At $200 it looks expensive, but make no mistake about it: 75 Years of Marvel: From the Golden age to the Silver Screen is worth every penny. This is a massive book, in fact dangerous to life for children under six. It comes with its own suitcase. (It’s also available for much less on Amazon.)
Inside 75 Years of Marvel is a gloriously illustrated history of Marvel Comics, the company that has taken over Hollywood and the universe. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin Goodman, a New York pulp magazine publisher. Goodman took advantage of the new popularity of comics, and hired artist Jack Kirby, who would go on to co-create some of Marvel’s marquee characters. Kirby’s main collaborator at Marvel would become Stan Lee, who had worked his way up from office assistant to editor in 1941 – and is now Marvel’s official panjandrum, appearing in cameos in all the Marvel films.
It’s a well-known story: Comic books were mostly about virtuous, square-jawed supermen in the 1940s and 50s. Horror comics were also popular, but were heavily criticized by the government, which even attempted to shut them down. Comics were spent as a creative force in the early 1960s. But then Lee and Kirby revolutionized the form by creating a new kind of superhero – the crusader with personal problems. Spider-Man was Peter Parker, a high school student with money and girl problems. The Fantastic Four were a super-powered family who argued. Marvel characters were like the rest of us.
This change not only made the heroes more touchable, it made readers want to aspire to be like them. DC’s Superman and Green Lantern were gods who were difficult to relate to. But everyone had been broke, like Spider-Man, or felt like an outcast, like the X-Men. And when they never gave up, when they dealt with adversity with humor and grace – and continued to serve a public that may not appreciate or understand them – it inspired readers to act in similarly virtuous ways.
One of the most remarkable things about Marvel is how, over the decades, they have continued to foster creativity and take chances. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby had huge success, but rather than just repeat the formula, they brought in new artists and writers to provide fresh creative energy. Roy Thomas, who wrote the text for 75 Years of Marvel, came in as a writer. Other talent artists and writers, people like Jim Steranko, Barry Smith, Archie Goodwin, Frank Miller and Jim Starlin joined Marvel, expanding Lee and Kirby’s original vision and taking it in new and unexpected directions. Marvel kept challenging readers and moving into weird and interesting directions, even as they went from a small company to comic book kings.
Today Marvel continues to take risks and create compelling comics. Writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Alex Maleev did a recent run on Daredevil that is one of the best series of comics ever produced. The X-Men is still well-written, and films they have produced have largely been smart, witty and well-crafted.
If you’re a fan of comic books, or if you have a child who is interested in comic book art, 75 Years of Marvel is an essential purchase. Just don’t let your kid try and lift it.
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