From Publishers Weekly
Ten years ago, Marvels was the breakthrough work for both of its creators: a worm's-eye view of the spectacle of Marvel comics history—35 years of glorious superheroes and terrifying super-disasters, told from the perspective of Phil Sheldon, a newspaper photographer who's experienced "the marvels" from ground level. Renowned artist Ross's rich, lush, nearly photorealistic style (he painted all the major characters from photographs of models) made his reputation—and the book—a landmark. The story, too, suggests a sort of grandeur that had largely slipped away from superhero comics by the early '90s, even as it describes the helplessness that normal people might feel in the presence of angel-winged mutants and rapacious gods from outer space. There are plenty of Easter eggs in Marvels for longtime comics buffs, although the book is structured so that new readers won't be lost, either. The level of detail goes much deeper than what's visible on the page, but its creators' command of that unseen background gives the story itself force and resilience. This new edition augments the original with over 200 pages of extras: four drafts of Busiek's original proposal for the series, all of his scripts, a short bonus story, dozens of Ross's sketches and related artwork, and a guide to the many celebrity cameo appearances Ross drew into the original. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Within the Marvel Universe, heroes such as Spider-Man swing from rooftop to rooftop, while the Avengers soar high in the skies. These figures, blessed with fantastic superhuman abilities, stand ready to battle the villains who threaten their world. Yet living in the shadow of these extraordinary icons are ordinary men and women, who view the "Marvels" with a mixture of fear, disbelief, envy and admiration. Among them is Phil Sheldon, a New York City photojournalist who has dedicated his career to covering the exploits of the Marvels and their effect on humankind. A richly painted historical overview of the entire Marvel Universe, Marvels spans from the first appearance of the Human Torch in 1939 to the fearsome coming of the world-devouring Galactus, culminating in the shocking death of Gwen Stacy, Spider-Man's first love. While these stories may be familiar to Marvel fans, never before have they been told in this manner -- not from the hero's perspective, but through the eyes of the ordinary man named Phil Sheldon.

In 1993, Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross's realistic portrayal of the Marvel Universe in Marvels quickly became one of the biggest comic-book hits of the decade. Garnering overwhelming praise from critics, fans and fellow professionals, the series won the industry's highest honors with three Eisner Awards in 1994. In this landmark 10th Anniversary Edition, Marvels is presented in a lavish new hardcover format, collecting all four issues of the series -- plus the Human Torch short story from Marvels #0, production notes, Ross's sketchbook, behind-the-scenes stories of the making of Marvels, and Ross and Busiek's original proposals, tracing the development of the series. A self-professed "overnight sensation ten years in the making," Kurt Busiek has been a professional comic-book writer since selling a sample script for Green Lantern to DC Comics in 1982. Following the success of Marvels in 1993, Busiek continued his partnership with Alex Ross on Astro City, a critically acclaimed series dubbed "the best comic book being published today -- period" by Wizard Magazine. A longtime fan favorite, Busiek has been the recipient of the prestigious Eisner and Harvey Awards, garnering multiple nominations for both best writer and best short story. In addition to his newest hit series, Arrowsmith, he is working on JLA/Avengers with artist George Perez.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly