The Marvel Vault: A Museum-in-a-Book with Rare Collectibles from the World of Marvel

by Roy Thomas, Peter Sanderson

The Marvel Vault brings the Universe to you, sharing the insider's story of Marvel Comics from 1939 to the present. Chock-full of historic and never-before-seen memorabilia ( early sketches of Sub-Mariner and the Human Torch, Bullpen birthday cards, and a membership certificate for the Merry Marvel Marching Society), this vibrant chronicle contains over 30 plastic-encased archival gems that you can hold in your hand while reading about the artists, writers, and heroes who make up the Marvel Universe.Organized by decade, The Marvel Vault leads readers through every era by letting them hold such rare items as holiday cards, the welcome kit from the original Merry Marvel Marching Society, the program for the first comics convention, and even the first sketches for characters who went on to become beloved Marvel icons.Whether you've been collecting Sub-Mariner dime-books since the 1940s, or have just started to crack the pages of current Spidey sagas, you'll want to gear up for Marvel-ous adventures with this dynamic collection!

Genres: Comics, Nonfiction, Marvel, Reference, History, Art, Graphic Novels

192 pages, Hardcover

First published October 8, 2007

About the author

Roy 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.

Reviews

[Santiago L. Moreno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un resumen de la historia de Marvel desde su creación hasta el principio del siglo XXI en tapa dura y formato bloc, con grandes anillas, ilustraciones de portadas, viñetas y fotografias de los protagonistas, además de un divertido extra. Como si de un álbum de recortes se tratara, el volumen está trufado de reproducciones individuales de cromos, cartas, sellos, certificados y diversos materiales con los que Marvel gratificó a sus fieles durante años en cómics, convenciones y todo tipo de eventos. Un divertido recorrido por la materia que conformó los sueños de los jóvenes frikis.

[Shelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Please note: I've never seen the 2007 edition of The Marvel Vault [the one with the red cover], so I can't compare this 2017 edition to the previous one, as most of the other reviewers have done.)

This coffee-table-sized tome, measuring in at a huge 10.5 X 11.5 inches, was knowledgeably authored/compiled by (among others) industry insider Roy Thomas, who became the first successor to Stan Lee as editor-in-chief at Marvel Comics in 1972. Although the title The Marvel Vault (and, to a lesser degree, its book description) implies a history sweeping across Marvel's many media undertakings, it is in fact limited mostly to the ups, downs, and ups again of its comic books, from the 1930s onward. All of Marvel's other media and product undertakings, such as television shows, movies, licensing, merchandising, video games, conventions, and theme park attractions, are only mentioned peripherally, seemingly to either give events a timeline reference or to emphasize the successes of certain characters or storylines.

It's the comic art that takes center stage here, and all types are represented: early, rough concept drawings, iconic covers, popular storylines, famous guest authors, and more. But there are also plenty of photos (my, that Stan Lee was a looker in his prime!) and corporate bric-a-brac. The text is easy to read and breezy, lightly covering the history of the company itself as well as the evolution of its marquee characters. As such, be aware that this book does not give a complete or even very comprehensive accounting of each; it's more a light appetizer, but definitely not the utter throwaway that the text of many a coffee table book is.

The additional bits of ephemera that come in a envelope glued to the inside cover are mostly things that could have been printed inside the book (the early Sub-Mariner sketch, the first Fantastic Four synopsis) or are kinda useless (Stark employee Lucy Park's business card that "resembles" those handed out as a giveaway by Marvel at a 2009 convention), but the 1978 Marvel Convention program was cool to see reproduced as it originally looked (albeit a bit smaller), as were the 1990 trading card reproductions.

The Marvel Vault is perfect for either the new Marvel comics fan, or one who's been so busy all these years keeping their nose buried inside the comics that they never learned much about what went on behind the scenes; alternatively it would be a great backgrounder for today's MCU fan, who goes to and loves every movie Marvl releases but wants to learn a bit about their geneses.

3.5 stars.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my idea of a coffee table book! Brilliant covers, art, and behind the scenes stories from the history of Marvel Comics. An awesome book from cover to cover!

[Frank McGirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful coffee table book.

The bright, glossy pages of full-sized comic book covers from the 40's to the present would be enough to make me drool, but this collection also adds replicas of Marvel collectibles from Christmas and membership cards to stamps and buttons, and even a "full-sized" comic book. And add to that replicas of sketches on loose-leaf sketch paper...and all this can be removed from the book (okay, the buttons are just the paper, not a wearable button).

It feels like a true fan's collection...a true fan with money.

The history itself is not bad either. It is trying to be "nice"...especially as it approaches more modern times. It glosses over the Kirby-Lee break-up, but gives it honest mention, but gives little love to Goodman's opportunistic direction from the 40's to 60's. For the really recent stuff they take the "if you can't say something nice" approach, e.g. the reference in the movie section to Elektra: "Early in 2005 came Fox's Elektra, once again starring Jennifer Garner as Frank Miller's creation and directed by Rob Bowman."

I like info/pics from the old stuff best anyhow, though I found the info on the 2000s to be informative as I've read very little of Marvel books after the mid 90s.

Again, it's not a expose, but a fan book that does not entirely shy away from Marvel's warts (though they didn't mention the flop of the 2099 series).

Not sure if I'd suggest shelling out the cover price of $50, but I'm glad I have my clearance copy.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Marvel Vault is chock full of Marvel's history from it's beginning as Timely Comics to the opening of Super Hero Island at Universal's Islands of Adventure. Included in this volume are tons of reproduced memorabilia which you can take out of their plastic pages and peruse, making you feel like you've been there every step of the way. I also really enjoyed the sections dedicated to Timely's teen comic collection, women's comics and horror/mystery comics! I just wish the sections had been longer, but these are not the comics most Marvel fans want to learn about, so I'm not surprised it was very small in the information expanded on. I also wish that there had been more pieces of memorabilia, but I realize that would have made the book longer and more pricey.

This is a lovely gift for Marvel fanatics and those who just want a fun, hands-on history of one of the biggest comic publishing companies of all time! The information can get a bit dry at times, but overall it is a fantastic read and experience! Four stars!

[Mike Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the updated version of the old Marvel Vault, I'll get this out of the way straight away, there are only 5 pull outs in this version, compared to over 20 in the old one. Disappointing, but this is a great book that goes right up to last year. If you have the old version, wait a while for the price to come down to get this, as there's only 16 extra pages. It's a great read with a lot of info on the rise, fall and rise of Marvel as a comics company. A very good read, a well bound book, after the pull out disappointment, I grew to like this book on the info it crams in....

[Devin · Rating 5 out of 5]

With all the removable goodies and informative history on Marvel's comic books, what's not to love? This is any comic-book lover's dream! Read about the origins of a large number of Marvel's vast amount of comic series, see beautiful covers of classic issues. Definitely a great asset to any comic book collection!

[Sixlet · Rating 4 out of 5]

a pretty amazing history of marvel comice, and the evolution of design from the 30's on.

I'm amazed as an avid comic fan from conception (32 years ago) to see the birth of my passion.

For 50 bucks it's not for everyone but it's a must for true believers.

[Jamil · Rating 3 out of 5]

while not as amusing as the Disney Vault still a pretty nice history of Marvel Comics abetted by great samples of art and old school Marvel collectibles.

[Nicholas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colorful book presents a very concise history of Marvel Comics. This book is not all about its cool reproductions, the text is pretty good with a balanced if not detailed look at the comics company through the decades.

[Odd Ball · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. A great coffee table book for any fan of Marvel or comic books. Telling the story of Marvel from its inception in 1939 to 2007 (just before the MCU came into being), there is nothing revalatory here for anyone with a basic knowledge of the comics; the real reason to buy is the excellent collection of artefacts that justify the claim of this being a 'museum in a book'. A lovely book to have on the shelf.

[Pete · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're thinking about reading this book for an in-depth history of Marvel, you won't find it here. This is very much a broad-strokes telling of the Marvel story.

And that's fine, nothing wrong with that.

Paired with the comic art, covers, sketches, bts photos and facsimile goodies tucked in the envelope at the front and you have a pretty nice package.

[Javier Viruete · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, actually much bettert I expected. A history of the company from the very beginnings to 2010's. by Roy THomas, an institution of the marvel history. All the graphic documentation is amazing. A delight to read

[David Sutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelsior! My first read of 2023 is the amazing archive of MARVEL magnificence. You'll be incredibly enlightened by terrific tidbits of trivia and fantastic facts throughout the history of the world's greatest comic company.

[Jim Mcmanus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great fun.

[Jdetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't quite as good as some of the other Vault books, mostly because it's more superficial and willing to gloss over any unpleasant history in the company's past. Still, there are some neat and rare artifacts here that make it worth a look.

[Evan]

Got this massive tome for Christmas...can't wait!

[Jody Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS BOOK IS AWESOME.

[Cecelia]

Great history of Marvel comics if not slightly biased.