Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Marvel Comics: The First 80 Years

Rate this book
An in-depth, beautifully illustrated companion book which explores the origins and rich history of the largest comic book publishing company in the world, from the minds of infamous creators such as Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko - Marvel Comics!

For 80 years, Marvel Comics has inspired millions of fans worldwide with iconic characters and timeless stories that have brought the Marvel Universe to the forefront of contemporary pop culture.

Though now the company is famous for their blockbuster hits such as the Avengers , Guardians of the Galaxy , X-Men , and Spider-Man , this book will explore the company's humble beginnings and it's struggle to become the powerhouse of publishing that it is today. Featuring all-encompassing overviews of the trials and triumphs from each decade, with marvelous milestones, characters, creators, incredible illustrations, and behind-the-scenes trivia.

It's the ultimate love letter to the world's mightiest Super Heroes.

160 pages, Hardcover

Published November 24, 2020

3 people are currently reading
30 people want to read

About the author

Titan Comics

252 books17 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
1 (4%)
4 stars
9 (36%)
3 stars
12 (48%)
2 stars
3 (12%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
89 reviews1 follower
March 4, 2021
While I enjoyed this book, it is a highly sanitized and Disney-fied version of Marvel history. No talks of Simon & Kirby leaving due to being cheated out of their share of Captain America Comics profits, no mention as to why Ditko and then Kirby left Marvel at the height of their popularities, no mention of just how Marvel managed to hang on to Captain America, Human Torch, Sub-Mariner in the late 60s and even gained the trademark to Captain Marvel, no creative difference issues going on in the Jim Shooter era, none of the Kirby artwork returns debacle, etc. Everything was painted over with a gloss.

Despite this gloss, the information was mostly acccurate. It was a brisk read and the included illustrations and photos were nice. The captions needed some standardization and proofing since some were misleading including the artists credits. It is a very good overview of Marvel history for the amount of pages.
Profile Image for Rosalie.
434 reviews22 followers
July 29, 2021
3.5/5

very good over view of the evolution of Marvel as comics.
139 reviews1 follower
April 23, 2022
A short but fun overview of the history of Marvel comics but be prepared for further reading if you are interested in the whole story.

Broken down into each decade the book usefully highlights an introduction to the decade followed by a couple of pages on the comics themselves, the creators, and the media and cultural impact.

The book is nicely illustrated with a time line picking out key moments across the decades.

If you are interested in a more lavish treatment and you can afford it, then track down Taschen’s beautiful 75th anniversary treatment that is also available in a smaller budget size.

The book steers clear of the internal politics and conflicts over who created what between Lee, Kirby and Ditko but you wouldn’t expect this to be dealt with in this type of book which is probably aimed at a more general market. For that there is plenty of other reading around, most notably the recent biography of Stan Lee by Abraham Riesman. ( True believer)

For these aged eyes the print was a bit in the small size. All in all however a useful addition to anyone’s collection and well recommend

Titan have also published a similar volume focusing on Captain America so I suspect more will follow if they sell well.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.