Marvel encyclopedia updated and expanded [antikvár]

Forewordhy Ralph MacchioThree-quarters of a century after its birth, the Marvel Universe is more aHve and popular today than ever. The ever-expanding landscape of this finest of fantasy worlds is celebrated in this invaluable volume: The 75th Anniversary Marvel Encyclopedia. Herein you will find everything you want to know about Marvel, from heroes' histories to hidden civilizations; from the classic Kree/Skrull War to current epics, such as the Civil War saga and World War Hulk. All thoroughly researched and up-to-date.It all began with a single, sea-dwelling character called Namor, created by the talented writer/artist Bill Everett forTimely Comics (Marvel Comics' precursor) in 1939. Namor the Sub-Mariner embodied aU the traits that would, decades hence, become trademarks of Marvel's Super Heroes. He was an outsider, a rebel with a cause having a bizarre appearance that set him apart from the crowd. No less strange was the character who followed: The Human Torch, an android who could burst into flame, created by the versatile artist Carl Burgos. With the creation of Captain America by comic book titans Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, Timely Publishing had its first patriotic hero who was fully human. During the dark days of World War II, this triumvirate thrived, battling the Nazi menace. Sales skyrocketed. And the war was won.With the coming of the 1950s, Captain America began fighting the communist threat, and Timely, now called Atlas Publishing, produced a variety of romance, western, and monster comics with titles such as The Two-Gun Kid, Tales to Astonish, Strange Tales, and Journey Into Mystery. Nothing ground-breaking, but they were a fiin read. Things hurrmied along until the pivotal year of 1961, and then magic!National Periodicals was having some success reviving a few of their Golden Age heroes, and Atlas publisher Martin Goodman bade his main editor, Stan Lee to follow suit. And so was born: The Fantastic Four, the first true Marvel comic. Its many innovationsthe bickering of the protagonists, the lack of gaudy Super Hero costumesshook the comics industry to its core.In the space of just a few years of unprecedented creativity, Stan and his artistic collaborators followed up the FF with the Hulk, Ant Man, Iron Man, Thor, and Lee's masterpiecethe Amazing Spider-Man! Here was a startUngly new breed of Super Hero, replete with personality flaws and foibles. Spider-Man drew in an older, college-educated audience attracted by the sophisticated storytelling and characterizations, the stuimingly original artwork, and the mind-expanding concepts. It was all perfectly in tune with the increasingly exciting and volatile 1960s. Marvel Comics' intricate, cohesive, modern mythology spawned a comics revolution.I was one of those youths totally absorbed by the Marvel brand. In fact, I turned my childhood passion into my life's work. Since arriving at the House of Ideas in 1976, I've been privileged to have had acclaimed runs on Spider-Man, Daredevil, Thor, Captain America and the Ultimate line of comics. I've also been deeply involved in bringing Stephen King's epic novels The Stand and Dark Tower to the comics format. Every assignment has been a dream come true for this dyed-in-the-wool Marvelite.Now a dominant force in popular culture, the Marvel Universe is as fully realized a secondary world as the Middle Earth of J.R.R. Tolkien. And every month a new layer of history is added to it.Today, seventy-five years after the Sub-Mariner burst from the turbulent seas. Marvel is a worldwide phenomenon spawning billion-dollar film franchises, merchandising bonanzas, and a still-vibrant line of comic books. This 75th Anniversary Marvel Encylopedia allows fans to have on hand a comprehensive reference guide to Marvel's many worlds and wonders. To peruse its pages is to have an A to Z access of all things Marvel. It's a superb and rewarding text, and a monumental contribution to what is still, indisputably, the Marvel Age of Comics!