All of the Marvels: A Journey to the Ends of the Biggest Story Ever Told
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- Author：Douglas Wolk
- ISBN：0735222169
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Summary
The first-ever full reckoning with Marvel Comics' interconnected， half-million-page story， a revelatory guide to the "epic of epics"--and to the past sixty years of American culture--from a beloved authority on the subject who read all 27，000+ Marvel superhero comics and lived to tell the tale
The superhero comic books that Marvel Comics has published since 1961 are， as Douglas Wolk notes， the longest continuous， self-contained work of fiction ever created: over half a million pages to date， and still growing。 The Marvel story is a gigantic mountain smack in the middle of contemporary culture。 Thousands of writers and artists have contributed to it。 Everyone recognizes its protagonists: Spider-Man， the Avengers， the X-Men。 Eighteen of the hundred highest-grossing movies of all time are based on parts of it。 Yet not even the people telling the story have read the whole thing--nobody's supposed to。 So， of course， that's what Wolk did: he read all 27，000+ comics that make up the Marvel Universe thus far， from Alpha Flight to Omega the Unknown。
And then he made sense of it--seeing into the ever-expanding story， in its parts and as a whole， and seeing through it， as a prism through which to view the landscape of American culture。 In Wolk's hands， the mammoth Marvel narrative becomes a fun-house-mirror history of the past sixty years， from the atomic night terrors of the Cold War to the technocracy and political division of the present day--a boisterous， tragicomic， magnificently filigreed epic about power and ethics， set in a world transformed by wonders。
As a work of cultural exegesis， this is sneakily significant， even a landmark; it's also ludicrously fun。 Wolk sees fascinating patterns--the rise and fall of particular cultural aspirations， and of the storytelling modes that conveyed them。 He observes the Marvel story's progressive visions and its painful stereotypes， its patches of woeful hackwork and stretches of luminous creativity， and the way it all feeds into a potent cosmology that echoes our deepest hopes and fears。 This is a huge treat for Marvel fans， but it's also a revelation for readers who don't know Doctor Strange from Doctor Doom。 Here， truly， are all of the marvels。
The superhero comic books that Marvel Comics has published since 1961 are， as Douglas Wolk notes， the longest continuous， self-contained work of fiction ever created: over half a million pages to date， and still growing。 The Marvel story is a gigantic mountain smack in the middle of contemporary culture。 Thousands of writers and artists have contributed to it。 Everyone recognizes its protagonists: Spider-Man， the Avengers， the X-Men。 Eighteen of the hundred highest-grossing movies of all time are based on parts of it。 Yet not even the people telling the story have read the whole thing--nobody's supposed to。 So， of course， that's what Wolk did: he read all 27，000+ comics that make up the Marvel Universe thus far， from Alpha Flight to Omega the Unknown。
And then he made sense of it--seeing into the ever-expanding story， in its parts and as a whole， and seeing through it， as a prism through which to view the landscape of American culture。 In Wolk's hands， the mammoth Marvel narrative becomes a fun-house-mirror history of the past sixty years， from the atomic night terrors of the Cold War to the technocracy and political division of the present day--a boisterous， tragicomic， magnificently filigreed epic about power and ethics， set in a world transformed by wonders。
As a work of cultural exegesis， this is sneakily significant， even a landmark; it's also ludicrously fun。 Wolk sees fascinating patterns--the rise and fall of particular cultural aspirations， and of the storytelling modes that conveyed them。 He observes the Marvel story's progressive visions and its painful stereotypes， its patches of woeful hackwork and stretches of luminous creativity， and the way it all feeds into a potent cosmology that echoes our deepest hopes and fears。 This is a huge treat for Marvel fans， but it's also a revelation for readers who don't know Doctor Strange from Doctor Doom。 Here， truly， are all of the marvels。
Reviews
Mhorg
，
Ok。 I'm in my 6th decade on Terra and I've been reading comics for about 54 years。 I've read through all the shockers; Ferro Lad （who stayed dead， and was my favorite legionnaire） Gwen Stacy （who marvel ruined by not leaving dead） and Jean Grey （ditto）。 The birth of the Richards first child and so many other Marvel-ous ups and downs。 In recent years with all the boots and reboots I've pulled away from reading too many。 I prefer the comics of the older years。 This book was alternately interesting Ok。 I'm in my 6th decade on Terra and I've been reading comics for about 54 years。 I've read through all the shockers; Ferro Lad （who stayed dead， and was my favorite legionnaire） Gwen Stacy （who marvel ruined by not leaving dead） and Jean Grey （ditto）。 The birth of the Richards first child and so many other Marvel-ous ups and downs。 In recent years with all the boots and reboots I've pulled away from reading too many。 I prefer the comics of the older years。 This book was alternately interesting， boring and just ok。 I might have liked it more if it meandered less and was a bit more chronological in nature。 An ok book， but just ok。 。。。more
Bailey Simone
，
