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The Marvel Comics Guide to New York City
EXPLORE THE MOST EXCITING CITY IN THE WORLD THROUGH THE EYES OF
COMICS' MOST EXCITING SUPER HEROES!
Perhaps one of the most popular and recognizable "characters" in Marvel Comics is New York City itself. When comics legend Stan Lee decided that Marvel Super Heroes like Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four would work and play on the real-life streets of New York, he made it thrillingly easy for readers to imagine their favorite crimefighters just around the corner. Now, armed with this action-packed guidebook, Marvel fans can take a fun-filled tour of the Big Apple, visiting some of the most famous and obscure locations from Marvel's long, rich history:
The stately uptown museum that inspired the Avengers Mansion The Greenwich Village street that is home to Dr. Strange's Sanctum Santorum The bridge where Spider-Man tried -- and failed -- to save his girlfriend, Gwen Stacy The site of the X-Men's first battle against Dark Phoenix From the Empire State Building to the Statue of Liberty to Times Square, you'll get blow-by-blow descriptions of Marvel's greatest adventures, and the lowdown on Marvel landmarks both real and imagined. Whether you're a native New Yorker, a thrill-seeking tourist, or a curious armchair traveler, with this one-of-a-kind guide you can explore the city that never sleeps and the comics that live forever.
COMICS' MOST EXCITING SUPER HEROES!
Perhaps one of the most popular and recognizable "characters" in Marvel Comics is New York City itself. When comics legend Stan Lee decided that Marvel Super Heroes like Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four would work and play on the real-life streets of New York, he made it thrillingly easy for readers to imagine their favorite crimefighters just around the corner. Now, armed with this action-packed guidebook, Marvel fans can take a fun-filled tour of the Big Apple, visiting some of the most famous and obscure locations from Marvel's long, rich history:
The stately uptown museum that inspired the Avengers Mansion The Greenwich Village street that is home to Dr. Strange's Sanctum Santorum The bridge where Spider-Man tried -- and failed -- to save his girlfriend, Gwen Stacy The site of the X-Men's first battle against Dark Phoenix From the Empire State Building to the Statue of Liberty to Times Square, you'll get blow-by-blow descriptions of Marvel's greatest adventures, and the lowdown on Marvel landmarks both real and imagined. Whether you're a native New Yorker, a thrill-seeking tourist, or a curious armchair traveler, with this one-of-a-kind guide you can explore the city that never sleeps and the comics that live forever.
236 pages, Paperback
First published November 20, 2007
50 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 31, 2025
This book is a little gem! Part real-life tourist guide to New York City and the surrounding areas, part (the biggest) an account of Marvel superheroes’ deeds set in the greatest city in the world, it is unique.
The introduction of the book is a very informative short essay about the reasons that the legendary creators Stan Lee as editor & writer and Jack Kirby as lead artist, inevitably chose New York City as the location of most their heroes and their adventures, instead of using various fictional cities like DC had been doing since then, with the short answer being: familiarity of the place to the artists and the readers, realism as the readers could imagine their heroes swinging or flying beside them in a city they knew, past landmarks they were seeing each day, and potential, for the myriad stories that could be told in the vibrant mosaic that was and still is New York City, if all the characters lived in the same place.
After that, the book mimics a legitimate tour guidebook and explores the areas of New York City one by one, mainly Manhattan but also all other boroughs and islands, presenting real and accurate information about their history, landmarks and the real important people behind them and then enumerating the various stories that have taken place there in the 70 years of Marvel continuous publication history. The division between the “real” and “fictional" events occurring in each landmark is easily drawn and one cannot confuse real with fictional events (well, duh!)
Covering both obscure one-issue stories from the 60-70s forward, with characters never again seen or heard since, and the historic, epic and continuity-shaping multi-issue and multi-publication crossovers starring the most well-known and beloved heroes, the book weaves the elaborate tapestry that is the main Marvel continuity (up until the MCU's debut). The fact that it was published in 2007, before the MCU started, is its strength because it presents the reader with the state of the main Marvel Continuity (as well as several alternates) as it was during that period, after the success of the Spiderman, Fantastic Four and X-men movies of the time, but before the great interconnected franchise and the prominence its featured heroes acquired due to their boosted popularity with casual fans. Although, and this is true, interconnectedness of stories and characters was always a feature of Marvel and it is evident in the book that this interconnectedness was aided and facilitated by the fact that most heroes lived in the same city and could not only fight together but also maintain social and even romantic relationships with each other, go to see a play, have a walk, work out together, or even hire each other in their “day-jobs”.
