Marvel Explodes: From Bullpen to Big Business

by Paul Levitz

Bloomsbury presents Marvel From Bullpen to Big Business by Paul Levitz, read by Charles Linshaw.

Explore the Stories Behind the Legends

Starting in 1968 when three classic Marvel anthologies were split into separate titles for Iron Man, Captain America, Sub-Mariner, The Hulk, Doctor Strange, and Nick Fury Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Marvel began an explosive arc of growth which culminated in becoming America’s largest comics publisher in 1972.

Marvel Explodes tells the story year-by-year, exploring this decisive period from a creative standpoint – the expanded mythology, the new titles, and the writers and artists who would join to fuel the explosion – as well as a business the key transitions, including new distributor, owners, and opportunities.

Illustrated with full-color art, Paul Levitz’s entry in the MARVEL AGE OF COMICS offers an eyewitness account of Marvel Comics in the years that established its greatness.

Genres: Comics

Audible Audio

Published October 15, 2026

Reviews

[Alex Sarll]

Yes, I've read the whole Marvel Age Of Comics line to date, but this one was a particularly interesting prospect through being written by someone so firmly associated with the Distinguished Competition. Hell, back when I was first getting into fandom, as against just reading and liking the comics*, he was pretty much the hated embodiment of the Company Man, eating boiled goose and demanding edits to The Authority (of all the titles to make trouble with the boss ironic...), us snotty young fans little suspecting that yes, he was nixing the odd gay superhero snog, but he was also the only bulwark against Watchmen spin-offs, endless line-wide reboots, and all the other corporate bullshit which, since Levitz' departure, has turned DC from comics' greatest universe into a baffling minefield of tangled continuity and baffling brand extensions.

But back before he was in charge, or even writing the Legion, Levitz was a fan himself, a timeline he details in sidebar Confessions as he takes us through Marvel's late sixties and early seventies explosion, a period when the line escaped its restrictive distribution arrangement, the number of titles being published snowballed, and even Stan Lee has to admit he couldn't write** everything himself. The sequel, in other words, to the much-mythologised genesis era defined by Kirby and Ditko, the arrival of new generations of both characters (Blade, Ghost Rider, Luke Cage) and creators (Claremont, Gerber, Chaykin). Levitz' dual position as businessman and fan is ideal for giving us the story in the round, aware of what was drawing audiences on the page but also of the workplace morale, staffing issues and boardroom skulduggery behind the scenes; I've read other accounts of this period, but none were quite so emphatic that Marvel's ascent to the position of top comics publisher owed less to innovative and dynamic storytelling than to a sneaky bit of footwork regarding pricing. But unlike some of the suits, then and now, he never tips over into treating the comics as purely product. Yes, he omits any mention of the best character Marvel introduced during the period under discussion (Giant-Size X-Men be damned, the character find of 1975 was clearly Moon Knight), and at least in my Netgalley ARC, there were definitely times when a book by an editor, largely discussing editors, somehow nevertheless felt like it needed an editor, certain details being mentioned twice in a way that didn't seem deliberate. But for the most part it's packed with vim, insight, and fun trivia: I would never have guessed that Tarzan knock-off Ka-Zar was older than Cap, the Torch or Namor, and the earliest owned character retroactively incorporated into the Marvel universe.

*Two activities with less overlap than you might think.
**Apply inverted commas to taste.

[Justin Soderberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Legendary industry professional Paul Levitz gives us a unique look at one of Marvel's some of most impactful years in Marvel Age of Comics: Marvel Explodes: From Bullpen to Big Business , a unique and amazing addition to the Marvel Age of Comics series.

Starting in 1968 when three classic Marvel anthologies were split into separate titles for Iron Man, Captain America, Sub-Mariner, The Hulk, Doctor Strange, and Nick Fury Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Marvel began an explosive arc of growth which culminated in becoming America’s largest comics publisher in 1972.

Marvel Explodes tells the story year-by-year, exploring this decisive period from a creative standpoint – the expanded mythology, the new titles, and the writers and artists who would join to fuel the explosion – as well as a business the key transitions, including new distributor, owners, and opportunities.

I have read my fair share of books based around the history and lore of Marvel Comics, but Levitz comes at this addition to the Marvel Age of Comics series with a fresh and unique perspective, making it stand out from the crowd. First off, the book is shorter than most history of the company, but it goes beyond the its succinct storytelling into a view of the history that only a few people can tell. Levitz takes on this book coming from a legendary career as a DC Executive, comics editor, and writer.

What makes Marvel Explodes: From Bullpen to Big Business a bit different than most entries into the Marvel Age of Comics series so far, is the broad range of history it covers. Not an entire history of Marvel Comics, but one that spans nearly a decade and covers all shapes and sizes of Marvel Comics. Each other entry has a bit more of a tight focus, making this one a bit different. Not to mention, Levitz is somewhat of an outsider when it comes to Marvel as he was an Executive and editor at DC Comics, allowing for a unique point-of-view.

Levitz dives into some of the creative decisions that needed to be made to get Marvel to where it is now, and some of the lucky breaks they got along the way. It's not an overly in-depth story, but one that tells what needs to be said, focusing more of the comics themselves and those creators and not the personalities that came along with the work.

Marvel Explodes: From Bullpen to Big Business may not be the most exhaustive history of Marvel ever written, but that's what makes it such an enjoyable addition to the Marvel Age of Comics series. Paul Levitz puts together a concise and insightful look at one of Marvel Comics most transformative decades through someone who industry experience with a unique perspective.

Marvel Age of Comics: Marvel Explodes: From Bullpen to Big Business hits bookstores everywhere on June 25, 2026 from Bloomsbury Academic. The audiobook is available via Libro.fm!

NOTE: We received an advance copy of Marvel Age of Comics: Marvel Explodes: From Bullpen to Big Business from the publisher. Opinions are our own.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Academic for an advance copy of this book that looks at the growth both creatively, and financially of the Marvel empire, a time of change in the industry, a time of changing of the guard, and a time where comics became something more to many people, from Wall Street to Main Street.

My grandmother was the pusher who introduced me to the gateway drug that was comics. This was even before I could read, when the pretty pictures were as important to me as the pow's and punches. My nan would always have a comic and a sweet treat everytime I would visit, acquired from the candy store just down the street from my grandparents apartment in the Bronx. Nan I guess was a bit of a Marvel Zombie, for that is what I seem to have the most of. Yes I still have these comics. Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, Spider-Woman, Avengers, Defenders, Champions and more. Sometimes a Superman, a Batman even a Sad Sack. But mostly Marvel. Comics have always been important to me, and as I have become a lot older my taste has expanded, along with my collection. Something about Marvel though, the angst of Peter Parker, the heroics of Captain America, even Ben Grimm, the Thing, continue to speak to me. And this book gives an overview why, a perfect storm of creators, business deals, and a changing world, all creating the Mighty Marvel Universe. Marvel Explodes: From Bullpen to Big Business is a history written by Paul Levitz, part of the Marvel Age of Comics series, this time looking at the early 1970's when comics began to be more then a niche product for kids, but something discussed in schools, hold up for acclaim, as well as ridicule, and of course stories that still hold up, and are used today in motion pictures.

The book starts in the past, in the early 30's with the rise of funny stories, and publishers who had more than a whiff of organized crime attached to them. Levitz looks at the early days of comics, and introduces names that will become familiar in comics, many for different reasons. Levitz follows the trends, the unbelievable publishing numbers, the rise of comics in juvenile crime, the Comics code, and the aura of comics being an entertainment only for children. An aura that still clings to comics in America. Soon its the swinging 60's in more ways than one, with Spider-Man and others becomeing a hit for a company with many names, written by a man using an alias Stan Lee. These stories were set in New York, dealt with real problems, and real seeming people. Stories that began to be more than just entertainment. As these stories became popular, others began to notice. Not just fans, but investors, buying up comic companies, sometimes ruining them, sometimes giving them the impetus to grow larger. Stan Lee moved up in the company, ceasing to write the stories, but becoming a brand ambassador in a way. Others began to join those who loved comics for the stories, and grew up on these tales, who as society changed brought this influence into the Marvel Bullpen. Changing an industry in many ways.

A really good primer about Marvel, comics history and how it became a big business, and not just a group of people who might have colluded in different ways to control the industry. Paul Levitz is a good writer, one familiar with the subject, as a writer, editor, fan magazine creator, and lated working at DC, or the Distinguished Competition as both President and Publisher. Levitz knows the world, from creating, to running comics, and knows the people involved. Levitz brings a lot of knowledge, and even more understanding to this work, which while small, is really packed with information. A really good overview of comics, the changes the industry went through, and an idea of why the comic business can be so volatile.

Another interesting entry in this series. One I enjoy for it covers so much, characters, storylines, controversies, and the behind the scenes business. I enjoyed this quite a bit, and look forward to more works by Levitz, a man who had quite the career in comics, and one I would like to read more of.

[Joe Kucharski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paul Levitz knows comics. Really knows comics. More importantly, he knows the comic book business. In Marvel Explodes: From Bullpen to Big Business, the longtime DC editor and Legion of Super-Heroes writer takes a fast-moving look at Marvel’s transformation from a scrappy publisher into the dominant force in comics during the 1960s and ’70s.

