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75 Years of Marvel. From the Golden Age to the Silver Screen
A mighty history: Building the House of Ideas From the very first issue of pulp impresario Martin Goodman's Marvel Comics in 1939, the comic book creators of Marvel's Golden Age flipped the traditional fantasy script by placing the inhuman and the invincible into the real world. With the likes of the fiery android Human Torch, vengeful sea prince Sub-Mariner, and pip-squeak-turned-paragon Captain America, Marvel created a mythological universe grounded in a world that readers recognize as close to their own, brimming with humor and heartache. In the early 1960s, this audacious approach launched the creation of heroes who have since become household names--Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, the Avengers, Thor, the X-Men--the list goes on. Fans still celebrate it as the Marvel Age of comics, an era populated by a pantheon of bickering heroes, misunderstood monsters, and noble villains. In celebration of Marvel's 75th anniversary, TASCHEN presents a magnum opus of the most influential comic book publisher today, with an inside look not only at its celebrated characters, but also at the "bullpen" of architects whose names are almost as familiar as the protagonists they brought to life--Stan "the Man" Lee, Jack "King" Kirby, along with a roster of greats like Steve Ditko, John Romita, John Buscema, Marie Severin, and countless others. With essays by comics historian and former Marvel editor-in-chief Roy Thomas, this book delves into the heart of thousands of costumed characters who continue to fight the good fight in comics, movies, and toy aisles of the world. The XL-format book includes: - More than 700 pages of near 2,000 images including vintage comic books, one-of-a-kind original art, behind-the-scenes photographs and film stills, as well as rare toys and collectibles - A four-foot accordion-fold timeline, suitable for framing! - Biographies of more than 300 artists, writers, editors, and famous fans who helped shape Marvel's history (c) MARVEL
711 pages, Hardcover
First published October 15, 2014
7 people are currently reading
158 people want to read
About the author
Roy Thomas
4,479 books270 followersRoy Thomas was the FIRST Editor-in-Chief at Marvel--After Stan Lee stepped down from the position. Roy is a longtime comic book writer and editor. Thomas has written comics for Archie, Charlton, DC, Heroic Publishing, Marvel, and Topps over the years. Thomas currently edits the fanzine Alter Ego for Twomorrow's Publishing. He was Editor for Marvel comics from 1972-1974. He wrote for several titles at Marvel, such as Avengers, Thor, Invaders, Fantastic Four, X-Men, and notably Conan the Barbarian. Thomas is also known for his championing of Golden Age comic-book heroes — particularly the 1940s superhero team the Justice Society of America — and for lengthy writing stints on Marvel's X-Men and Avengers, and DC Comics' All-Star Squadron, among other titles.
Also a legendary creator. Creations include Wolverine, Carol Danvers, Ghost Rider, Vision, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Valkyrie, Morbius, Doc Samson, and Ultron. Roy has also worked for Archie, Charlton, and DC among others over the years.
Also a legendary creator. Creations include Wolverine, Carol Danvers, Ghost Rider, Vision, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Valkyrie, Morbius, Doc Samson, and Ultron. Roy has also worked for Archie, Charlton, and DC among others over the years.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 13, 2015
75 Years of Marvel Comics is a gorgeous book to mark a major milestone. It is huge and heavy and heaving with colour images charting the development of the company and its comics.
A beautiful commemorative piece, I feel the only downside was the lack of focus on more recent events. The dawn of MCU was limited to the last chapter and it would have been nice to see more about the advent of the films, perhaps some images from the sets, costume comparisons between the comics and the films etc. But other than that, this is a great addition to the library of any Marvel fan.
A beautiful commemorative piece, I feel the only downside was the lack of focus on more recent events. The dawn of MCU was limited to the last chapter and it would have been nice to see more about the advent of the films, perhaps some images from the sets, costume comparisons between the comics and the films etc. But other than that, this is a great addition to the library of any Marvel fan.
April 22, 2020
Awesome read. Beautiful artwork. The book is actually TOO HEAVY to read seated. Had to sit at a table. (Seriously! My legs fell asleep on the couch! 15 pounds!)
Content skims over the "sales depression/speculator crash" of the 1990's.
Content skims over the "sales depression/speculator crash" of the 1990's.
February 21, 2015
I can´t really write an honest review.I have been a comic book fan since before I could read.This is an amazing book for comic book fans.massive size to boot.Roy Thomas wrote a masterpiece.
July 23, 2015
Zajímavé, ale čekal jsem od toho víc. Poslední část je vyloženě odfláklá.
October 18, 2017
Thomas knows the Story. Final part he is obviously not as interested in. Which is fine. Neither am I. Beautiful pictures. A coffee table book, if there ever was one.
November 1, 2018
Taschen books are almost [if not exactly] like literary monuments to their subjects. I remember how much I loved their job on the Muhammad Ali book: truly a work of art on a man who has become one of the pillars of American pop culture.
Here Taschen tackles another pillar of American pop culture - something as American as a piece of apple pie or diabetes - comics. And the name synonymous with comics?DC Comics. Marvel.
[offtopic] Interesting thing that amazes me to this day is that due to the [Hulk] smashing success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), the younger generation tends to forget that DC Comics was actually the more successful and popular entity in comics for most of the 20th century. [/offtopic]
Obviously the book is a beautiful piece of publishing art: huge high-resolution pages and spreads of colorful covers and iconic comic strips from history. Its almost crack for your eyes - you can't get enough of it. But the essays have a somewhat overdone happy-go-lucky positive vibe to them. Everything is painted in these "Kum ba yah" colors of love, camaraderie and affection ruling the bullpen. Well... that's not exactly how Sean Howe described it in this book Marvel Comics: The Untold Story. What about "Stan Lee" being ashamed of having his real name being associated with comics and hiding behind a pseudonym? How about this beloved figure and patriarch of Marvel being a complete dick to many of his employees? How about the dark reality of copyright conflicts between Marvel and the creative minds behind it? How about Ron Perelman? How about more detail on the 1996 bankruptcy? How about the company selling-off their superhero "A Team" (Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, X-Men) movie rights and being stuck with the "B Team" to start their MCU franchise? HOW ABOUT no Disney-princess and Marvel-superhero crossovers!? Jesus f'n Christ... What's the point of Disney buying Marvel if you're not going to have Hulk hook-up with Belle or Princess Tiana visiting Wakanda.
Anyway, I'm not an complete idiot (though an argument could be made) and I understand that the book was intended to pay homage to the spectacular 75-year history of the company: it was not intended as a tell-all comprehensive history of the company. So the content is exactly what it should be considering the purpose of this mammoth creation. Of course, it is a pitty they glossed over the 2000s and 2010s, as the MCU was briefly mentioned with only a handful of cinematic posters , but all is forgiven, as it will be the subject of a different upcoming gem I am eagerly anticipating (or having wet dreams about, to be completely honest): Marvel Studios: The First Ten Years.
I feel like if you could somehow fuse this book with it's unprecedented visual content and Sean Howe's book with its full comprehensive history it would give birth to a ☆☆☆☆☆-star book... perfectly balanced...
AS ALL THINGS SHOULD BE.
Here Taschen tackles another pillar of American pop culture - something as American as a piece of apple pie or diabetes - comics. And the name synonymous with comics?
[offtopic] Interesting thing that amazes me to this day is that due to the [Hulk] smashing success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), the younger generation tends to forget that DC Comics was actually the more successful and popular entity in comics for most of the 20th century. [/offtopic]
Obviously the book is a beautiful piece of publishing art: huge high-resolution pages and spreads of colorful covers and iconic comic strips from history. Its almost crack for your eyes - you can't get enough of it. But the essays have a somewhat overdone happy-go-lucky positive vibe to them. Everything is painted in these "Kum ba yah" colors of love, camaraderie and affection ruling the bullpen. Well... that's not exactly how Sean Howe described it in this book Marvel Comics: The Untold Story. What about "Stan Lee" being ashamed of having his real name being associated with comics and hiding behind a pseudonym? How about this beloved figure and patriarch of Marvel being a complete dick to many of his employees? How about the dark reality of copyright conflicts between Marvel and the creative minds behind it? How about Ron Perelman? How about more detail on the 1996 bankruptcy? How about the company selling-off their superhero "A Team" (Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, X-Men) movie rights and being stuck with the "B Team" to start their MCU franchise? HOW ABOUT no Disney-princess and Marvel-superhero crossovers!? Jesus f'n Christ... What's the point of Disney buying Marvel if you're not going to have Hulk hook-up with Belle or Princess Tiana visiting Wakanda.
