Again, a second installment of TASCHEN’s oversized book on a particular Marvel comic line continues the excellent analysis and development of its respective part one. Here, it is The Avengers Vol. 2 retrospective that covers the years 1965 to 1967. Not such a long time, but the Avengers would change a lot over that period, […]
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Tag: Jack Kirby
Copyright Vigilantes: Intellectual Property and the Hollywood Superhero by Ezra Claverie (2024)
A typical feature of the many (recent) blockbuster superhero movies is the concept they all share; they are not simply a continuation or reinterpretation of stories from comic books published decades ago. But there is more than meets the eye, according to author Ezra Claverie, a writer who for some years has published in Journal […]
Captain America and the American Journey, 1940-2022 by Richard A. Hall (2024)
When the powerful alliance of superheroes named The Avengers were called by Marvel Comics (or rather, by S.H.I.E.L.D.), each member represented certain traits, powers, mindsets and even ideologies. The “Sentinel of Liberty,” a nickname (turned nom-de-guerre at various occasions on countless missions) for Captain America, unlike other superheroes of the Golden Age, did not simply exist […]
Marvel Comics Library. Silver Surfer. Vol.1. 1968–1970 by Stan Lee, John Buscema, Douglas Wolk (2023
Marvel invented many great and impressive superheroes. Some were allowed their own comic book series; some ran for years or even decades. Compared to other Marvel characters and exclusive series, the Silver Surfer, main actor of the XXL title at hand, archived legendary status after a very short (comic book) lifetime. He was around for […]
Marvel Comics Library. X-Men. Vol. 1. 1963–1966 by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Chris Claremont, Fabian Nic
With the fourth installment of the Marvel superheroes edition in XXL size, another one of Stan Lee’s impressive lines of comics is available now: Marvel’s “The X-Men.” A name related to the eXtraordinary or simply X-tra powers the protagonists at hand possessed; without the help of lab accidents, misdirected sun rays or cosmic powers of […]
Marvel Comics Library. Fantastic Four. Vol. 1. 1961–1963 by Mark Waid, Mike Massimino … (2022)
With Fantastic Four. Vol. 1. 1961–1963, Taschen celebrates another idea of Marvel’s mastermind Stan Lee. Following the most welcome publication of recent volumes of the Taschen Marvel Comic Library, the superhero family of four is introduced here in a short text by former NASA astronaut Mike Massimino. Followed by a long essay from acclaimed Marvel […]
Marvel Comics Library. Avengers. Vol. 1. 1963–1965 by Kurt Busiek and Kevin Feige (2022)
Merely six months after the last XXL version of the Marvel Comics Library edition – featuring Spiderman – arrived, Taschen is out to surprise us again. This time with an equally massive edition of the most powerful superheroes that joined forces and became THE AVENGERS. Again, the first 20 (!) comic books that feature the […]
Superhero Thought Experiments: Comic Book Philosophy by C. Gavaler and N. Goldberg (2019)
The main thesis of this book will be of interest to both philosophers and comic book fans, as strange as it may sound at first. In an unusual effort, thought experiments done by philosophers (ancient and recent), and the stories behind many superhero comics are evaluated, and their many similarities revealed, as both groups play […]
The Marvel Age of Comics 1961–1978 by Roy Thomas (2017)
Marvel Comics of New York, originally founded as Timely Publications in 1939, is one of the most important comic book publishers worldwide. Comic book fans all over the world are grateful for superheroes as Captain America or the Sub-Mariner. And particularly for superheroes of “a somewhat other kind,” as the mostly troubled, eccentric and characters […]