dorothy_1900's review
4.0
It was like reading a crime novel where main plot was extended over many years of different nefarious intrigues with web of connections so complicated that it should have been a graph to getbetter orientation in numerous people who were/ are part of Marvel history.
Fantastic book, it just makes you realize how many people were a part of this wonderful history. It's upsetting, though, to realize how many of them were treated unfairly just for corporation to have a higher profit.
Fantastic book, it just makes you realize how many people were a part of this wonderful history. It's upsetting, though, to realize how many of them were treated unfairly just for corporation to have a higher profit.
macthebrazen's review
5.0
I always disliked history in school, until I had a professor in college who was able to weave facts into an engaging, cohesive narrative.
This author does an excellent job of doing the same. I stayed engaged in a way that I wouldn't normally for a nonfiction book of this length, and it makes me appreciate my comic book reading more too!
This author does an excellent job of doing the same. I stayed engaged in a way that I wouldn't normally for a nonfiction book of this length, and it makes me appreciate my comic book reading more too!
standardman's review
5.0
Incredibly well researched and engagingly written, this is a fascinating book peppered with more intrigue and conflict than the average Marvel summer crossover.
A must for anyone who loves Marvel comics.
A must for anyone who loves Marvel comics.
btmarino84's review
5.0
Fascinating history of Marvel Comics. A bit depressing at times but always incredibly interesting. My favorite moments came earlier in the book when it dealt mainly with the creators. Later on it gets much more involved in the business side, which is important and interesting and lets us see the problems facing the comic industry first hand. But I just had way more fun hearing about Jim Starlin and Steve Englehart and others tripping balls and wandering NYC coming up with their ideas.
It's also great to read this and see that nowadays the writers at Marvel seem to be doing much better. Treated with better respect. There are a lot of great writers getting to write great books and doing a really good job running the creative side while still getting to write lots of creator owned stuff. There's a lot of variety in their books now and they never feel rushed or edited to heck like DC can these days. Maybe they learned their lesson for now?
It's also great to read this and see that nowadays the writers at Marvel seem to be doing much better. Treated with better respect. There are a lot of great writers getting to write great books and doing a really good job running the creative side while still getting to write lots of creator owned stuff. There's a lot of variety in their books now and they never feel rushed or edited to heck like DC can these days. Maybe they learned their lesson for now?
old_tim's review
5.0
When I was a kid I read both comics from both Marvel and DC, but my heart was always with Marvel. DC seemed like Mr. Rogers—grandfatherly and in a cardigan. Marvel was more like Sesame Street—weird looking young people on a street that I knew was supposed to be New York, even if it looked totally alien to my eyes. Marvel was dynamic in a way that DC couldn’t hope to be. At their best, DC came off like someone’s dad trying to be cool.
So of course I was excited to hear about Marvel Comics: The Untold Story. Here was my opportunity to find out what really went on in the Bullpen, and learn the truth behind all those crazy nicknames.
Sean Howe does a fantastic job of telling the story behind the stories. After a brief overview of Marvel’s WWII era legacy heroes, he begins the story with the dawn of the modern Marvel – in the 1960s with Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. From there he goes through the story of the company, ending only around the millennium. All the big name writers and artists seem to be here, as well as many that would otherwise be forgotten.
Readers looking for storyline rehashes will be disappointed. While some major characters and storylines are discussed, it is always from the perspective of business or creative decisions, not from any sort of in-universe perspective. But the real story is intriguing all on its own.
It’s fascinating how many problematic issues surrounding comics were already issues 40 years ago. Intellectual property, creator compensation, gender and race issues, boom and bust sales cycles, exploitative sales and marketing strategies were all being argued many years ago. Howe spotlights many of these issues without bringing his own perspective to the fight. He uses interviews to allow various voices to be heard.
So of course I was excited to hear about Marvel Comics: The Untold Story. Here was my opportunity to find out what really went on in the Bullpen, and learn the truth behind all those crazy nicknames.
Sean Howe does a fantastic job of telling the story behind the stories. After a brief overview of Marvel’s WWII era legacy heroes, he begins the story with the dawn of the modern Marvel – in the 1960s with Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. From there he goes through the story of the company, ending only around the millennium. All the big name writers and artists seem to be here, as well as many that would otherwise be forgotten.
Readers looking for storyline rehashes will be disappointed. While some major characters and storylines are discussed, it is always from the perspective of business or creative decisions, not from any sort of in-universe perspective. But the real story is intriguing all on its own.
It’s fascinating how many problematic issues surrounding comics were already issues 40 years ago. Intellectual property, creator compensation, gender and race issues, boom and bust sales cycles, exploitative sales and marketing strategies were all being argued many years ago. Howe spotlights many of these issues without bringing his own perspective to the fight. He uses interviews to allow various voices to be heard.
miketwomey's review
4.0
Interesting to see the constant tug-of-war between the financial and the creative sides of the company, particularly given the rotating casts on either side. And the Great Comic Boom of the 1990s is always something that's bittersweet to remember.
blacksentai's review
4.0
This book is really enlightening on the way Marvel Comics has existed over seventy years. The book brings a lot of coercive behavior to light and makes a lot of people I knew in name only very hard to like. A lot of actions are gross and it makes a lot of the dialogue around modern comics and creators even more frustrating.
mattgoldberg's review
3.0
I'm conflicted on this one. On the one hand, it's a valuable overview of what Marvel went through over its various decades. It's a solid history of the company and its books changed, and the book is at its best when it provides insights into how creators crafted plot lines or how various business demands shaped the output (reading about Marvel in the 90s was like someone finally explaining to me why I could never get into comics as a kid even though I adored the X-Men and collected Marvel trading cards).
The flip side is that "The Untold Story" requires you to have familiarity with the told story. Because I didn't grow up reading comics and have really only read selected arcs from Marvel's history, I was usually at a loss with all these writers, artists, and editors. There are large sections where you feel like you're getting some hot piece of gossip or an axe to grind between participants, but it falls flat because you have no investment in these people beyond what you've read in this book. I learned that a lot of people didn't really like Jim Shooter, but I have no feelings on Jim Shooter one way or the other, so the conflict doesn't really land.
Nevertheless, I'm glad this book exists and that I read it because I now feel better prepped to dive into 'True Believer'.
The flip side is that "The Untold Story" requires you to have familiarity with the told story. Because I didn't grow up reading comics and have really only read selected arcs from Marvel's history, I was usually at a loss with all these writers, artists, and editors. There are large sections where you feel like you're getting some hot piece of gossip or an axe to grind between participants, but it falls flat because you have no investment in these people beyond what you've read in this book. I learned that a lot of people didn't really like Jim Shooter, but I have no feelings on Jim Shooter one way or the other, so the conflict doesn't really land.
Nevertheless, I'm glad this book exists and that I read it because I now feel better prepped to dive into 'True Believer'.
adamvolle's review
4.0
There's a full education told with momentum in here for anyone new to industry history, and plenty new nuggets of information for the more knowledgable of us, too.