All of the Marvels: A Journey to the Ends of the Biggest Story Ever Told
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- Create Date：2021-12-10 06:51:14
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Douglas Wolk
- ISBN：0593300599
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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 60 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， Douglas Wolk notes， the longest continuous， self-contained work of fiction ever created: over half a million pages to date， and growing。 The Marvel story is a gigantic mountain， smack in the middle of contemporary culture。 Thousands of writers and artists have contributed to it。 Every schoolchild recognizes its protagonists: Spider-Man， the Avengers， the X-Men。 18 of the 100 highest-grossing movies of all time are directly based on parts of it。 And 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 coherent 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 funhouse-mirror history of the past 60 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。 Looking over close to sixty years of Marvel's comics， 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 they all feed 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
Brent
，
As a fan of Wolk's previous book Reading Comics， and his occasional reviews in Publishers Weekly， I anticipated enjoying this。 Honestly， most readers who come to Marvel with less familiarity， or more， through the Marvel Cinematic Universe， may find the continuity retelling useful。 Still， the guts of the book remind me of a staple in the contents of Amazing Heroes magazine， the fanzine published as a more popular 1980s guide from the publishers of The Comics Journal （http://www。tcj。com and http:/ As a fan of Wolk's previous book Reading Comics， and his occasional reviews in Publishers Weekly， I anticipated enjoying this。 Honestly， most readers who come to Marvel with less familiarity， or more， through the Marvel Cinematic Universe， may find the continuity retelling useful。 Still， the guts of the book remind me of a staple in the contents of Amazing Heroes magazine， the fanzine published as a more popular 1980s guide from the publishers of The Comics Journal （http://www。tcj。com and http://fantagraphics。com）。。。 the "hero history;" like - in historical fiction - the biography of， say， Horatio Hornblower， Captain James T。 Kirk， or， here， Ms。 Marvel， the Fantastic Four， The X-Men， and， my 1970s favorites， The Avengers。The selected episodes， peak and valley experiences， are critical choices in this retelling。 Wolk includes a thoughtful appendix restating， in several decade-long periods， the thematic history of the Marvel Universe。 What I REALLY liked was Wolk's concluding essay in memoir of how he pursued this project with his growing reader， his son， and how they shared the Marvel Universe in this way。 One paragraph， to return to， cites his son noticing with glee the many times in 1960s Marvel the interjection "Bah！" appears。。。 I love this。So， this summary for a general audience has its uses; including sending me back （to finish） the author's earlier book of essays。But in the reviews in the press， particularly the NY Times Book Review cover review （！）， I'm bothered by the continuing impression of （only） two kinds of comics， Marvel and DC。 That's the superhero genre， not the comics medium。。。 and even then we like the exceptions， whether or not they prove the rule。 In the interior page of that NYTBR issue， a historical photo of a display of covers appears: many， at least several other， rival publishers， diminished by the cutline text that the Big Two are all that is in the photo。 Bah！I liked the sidebars more than the tent poles here， like， for instance， an anecdotal summary of the appearances of Presidents of the USA in Marvel over the years， some I missed。Oh， I also love the central position Wolk reserves for the girls and women in early Marvel， obscured by the superhero genre， Patsy Walker， Hedy Wolf， Millie Collins （Millie the Model）， and - especially， Linda Carter， reintroduced as the Night Nurse， who treats the injured superhero community。 He also reminds me to read more of the recent adventures of Squirrel Girl。Recommended for the wider public that might not， like some of us， have been more or less devoted to Marvel - and the comics medium - for many decades。 For me， since before August， 1970。。。 and that month's Marvel Comics， including Avengers # 79， Silver Surfer #18 （briefly mentioned here） and Fantastic Four # 102。 For the rest of you， that included an interrupted farewell of creator Jack Kirby to his creations。。。 part of an ongoing set of sagas in American comics。Thanks to Fulton County Library System for the loan。 。。。more
James Hoddy
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Douglas Wolk was able to summarise so much content into an easy to digest book， and it was interesting， funny， insightful， and candid in its content。