Of the hundreds of interesting facts laid down in the book, I will mention just two, one real and the other fictional. Firstly, the amount of New York public and private buildings and spaces designed in Gothic, Neo-Gothic, Gothic Revivalist and Renaissance & Neo-Renaissance styles, as well as the number of public buildings and spaces paid for or donated to the city by 19th & early 20th century ultra-rich art patron moguls is astounding. Secondly, a fun fact for rutiluphiles: In an obscure, forgotten Marvel story from 1979, absolute redhead crush Mary Jane Watson transformed into absolute redhead crush Red Sonja, after acquiring her legendary sword that was kept in the Met Museum, in order to fight an ancient sorcerer in New York City. And now I need to find and read this story.
I like, no, I love these reference books that present us with a fictional world, but help us to better understand our own.
The introduction of the book is a very informative short essay about the reasons that the legendary creators Stan Lee as editor & writer and Jack Kirby as lead artist, inevitably chose New York City as the location of most their heroes and their adventures, instead of using various fictional cities like DC had been doing since then, with the short answer being: familiarity of the place to the artists and the readers, realism as the readers could imagine their heroes swinging or flying beside them in a city they knew, past landmarks they were seeing each day, and potential, for the myriad stories that could be told in the vibrant mosaic that was and still is New York City, if all the characters lived in the same place.
After that, the book mimics a legitimate tour guidebook and explores the areas of New York City one by one, mainly Manhattan but also all other boroughs and islands, presenting real and accurate information about their history, landmarks and the real important people behind them and then enumerating the various stories that have taken place there in the 70 years of Marvel continuous publication history. The division between the “real” and “fictional" events occurring in each landmark is easily drawn and one cannot confuse real with fictional events (well, duh!)
Covering both obscure one-issue stories from the 60-70s forward, with characters never again seen or heard since, and the historic, epic and continuity-shaping multi-issue and multi-publication crossovers starring the most well-known and beloved heroes, the book weaves the elaborate tapestry that is the main Marvel continuity (up until the MCU's debut). The fact that it was published in 2007, before the MCU started, is its strength because it presents the reader with the state of the main Marvel Continuity (as well as several alternates) as it was during that period, after the success of the Spiderman, Fantastic Four and X-men movies of the time, but before the great interconnected franchise and the prominence its featured heroes acquired due to their boosted popularity with casual fans. Although, and this is true, interconnectedness of stories and characters was always a feature of Marvel and it is evident in the book that this interconnectedness was aided and facilitated by the fact that most heroes lived in the same city and could not only fight together but also maintain social and even romantic relationships with each other, go to see a play, have a walk, work out together, or even hire each other in their “day-jobs”.
Of the hundreds of interesting facts laid down in the book, I will mention just two, one real and the other fictional. Firstly, the amount of New York public and private buildings and spaces designed in Gothic, Neo-Gothic, Gothic Revivalist and Renaissance & Neo-Renaissance styles, as well as the number of public buildings and spaces paid for or donated to the city by 19th & early 20th century ultra-rich art patron moguls is astounding. Secondly, a fun fact for rutiluphiles: In an obscure, forgotten Marvel story from 1979, absolute redhead crush Mary Jane Watson transformed into absolute redhead crush Red Sonja, after acquiring her legendary sword that was kept in the Met Museum, in order to fight an ancient sorcerer in New York City. And now I need to find and read this story.
I like, no, I love these reference books that present us with a fictional world, but help us to better understand our own.
November 27, 2018
A fantastic guide to New York City based on Marvel Comics in its locations Makes me wanna take a trip to New York and go to all these places. Book was a fun and simple read and a great travel log for New York itself.
May 3, 2011
A definite niche book, possibly to the point where a review is extraneous. Most people will skip over a reference book that combines real historical and comic book information on locations in New York. And those who are interested in such a book are likely to be so no matter what I say.
It was a delightful read for short rides on the bus.
It was a delightful read for short rides on the bus.
February 28, 2016
This book is perfect for the uber-fan who wants to know where it is their favorite Marver heroes live, and where certain major events occured. The book was fairly intuitive and clearly written. I love how they practically pinpoint Spider-man's home among other things. Recommended for any BIG fan of the Marvel Universe.
October 1, 2012
As others have said, very much a reference book — don't expect much in the way of images or detailed info on characters . Still, a good book for the comic fan who plans to sightsee in New York.
Also, reading the storyline summaries makes all the more obvious how wonderfully ridiculous some of them are.
Also, reading the storyline summaries makes all the more obvious how wonderfully ridiculous some of them are.
May 1, 2015
nice book about both marvel comics & new york city!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews