Marvel Comics For Dummies E-Book
21,99 €
Mehr erfahren.
- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
- Sprache: Englisch
Explore the iconic super heroes and storylines from Marvel Comics
You may be familiar with heroic characters from Marvel Comics like Black Panther, Iron Man, and Wolverine, or villains like Loki and Thanos. But how much do you know about Squirrel Girl, Cyclops, or the Leader? With over 85 years of comics published since their founding, the Marvel Comics archive is a vast universe of iconic stories and legendary characters. Marvel Comics For Dummies is your shortcut to navigating this immense collection of heroes and their adventures. Learn the background of key characters, explore essential storylines, and discover the interconnectedness of the Marvel universe. Created in collaboration with Marvel Comics, this full-color guide contains striking comic book artwork along with interesting insights that serve as an exciting map to the Marvel universe.
- Uncover Marvel’s origin story
- Get to know iconic Marvel super heroes and villains
- Tour the Marvel Comics Multiverse
- Make sense of Marvel’s many super-hero teams
- Explore definitive storylines that span the history of Marvel Comics
From curious newbie to long-time reader, Marvel Comics For Dummies brings the Marvel Multiverse to life.
Sie lesen das E-Book in den Legimi-Apps auf:
Seitenzahl: 374
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025
Ähnliche
Marvel Comics For Dummies®
To view this book's Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for “Marvel Comics For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the Search box.
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Introduction
About This Book
Foolish Assumptions
Icons Used in This Book
Beyond the Book
Where to Go from Here
Part 1: Navigating the Marvel Comics Universe
Chapter 1: Getting to Know Marvel Comics
What’s Unique About Marvel Comics
A Universe of Iconic Characters
Understanding the Connections and Affiliations
Infinite Sagas
Chapter 2: Exploring Marvel’s Origin Story
The Prehistory of Marvel Comics
Introducing Influential Characters
Getting Away from Super Heroes (for a While) in the Atlas Era
Chapter 3: What Makes a Marvel Comic a Marvel Comic
Modernizing the Super-Hero Character
Living in the Real World
Dealing with Human Problems (the Marvelous and the Mundane)
Deriving Powers from Realistic Events
Connecting Storylines
Understanding the Sliding Timeline
Part 2: The People in Your Friendly Marvel Comics Neighborhood
Chapter 4: Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
Alpha Flight
The Avengers
The Defenders
The Eternals
The Fantastic Four
The Guardians of the Galaxy
The Inhumans
The Invaders
Midnight Sons
S.H.I.E.L.D.
The Thunderbolts
The X-Men
Chapter 5: Meeting Iconic Marvel Heroes and Antiheroes
Avengers
Defenders
Guardians of the Galaxy
Midnight Sons
Street-Level Heroes
X-Men
The Next Generation
Chapter 6: Bring on the Bad Guys!
Avengers Antagonists
Black Panther’s Big Bad: Killmonger
Captain America’s Adversaries
Fantastic Four Foes
Hulk Haters
Iron Man Menaces
Sinister Super-Villains of Spider-Man
Threats for Thor
Xceedingly Evil X-Men Enemies
Part 3: Unpacking Marvel Comics Lore
Chapter 7: What the Heck is a Multiverse?
Managing Multiversal Addresses
Investigating Intersecting Universes: Time Travel and Dimension Hopping
Getting Acquainted with Gods and Aliens
Encountering Cosmic Entities
Chapter 8: Exploring Major Marvel Comics Storylines
The 1960s and 1970s
The 1980s
The 1990s
The 2000s
The 2010s and Beyond
Part 4: The Part of Tens
Chapter 9: Ten Tips for Collecting Marvel Comics
Building Your Collection Based on Your Interests
Getting Advice
Accessing Marvel Unlimited
Collecting the Good Old-Fashioned Regular Comic Book
Collecting Trade Paperbacks
Collecting Hardcovers, Omnibuses, and Epic Collections
Adding Key Issues to Your Collection
Searching for Variants
Finding Back Issues
Storing Your Precious Comics
Chapter 10: Ten Ways to Become Part of the Community
Finding Fans (from an Old-Timer)
Finding Other Fans If You Have/Are a Young Reader
Going to the Local Comic Shop
Searching for Online Fandom
Discovering Comic Conventions
Attending Local Shows
Organizing a Trip to a Convention
Creating a Convention Agenda
Going to Panels at a Convention
Attending Signings at a Convention
Dressing the Part
Index
About the Author
Connect with Dummies
End User License Agreement
List of Illustrations
Chapter 1
FIGURE 1-1: It all starts here: the cover to
Marvel Comics
#1.
FIGURE 1-2: When titans clash: Human Torch and Namor first meet in
Marvel Myste
...
FIGURE 1-3: Introducing the Amazing Spider-Man!
FIGURE 1-4: The Avengers assemble … well … everybody.
FIGURE 1-5: The new X-Men prepare to rescue the original team from the clutches...
Chapter 2
FIGURE 2-1: Early comics incorporated many popular genres, like Westerns.
FIGURE 2-2: Ka-Zar the Great made his Marvel debut in
Marvel Comics #1
jungle a...
FIGURE 2-3: Marvel Milestone: The original Human Torch makes a fiery debut!
FIGURE 2-4: It’s Toro Time! Like many heroes, the Torch acquired a young sideki...
FIGURE 2-5: One of Namor’s major motivations: protecting Atlantis and its peopl...
FIGURE 2-6: Namor and Human Torch clashed in
Marvel Mystery Comics
#8 and 9.
FIGURE 2-7: Captain America made his entrance by decking Hitler on his very fir...
FIGURE 2-8: Also in their very first issue, Captain America and Bucky make an e...
FIGURE 2-9: Cap and other major heroes get together for the first time as the A...
FIGURE 2-10: The extremely long-lived
Kid Colt
had a 31-year comic run.
FIGURE 2-11: Western hero Two-Gun Kid boasted a 29-year run.
FIGURE 2-12: The Zombie, who appeared on the cover of
Menace
#5, showed up agai...
FIGURE 2-13: The first issue of
Fantastic Four.
Chapter 3
FIGURE 3-1:
The Black Knight
brought a medieval flair.
FIGURE 3-2: Doctor Strange’s home was authentically New York.
FIGURE 3-3: The Daily Bugle appears among a recognizable real-world skyline.
FIGURE 3-4: The Blue and Gold X-Men teams take a lesson in the Danger Room.
FIGURE 3-5: Galactus was an enormous threat who was also just enormous.
FIGURE 3-6: It wouldn’t be the Fantastic Four without a little family friction....
FIGURE 3-7: Doctor Doom loves proving his genius in front of Reed Richards.
FIGURE 3-8: The Thing often felt tortured by life in his orange, rocky form.
FIGURE 3-9: The struggle for control between Banner and the Hulk defined the ch...
FIGURE 3-10: Peter Parker’s social struggles made him extremely relatable to re...
FIGURE 3-11: Uncle Ben’s words became Peter’s motto after a heartbreaking trage...
FIGURE 3-12: Wolverine’s adamantium-infused skeleton was the work of Department...
FIGURE 3-13: The X-Men and Ghost Rider teamed up to battle The Brood.
FIGURE 3-14:
Blood Hunt
pitted nearly all of the world’s heroes against a vampi...
FIGURE 3-15: Kitty Pryde would be far older today if comic characters aged like...
Chapter 4
FIGURE 4-1: Alpha Flight faced off against the X-Men over the fate of Wolverine...
FIGURE 4-2: The formal relationship the Avengers had with the government someti...
FIGURE 4-3: Many Defenders answered the call when the Son of Satan’s father inv...
FIGURE 4-4: The Eternals developed super-powers after experimentation by the Ce...
FIGURE 4-5: The Fantastic Four displayed teamwork and heroism against the plane...
FIGURE 4-6: The far-future Guardians of the Galaxy kept the peace even after de...
FIGURE 4-7: The present-day Guardians of the Galaxy have welcomed several Earth...
FIGURE 4-8: When Karnak was in grave danger, Lockjaw made sure many other Inhum...
FIGURE 4-9: Union Jack and Spitfire rejoined the Invaders for a battle in Berli...
FIGURE 4-10: The original nine Midnight Sons came together to battle the forces...
FIGURE 4-11: Nick Fury sought Tony Stark’s help against Hydra, but Hydra had ot...
FIGURE 4-12: The Thunderbolt’s true identities were revealed.
FIGURE 4-13: The X-Men frequently found themselves pitted against the members o...
Chapter 5
FIGURE 5-1: Ant-Man dons his costume for the first time.
FIGURE 5-2: Black Panther takes out the trash.
FIGURE 5-3: Black Widow steps out on her own.
FIGURE 5-4: Steve Rogers as Captain America.
FIGURE 5-5: The new Captain America, Sam Wilson, explains some things to the So...
FIGURE 5-6: Carol Danvers takes on the title of Captain Marvel.
FIGURE 5-7: It takes more than cosmic power to rattle Hawkeye!
FIGURE 5-8: Despite their differences, Hulk answers when Avengers assemble.
FIGURE 5-9: Iron Man examines his past just before receiving Extremis.
FIGURE 5-10: Monica Rambeau as Photon.
FIGURE 5-11: Wanda talks weddings.
FIGURE 5-12: She-Hulk rips right through the fourth wall.
FIGURE 5-13: Thor defends Asgard from the Void-corrupted Sentry.