William Dury
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Really a marvelous book。 I read DC comics as a kid， enjoy watching the animated DC comics on HBO Max， and have seen a lot of the Marvel movies。 Strangely， though， I don’t really enjoy reading actual comics that much。 I find them more interesting to read about than to actually read。This summation and exploration of the Marvel universe was pretty much in the sweet spot for me。 I’m fascinating by the business of comics， and by their folk lore quality in our culture。 You may find yourself getting a Really a marvelous book。 I read DC comics as a kid， enjoy watching the animated DC comics on HBO Max， and have seen a lot of the Marvel movies。 Strangely， though， I don’t really enjoy reading actual comics that much。 I find them more interesting to read about than to actually read。This summation and exploration of the Marvel universe was pretty much in the sweet spot for me。 I’m fascinating by the business of comics， and by their folk lore quality in our culture。 You may find yourself getting a little weepy as Wolk and his son bond over comics in the closing chapter。 。。。more
Dave Brown
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As someone who has never been a big fan of Marvel's comics， this book had made me want to reexamine that opinion （or at least read The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl and Ms。 Marvel）。 As someone who has never been a big fan of Marvel's comics， this book had made me want to reexamine that opinion （or at least read The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl and Ms。 Marvel）。 。。。more
Mark
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Meandering， quixotic， and eminently readable trip through the Marvel comic book universe。
John Smith
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What a journey！ Mr。 Wolk takes you through The Marvel Universe。 Touching on Most of the Major Marvel heroes and villains。 It Wolk gives you great insight into whichever characters you like and provides you great jumping on points to these fantastic stories。
Patrick
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I didn’t really need a book to encourage me to try even more comics， but here we are。 Douglas Wolk’s analysis has me rethinking tales I’ve been reading for 30 years while also wanting to explore new pockets of the Marvel Universe。
Tim Pendry
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Douglas Wolk claims （there is no reason to disbelieve him） to have read every word （bar a few lost web comics， Marvel's equivalent to the infamous lost Dr Who episodes） and looked at every panel of over half a million pages of Marvel output relating to its 'universe'。 Now that is one big nerd！'All of the Marvels' is the result of a labour of love or obsession depending on one's perspective。 350 or so pages is not going to allow him to tell us everything that we might possibly need to know in ord Douglas Wolk claims （there is no reason to disbelieve him） to have read every word （bar a few lost web comics， Marvel's equivalent to the infamous lost Dr Who episodes） and looked at every panel of over half a million pages of Marvel output relating to its 'universe'。 Now that is one big nerd！'All of the Marvels' is the result of a labour of love or obsession depending on one's perspective。 350 or so pages is not going to allow him to tell us everything that we might possibly need to know in order to understand the phenomenon so he adopts a selective， impressionistic approach。There are， in fact， plenty of guide books out there to Marvel characters and plots so it is unnecessary for Wolk to do the same job。 Although there is a useful long range plot summary in an appendix， what he is really trying to do is give a personal take that makes sense。Mostly he succeeds if you do not expect too much - to convey any complete inner meaning to the Marvel universe （other than the self-evident one that it is based on a corporate desire to churn money） would be as tough as trying to find meaning in the real universe it inhabits。Instead， he explores the stories of figures such as Spiderman， X-Men and Black Panther， the Avengers and many others as processes that take place in time （our time and Marvel time） and reflect the world in which they were created and the direct circumstances of creation。There are many insights。 The book will help new Marvel readers feel more at home and engaged in what is a remarkable achievement of late capitalism - the production of a surprisingly coherent， cross-referencing superhuman epic that meets the emotional needs of millions of people。There are irritations。 It is a personal overview。 Wolk cannot shake off his rather 'soft' mildly anti-capitalist 'wokish' and gently censorious West Coast media mental world。 Sometimes I felt that a little less of his minor torments and more of the Marvel action would have been useful。 In fact， Marvel has， in general， done a brilliant job of driving a decent liberal agenda over many decades。 It has introduced diversity in a balanced and intelligent way if not as much as some urban liberals might have liked， especially those who love to try and rewrite history。In fact， I fantasise that Marvel may have inadvertently caused part of our crisis of civilisation by suggesting that history in the real world can be over-written because its multiverse is a constant process of （largely coherent） overwritings of itself to keep the epic going。 It would be a shame if Marvel started to lose its balance in order to pander to the culture wars and political correctness。 I actually feel sorry for the corporate titans who hold the survival of this epic in their hands - imbalance in either direction and the magic and decency could be lost over night。The Marvel cinematic universe， although derived from and wholly consonant with the universes of the comics （which， unlike DC's reboots， still maintain a basic integrity going back to the 1960s at least）， should not be confused with the massively complex multiversal offer of the comics。It could reasonably be argued that the comic books are even more insane in their relationship to reality than the films and TV series and yet it all hangs together with （as Wolk ably points out） loose ends from past decades tied up through imaginary legerdemain at every opportunity。It makes a difference that the bulk of the writers and artists have grown up with the mythos （and feel a responsibility to it） and know the plot holes they may have to fill and that there is a loyal core readership that sustains the fantasy and gives the creatives the leeway to experiment。And a shout-out is required for the executive management of Marvel which seems （so far） rarely to do the sort of stupid thing that Channel 4 did with Time Team and kill a goose that lays a golden egg， supporting a decentralised creative system that keeps delivering saleable product。I wondered when I finished the book whether Marvel was on the cusp of passing its recent peak - ending in 2015 with a comics denouement that required a complete reboot while the cinematic universe rolled into its coherent （Loki/WandaVision） fourth 'phase'。There is a lot of responsibility on the post-2015 generation of creatives。 Sometimes one fears that， in their desire to be relevant to a key part of their market which has adopted liberal-left ideology， they may lose the balance that has served their world so well。Similarly， in the other direction， there is a risk that the need to fuel the very lucrative family-orientated cinematic universe may turn the comic books into fuel for franchises rather than a coherent rather demented experimental multiverse from which the cinematic world can draw。The book could have done with many more illustrations。 The illustrations that do appear are shrunk down to such a level that their contents are hard to read。 This is no light criticism in discussing an art form that depends so much on illustration to a high standard。The association of words （sometimes overwrought） with illustration （sometimes over-simplistic in the past） is part way to Wagner's vision and the films often have an 'operatic' feel。 A full and coherent essay on Marvel should reflect more the importance of the image。As time has passed， fast-moving deadline-pressed illustration teams have got better and better to the point where， increasingly， the imagery outplays the text in trying to express things that are sometimes truly inexpressible or only otherwise expressible as verbal cliche。On the other hand， the great story arcs， such as the 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' which introduced the idea of persecution of minorities and the 'different' to millions of people as a felt phenomenon in a way no earnest NGO or East Coast editorial could， have become cultural milestones。There is a touching story of how a severely disabled person was given pleasure and dignity by identifying with the story of 'Nightcrawler'。 Wolk notes that Marvel creatives were able to provide messaging of tolerance and decency without any specificities as to identity in the real world。People， especially teenagers， could identify with these costumed characters and their quasi-magical and inter-galactic adventures because the actual behaviours of these 'heroes' were human all-too-human。 They were， like the gods， abstractions of very real and felt sentiments and emotions。The book is not the last word on Marvel or on comic books （after all， we have to account also for DC and all the independent imprints）。 I would not recommend it as first read for the complete comics newbie perhaps but I would recommend it for the person who has tasted Marvel and wants more。Yes， the wokey bits are irritating but I am afraid anything coming out of America today is going to be laden with a thin or thick layer of ideological nonsense because that is just how this strange culture composes itself periodically but not enough to stop the book being informative and useful。 。。。more
Garrett Roney
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"In form and substance， it's a tribute to the astonishing powers of human imagination and to the way that human imaginations in concert with one another can do far more than they could individually。 It's a tale that never ends for any of its characters， even in death。 Those characters—and there are thousands of them—include some extraordinary ones， in whose fantastice excesses you， as a reader， might potentially see parts of yourself， or see what you might hope to become or fear becoming。 On any "In form and substance， it's a tribute to the astonishing powers of human imagination and to the way that human imaginations in concert with one another can do far more than they could individually。 It's a tale that never ends for any of its characters， even in death。 Those characters—and there are thousands of them—include some extraordinary ones， in whose fantastice excesses you， as a reader， might potentially see parts of yourself， or see what you might hope to become or fear becoming。 On any page， you're likely to encounter someone like a computer science student who can talk to squirrels and is friends with an immortal， planet-devouring god; or an android who saved the world thirty-seven times， then moved to the suburbs of Washington， D。 C。， and built himself a family in a catastrophically failed attempt to become more human; or a vindictive， physically immense crimelord who has become the mayor of New York， and whose archenemy is the alter ego of the blind lawyer who serves as his deputy mayor; or a woman who discovered as a teenager that she could walk through walls， was briefly possessed by a version of herself from a dystopian future， trained as a ninja， later spent months trapped inside a gigantic bullet flying through the cosmos， and is now a pirate captain; or a tree creature from another planet who makes remarkably expressive use of his three-word vocabulary。"Five out of Five stars。 This seems gimmicky at first （a sort of "Man Reads All Marvel Comics So You Don't Have To"）， but quickly turns into an impassioned and entertaining analysis and summary of the Marvel story from the beginning of its "sliding timeline，" to its present， showing how it has changed and evolved based on our real world， of which it is a reflection。 And while this book is certainly that， it is also a charming billet-doux to comics， superhero comics in particular， and specifically Marvel superhero comics。 Wolk is able to highlight what is simultaneously lovable and ridiculous or confusing about these stories， while not shying away from the ugly underside of many comics of the past （that is， the racist， sexist， and homophobic language or depictions found in comics and the more recent attempts to "do better"）。 There are whole chapters on Spider-Man， Black Panther， Squirrel Girl （I know， right？！）， The X-Men， Shang-Chi， and various "events，" but I found myself wishing for a book twice as long—where is the chapter on Daredevil or The Guardians of the Galaxy， or The Inhumans？ I suppose I can hope for a sequel， and then a book just like this for DC comics。 I enjoyed every bit of this。 。。。more
Shaun Baker
，
I'm disappointed he wrote it before I could。 I'm disappointed he wrote it before I could。 。。。more
Tom
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Only read this if you are a Marvel Comics geek
Bryan
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I have been reading Marvel comics since I learned how to read so I knew I would love this。 At first， as much as I loved the content and passion， I didn't quite get the thesis of the book but about halfway through it really took off。 The book is so strong when it discusses the various crossovers and the state of Marvel today。 I was really， truly moved by the epilogue。 What a lovely bond between father and son。 I can only dream of making that connection one day！ This was just a really sweet love l I have been reading Marvel comics since I learned how to read so I knew I would love this。 At first， as much as I loved the content and passion， I didn't quite get the thesis of the book but about halfway through it really took off。 The book is so strong when it discusses the various crossovers and the state of Marvel today。 I was really， truly moved by the epilogue。 What a lovely bond between father and son。 I can only dream of making that connection one day！ This was just a really sweet love letter that involved a ton of work。 I found it most interesting when it discussed the more obscure histories （I could have read an entire book with the author's analysis of Master of Kung Fu-- who knew！）。 Highly recommend for any Marvel fan or Marvel curious and a huge shout-out for the spotlight on my beloved Doreen Green AKA Squirrel Girl。 。。。more
Book Club of One
，
I received a Free digital version of this book via NetGalley。Pop culture critic， writer， and teacher Douglas Wolk read more than 27，000 Marvel comics so we won't need to。 All of the Marvels: A Journey to the Ends of the Biggest Story Ever Told is Wolk's summation of this quest to read "the longest continuous， self-contained work of fiction ever created: over half a million pages to date， and still growing。"Across 21 chapters， Wolk serves as our guide to Marvel with selected titles or events expl I received a Free digital version of this book via NetGalley。Pop culture critic， writer， and teacher Douglas Wolk read more than 27，000 Marvel comics so we won't need to。 All of the Marvels: A Journey to the Ends of the Biggest Story Ever Told is Wolk's summation of this quest to read "the longest continuous， self-contained work of fiction ever created: over half a million pages to date， and still growing。"Across 21 chapters， Wolk serves as our guide to Marvel with selected titles or events explored in depth， warts and all。 Obviously with this great an undertaking， Wolk had rules and guidelines about what he would and wouldn't read。 His three rules about what got left out where anything not published between 1961 and 2017。 Second， Marvel had to own the characters， so no Star Wars， G。I。 Joe or Transformers。 And third did it makes sense for Spider-Man to be there？ This ruled out a lot of alternate versions， westerns， war comics， and titles aimed at specific audiences like the MAX imprint。 （Paraphrased from Chapter 1）。 While clearly a fan， Wolk doesn't avoid being critical of Marvel。 Across the chapters he discusses the creation process and lack of crediting for much of it， biased or stereotypical depictions， cultural appropriation， the lack of non white creators， or just general criticisms about poor writing or art。 Part of Wolk's guide is to help a reader have a fuller idea of some of the characters， not necessarily chronological。 I am several years removed from actively reading comics， so it was nice to have a summary of some of the major events and titles of the past decade。 Fans of the Marvel films would also greatly benefit from this work as it offers copious reading lists to sample the larger body of work without necessarily being overwhelmed by volume。 。。。more
Tan Shengli
，
Especially enjoyed this bit:"。。。 X-Men helpfully resists attempts to map it directly onto real-world analogues。 Anyone who starts thinking of Magneto and Xavier as equivalents to Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr。， or Lee Kuan Yew and Lim Chin Siong。。。 will not get very far before realizing what a terrible idea that is。。。" Especially enjoyed this bit:"。。。 X-Men helpfully resists attempts to map it directly onto real-world analogues。 Anyone who starts thinking of Magneto and Xavier as equivalents to Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr。， or Lee Kuan Yew and Lim Chin Siong。。。 will not get very far before realizing what a terrible idea that is。。。" 。。。more
Brandon
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Really neat if you're a comics fan。 Each chapter is a deep dive into the themes and plot threads around one character， team or title。 And just a heads up - there are a *lot* of footnotes in this book。 Literally almost every page。 They're interesting and do add a lot of context to what's being talked about BUT it makes it very cumbersome to read on a Kindle。 I'd advise only going for the print version。 Really neat if you're a comics fan。 Each chapter is a deep dive into the themes and plot threads around one character， team or title。 And just a heads up - there are a *lot* of footnotes in this book。 Literally almost every page。 They're interesting and do add a lot of context to what's being talked about BUT it makes it very cumbersome to read on a Kindle。 I'd advise only going for the print version。 。。。more
Jeff J。
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The ambitious author read all of the marvel comics output and highlights the key storylines and events。
Chris Newens
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I adored this book。 Having grown up with the Marvel comics as a constant background fictional universe， but one that always seemed impenetrably large and that I only glimpsed through the films and very occasional comics， All of the Marvels came like an answer to a question I didn't realise I'd been asking。Douglas Wolk is a fantastic companion on this journey， elucidating in a compelling and genial tone what very quickly I came to see as one of the greatest monuments to pure story-telling human c I adored this book。 Having grown up with the Marvel comics as a constant background fictional universe， but one that always seemed impenetrably large and that I only glimpsed through the films and very occasional comics， All of the Marvels came like an answer to a question I didn't realise I'd been asking。