This isn’t really a history of Marvel’s creative process. Levitz is more interested in the business behind the books: which titles succeeded, which stumbled, how characters and stars moved between books, and how editorial and publishing decisions shaped the company. His own “Confessions” sidebars, with his contemporaneous views from young fanboy to zine publisher, are oftentimes more engaging. They give the history a personal connection that the abbreviated format occasionally lacks.

The catch is the format. Marvel Explodes provides the broad strokes when this subject really begs for a deep dive. Levitz clearly has the knowledge and perspective to deliver one, but the book’s abbreviated approach only allows for quick visits rather than extended exploration.

Still, it’s an enjoyable and informative trip through an important era of Marvel history. Enjoyable, informative, and clearly written by someone who genuinely loves the material. Unfortunately, the format doesn’t give him the room.

The result is as fast as a Stan Lee one-liner. But where Stan usually stuck the landing, Levitz leaves you wishing he’d been given another hundred pages.

Read the full review at Read @ Joe’s for the longer look at why Marvel Explodes is both an entertaining history and a tantalizing glimpse at the bigger book hiding inside it.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Marvel Age of Comics is a great series for providing a concise history of different aspects of Marvel's history. These typically detail comic storylines like The Ultimates or Daredevil Born Again, but Marvel Explodes takes a different approach and writes about the history of Marvel from the mid 1960s to the mid-1970s, writing about the creative, publishing, and business decisions that were made and how they turned Marvel into such a big publisher.

Given his decades in the comic industry, Paul Levitz is the perfect author for this book. He writes about these topics with enthusiasm and firsthand knowledge. One of the fun highlights of the book for me was Levitz detailing what he was doing each year that he writes about, going from being a teenage comic reader, zine writer, and publisher to an employee of the industry.

At 176 pages, this is a short book that is an easy read. It could have easily been twice as long and still have been just as interesting.

What Works: Paul Levitz's enthusiasm for comics and the history he is writing about.

What Doesn’t: At times, I wished more depth was provided.

Final Thoughts: A great concise history of the period that made Marvel the legendary company it is today.

Rating: 7 out of 10



MISC

Version Read: eBook

How Acquired: Advance Readers Copy from NetGalley

Special Notes: This was an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

[Lee Post · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun romp into the history of Marvel Comics, by the legendary comics editor, writer and DC Comics executive Paul Levitz. The magic from this short overview of Marvel's early explosive growth comes from Paul Levitz's start as the publisher of one of the earliest comics focused fanzines. While it is not a strictly insider's view, it's strength is giving a knowledgeable outsider's perspective of the forces that shaped Marvel's rise, as well as the publishing and content decisions they made along the way in the 60's, 70's and 80's. The story has been told many times, but Levitz puts these pieces together in a way I've never seen, making the path both seem inevitable and the consequence of a some lucky (and not so lucky) creative decisions. The book is not exhaustive and generally steers clear of digging into the many giant personalities of the era, but its breadth makes Marvel's history understandable. An excellent volume for someone wanting to know more about Marvel's rise as well as an excellent case study for someone interested in economics of the newsstand era of comics publishing.

[Chw · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up to 4. I am in the exact target audience for this book--an older comics fan who recalls the comics that Levitz writes about. Yet I found this history of Marvel from the late 1960s to 1975 surprisingly dry; it's an institutional history of Marvel, recounting the names of the writers and artists who made the comics during this period, and discussing some of the economics of the business. What seems to be left out are the stories themselves, the creations that lead a reader, a half century later, to want to know more about this period. To pull examples at random, we learn when Jim Starlin and Steranko joined Marvel, but we get little insight into the most exciting works that they created there, Warlock and the Nick Fury comics. Nor do any of the individuals addressed in the book really come under sustained analysis; Stan Lee, for instance, is treated with kid gloves, his feud with Jack Kirby only glancingly referred to. Considering that Levitz had first-hand knowledge of Marvel during this period, I feel the book could have been much more.

[Juniper L.H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This delivers on exactly what was promised and your experience will depend on your interest in the topic. This short little book provides an insight into the early history of Marvel comics and how it became what it is today. Its direct and straightforward, and I thought it was interesting. I don’t think there were any revelations that you couldn’t have found with a Google search yourself, but having it all organized together and interspersed with some neat pictures and cover photos was neat.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC. This honest review was left voluntarily.

[Egghead · Rating 4 out of 5]

shooter cameo
at the end so we know he's
next month's new villain