kind of disappointing。 turned out to be a bunch of “and thens。” really thought it was going to be something more than a tour of the marvel canon
Justin Mousseau
，
AMAZING！ SPECTACULAR！ TOTALLY AWESOME！Douglas Wolk has managed to do a truly remarkable thing: encapsulate the way it feels to enjoy comics while also showing the way stories shape us and grow with us。 I'll be returning to this one often。 AMAZING！ SPECTACULAR！ TOTALLY AWESOME！Douglas Wolk has managed to do a truly remarkable thing: encapsulate the way it feels to enjoy comics while also showing the way stories shape us and grow with us。 I'll be returning to this one often。 。。。more
Jimbo
，
Interesting take on Marvel。 Wolk gave me a different perspective （even though I probably fit into one of the "older" generation that liked Marvel from the sixties and seventies， but I also liked it after that and I even still buy them now。The book wandered about， which worked a bit， but also ended up being rather short sighted in some ways。 Wolk thought of major plot points within the universe， and there were so many quieter moments within the Universe that were just as effective in building and Interesting take on Marvel。 Wolk gave me a different perspective （even though I probably fit into one of the "older" generation that liked Marvel from the sixties and seventies， but I also liked it after that and I even still buy them now。The book wandered about， which worked a bit， but also ended up being rather short sighted in some ways。 Wolk thought of major plot points within the universe， and there were so many quieter moments within the Universe that were just as effective in building and adding to the world created inadvertently by Lee， Kirby， Ditko and so many others。If you don't know a lot of Marvel， or if you want to read a perspective of what someone else liked about the Universe of Marvel， this book is a nice place to start。 。。。more
Mark Schlatter
，
The premise: Douglas Wolk has read every single Marvel comic book （with a few caveats）， is viewing that reading as the exploration of a single fictional setting， and is carrying out a critical and cultural exegesis of the Marvel Universe。 So - as a long comics reader and Marvel fan - this book should be right up my alley。 It's not， and here's why。。。。1） Wolk is writing more as an apologist than as a critic。 Wolk loves Marvel comics （and perhaps you need to be to read 27，000 issues）。 And that lo The premise: Douglas Wolk has read every single Marvel comic book （with a few caveats）， is viewing that reading as the exploration of a single fictional setting， and is carrying out a critical and cultural exegesis of the Marvel Universe。 So - as a long comics reader and Marvel fan - this book should be right up my alley。 It's not， and here's why。。。。1） Wolk is writing more as an apologist than as a critic。 Wolk loves Marvel comics （and perhaps you need to be to read 27，000 issues）。 And that love often shows itself in promotion of the work （and his project） rather than examination。 For example， the first three chapters focus on how you， the reader， can start reading Marvel comics anywhere， and it will be okay --- you will eventually figure out what you need to know。 When Wolk moves to the actual description of the comics， there is more criticism。 As one example， his dissection of the different phases of Spider-man comics （with the Lee/Ditko issues focusing on finding father figures for Peter Parker） was very illuminating。 And， in general， Wolk is very talented at finding the key themes of early Marvel work and pointing out how creators after Lee， Kirby， and Ditko had difficulties finding a new ethos for the characters they wrote。 But the critical focus is almost always concentrated on helping a reader see the grand themes。 Wolk is helping you become a better Marvel reader。 He's rarely interested in challenging the texts （as in --- to pick an extreme example ---How to Read Donald Duck）， reevaluating the idea of heroism （see most of Alan Moore's work）， or exploring any extensive interplay with the historical context and the market-driven nature of the genre。 In the end， the writing reminded me of biblical commentary from a fundamentalist perspective: the focus is making you a more educated Christian， period。[My wife joked that I wanted The Comics Journal version of this book， and she's right。 And if you understand that comment， you probably will have issues too。]2） The writing style is too fragmented。 In many chapters， Wolk organizes the material by introducing an issue （e。g。， "Fantastic Four #whatever， written and drawn by such and such， published whenever "） and then using that issue to illustrate the theme he is exploring。 Part of the charm of the book is how Wolk jumps from title to title and decade to decade in doing this; by no means is this a chronological history of Marvel。 But his commitment to that structure means every time he jumps to an issue we stop， get a synopsis， and then continue with the criticism。 After a while， I found the jumping tiring and wished there was a more straightforward way for him to use the texts as evidence。So， not my cup of tea overall， but I absolutely enjoyed bits of it。 （Wolk has the best take on the differences between Claremont and Byrne that I've ever read。） I just don't think it's the critical exegesis I wanted to see。 。。。more
James Freeman
，
As a lifelong fan of marvel this is a masterpiece of a book that gives so many interesting nuggets of information。 It was great to hear about all the callbacks and how things I didn't see connections in were connected。 A must read for marvel fans。 As a lifelong fan of marvel this is a masterpiece of a book that gives so many interesting nuggets of information。 It was great to hear about all the callbacks and how things I didn't see connections in were connected。 A must read for marvel fans。 。。。more
Jon
，
As a longtime Marvel fan， this book was made for me。 It was also made for casual fans， and the ones who stopped a while back， and the ones who are jealous Wolk did this first。Wolk makes an interesting point that being a comics fan （comics defined here as the kind with the big sprawling mythologies， i。e。， Marvel & DC） means that you always feel like you're missing part of the story， be it someone's origin， or the first time two characters met， or what happened to so-n-so？ It's just the natural st As a longtime Marvel fan， this book was made for me。 It was also made for casual fans， and the ones who stopped a while back， and the ones who are jealous Wolk did this first。Wolk makes an interesting point that being a comics fan （comics defined here as the kind with the big sprawling mythologies， i。e。， Marvel & DC） means that you always feel like you're missing part of the story， be it someone's origin， or the first time two characters met， or what happened to so-n-so？ It's just the natural state of things， and you have to get used to it。 Just like in real life！ Maybe so， but I think that's why so many comics fans turn into completionists。 There is the illusion that it can be done。 Take it from Wolk， it can't。 。。。more
Paige
，
This book was phenomenal。 As someone who has loved the marvel movies for a long time， I’ve always wanted to read the comics but have felt very intimidated。 This book was incredibly helpful for me to finally start reading comics， and it was also incredibly interesting。 I loved learning about the history of marvel comics and the way the story has evolved over the years。
Ricky
，
The author， as the title says， reads all the marvel comics from the the time of the first Fantastic Four issue until now。 He wisely does not systematically try to cover this interlocked epic in a chronological sense but， instead， tackles significant themes， characters， and events throughout this history。 The approach works even if the reader feels their favourite choice may have been overlooked。 It is a reminder of why these stories were interesting in the first place。
B。
，
It honestly changed how I was thinking about comics。 Brought a sense of scale and fun back that had been missing for a bit。 The author does a great job at an impossible task。 Informs and celebrates without becoming preachy or pedantic。 100% would recommend to comic readers and anyone interested in the art form。
Justin
，
Rounding up from 4。5 starsOf course， I'm predisposed to like a well-written book about comics， but I love how this was put together。 Wolk is able to take a macro-view of the Marvel Universe， while also not afraid to get micro。 It's smart， it's fun， and it's realistic。 Ultimately， it makes me want to read more comics。 I spent my formative comics years reading only DC; I wonder what would have happened if I had managed to read both Marvel and DC at the time。 The good news is that I can go back via Rounding up from 4。5 starsOf course， I'm predisposed to like a well-written book about comics， but I love how this was put together。 Wolk is able to take a macro-view of the Marvel Universe， while also not afraid to get micro。 It's smart， it's fun， and it's realistic。 Ultimately， it makes me want to read more comics。 I spent my formative comics years reading only DC; I wonder what would have happened if I had managed to read both Marvel and DC at the time。 The good news is that I can go back via Unlimited and collections and discover new old comics。 Man， this book was so much fun to read。 。。。more
britt_brooke
，
Not so much focused on the company’s and creators’ histories， but rather on the actual characters， canon， arcs， shifts， trends， and how the universe connects。 Inspired by his son， Wolk read over 27，000 Marvel stories resulting in this phenomenal rundown。 I’ve read only a few of the comics， but like many， I love the MCU films。 The cultural impact is fascinating！ Perfect companion to Marvel Comics: The Untold Story and A Marvelous Life。
Allen Adams
，
There’s a certain flavor of nonfiction – I call it stunt nonfiction， but your mileage may vary – that is built around a particular gimmick。 It’s tough to articulate what it is specifically， considering how many different ways one might partake， but generally， you know it if you see it。Maybe it’s a book about making every recipe in a single cookbook or committing to saying “yes” to everything。 Maybe it’s about taking the field with a professional football team as a rank amateur or tracking down e There’s a certain flavor of nonfiction – I call it stunt nonfiction， but your mileage may vary – that is built around a particular gimmick。 It’s tough to articulate what it is specifically， considering how many different ways one might partake， but generally， you know it if you see it。Maybe it’s a book about making every recipe in a single cookbook or committing to saying “yes” to everything。 Maybe it’s about taking the field with a professional football team as a rank amateur or tracking down everyone you find in a random pack of baseball cards。 Maybe it’s about trying to follow the Bible or Oprah as closely and as literally as possible for one year。Or maybe， if you’re Douglas Wolk， it’s about reading every single Marvel comic and considering it as one expansive story。That’s what Wolk did with his new book “All of the Marvels: A Journey to the Ends of the Biggest Story Ever Told。” In an effort to demonstrate the comprehensive nature of the Marvel meta-arc over the course of the decades， Wolk read every single comic Marvel published from 1961 （considered to be the start of the true Marvel Age） through 2017， when he first decided to undertake the massive project。In all， he would read over 27，000 comics from those 50-plus years， hitting every major milestone in the history of the Marvel Universe。 We’re talking about well over a half-million pages in total。 And in doing so， he began to see the sprawling Proustian epic buried within that incredible page count， as well as a variety of entry points for those who are perhaps too intimidated by the vast and convoluted history of Marvel Comics – a history that manages to extend far beyond the massive-in-its-own-right Marvel Cinematic Universe。As Wolk sees it， the Marvel Comics output over this stretch is nothing less than the single longest， continuous， self-contained work of fiction ever created。Think about it。 From almost the very beginning， there has been an interconnectedness to Marvel’s various titles。 Events that took place in “The Amazing Spider-Man” might impact an altogether different storyline in， say， “Daredevil。” Happenings in “The Incredible Hulk” or “Thor” could well influence what happens in “The Avengers。” And don’t even get me started on company-wide crossovers， when characters are plucked from every corner of the Marvel Universe and brought together for an extended narrative。Of course， it wasn’t always so clear-cut; the early days and early attempts at cross-continuity were haphazard and a bit messy。 But even then， the events of one title inevitably affected others。And here is Wolk， doing his best to read every single word。Reflected in the pages of Marvel Comics， you’ll find reflections of almost every single significant development in American culture。 They might be outsized， funhouse mirror reflections – but they are reflections。 Whether we’re talking about Cold War paranoia or the burgeoning counterculture or the rise of jingoism or the ubiquity of technology， it was reflected in Marvel Comics。 From the coded inclusivity baked into the X-Men or the duty/honor dichotomy broken down in the ebbs and flows of Captain America， it’s all there， waiting， for anyone who cares to look。Now， Wolk is adamant that he A） greatly enjoyed this undertaking and B） would never under any circumstances recommend that anyone else do it。 It’s worth noting that he didn’t read them all in order， and with good reason – there are periods of clunkiness throughout， along with some oversimplification that borders on the cornball （particularly in the earlier years）。He discusses titles and crossover arcs， of course， and their connections to the world we live in。 But even as he examines the broader body of work as a singular work of cultural value， he also approaches it as a fan。 He explores favorite storylines and characters and creators; we get plenty of Stan Lee， obviously， but despite the mythology surrounding Stan the Man later in life， there were a LOT of people behind Marvel’s success， spanning multiple generations。 Artists and writers like Steve Ditko， Jim Shooter， Chris Claremont， Todd Macfarlane … the list goes on and on。（Here’s where I note that I’m a Ditko guy， though I also have a lot of love for the transformational work that Chris Claremont did with the X-Men， steering them into a realm that left them both philosophically complex and wildly popular。）I won’t go into the nuts-and-bolts of Wolk’s thorough and thoughtful breakdown of the various eras in Marvel Comics history; honestly， while you might be able to quibble a bit with beginnings and endings， his demarcations are pretty solid; his analysis of the various foci definitely tracks。It’s wild to consider that the comic books I so loved as a kid – I started on current titles， but I also worked my way backward by way of abandoned collections from older relatives and the cheap paperbacks that brought together essential classic storylines – have become the subject of genuine scholarly interest。 This kind of pop historical deconstruction would have blown the mind of young Allen， although I’d wager that that kid wouldn’t have been totally surprised。 After all， I loved them and thought they had something to say – why wouldn’t other people？Part literary criticism， part wanton fanboying， part nostalgia trip， “All of the Marvels” is one fantastic read for anyone who loves comic books。 Is it a stunt？ Sure is – and a hell of a good one。 Just an incredible idea。 Spectacular。 Mighty。 It is smart and funny， rife with sharp analysis and engaging ideas。 In short， it treats this body of work with genuine respect – respect it absolutely deserves。 Make mine Marvel。 Excelsior！ 。。。more
Miguel
，
Unfortunately need to file this as a DNF as learning the ‘plot’ lines， some seemingly spanning a decade or even more of what often just amounted to superhero soap operas was much less intriguing than anticipated and a bit of a slog。 I assumed that this was going to be another behind-the-scenes of Marvel with background on Lee and Ditko， and there’s a bit of that: what little there is I found much more interesting than the caped crusader escapades。 However， this is undoubtedly a great read for ha Unfortunately need to file this as a DNF as learning the ‘plot’ lines， some seemingly spanning a decade or even more of what often just amounted to superhero soap operas was much less intriguing than anticipated and a bit of a slog。 I assumed that this was going to be another behind-the-scenes of Marvel with background on Lee and Ditko， and there’s a bit of that: what little there is I found much more interesting than the caped crusader escapades。 However， this is undoubtedly a great read for hardcore comics fans。 。。。more
Charles
，
Very entertaining and readable， but I can't say I came away convinced that Marvel comics was something I'd ever want to get （back） into。 （Though I was more of a DC fan when I was a kid。） However compellingly the Marvel saga is narrated （by its original creators and then by Wolk）， the Byzantine （but circular and repetitive） plotting and the endless proliferation of restarts （with their confusing numbering）， spinoffs， resurrections， heroes turned villains and vice versa， and universe-ending "dark" Very entertaining and readable， but I can't say I came away convinced that Marvel comics was something I'd ever want to get （back） into。 （Though I was more of a DC fan when I was a kid。） However compellingly the Marvel saga is narrated （by its original creators and then by Wolk）， the Byzantine （but circular and repetitive） plotting and the endless proliferation of restarts （with their confusing numbering）， spinoffs， resurrections， heroes turned villains and vice versa， and universe-ending "dark" crossovers come to seem preposterous， because they are preposterous。 It's interesting to consider the whole enterprise as a vast mythology， labored over， banalized， and escorted to many dead ends by an army of creators--but maybe it should be that mythology is yet another one of those sausage-like things that no one wants to see get made。 。。。more
Ric
，
This is a product of the author somehow reading the vast majority of Marvel comics since the 1960s， which is just crazy when you think about it。 And as a lover of Marvel comics and the MCU， I figured the week of The Eternals releasing in theaters would be a good time to pick this one up。 It was a pretty enjoyable read， it grouped together some famous editions by character or theme， as a way for people to know where to start。 Unfortunately， the majority of the writing was just summing up the stor This is a product of the author somehow reading the vast majority of Marvel comics since the 1960s， which is just crazy when you think about it。 And as a lover of Marvel comics and the MCU， I figured the week of The Eternals releasing in theaters would be a good time to pick this one up。 It was a pretty enjoyable read， it grouped together some famous editions by character or theme， as a way for people to know where to start。 Unfortunately， the majority of the writing was just summing up the story of the comic， which was fine but I would’ve liked some expansion on that as well。 。。。more
Peter
，
The description of Wolk’s book overpromises what the book delivers。 I was expecting more of a synthesized sweep of the Marvel Universe story， but what we get are more of the highlights by diving briefly into individual issues of individual characters。 This reads at times like a transcript of a conversation in a comics shop。 I wonder why anyone not already conversant in at least part of the Marvel oeuvre would want to read this。 Still， as a Marvel geek， I thoroughly enjoyed it。 Read courtesy of N The description of Wolk’s book overpromises what the book delivers。 I was expecting more of a synthesized sweep of the Marvel Universe story， but what we get are more of the highlights by diving briefly into individual issues of individual characters。 This reads at times like a transcript of a conversation in a comics shop。 I wonder why anyone not already conversant in at least part of the Marvel oeuvre would want to read this。 Still， as a Marvel geek， I thoroughly enjoyed it。 Read courtesy of Netgalley。 。。。more
Mitchell
，
An odd idea。 Read 27，000 Marvel Comics and write a book about them。 This is inconsistent and some of this is a little tedious。 But some of it works quite well。 There are tidbits in between reading tracks that work somewhat better。 This almost makes me want to organize my comic boxes or get a tablet and an unlimited marvel subscription。 But not quite。 Really there's no way a book like this could work - there are too many choices to make。 But I'm glad I read it。 An odd idea。 Read 27，000 Marvel Comics and write a book about them。 This is inconsistent and some of this is a little tedious。 But some of it works quite well。 There are tidbits in between reading tracks that work somewhat better。 This almost makes me want to organize my comic boxes or get a tablet and an unlimited marvel subscription。 But not quite。 Really there's no way a book like this could work - there are too many choices to make。 But I'm glad I read it。 。。。more
Jeremy Sheridan
，
The author's giddy enthusiasm for the books subject makes this a rich set of origin stories for the beloved groups of heros that survive throughout the history of Marvel。 It's also fascinating to observe the changes in readership and subtexts throughout the years。 I also appreciate the thematic organization of the book， rather than a linear history of Marvel。 For anyone with an abiding love of all things Marvel， this book is essential。 The author's giddy enthusiasm for the books subject makes this a rich set of origin stories for the beloved groups of heros that survive throughout the history of Marvel。 It's also fascinating to observe the changes in readership and subtexts throughout the years。 I also appreciate the thematic organization of the book， rather than a linear history of Marvel。 For anyone with an abiding love of all things Marvel， this book is essential。 。。。more
Jon
，
Douglas Wolk read all of the comic books in the Marvel Universe。 To me， that's amazing。 I had no sense of whether that was even possible。 It made me want to read his book。But how do you write a book about that accomplishment？ Answer: you don't。 Instead， the feat was: 1） a publicity stunt for his book （worked for me， it seems） and 2） his resume。With that resume in hand， he gives the reader a tour of many important parts of almost sixty years of Marvel comics history。 It's the literary criticism M Douglas Wolk read all of the comic books in the Marvel Universe。 To me， that's amazing。 I had no sense of whether that was even possible。 It made me want to read his book。But how do you write a book about that accomplishment？ Answer: you don't。 Instead， the feat was: 1） a publicity stunt for his book （worked for me， it seems） and 2） his resume。With that resume in hand， he gives the reader a tour of many important parts of almost sixty years of Marvel comics history。 It's the literary criticism Marvel deserves， without being too highbrow。Highlights include the most nuanced take on Stan Lee's contributions I've yet seen， an analysis of what makes Squirrel Girl different from all the other Marvel heroes， an appreciation for the massive crossover events of recent years that may have changed my mind about them， and well， pretty much every chapter。It was the type of audiobook that made me look forward to long drives。 。。。more
Joe
，
Well， that was certainly something。 Kinda like watching a documentary in book form。 A very interesting tour de force of all things Marvel。 Apparently I underestimated how deep the geek rabbit hole goes。 I did the math and it would take me roughly 7。5 years to do what the author did so 9 days wasn't bad to finish this one。 Gonna have to find more by this author， I like his style。 Recommended to any fans of the cosmos that is Marvel or any anthropology fans who like to examine a society that is re Well， that was certainly something。 Kinda like watching a documentary in book form。 A very interesting tour de force of all things Marvel。 Apparently I underestimated how deep the geek rabbit hole goes。 I did the math and it would take me roughly 7。5 years to do what the author did so 9 days wasn't bad to finish this one。 Gonna have to find more by this author， I like his style。 Recommended to any fans of the cosmos that is Marvel or any anthropology fans who like to examine a society that is reflected in its pop culture and vice versa。 8/10 。。。more
David Allen
，
Wolk covers the basics in a way friendly to new or lapsed comics readers。 Yet his observations， insights and reader tips had this lifelong Marvel fan jotting notes， nodding in affirmation or grunting in surprise。 His section on the Shang-Chi series of the 1970s-'80s as an unsung gem was especially welcome。 That he likes modern and classic Marvel both is to his credit。 As Stan Lee might have enthused: "Face it， True Believer， this one has it all。" Wolk covers the basics in a way friendly to new or lapsed comics readers。 Yet his observations， insights and reader tips had this lifelong Marvel fan jotting notes， nodding in affirmation or grunting in surprise。 His section on the Shang-Chi series of the 1970s-'80s as an unsung gem was especially welcome。 That he likes modern and classic Marvel both is to his credit。 As Stan Lee might have enthused: "Face it， True Believer， this one has it all。" 。。。more
James
，
I'm not really sure who this book is for。 It seems to skim too quickly over too much information to be for new comic readers and there is so little depth to the blurbs about issues and their themes that it doesn't seem to have much value for long time fans。 It was interesting to hear Mr。 Wolk's thoughts on the general trajectories and themes of the Marvel Universe as one piece of literature but I would have liked a longer examination of that and in a different format than picking out individual I'm not really sure who this book is for。 It seems to skim too quickly over too much information to be for new comic readers and there is so little depth to the blurbs about issues and their themes that it doesn't seem to have much value for long time fans。 It was interesting to hear Mr。 Wolk's thoughts on the general trajectories and themes of the Marvel Universe as one piece of literature but I would have liked a longer examination of that and in a different format than picking out individual issues and pointing out his thoughts on them。This book felt like that source you find when you are trying to pad your citations for an essay。 "Quick， I need a book that talks about Fantastic Four 351。 Oh， here is a line in All of the Marvels。 Good enough。" 。。。more
Megan
，
*I received an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。*This is the book I wish I had when I was looking at dipping my toes into comic books。 As anyone who has been in that situation knows， it can be quite daunting to "find the beginning" but Wolk's book argues that you shouldn't in fact start "at the beginning" you should instead find the best starting point for you。 He argues that there are three chronologies in the Marvel story: publishing order， the order of the in-universe timel *I received an eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。*This is the book I wish I had when I was looking at dipping my toes into comic books。 As anyone who has been in that situation knows， it can be quite daunting to "find the beginning" but Wolk's book argues that you shouldn't in fact start "at the beginning" you should instead find the best starting point for you。 He argues that there are three chronologies in the Marvel story: publishing order， the order of the in-universe timeline， and the order you as the reader go through the story， which acknowledges that there is no "right" way to read the stories。 It seems pretty clear that he is aware a good chunk of his audience are going to be comic book newbies who are coming from the Marvel Cinematic Universe adaptations as there are a lot of references to the MCU throughout。 That being said， if you are coming from the MCU you might be disappointed at the lack of page time of some of your favorite characters， such as Captain America or Iron Man。This majority of this book focuses on chapters that individually focus on certain characters （The Fantastic Four， Spiderman， Shang Chi， the X-Men， Thor， Black Panther） with a couple of chapters on comic book events。 In each of these sections， Wolk highlights specific issues for that character， whether that be because it's a good starting point or because it was a significant event for the character or because it had a line/image that was called out to in later comics or adaptions。 I had mixed feelings about this format because while I loved seeing how each comic he highlighted fit into the larger narrative and loved getting ideas of where to start for new characters， sometimes the name dropping got a little tedious or confusing。 Though I did love how much effort he seemed to put into acknowledging every artist that worked on each comic。 I also loved the last few chapters on comic book events， as they are something I've found overwhelming in the past when it seemed like each event dominoed into the next event。Another thing I really loved while reading was how Wolk did not shy away from acknowledging some of the problematic elements （the yellow coloring for Asian characters in Shang Chi， the complete lack of women both on page and in the artist room， etc。）。 Then throughout the book he comments on some of the progress being made it making a more diverse group of heroes （and artists） while still recognizing that Marvel could be doing better。 Overall， as someone who has tried to get into Marvel comics a couple of times but never got very far because I got overwhelmed， I am so glad I read this because it gave me a much better sense of where/how to start。 So in that respect， I highly recommend to anyone else in the same situation。 I do wonder how my enjoyment might have changed though， if I was a superfan like Wolk。 。。。more
Bryan
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I wish I had more than five stars to give this outstanding book。 I have grown up reading and loving Marvel Comics， off and on， for about 35 years and counting。 And while I haven’t read quite as many as Douglas has， I can’t envision a future where I won’t continue adding to that total。 I enjoy watching the Marvel movies and TV shows， but the Marvel Universe of comics — that sprawling， messy， occasionally brilliant and often goofy half-million page epic — will always be my first love。 Douglas has I wish I had more than five stars to give this outstanding book。 I have grown up reading and loving Marvel Comics， off and on， for about 35 years and counting。 And while I haven’t read quite as many as Douglas has， I can’t envision a future where I won’t continue adding to that total。 I enjoy watching the Marvel movies and TV shows， but the Marvel Universe of comics — that sprawling， messy， occasionally brilliant and often goofy half-million page epic — will always be my first love。 Douglas has lovingly crafted a thorough but zippy guidebook to Marvel Comics’ broad story arcs and major characters that’s accessible to newcomers and revelatory to more experienced Marvelites。 This book is the perfect companion to the Marvel Unlimited digital archive of 29，000 Marvel Comics。 I highly recommend reading it with MU by your side， because Douglas’s vivid prose and infectious enthusiasm for the source material will send you back to the issues time and again。 It is both the celebration and critical examination that history’s largest and most complex sustained narrative deserves， and I’m so grateful that it exists。 。。。more
Cloak88
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What a monstrueus task: Reading everything in the Marvel Universe。Review to follow
Tripp
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The numbers are staggering: a vast and interconnected story that spans sixty years， twenty-seven thousand issues， and over half a million pages。 Wolk accurately calls it "the longest continuous， self-contained work of fiction ever created" as he proceeds to dive in and identify numerous patterns and themes that have emerged in this story over the years， as well as how what most people think of as the conventions of superhero comics--vigilante crime fighters with secret identities， double lives， The numbers are staggering: a vast and interconnected story that spans sixty years， twenty-seven thousand issues， and over half a million pages。 Wolk accurately calls it "the longest continuous， self-contained work of fiction ever created" as he proceeds to dive in and identify numerous patterns and themes that have emerged in this story over the years， as well as how what most people think of as the conventions of superhero comics--vigilante crime fighters with secret identities， double lives， capes and tights--haven't applied to Marvel comics since close to the beginning of their existence--Lee， Kirby， Ditko， et al。 intentionally smashed that paradigm as a way to differentiate what they were doing from what their Distinguished Competition （DC， of course） did， except in a very few cases， such as Peter Parker （Spider-Man） and Matt Murdock （Daredevil）。 Wolk views the Marvel corpus through the lenses of politics， metaphors， big philosophical questions， and more， identifying its cynical lows--looking especially at you Secret Wars （1984）--and its highs--so， so many。 And now， I need to go haul out my many long boxes and reorganize， i。e。， reread， my collection！ 。。。more
Dan Cassino
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This book has three main elements， two of which I liked a great deal， and one that I didn’t care for。 I’ve been reading Marvel comics since before I could actually read， so I’m probably not the target audience for this book， but I’ve enjoyed Wolk’s comics criticism in the past， and he appeared on one of my favorite podcasts to talk it up。The first element is Wolk’s description of the meta-narratives of various eras of Marvel comics。 This is where Wolk really shines， making connections between di This book has three main elements， two of which I liked a great deal， and one that I didn’t care for。 I’ve been reading Marvel comics since before I could actually read， so I’m probably not the target audience for this book， but I’ve enjoyed Wolk’s comics criticism in the past， and he appeared on one of my favorite podcasts to talk it up。The first element is Wolk’s description of the meta-narratives of various eras of Marvel comics。 This is where Wolk really shines， making connections between disparate storylines and creators to give an additional layer of meaning to the stories。The second- briefer than the others- is Wolk’s writing about the process of writing the book， and its genesis in sharing comics with his child。 This part is charming and funny， driven by the idiotic nature of trying to read all the Marvel comics， and the joy that can come from it。 But you get the sense that he’s having fun with it- well maybe not with 90s Punisher。The book was weakest for me when he’s recapping comics， without necessarily providing a lot of additional insight。 For instance， I like Hickman’s Avengers/ Secret Wars story， I read it as it came out， I didn’t learn a thing from the chapter about it。Some of that is me: if I hadn’t read those stories， maybe I would have enjoyed it more。 But I don’t know how well this book would work for someone who wasn’t well versed in the comics。 The book is a mash up between stunt writing （reading all the comics） and analysis- but the mash up means that we don’t get as much of either as I would like。 That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the read- Wolk knows how to write comics criticism， and I’ll always read an analysis of Ryan North’s Squirrel Girl- but it wasn’t what I was hoping for， held back by the structural issues。 。。。more
Berni Phillips
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This is great if you happen to be the target audience， as I am。This guy read all of the Marvel comic books which are somehow tied together to form the Marvel Universe。 （It excludes ones like Millie the Model although it references her。） He started at 1961 and continued through about 2015。This is useful for someone like me who stopped reading comics years ago but am curious about anything good which I may have missed。 And he fills in information based on reading that most people will not have don This is great if you happen to be the target audience， as I am。This guy read all of the Marvel comic books which are somehow tied together to form the Marvel Universe。 （It excludes ones like Millie the Model although it references her。） He started at 1961 and continued through about 2015。This is useful for someone like me who stopped reading comics years ago but am curious about anything good which I may have missed。 And he fills in information based on reading that most people will not have done。 Plus， he draws together some very interesting threads。 At one point， Marvel was publishing comics for girls。 Millie the Model was one。 （I remember that particular one from my own childhood - the popular girls at school read that and only let their friends read their copies at lunch。 I was peeved at not being allowed to borrow any。 I didn't care about the girls， I just wanted to read comics。） Another comic of that era （1961， ff） was Linda Carter， Student Nurse。 He spends a whole chapter on this。 The comic was just what you expect: a gushy girly comic where the novice nurse finds romance and job satisfaction。 The kicker is that this character， Linda Carter， was brought back THIRTY YEARS LATER as the Night Nurse， the woman who runs a clandestine clinic to patch up super-heroes injured in battle。 It makes perfect sense that such a role would exist in a world where super-heroes exist。 After all， hospitals have to report all gunshot wounds and they wouldn't be big on keeping secret identities secret。 So it was just genius to transport this character who started as an upbeat student nurse dedicated to helping people into an older， seasoned nurse who just does that。Wolk sees these comics as one gigantic continuing story and in his synthesis， points out how various comics fulfill it。 I can't do it justice by trying to describe it。 If Marvel comics are your thing， you definitely want to read this。 。。。more
Shawn Conner
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