Anyway, I'm not an complete idiot (though an argument could be made) and I understand that the book was intended to pay homage to the spectacular 75-year history of the company: it was not intended as a tell-all comprehensive history of the company. So the content is exactly what it should be considering the purpose of this mammoth creation. Of course, it is a pitty they glossed over the 2000s and 2010s, as the MCU was briefly mentioned with only a handful of cinematic posters , but all is forgiven, as it will be the subject of a different upcoming gem I am eagerly anticipating (or having wet dreams about, to be completely honest): Marvel Studios: The First Ten Years.
I feel like if you could somehow fuse this book with it's unprecedented visual content and Sean Howe's book with its full comprehensive history it would give birth to a ☆☆☆☆☆-star book... perfectly balanced...
AS ALL THINGS SHOULD BE.
June 19, 2020
This really should be 3.5 stars but it gets the extra half-credit for being impressive.
This mammoth history of Timely/Atlas/Marvel was written by a comics fan and historian, who just happened to be present for some of the most creative years the company experienced. As a result, the Golden Age and Marvel Age receive the best analysis and writing.
The book falls down the further Roy is distances from the action and the final chapter is more of a checklist of releases without context or analysis.
Physically impressive, the book is chock-full of images although the design raises questions such as quotes from talent about projects not depicted on the pages or questionable panel or cover choices when better options were available.
There is a preponderance of Steranko art as Roy gushes about his influence during and after his brief tenure on staff, easily eclipsing the work of the others who had longer tenures. Barry Smith. whose art evolved seemingly by the issue during his two years on Conan, should have received more attention.
While it's understandable the errors and missteps would be glossed over, they deserved a bit more attention given the repercussions of the Heroes World debacle or arrival of ToyuBiz as Marvel's savior. Ike Perlmutter and Bill James barely get namechecked despite their work in the first decade of the current millennia to correct the company's misfortunes.
Still, and all, it's a fine overview of the company, best read in conjunction with the Sean Howe history of the company which fills in the gaps.
This mammoth history of Timely/Atlas/Marvel was written by a comics fan and historian, who just happened to be present for some of the most creative years the company experienced. As a result, the Golden Age and Marvel Age receive the best analysis and writing.
The book falls down the further Roy is distances from the action and the final chapter is more of a checklist of releases without context or analysis.
Physically impressive, the book is chock-full of images although the design raises questions such as quotes from talent about projects not depicted on the pages or questionable panel or cover choices when better options were available.
There is a preponderance of Steranko art as Roy gushes about his influence during and after his brief tenure on staff, easily eclipsing the work of the others who had longer tenures. Barry Smith. whose art evolved seemingly by the issue during his two years on Conan, should have received more attention.
While it's understandable the errors and missteps would be glossed over, they deserved a bit more attention given the repercussions of the Heroes World debacle or arrival of ToyuBiz as Marvel's savior. Ike Perlmutter and Bill James barely get namechecked despite their work in the first decade of the current millennia to correct the company's misfortunes.
Still, and all, it's a fine overview of the company, best read in conjunction with the Sean Howe history of the company which fills in the gaps.
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May 6, 2020Is it possible? Can it be true?
A monumental, gigantic, 700+ page tome -- and NO INDEX?
Even an online promised link to download an index leads nowhere...
Any reference book without an index is an abomination, an oxymoron.
A monumental, gigantic, 700+ page tome -- and NO INDEX?
Even an online promised link to download an index leads nowhere...
Any reference book without an index is an abomination, an oxymoron.
October 18, 2022
It is one of the best encyclopedias I have read so far and everything is very well detailed/ explained and it's pretty phenomenal read. It is definitely worth getting it if you are a marvel fan.
May 2, 2015
This packs quite a hefty punch. Very interesting but a 15 pound tome isn't practical even as a coffee table book.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews