Kevin Book Review - Marvel Comics: The Untold Story

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I'm going to do something I haven't done on this blog yet. A book review! Before you get all excited and think I'm cultured, I'm sure you already saw the title of this post. Of course it's a book about comic books. I'll try to be as eloquent as possible, since we're taking care of serious business here.

What we have here is an unauthorized look behind the history of Marvel Comics. This book is built on more than a hundred interviews the author, Sean Howe, had with many of the professionals that worked at Marvel Comics over the years.

I was completely engrossed in this book, but as I was reading it I kept thinking whether I would recommend this book to my non-comic friends. I'm leaning slightly towards no. Let me explain why. The audience for this book is clearly fans of comic books. The majority of the stories hinge on your working knowledge of the creators with each turn of the page. There are ends of chapters that end with a cliffhanger along the lines of something like, "And the person who submitted the finished pages was a young [insert creator here]". That's good for me, but a normal person will not get why that's significant.

This book does not take time to explain why each creator is significant within the industry. Sure it will talk about how someone was able to write a book so long because they had clout, but you won't know the cultural impact their work had or why fans hold it in such reverence. I think that's a trapping of the book that it was not be able to avoid. So to enjoy this book on many levels, you will need to do some research.

As a story about a company that has more brand recognition than ever before, it is completely fascinating. I did not realize how much of the creative process hinged on the ability of the artist when it came to the early 60's and 70's. I totally see now why creators such as Jack Kirby was increasingly bitter through the back half of his career. You know it's sad when one of the creators of Superman is relegated to being just an editor, just so he can pay the bills.

One of the main through-lines of this book is how many of the creators put their hearts and souls into creating characters, only to get nothing in return. The cutthroat way Marvel treated their creators is very oft putting. I understand that while you work for a big company like this, anything you create belongs to the company. As you read, you see a trend where artists begin to hold back and put their true passions into creator owned books. You also get a glimpse into the very ugly legal battles that ensue.

If you were ever wondering whether these creators were on drugs when creating all these stories, guess what? They were. Were there tales of office politics? Of course there were. For the comic fan, the people involved is what makes this truly interesting reading.

My only real gripe with this book as a comic book fan is this. A lot of space is given to Marvel from it's inception to the early 80's. The era when I started reading was the early 90's until now. That was the stuff I wanted to read about and that is glanced over in the last hundred or so pages of the book. That era that was deeply personal to me and it got short shrift.

In the end, this is a very good book that is full of very many fascinating anecdotes. Will you, a normal fan enjoy it? I think so, but you will probably feel lost for most of it. That's why I'm here. Ask me and I would be more than glad to nerd out for you!

My Top Five Favorite Marvel Characters

I've thought about this for a while, but haven't written about it here. Since this is a comic book blog, I figured I would take a few moments to talk about my top five, favorite Marvel Characters. I know the Avengers are the hot thing now, but you won't see one traditional Avenger show up on my list. I've long since been a fan of the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, so you will probably see that reflected in my list. So here we go, in descending order.

5. Power Man/Iron Fist - I know these are two distinct characters, but I think they have done just as much good together as they did apart. This is my favorite comic book, buddy cop team. You have a black guy (Power Man/Luke Cage) who is from the streets of Harlem and was experimented on in prison to gain super strength and steel hard skin. You have a white guy who was raised in the mystical city of K'un L'un where he became a partial arts master with a technique called the Iron Fist. These two characters couldn't be more different and yet they just work together. Although Power Man's costume is really goofy and Iron Fist's oversized collar and kung fu slippers are ridiculous, they lend themselves to their iconic look. They are also very much a product of the blaxploitation and kung fu films of the era in which they were created. I honestly couldn't put my finger on what makes these two my guys. Or maybe it is because Kung Fu and blaxploitation films are among my favorites. There you go. We cracked the code.

4. Spider-Man - You may start to see a theme with my favorites, but I am drawn to characters that never quit. Spider-Man is the quintessential guy who never gives up, despite the odds. Writers have always seemed to heap the worst events on Spider-Man, but he never backs down. You know, other than that huge misstep with "Brand New Day", where he literally makes a deal with the devil to save his aunt and annul his marriage. Outside of that blight to his record, he has always remained a favorite of mine. He has an iconic look and a tragic back story. Until the Iron Man movies, he was the quintessential Marvel character. He still has a balloon in the Macy's Day parade! He is even my #1 guy in the Marvel Super Heroes and Marvel vs. Capcom fighting games.