FIGURE 5-14: Vision tests his powers and grapples the mysteries of emotion.
FIGURE 5-15: With Tony down, James Rhodes becomes War Machine.
FIGURE 5-16: After escaping a deadly ambush, Wasp heads for Avengers Mansion.
FIGURE 5-17: Steve Rogers breaks the brainwashing of the Winter Solider.
FIGURE 5-18: Doctor Strange teams up with some fellow future Midnight Sons.
FIGURE 5-19: Namor leads his people against Iron Man.
FIGURE 5-20: Silver Surfer races to snatch the Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos.
FIGURE 5-21: After a year of war with Annihilus, Nova exacts vengeance for the ...
FIGURE 5-22: Blade lets loose a battle cry.
FIGURE 5-23: Dan Ketch was the host for Ghost Rider for some time.
FIGURE 5-24: Moon Knight, the Fist of Khonshu.
FIGURE 5-25: Daredevil takes to the rooftops of Hell’s Kitchen.
FIGURE 5-26: Come on, who hasn’t been paid to kill one of their future buddies ...
FIGURE 5-27: Seriously, don’t mess with Elektra.
FIGURE 5-28: Iron Fist puts his skills to work against the hordes of Hydra.
FIGURE 5-29: Luke Cage puts his own spin on the Avengers battle cry.
FIGURE 5-30: The Punisher welcomes some criminals to the neighborhood.
FIGURE 5-31: Shang-Chi battles bigger threats (while bigger himself) as an Aven...
FIGURE 5-32: Spider-Man patrols NYC from above.
FIGURE 5-33: Venom and the Avengers prepare to face Knull, the King in Black.
FIGURE 5-34: Safety tip: Don’t hit Cable
toward
the weapons.
FIGURE 5-35: Cyclops won’t abide Sentinels on the lawn.
FIGURE 5-36: The dramatic arrival of Phoenix!
FIGURE 5-37: Storm leads the X-Men to confront Doctor Doom.
FIGURE 5-38: Wolverine takes on the Hellfire Club’s guards alone to save the X-...
FIGURE 5-39: Ironheart in one of her upgraded suits.
FIGURE 5-40: Welcome to the 616, Miles!
FIGURE 5-41: Ms. Marvel protects New Jersey (and her family).
FIGURE 5-42: Squirrel Girl drops by GLA #1 to say hello to the audience.
Chapter 6
FIGURE 6-1: Kang has fashioned himself a conqueror throughout all of time.
FIGURE 6-2: Helmut Zemo assembled a huge team of Masters to assault Avengers Ma...
FIGURE 6-3: Mephisto is revealed as the puppet master behind Coulson’s actions....
FIGURE 6-4: The Silver Surfer encounters the recently returned Mad Titan, Thano...
FIGURE 6-5: Even Mjolnir has trouble with Ultron’s adamantium form.
FIGURE 6-6: Killmonger has bested the Black Panther, but never for long.
FIGURE 6-7: Baron Zemo is less than pleased at Captain America’s return.
FIGURE 6-8: Captain America meets M.O.D.O.K. for the first time.
FIGURE 6-9: The Red Skull never, ever stops plotting.
FIGURE 6-10: Occasional ally Blastaar has ensured Annihilus’s survival more tha...
FIGURE 6-11: Doctor Doom created an entire miniature town.
FIGURE 6-12: The FF need Annihilus’s help.
FIGURE 6-13: Ronan puts down the critically damaged Supreme Intelligence, but n...
FIGURE 6-14: The Abomination has proven a relentless foe for the Hulk for many ...
FIGURE 6-15: The Leader united with other criminal masterminds as the Intellige...
FIGURE 6-16: The Mandarin unleashes his power on the NYPD, drawing out the Aven...
FIGURE 6-17: Whether he went by Whiplash or Blacklash, Mark Scarlotti was alway...
FIGURE 6-18: Few of Spider-Man’s enemies are as fearsome, or have hurt him more...
FIGURE 6-19: For Doctor Octopus, humiliating Spider-Man is almost as important ...
FIGURE 6-20: Even when he’s teamed up with the Sinister Six, Electro is no matc...
FIGURE 6-21: Sometimes, even a criminal mastermind like the Kingpin doesn’t min...
FIGURE 6-22: The Sandman proves a shifty, and constantly shifting, foe for Spid...
FIGURE 6-23: Very few things capture the Vulture’s attention like the prospect ...
FIGURE 6-24: Asgardians definitely have their family issues, like the ongoing s...
FIGURE 6-25: Though he makes his motives quite clear, Loki still joins Odin and...
FIGURE 6-26: Few mutants are as long-lived, or as deadly, as Apocalypse.
FIGURE 6-27: Magneto battles the newly-formed X-Men Blue Team.
FIGURE 6-28: Mister Sinister briefly assumed that the X-Men died during the fig...
Chapter 7
FIGURE 7-1: Roma saves the X-Men from the Adversary.
FIGURE 7-2: Doctor Doom’s time machine.
FIGURE 7-3: The X-Men send Kate Pryde’s mind into the past on a desperate missi...
FIGURE 7-4: Magik summons the New Mutants (with a small detour into limbo).
FIGURE 7-5: Guardian confronts the Great Beast known as Tundra.
FIGURE 7-6: An army of Super Skrulls attempts to take New York City.
FIGURE 7-7: Galactus, the Stranger, and other cosmic entities confront Thanos.
Chapter 8
FIGURE 8-1: The Silver Surfer turns on Galactus.
FIGURE 8-2: The Green Goblin is back!
FIGURE 8-3: Empowered by the Destiny Force, Rick Jones calls for serious help.
FIGURE 8-4: Peter Parker suffers one of his greatest losses.
FIGURE 8-5: Tony Stark grapples with one of his toughest foes: addiction.
FIGURE 8-6: Cyclops tries to reach Jean after she becomes Dark Phoenix.
FIGURE 8-7: In the dark future, the X-Men attack the Sentinels.
FIGURE 8-8: Elektra spares Foggy Nelson as Bullseye waits in the wings.
FIGURE 8-9: The X-Men lend a hand, despite their split from Cap’s team.
FIGURE 8-10: The Marauders do serious damage to the X-Men.
FIGURE 8-11: Captain America takes the fight to Baron Zemo.
FIGURE 8-12: Madelyne Pryor meets her maker: Mister Sinister.
FIGURE 8-13: The Mad Titan Thanos needs … help?
FIGURE 8-14: Magneto and X-Man/Nate Grey fight to end Apocalypse’s reign.
FIGURE 8-15: The Clone Saga asked, “Who is the
real
Peter Parker?”
FIGURE 8-16: The combo of Magneto and Professor X in one terrifying villain.
FIGURE 8-17: Jim Lee’s WildStorm Productions reimagined the Fantastic Four.
FIGURE 8-18: When the Avengers put out the call, Avengers
show up.
FIGURE 8-19: Wanda wreaks worldwide havoc with three small words.
FIGURE 8-20: The Punisher delivers a battered, but living, Spider-Man to Team C...
FIGURE 8-21: Nova and the United Front try to hold off the Annihilation Wave.
FIGURE 8-22: On Sakaar, the Hulk unwillingly becomes a gladiator.
FIGURE 8-23: Watch out! Here comes the Spider-Army!
FIGURE 8-24: Cyclops invites all mutants, including Franklin Richards, to Krako...
FIGURE 8-25: The Heroes of Earth rise when the dark elf Malekith returns.
FIGURE 8-26: With the powers of Captain Universe, Venom is ready to finish Knul...
Guide
Cover
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Begin Reading
Index
About the Author
Pages
i
ii
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
259
260
261
Marvel Comics For Dummies®
Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com
© 2025 MARVEL
MARVEL PUBLISHING
Jeff Youngquist, VP, Production and Special Projects
Brian Overton, Manager, Special Projects
Sarah Singer, Editor, Special Projects
Jeremy West, Manager, Licensed Publishing
Sven Larsen, VP, Licensed Publishing
David Gabriel, VP, Print & Digital Publishing
C.B. Cebulski, Editor in Chief
Published simultaneously in Canada
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Trademarks: Wiley, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ.
For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002. For technical support, please visit https://hub.wiley.com/community/support/dummies.
Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2024952850
ISBN 978-1-394-29929-4 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-394-29930-0 (ebk)
Introduction
These days, most people have at least heard of Marvel Comics (unless they’ve been living under a rock, or maybe in one of the other Ten Realms). With a history going back to the 1930s and a portfolio of some of the most popular characters in the world, Marvel’s comics have only grown in pop culture prominence since their debut. And though you may be familiar with the wildly successful Marvel movies, there’s a chance you’ve never delved into Marvel on the printed page. If that’s the case, welcome! You have a whole new universe waiting for you! And if you’ve been here before, welcome back; your old friends are waiting.
About This Book
Marvel Comics For Dummies is designed so you can jump in anywhere. Whether you want to start with the history, the heroes, the villains, the teams … it’s up to you. Jump in and jump around. I hope you have fun on every page, even if you don’t read them in order.
Covering the complete history of Marvel Comics in one book (or ten, or a hundred) is impossible, but I do my best to give you an overview of the landscape. Don’t think of it as a PhD class; think of it as Marvel Comics 101. I hope this book not only gets you in the know about Marvel but also gets you excited to get out there and read the comics for yourself. An incredible number of Marvel stories are collected in hardcover or trade paperback, and you can find most of them in digital form on Amazon/ComiXology and the Marvel Unlimited app.
Foolish Assumptions
If you picked up this book, here’s what I assume about you: You’ve probably heard of Marvel Comics. You’re interested in digging deeper and finding out more about Marvel's stories and characters. And you’ve probably seen, or at least heard people talking about, Marvel movies or television shows.
But quite frankly, this book is for you if you’ve never read a Marvel comic, seen a Marvel movie, or known much about any of the characters. It’s not meant to be the entire course of study. It’s the introduction, and it gives you a map to follow to more Marvel stories.
Icons Used in This Book
Throughout this book, icons in the margins highlight certain types of information. Here are the ones I use:
Remember icons flag important bits of lore that are worth storing away in your brain.
The Technical Stuff icon points out little details of character or plot. Sometimes I use it to flag bits of nerdy trivia or explain in-jokes, comic-book jargon, inconsistencies, and changes in the characters’ continuity over the years.
Beyond the Book
Get yourself over to www.dummies.com and search for the Marvel Comics For Dummies Cheat Sheet, which contains a guide to extra goodness. And check out the Marvel Unlimited app, which puts thousands of comics in the palm of your hand. It’s available for all major tablet/smartphone operating systems.
Where to Go from Here
You can jump around anywhere in the book and start discovering Marvel Comics. If you want to go in a straight line from the beginning, hit Chapter 1. For more on the individual characters, know that good guys are in Chapter 5 and bad guys are in Chapter 6. Chapter 8 contains a huge list of some of Marvel’s biggest and best stories. It’s all up to you!
Part 1
Navigating the Marvel Comics Universe
IN THIS PART …
Familiarize yourself with the vibe of Marvel Comics.
Get a brief history lesson on the origins of Marvel Comics.
Discover the shared locations and connected storylines of the Marvel Universe.
Chapter 1
Getting to Know Marvel Comics
IN THIS CHAPTER
Recognizing what sets Marvel Comics apart
Breaking down the variety of character types
Previewing the legendary sagas
Existing in today’s modern media landscape without hearing or knowing something about Marvel Comics is pretty much impossible. Whether you’ve heard of them through movies or online or from literally thousands of people wearing Marvel T-shirts, you know that Marvel Comics is a major presence in the world. What you probably don’t know is how long Marvel has been around, how vast its universe is, and how many heroes and villains have roamed its pages. If you’re already a little acquainted with Marvel, that’s great! You may run into some familiar faces while you pick up some new things. But if you’re new here, I sort of envy you because you’re about to embark an amazing journey loaded with strange alien worlds, mythic landscapes, diabolical villains, and a colorful army of heroes ready to save the day.
What’s Unique About Marvel Comics
Comic books have been one of America’s favorite art forms for decades. They’re a marriage of art and dialogue assembled by talented creators to tell all kinds of stories. Since the beginning, readers have had as many kinds of comics available as they have types of prose literature. You can find humor, horror, action, mystery, and more. One of the most enduringly popular branches of comic book storytelling has been the super-hero story. Masked individuals with exceptional powers and abilities have been a major part of comics’ appeal since the 1930s. And one of the most popular makers of those kinds of comics has long been Marvel Comics.
A shared universe
The first thing to understand about Marvel Comics in particular is that they take place in the Marvel Universe. It’s an ongoing story that started, appropriately enough, in Marvel Comics #1, shown in Figure 1-1. Released on August 31, 1939, when the company was still called Timely Comics, that issue set the stage for everything that follows. It introduced two major heroes: the original Human Torch (in a story by writer/artist Carl Burgos) and Sub-Mariner (by writer/artist Bill Everett). That their adventures took place in the same shared universe soon became clear.
Cover art by Frank Paul.
FIGURE 1-1: It all starts here: the cover to Marvel Comics #1.
A shared universe means that the characters all live in the same fictional world. Events that affect one character’s city affect other characters who live in that city, too. The shared universe also allows characters to meet up, team up, and even do battle against each other. Early on, Human Torch and Namor the Sub-Mariner found themselves at odds and had an epic battle in New York City, resulting in a kind of story now known as a crossover (see Figure 1-2). In the comics world, that’s what you call a meeting between two characters who have their own ongoing stories. Marvel was building a whole universe around its interconnected characters.
But perhaps even more important is that — despite the fact that Marvel was telling stories about people from under the sea and heroic androids — it was telling stories that were set in the real world. Yes, heroes and villains may visit other planets or mythical locations like Atlantis, but New York City was New York City. In other comics, the creators frequently created fictional settings and hometowns for their characters. Not Marvel. The Big Apple was the hub around which the universe eventually turned. Real locations, real city streets, and even real people were easily identifiable in the stories. That attention to detail created the sense that the Marvel Universe was really “the world outside your window,” meaning that you could almost be part of the stories, too.
That real world setting became one of the two biggest things that made Marvel Comics unique in the great tapestry of the comics world. I cover the second in the following section.
Amazing, relatable heroes
Alongside the shared universe (see the preceding section), the other half of Marvel’s unique magic came in the form of the heroes themselves. Whether they come from the realms of Norse myth or are created by amazingly advanced science, every Marvel hero shares a quality with all human beings: They have flaws. In the old myths and legends from cultures around the world, and in very early mass entertainment, heroes were often presented as flawless paragons of virtue. They always did the right thing and made the right choice, and very little seemed to get in the way of that rightness. Their perfection may have made those characters seem larger than life and extremely heroic, but it didn’t make them seem real.
Story and Art by Bill Everett.
FIGURE 1-2: When titans clash: Human Torch and Namor first meet in Marvel Mystery Comics #8.
Marvel Heroes always have relatable issues that make readers sympathetic while allowing them to see themselves in the characters.
Captain America has always strived to uphold the ideals of the United States, but occasionally he finds himself at odds with people who don’t share his vision or, worse, people who try to corrupt the system from within. So Cap often finds himself struggling to maintain his idealism in a cynical world.
The Hulk’s alter ego, Bruce Banner, experienced a childhood full of trauma that left him with a boiling rage beneath an intellectual (occasionally even meek) personality. But after the accident that turned him into the Hulk, all Bruce’s repressed anger exploded into his green-skinned form, leading him into an ongoing struggle to balance his emotions and maintain control.
The mutant members of the X-Men have found themselves feared and hated by the people they try to protect just because they were born different, a situation that’s strikingly familiar to people from marginalized backgrounds around the world.
That identification between the heroes and the readers — that relatability — is the secret ingredient that has been the engine of Marvel Comics all along. It’s not just the real world setting. It’s the real world problems that make the Marvel Universe unique, and it’s what continued to drive the bond between the fans and the characters for almost a century.
Spider-Man: Marvel’s most relatable hero
Perhaps no Marvel Comics hero has ever been more like the readers than Peter Parker, the Amazing Spider-Man (see Figure 1-3), created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. After losing his parents at a young age and going to live with his Aunt May and Uncle Ben, Peter struggled with a number of things that the readership could easily understand. His family never had very much money, which created social problems at school. Apart from that, Peter was also brilliant — a budding genius — making him a target for bullies like his high school nemesis (but later friend) Flash Thompson. Even though Peter grew up a good kid with loving surrogate parents, high school life was a struggle.
However, being bitten by that radioactive spider created an entirely new dimension to Peter’s problems. He confronted a jarring life lesson when Uncle Ben died as the indirect result of Peter’s refusal to stop a criminal. That tragedy drove home an earlier lesson that Uncle Ben had tried to teach him: that great responsibility must accompany great power. Trying to live his life by that creed, Peter Parker used his abilities as Spider-Man to protect his city and, quite often, the world.
That moment of realization didn’t make anything easier for Peter. Far from it. The perpetual juggling of school, work, financial struggles, friendships, and romantic relationships was hard enough; then he had to balance that with all the extra complications that came from his role as Spider-Man. Peter also knew that his very existence as a hero could put the lives of his friends and loved ones in danger, a frequent issue he couldn’t always avoid.
The readers saw themselves in Peter from all kinds of angles. Who can’t identify with money problems? Who hasn’t felt alone in a room full of people or felt isolation because something about them was different from the others? No one’s family or love life ever sailed completely smoothly. And although the readers probably didn’t understand what fighting Doctor Octopus in Midtown Manhattan would be like, they got that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you’re late for work or mess up a date.
For more on Spider-Man's origins, check out Chapter 4.
Cover Art by Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko.
FIGURE 1-3: Introducing the Amazing Spider-Man!
A Universe of Iconic Characters
The Marvel Universe is populated by … billions of regular people. But in and among the everyday citizens, you find an incredible array of heroes, antiheroes (or, people who do heroic things by questionable means), and villains. Some of them have their origins in advanced science, while others draw their special abilities from magic or the far reaches of space. Whether they’re champions or criminals, these iconic characters exist right alongside people and places that are very familiar to those who live in the real world.
Gods:
Some of the heroes of Marvel Comics, like Thor, emerged from Earth’s myths and legends.
Mutants:
Mutants
are humans who are born with super-powers. In the Marvel Universe, mutants have existed for centuries, but because of the overall increase in the Earth’s background radiation that began with atom bomb testing in the 1940s, more and more children are being born with mutant, or X, genes. Professor Charles Xavier founded his School of Gifted Youngsters to find mutants and train them in their powers to coexist with the rest of humanity.
Aliens:
The Marvel Universe is home to vast galaxies full of inhabited planets. And though some alien races, like the Kree, can look a lot like humans, other alien races can have wildly different appearances and natural abilities that are the equivalent of super-powers. The Skrulls have the ability to change their shape and appearance, a talent that’s caused more than a little trouble on Earth over the years. A secondary group of aliens are
cosmic beings,
characters of enormous power who sometimes participate in the adventures of Earth’s heroes. The Silver Surfer is one such being. Another one is the Phoenix, avatar of the Phoenix Force, who has played a significant role in the lives of the X-Men.
Enhanced/altered humans:
Although mutants are born with their powers,
enhanced
or
altered humans
have acquired their powers through advanced science, and quite often by accident. The Hulk was originally unleashed when Bruce Banner was exposed to a gamma bomb blast; that incident caused the change in Banner’s body that led to his transforming into the green goliath whenever he got angry. The original members of the Fantastic Four got their powers from exposure to cosmic rays while in space. Then you have Spider-Man, possibly the most famous recipient of an irradiated spider bite.
High-tech heroes:
Many, many heroes and villains employ advanced technology in their suits and weapons. Some heroes aren’t just born; they’re built: Though he originally constructed his first pieces of armor as a device to save his own life, Tony Stark has become that most famous of high-tech heroes, Iron Man. And the mutant Wolverine’s adamantium-covered skeleton and claws are the results of experimentation by the Weapon X program.
Magic and supernatural beings:
With so many cosmic forces at play in the Marvel Comics, you probably aren’t surprised to discover that magic is real in the Marvel Universe. One of the greatest of all magic practitioners is the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Stephen Strange. He learned his discipline through rigorous study. Other heroes have been enhanced by supernatural beings, like Moon Knight, who has operated as an agent of Khonshu, the Egyptian god of the moon.
Highly skilled/zero powers:
Many high-tech heroes lack super-powers, but a number of unpowered heroes rely on advanced training and only the occasional gadget to wage their war on the baddies. Hawkeye deploys a variety of trick arrows and fights with incredible skills he developed over years of experience. Fierce fighters like Elektra are products of incredible discipline and intense training rather than any otherworldly power.
Understanding the Connections and Affiliations
The earlier “A Universe of Iconic Characters” section covers the types of heroes and villains you may encounter in the Marvel realm. The following sections take a broader look at more of these iconic heroes and villains and how they relate to each other and the world around them.
The early days
Earth has always had its defenders. Before even the likes of Thor and Hercules, human heroes rose in ancient times. Thor’s father, Odin, belonged to a team of heroes that were the forerunners of another assemblage, the Avengers. Centuries later, in the Old American West, heroes like Two-Gun Kid and Rawhide Kid rode in the name of justice.
The original Human Torch and Namor, the Sub-Mariner, emerged just prior to the second World War. They were soon joined by other heroes, like Captain America; his sidekick, Bucky; Torch’s own sidekick, Toro; and British heroes Spitfire and Union Jack. They formed the nucleus of the Invaders, a team that fought for the Allies against the Axis powers. Unfortunately, Cap and Bucky were presumed dead after plunging into the icy waters of the Atlantic while stopping an assault on America.
Other heroes rose and fell in the intervening years, but the real Marvel Age began when four friends took a rocket ride that changed their lives. The cosmic rays they encountered granted them fantastic powers. And they stood at the forefront of a new universe of heroes.
New York’s home teams
No matter how far into the deep recesses of space the Marvel Universe stretches, the whole thing still rotates around New York City. The deepest concentration of Marvel Comics heroes operate out of the greater metropolitan area and one particular school upstate. Two of the greatest teams of Marvel heroes, the Fantastic Four and the Avengers (both created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby), have regularly worked from headquarters in the city.
By basing so many adventures in and around New York, the chances for heroes to bump into each other dramatically increases. Spider-Man commonly lends Daredevil a hand or consults with the Fantastic Four on a case, and no one’s surprised if other heroes arrive to pitch in when the Avengers are tangling with the Masters of Evil downtown.
The Fantastic Four
Four Freedoms Plaza at 42nd Street and Madison Avenue also contains the Baxter Building, the traditional home and headquarters of the Fantastic Four (FF). The team’s four original, and most consistent, members are
Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards)
The Invisible Woman (Susan Richards, his wife)
The Human Torch (Johnny Storm, Sue’s brother)
The Thing (Ben Grimm, Reed’s best friend)
Among the other regular residents are Reed and Sue’s children, genius Valeria and super-powered mutant Franklin (who can currently only access his secret powers once a year).
The FF are among the most popular and beloved heroes in New York. They’ve traditionally been able to handle their massive operating budget through all of Reed’s various patents and inventions. They’re widely recognized as heroes, but the world also treats them as celebrities. The tabloids have always paid close attention to Johnny’s various relationships, and Reed and Susan’s wedding was a massive social event. See Chapter 5 for more info on the storylines of the Fantastic Four.
The Avengers
Besides the Fantastic Four, the other major team that usually operates out of New York is the mighty Avengers, shown in Figure 1-4. Though they’ve employed more advanced bases like the Avengers Mountain at the North Pole and the Impossible City in Earth’s orbit, the Avengers have historically primarily operated out of Avengers Mansion and Avengers Tower in the city.
Over the years, the Avengers took on the role of rapid-response team to Earth-threatening emergencies. They commonly traveled into space to take on the threats posed by the likes of the Kree-Skrull War, Korvac, and Thanos. The team even began to expand, launching a West Coast branch under the leadership of Hawkeye because the number of cross-country and global threats had become so large that more than one team was necessary.
Story by Kurt Busiek. Art by George Pérez and Al Vey.
FIGURE 1-4: The Avengers assemble … well … everybody.
A very special school
Around the time the Avengers formed, Jean Grey reported for her first day at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. Located at 1407 Graymalkin Lane in Westchester, New York, the school operated under the direction of Professor Charles Xavier. The institution presented a public face as a program for advanced students, but it was secretly a school where Professor X trained young mutants how to use and control their powers. Xavier wanted his students to prove to humanity that they could coexist with mutants, and he organized them into a team to protect a world that frequently feared and hated them. They were called the X-Men, shown in Figure 1-5.
The first class of X-Men included the telekinetic Jean (Marvel Girl), the high-flying Angel, the acrobatic Beast, the young Iceman, and team leader Cyclops. Their initial missions put them into conflict with Magneto, Master of Magnetism. Magneto had been a longtime friend of Xavier’s, but Xavier’s philosophy of peaceful coexistence ran counter to Magneto’s more militaristic vision for mutantkind. As such, he and his Brotherhood sought to battle humanity to assure mutant domination. Frequently, the only thing standing between him and his goals were the young X-Men.
Story by Len Wein. Art by Dave Cockrum.
FIGURE 1-5: The new X-Men prepare to rescue the original team from the clutches of Krakoa.
Other Marvel teams
The Fantastic Four, Avengers, and X-Men are just a sampling of the teams that strive to protect the world in Marvel Comics. Here are a few more of note:
Informal groups like the Defenders tend to gather when the need arises.
Government-sponsored groups include the Thunderbolts or Canada’s Alpha Flight.
The intelligence and intervention agency S.H.I.E.L.D. counts super-powered humans among its agents.
Secretive societies of the genetically altered Inhumans and the Celestial-created Eternals also step up to protect humanity.
Gritty, streetwise heroes
Beyond the teams of heroes I cover in the preceding sections are many other champions who operate in a variety of different ways. New York City alone is home to dozens of heroes who operate at more of a street level, protecting people from crime, terror, and their own class of super-villainy.
Spider-Man:
Chief among these heroes is Spider-Man. Though the
Daily Bugle
has often portrayed him as a menace, most New Yorkers know that their friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is a protector of the people. And although he has fought alongside the likes of the Fantastic Four and the Avengers, his heart has never left helping the helpless on the streets of his city.
Daredevil:
Daredevil is another hero who fights for the greater good, but he has always had a special affinity for protecting the neighborhood of Hell’s Kitchen. His circle of allies includes the likes of super-strong Luke Cage; martial artists Iron Fist, Elektra, Shang-Chi; the mysterious Moon Knight; and more.
The Punisher:
An occasional grudging ally of the street-level heroes of New York is the Punisher. Though the other heroes have a disdain for killing that the Punisher doesn’t share, they sometimes find themselves on the same side, fighting against organized crimes and other threats that are greater than their philosophical divides.
Defender against the shadows of the supernatural
One of the world’s greatest defenders against that darkness is Doctor Stephen Strange, who operates out of his Sanctum Santorum at 177A Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village. As Sorcerer Supreme, Strange has fought against mad gods, extradimensional beings, and monsters of all kinds. And though he’s connected with other super-heroes and has even served in the Avengers and Defenders, Strange also has a loose affiliation with other supernatural heroes who occasionally go by the name of the Midnight Suns. The vampire hunter Blade, the Spirit of Vengeance known as Ghost Rider, the living vampire Morbius, the Werewolf by Night, and the macabre Man-Thing are just some of the bizarre allies that Strange has cultivated while trying to hold back the night.
Heroes in outer space
Above the night sky and out into the depths of space, you find even more heroes with close ties to Earth. The Guardians of the Galaxy have been through several incarnations, but this group of cosmic heroes often battles some of the same
