The Marvels Deluxe Edition by Panini Comics is what every fan of Alex Ross and Kurt Busiek needs in their life.
There are always funny things to be found in stores. Deeply involved in the ninth art, they are timeless works that can be enjoyed by more unrelated people, suitable for annual re-reading, often discussed with friends, and amenable to analysis from different vantage points. What do you win when a new edition comes out with extra material that adds value to the look and feel? This is the case with Marvels, the new illustrated deluxe edition from Panini Comics will be a great gift for fans of this work.
Marvels, Legendary Comic
What happened in the first decade of the Marvel Universe was that Pajama Comics readers were popular, preferring characters from DC Comics or those from the House of Ideas. Over time, these legends have become very popular, knowing the main characters of the publisher, the origin or some of their most famous parts is within the reach of any pop culture lover. .
There’s no doubt that Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross had the die-hard and veteran Marvel Comics fan in mind when developing this story. By the mid-nineties, the old values that guided superhero stories were being forgotten in favor of new characters with cool attitudes, gritted teeth, a few flashbacks, and deep pockets. With writers focused on creating amazing page-shaking pages and being the new bad boys of comics, the stories weren’t fun anymore. Things are no longer talked about, but Cusick and Ross were there to reclaim the essence of superhero comics.
Marvel Universe like never before
The idea behind this comic is simple. It’s about telling the most important events in the history of the Marvel Universe from the point of view of the man on the street, since the first publications. Heroes end up being distant gods, be they guardians or villains, whom we never know. Through the lens of photographer Phil Sheldon, we reflect on the rise of the wonder age.
The battle between the original Human Torch and Namor, the search for mutants, the arrival of Galactus, and the death of Gwen Stacy will be major events that the series will cover. And all this with the religious touch that Ross portrays of these beings, who, though they are nothing more than pajama-clad men, breathe like actual superior beings.
Every page is a work of art in the hands of this artist. It’s a shame to see Ross devote himself to just making covers today (but what covers!), because he’s a really talented illustrator who, with the right history, could give us such a round job again. And the success of Marvels is not only Ross’s credit, but half should always be attributed to the brilliant Busick. This man’s love for these stories is perfectly visible from a distance along with the way he treats these characters.
Explanations that add value
What defines this comic is not only its large size (you can’t appreciate Ross’s work in any other way), but the large amount of additional material it contains, which takes up a little more than 50% of the volume.
First, we have a very interesting work done by Jess Harrold, in which we have explanations of the most important panels of each comic page, the artist’s comments about them, the curiosities related to the scene (who would have thought that Taxi Driver was based on the author Brian Azzarello?) or the background of what is happening. On facts about.
Below we can read in detail the various ideas that the authors have presented to publishers over time to launch this series. It’s really interesting to see the differences between them and finally get caught up in the vignettes. We have the usual extras, interviews with the authors, alternate covers, character sketches and notes on Ross’s creative process. Couldn’t be more complete, a true gem.
Published in hardcover by Panini Comics, it contains 504 color pages measuring 20.5 x 31 cm. And the American edition includes translations of Marvels Annotated, Marvels Epilogue, and Marvels 25th issues, as well as the covers of all the included issues. It has a recommended retail price of €60 and goes on sale in January 2024.
Marvels pointed out
An edition of Marvels like you’ve never seen it, with everything created for the twenty-fifth anniversary of this masterpiece.
An exciting journey through the moments that went into creating the Marvel Universe under the unique vision of photographer Phil Sheldon.
From the origin of the heroes to the tragic death of Gwen Stasi, from the arrival of Galactus to the Kree-Skrull war, from the creation of mutants to the stormy wedding of Reed Richard and Sue… the surprises are here!
Author: Alex Ross and Kurt Busiek