3. Wolverine - The luster has come off Wolverine a little. There has always been an over-saturation of Wolverine comic appearances in the market, but these past few years have been unkind. Mostly because they had him on twenty different teams at any given time. His healing factor became utterly ridiculous and then disappeared altogether. My love for Wolverine comes from the version you saw in the 80's and 90's. You know, the guy that is the best at what he does. The cigar chomping, beer drinking, tough as nails 5'3'' guy from the X-Men. The one who was a mentor to younger characters (Kitty Pryde, Jubilee) and was also a samurai. He always had a cool look and cool powers. Like Spider-Man, he is a guy that never quits. His healing factor does help a lot with that, but it's about the personality behind it. Then the X-Men movies happened and they tried to make him into Hugh Jackman, growing him about a foot. Part of his charm was that he was the short guy with a chip on his shoulder. That's my version of Wolverine and why he is on this list.

2. The Thing - Over the years, I have really grown to love the Thing. Here's why. He's just a blue-collar guy with a heart of gold. Even though writers have gone to the well too many times, he is truly a tragic figure. Here's a guy who watched his friends get cool powers, but retained the look of normal people while he's trapped in a body made entirely of rock and all the problems that entails. His most steady girlfriend is a blind sculptress. Just let that sink in for a moment. At his best, he is a guy who never gives up (I told you I had a theme) and always has his friends' backs. This is a guy who although constantly outmatched, never backs down from a fight with the Hulk. I think that is where he always won me over. He knows he can't win, but he doesn't stop trying. He also has a cool, unique look. Maybe I just have a THING for bruisers, as this list has been leaning towards.

1. Black Panther - Within the past decade, Black Panther has jumped to the top of my list of favorite characters. My only regret is that I didn't appreciate him more as a kid. Somehow, I did not really know of his existence. Also, that wonderful series by Christopher Priest had not happened yet. You have no idea how hard it is to read comic books as a kid and not find a representation of yourself in those very books. It's even more rare to find someone who is not an embarrassment (i.e. Rage). This is a character I can be proud of. I like that he is a regal character who is always thinking a couple of steps ahead of his enemy. He is the leader of a fictional African nation that is at the cusp of development in the world. He is well respected by fellow heroes. His costumes have a sleek, simplistic look. I also like that he has the fighting skills to back it up. If he has a weakness, it's that he really doesn't have a rogue's gallery. I can forgive that though. Also, he is about to show up in the next Captain America and then have his own movie in 2017!

All-New All-Different Marvel!

I promise you, I was not having some stroke when I wrote that title. That is actually what Marvel is calling their brand new initiative, which is pretty much a reboot of their whole universe, but not really. Confused? Think of it this way. It's a brand new marketing ploy to release a whole slew of new #1 issues, ala DC's New 52 from a few years ago.

Admittedly, DC did the roll out a whole lot better. They were able to ship all 52 of their books in a month and on schedule. Marvel hasn't started yet, but all signs point to it not being that organized.

With that being said, I am happy for this new shake-up of their universe. I am all about continuity, but I'm glad this is happening. Things were getting stale and this is a way to make things fresh. Essentially moving all the pieces around on the board.

There are going to be a lot of books coming out and I am excited for maybe a third of those. I'm going to take a few minutes to talk about which books I'm excited about and why.

A-Force - Over the years I've become a fan of G. Willow Wilson. She alone is what has me sold on this book. Right now, the current A-Force book during this Secret Wars event is not very good. The basic premise is that it combines a lot of the strong females in the Marvel Universe on to one team. To early to judge, based on the preview art we have.

All-New All Different Avengers - I will admit that this is the book I am most looking forward to. We got a taste of this team with the Free Comic Book Day offering that came out this year. Here's what I love about this team. It's a diverse team. You have older characters mixing with the younger characters. Among these you have a mix of black characters (Sam Wilson, Miles Morales), hispanic characters (Sam Alexander) and Middle Eastern (Kamala Kahn). Plus you have the female Thor. Sure this is the book most ready to have mass appeal, but I like the make up of this team.

Uncanny Avengers - I like Ryan Stegman's art, so hopefully he can stay on a monthly schedule. Also I have a soft spot for Doctor Voodoo. Also, Deadpool is on this team! This could be a hot mess. Or it could be good. By the way, Quicksilver's new costume is stupid.  Really, a fast forward logo on his chest? That's almost enough to make me NOT want to read.

Ultimates - Okay. I'm going to put this out there. I'm a Black Panther fan, so that is reasons #1, 2 and 3 I want to read this book. Also the fact that 3/5 of the cast is black appeals to me. Now where have I heard of three-fifths before...? Anyways, I also like the Blue Marvel and Monica  Rambeau. It gives me some black characters I can be proud of. I also have a soft spot for Kenneth Rockafort's art. I'm not a fan of Black Panther on a team full of people designed to fight cosmic level threats, but I'm willing to give it a shot.

Doctor Strange - Normally I wouldn't give a Doctor Strange book the time of day. However, with Jason Aaron writing and Chris Bachalo drawing, how can I refuse. Aaron made Thor interesting, so I have every hope that he will do the same for Doctor Strange. I can't believe I'm going to read a Doctor Strange book. Then again, I never thought that years ago I would be reading Aquaman either. What I'm saying is, people can change.

Sam Wilson, Captain America - As every day goes by, I feel like we're just another day away from Sam Wilson no longer being Captain America. I'll be honest. I'm surprised it's gone on this long. By this long I mean, one year. Comic books are notorious for changing the status quo for a short period of time and then changing it back. I'll stay on board because the Falcon is a cool character.

The Mighty Thor - The continuing adventures of a female Thor. Like Captain America, I'm surprised this change has lasted longer than people's attention spans. Jason Aaron is still writing this book, so count me in. Lady Thor has been good so far, I don't see that stopping now.

Ms. Marvel - One of my favorite new characters and a welcome addition to the Marvel Universe. With G. Willow Wilson continuing to write this book, it will retain that same level of fun that she's had so far, while slyly educating people on a culture they are not familiar with. Edutainment!

Spider-Man - This is not your Peter Parker Spider-Man. This is the book for Miles Morales, the other recipient of the "Kevin's favorite new minority character that isn't stereotypical". Seriously, his run with the no longer existing "Ultimate Spider-Man" series was a real treat. I love that Bendis is still writing him and Sara Pichelli is back on art duties. This is the only Spider-Man book I will be reading.

Daredevil - Although I'm sad to see the great Mark Waid/Chris Samnee collaboration end, I am excited for this book. I love that this is another book with a lawyer that Charles Soule is writing. (Charles Soule is an ACTUAL lawyer). Writing the adventures of Matt Murdock is only fitting. Wait, is that Gambit on the cover with him!? How have we never seen a Daredevil/Gamibt team up before?? Okay, now I'm super excited. I also love Ron Garney on art, so this is near the top of my stack.

Guardians of the Galaxy - I touched on the dissolving of the Fantastic Four in a previous post. So it's good to see the Thing show up in this book. Seems like an odd fit, but this new status quo is about mixing things up, so I welcome it. Also, we have Kitty Pryde as the new Star-Lord here. This should be a lot of fun.

Uncanny Inhumans - Usually I don't care about the Inhumans, but the creative team is the reason I will give this book a chance. Also, we have an odd line up that includes the Beast and the Human Torch?! I'll give this book a fair shake.

Extraordinary X-Men - Now there are going to be a lot more X-books coming, but I want let my love of X-Men make me buy ALL of them. So I've decided that this will be one of them because it has Storm leading the team. As it should be, really. This is kind of an odd team of X-Men as it includes Iceman, Nightcrawler and the "Old Man Logan" version of Wolverine. Humberto Ramos is drawing it, so I will always show up when he's on board.

All-New X-Men - Honestly, this book will be on a short leash with me. I really thought they had exhausted the concept of this time-displaced X-Men, but they're going to keep going. I'll try it out for a few issues to see if it pleasantly surprises me or not. I hate to say that Mark Bagley on art is one of the reasons I am hesitant. He is my favorite Spider-man artist from the 90's (Take that your McFarlane fans!), but I think maybe I outgrew his style.

All-New Wolverine - I'll be honest, usually I would hate the idea of a female Wolverine, because it would sound like more pandering from Marvel. Since this is X-23 we're talking about, who was practically Wolverine anyway, I'm okay with this. I do wish they could have given her a new take on the costume, not the same thing.

If you read this far, congratulations. Thanks for indulging me. Oh, who am I kidding? You knew what you were getting into if you're reading this blog.