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Marvel Comics: The Untold Story Audiobook
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Plot Summary
Marvel Comics: The Untold Story offers a chronological look at the history of the multibillion-dollar comics company and an inside look at the people who created the characters America has grown to love. The book is based on more than 100 interviews with writers, artists and others from inside Marvel. It follows the company from the beginning, through Hollywood blockbusters and big screen bombs, and even through the collapse of the comic book market. It turns out Marvel was begin as a get-rich-quick scheme in 1939, and has grown in the decades since from an unknown underdog to a huge corporation.
This book is really about the editors, artists and writers who made up the Marvel team over the years, often called the Marvel Bullpen. It pits the creative minds against the corporate leadership that tried to control them, arguing for credit and control. Most of the creative team was low-paid, and got little credit for creating Spider-Man, Iron Man, Wolverine, Captain America and many other household names for generations of comics fans.
Stan Lee and Jack Kirby are just two of the members of the Bullpen who are profiled. Lee led the Marvel team for decades, proving to be a steadfast leader and a competent writer and editor in the best and the worst years of Marvel's history. A less well-known name today, Kirby was one of the company's most prolific creative minds. He created Captain America in 1940, fought in World War II, and then returned to create most of Marvel's marquee characters over a three-year period in the 1960s.
Author Sean Howe has written about the entertainment industry for Spin, the Village Voice, New York and the Los Angeles Times. He previously served as an editor at Entertainment Weekly. Marvel Comics, published in 2012, is his first book.
"Very interesting. I collected (mostly Marvel) comic books regularly from 1979 through 1982 or so. I started with The Hulk and The Thing (Marvel Two-In-One) but eventually became obsessed with X-Men starting with #132 (The cover shows Sebastian Shaw tossing Storm on a pile of defeated X-Men). I had found myself in the middle of the Dark Phoenix saga! I saved up money to buy back issues to get the whole story. This book shows how the talent flowed back and forth between Marvel and DC, as writers and artists got pissed off at their editors or each other and jumped ship, and how certain trends affected the industry, such as multiple collectible covers, huge price hikes, toy tie-ins, crossovers, deaths of major characters, returning to the basics, etc. It's too bad comic books are so expensive now, but it's great that decent movies are now being made from comic book source material. I can't wait for Days of Future Past!"
— Brian (4 out of 5 stars)
Publisher Summary
The defining, behind-the-scenes chronicle of one of the most extraordinary, beloved, and dominant pop cultural entities in America’s history -- Marvel Comics – and the outsized personalities who made Marvel including Martin Goodman, Stan Lee, and Jack Kirby.
“Sean Howe’s history of Marvel makes a compulsively readable, riotous and heartbreaking version of my favorite story, that of how a bunch of weirdoes changed the world…That it’s all true is just frosting on the cake.” —Jonathan Lethem
For the first time, Marvel Comics tells the stories of the men who made Marvel: Martin Goodman, the self-made publisher who forayed into comics after a get-rich-quick tip in 1939, Stan Lee, the energetic editor who would shepherd the company through thick and thin for decades and Jack Kirby, the WWII veteran who would co-create Captain America in 1940 and, twenty years later, developed with Lee the bulk of the company’s marquee characters in a three-year frenzy. Incorporating more than one hundred original interviews with those who worked behind the scenes at Marvel over a seventy-year-span, Marvel Comics packs anecdotes and analysis into a gripping narrative of how a small group of people on the cusp of failure created one of the most enduring pop cultural forces in contemporary America.
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Quotes
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“Sean Howe’s history of Marvel makes a compulsively readable, riotous, and heartbreaking version of my favorite story, that of how a bunch of weirdos changed the world. That it’s all true is just frosting on the cake.”
— Jonathan Lethem, New York Times bestselling author -
“Exhaustively researched and artfully assembled, Marvel Comics is a historical exploration, a labor of love, and a living illustration of how the weirdest corners of the counterculture can sometimes become the culture-at-large.”
— Chuck Klosterman, New York Times bestselling author -
“Page after page, Sean Howe’s Marvel Comics manages to be enchantingly told, emotionally suspenseful, and totally revelatory.”
— Sloane Crosley, New York Times bestselling author -
“A warts-and-all, nail-biting mini-epic about the low-paid, unsung ‘funnybook men’ who were unwittingly creating twenty-first century pop culture. If you thought the fisticuffs were bare and bloody on the four-color page, wait ‘til you hear about what went down in the Marvel bullpen.”
— Patton Oswalt -
“Sean Howe has collected the history with a fanboy’s dedication to continuity and detail. As with every two-bit, four-color superhuman donning tights to fight crime, there’s an origin tale, and Marvel Comics: The Untold Story lays it out.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“Marvel Comics is a meticulous chronicle of the real secret origins of the superhero, a tragic love story about the relationship between a long parade of passionate, talented superhero devotees and the company that didn’t love them back.”
— Los Angeles Times -
“A superpowered must-read for anyone hooked on comics, as well as a gripping story for someone merely enlightened by a genre that’s always had to fight for respect. It’s much more about ordinary, flawed humans than super men and women, and therein lies its excellence.”
— USA Today -
“A vivid account...Comics have proven an enduring art form, gaining new fans without losing the old ones. Howe’s exhaustively researched love letter to Marvel should find grateful readers among both groups.”
— Boston Globe -
“Fascinating, compelling reading...Exhaustively researched...What ultimately propels you to keep turning the pages of this fat, enjoyable book are the endless anecdotes about how the Marvel universe was shaped.”
— Miami Herald -
“Howe offers vivid reporting and enticing detail...The result is a book both authoritative and charmingly readable.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“It’s about time somebody wrote Marvel Comics: The Untold Story, and it looks like Sean Howe was the right guy for the job. Howe’s clear-eyed history...is as full of colorful characters, tragic reversals, and unlikely plot twists as any book in the Marvel canon.”
— Newsday -
“A jittery, hilarious, anecdotal, and exhaustive history of the company...If you’re a comics fan, this is essential reading. If you’re not, then it’s merely fascinating. Howe has written a biographical history of modern America’s id.”
— GQ -
“Exhaustively researched and extraordinarily compelling...A quasi-Shakespearean portrayal of Marvel as it moves from spirited upstart to ruthless corporate colossus.”
— Salon -
“Howe, a widely published critic with a real knack...for reporting, gets farther inside the company than anyone else has...An essential read for anyone who loves comics.”
— Daily Beast -
“Howe paints an indelible portrait of the crass, juvenile, soulful business that captured the world’s imagination.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“An impeccably researched, authoritative history of Marvel Comics.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
Marvel Comics Listener Reviews
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" Man, people hated Stan Lee. Poor guy. "
— Andy, 1/21/2014 -
" Having grown up as an avid reader of Marvel comics, it was fascinating to read about the personal relationships and corporate machinations behind some of the characters and stories I followed so faithfully. "
— Craig, 1/21/2014 -
" Sean Howe did a fantastic job researching Marvel's history. The deal is, the story itself is long and filled with back-stabbing, falling outs, and bitterness. Combine that with the hundreds of people involved, it's easy to lose track on who is who, aside from the big names (Lee, Kirby, Ditko, Miller). So while it drags in spots, this is certainly a pretty definitive book. "
— Eric, 1/17/2014 -
" I've read a lot of books detailing the history of comics and this one is very good. It is well researched and presented in a fun and engaging manner. I recommend it to anyone who likes to now the back story of comics. "
— Joseph, 1/14/2014 -
" I thoroughly enjoyed this books and couldn't put it down. "
— Stephen, 1/7/2014 -
" Good read but long and gets a bit dry and repetitive with all the comings and goings. And things are left out, like the licensing deal with Universal that led to Marvel Super Hero Island at Universal Orlando "
— Eric, 12/31/2013 -
" Anyone with any interest in the history of comics should pick this up. Explains crossover strategies, why certain characters are favored, and why your favorite artist jumped from a book during the middle of a a great run. "
— Sean, 12/24/2013 -
" Marvel Comics was not sure a pretty business. And I don't just mean the 90s. "
— Ken, 11/26/2013 -
" A no holes barred account of the history of Marvel Comics. Very informative and interesting behind the scenes view of the company and the characters it employed. "
— Steven, 11/25/2013 -
" Interesting for its overview of the comic industry in general; I would have enjoyed this book more if I had ever been a fan of the Marvel cast of superheroes in the comics "
— Agatha, 11/11/2013 -
" A great read, and it has me wanting to go back to many of the old Marvel stories. I'm interested to see how this will compare to Fantagraphic's book on Marvel later this year. "
— Derek, 10/17/2013 -
" A great telling of the history behind Marvel comics, but a bit depressing. If you like to think that creative types don't have overblown egos at times, then I wouldn't recommend it. And I hope the weather is nice on your planet. "
— Jon, 10/5/2013 -
" It was a really engaging read. It bummed me out a lot to learn about so many artists and writers getting fucked over by the company again and again. I won't look at the comics the same way. "
— Ty, 8/18/2013 -
" Perfect mix of comic book history and business history. I wish there was a similar book on DC comics. "
— Ed, 8/14/2013 -
" Excellent - should be on the shelves of anyone who knows what "excelsior!" means. "
— John, 4/20/2013 -
" A very detailed look at the history of the comics giant, warts and all. Seems to have been mostly warts, meanwhile Stan Lee was in Hollywood schmoozing with B-list stars. A great guide for how not to run a comic book publisher. Very entertaining and essential history for comics fans. "
— Christian, 3/26/2013 -
" This was pretty good, although after the late 90's it seemed rushed. I'm assuming that is due to lack of access to people willing to provide insight and comment on Marvel's recent history. "
— Kevin, 2/15/2013
About Sean Howe
Sean Howe is the editor of Give Our Regards to the
Atomsmashers!: Writers on Comics. He is a former editor and critic at Entertainment
Weekly, and his writing has appeared in New York, the Los
Angeles Times, Spin, and The Village Voice. He
lives in Brooklyn, New York.
About Stephen Hoye
Stephen Hoye has worked as a professional actor in London and Los Angeles for more than thirty years. Trained at Boston University and the Guildhall in London, he has acted in television series and six feature films and has appeared in London’s West End. His audiobook narration has won him fifteen AudioFile Earphones Awards.