reactions to superheroes that often make common men and women seem irrelevant. At the same time, we see the moral ambiguity of the Marvel Universe in action, watching individuals like Namor go from hero to villain and back again.
Marvels is an intensely human story in a genre that is often about anything but humans. Even if you don't regularly read Marvel comics, it is well worth picking up this graphic novel. Generations from now, it will be looked upon not only as an excellent comic book story, but as a work of art in its own right.
Something different and amazing There isnt much new that I can say about this graphic novel. For me it turned into a history lesson about comic book heroes from the golden age. The artwork was stunning and realistic. The premise was completely different and gave a new insight into the marvel universe. The way that the story was told was believable and thought-provoking.
I am no expert, I only own about 20 graphic novels, but I honestly thought that this was even better than The Watchmen. Highly recommended for anyone who likes the medium.
My Favorite Book I cannot believe anyone giving this book a bad review. Some people complain they don't know anything about Marvel, well, I'm not a Fantastic Four fan and have no knowledge of its story history and I was able to enjoy the saga of Galactus which is supposed to be one of the greatest Marvel stories ever told. There are four stories in this book, and each one starts with an intro from the author/artist/notable Marvel celeb just in case you are not familiar with Marvel Universe. This book would probably be best enjoyed by someone familiar with the Universe but not really required.
The book starts off with a very strong intro on how the Human Torch came about. This is story-telling at its finest and I actually wish I could read more like this in the book.
The book then switches gears and every account is then looked through the eyes of the main character who is a everyday citizen employed as a photographer. The first story deals with the sudden appearance of superheroes, or as the book refers to them, marvels. The genius of the books lies in looking at the marvels from a different persepective, that of a everyday person which is not really done in any comic book story.
The second story continues with the mutants, notably the emergence of the X-Men as outcasts in society.
The third story is the legendary story of Galactus and Fantastic Four.
The final story is another historic one: the death of Gwen Stacey with the most famous Marvel character of all, Spider-Man!
Although I feel the story is somewhat lacking since it basically just traces some of the history of Marvel Universe, just the concept of looking at these marvels thru the eyes of an ordinary person is very revolutionary by itself. Still, I feel there is so much potential for an even better story. If there are any complaints it would be the story, but the writing is absolutely terrific and a joy to read. Now for the art. I kind of regret not getting the hardcover book because this is a book that I would like to keep and treasure for a long time and getting it as a hardcover would be a better investment. The art is just revolutionary. It took the artist, Alex Ross about a year just to finish the artwork for one of four stories in the book and almost 3 years in total. This is not cartoon pop art, this is fine art. The illustrations in the book are actual paintings, mostly derived from water colors. And they are not in abstract or impressionist style, but in portrait-like detail. It is absolutely the highest level a book can reach in terms of illustrations short of actual photographs which would be a quite a task in the making. So if anything, do yourself a favor and get this book for the artwork. You will not be disappointed.
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