Douglas Wolk is a fantastic companion on this journey， elucidating in a compelling and genial tone what very quickly I came to see as one of the greatest monuments to pure story-telling human culture has ever produced。 And really， that's what this book is: a celebration of story in its most elemental form， including the ridiculous switch-backs and ludicrous plot devices needed to keep the 27，000+ comic Marvel saga on the road， as well as the moments when its story slipped into the sublime。I would have been here for All of the Marvels however it was put together， but the fact is， it's also much better written than it needs to be， flowing excellently and with a great sense of humour and canny knack for when to quote directly from its subject。 Uncanny， amazing， fantastic！ 。。。more
Artur Coelho
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O ponto de partida deste livro soa a uma espécie de piada a gozar com a cultura Geek: o autor propôs-se ler todos os comics da Marvel， desde o início até aos dias de hoje。 Declaração fértil para terminar em piadas sobre danos cerebrais， ou masoquismos pop。 Mas o propósito é serio， um mergulho a fundo na mitologia da editora de comics， que permite perceber que as aventuras dos seus personagens não são conjuntos isolados de histórias， mas sim uma enorme narrativa， abrangente e de renovação contínu O ponto de partida deste livro soa a uma espécie de piada a gozar com a cultura Geek: o autor propôs-se ler todos os comics da Marvel， desde o início até aos dias de hoje。 Declaração fértil para terminar em piadas sobre danos cerebrais， ou masoquismos pop。 Mas o propósito é serio， um mergulho a fundo na mitologia da editora de comics， que permite perceber que as aventuras dos seus personagens não são conjuntos isolados de histórias， mas sim uma enorme narrativa， abrangente e de renovação contínua。Wolk assume esta continuidade pela observação， do alto da sua experiência。 Que， observe-se， não recomenda; boa parte das leituras estão datadas， e num processo de mergulho profundo deste género podemos perder a lógica essencial - acima de tudo， ler comics tem de ser uma experiência divertida， é essa a sua lógica。 Lê-los por obrigação não nos permite perceber o seu encanto。Analisar o longo historial de edições Marvel como uma narrativa contínua pode， à primeira vista， levar a pensar numa intencionalidade， num arco narrativo planeado desde o início。 Wolk sublinha bem que não é o caso。 A estrutura evolui de forma orgânica， fruto do trabalho de um exército de argumentistas e ilustradores。 Cada um traz a sua visão específica， levando os personagens pelos caminhos que decidem traçar。 Mas cada criador que trabalha para a Marvel também traz a sua erudição sobre o historial das personagens， vai colocando referências e， mais vezes do que se esperaria， regressando a arcos narrativos anteriores。 Os crossovers， que envolvem todos os títulos numa história única， sao uma variante planificada disto， mas o que torna interessante é perceber que esta polinização cruzada ultrapassa em muito o lado editorial。Mais do que uma análise temática e histórica， este livro é uma longa carta de amor aos comics。 Ao prazer de os ler， de mergulhar em mundos ficcionais assumidamente simplistas。 Mas mais complexos do que aparentam。 Refletem as condicionantes， as ideias， e ideologias de cada época。 Representando mundos irreais e personagens impossíveis， não se alheiam da realidade que rodeia os seus jovens leitores。 Por entre as aventuras de finais previsíveis， têm-se atrevido a tocar em assuntos delicados e temas fracturantes。 A corrente atenção que a Marvel dedica a temas de igualdade de género e multiculturalidade é apenas a mais recente versão dessa tendência， que já passou por temas sociais e políticos。 A proximidade com a vida dos seus leitores sempre foi o grande trunfo da Marvel。 Os seus heróis， apesar dos extraordinários poderes， são muito humanos。 Não são tão icónicos quanto os da DC， atraem os leitores precisamente pelo seu lado mais humano， frágil e sujeito ao tipo de problemas que todos sentimos。 Gostamos do Homem Aranha porque é Peter Parker， sempre em busca do seu lugar na vida。 Ou dos X-Men pela forma como representam o ser diferente numa sociedade。 Do capitão América não por ser um símbolo do patriotismo elementar， mas porque Steve Rogers se dedica a lutar por ideais de liberdade e igualdade。 Poderia continuar， todos os personagens Marvel， até mesmo os vilões， têm esse lado de proximidade com os universos pessoais dos leitores。Este livro celebra os comics， o longo historial da Marvel e o seu papel como força cultural。 Não foge aos pontos mais delicados desta história - as relações complexas entre Stan Lee e Jack Kirby， sempre tratado com injustiça por uma editora que não existiria sem o seu trabalho， ou ideias sociais de que， felizmente， evoluímos como sociedade （grande parte dos temas e fórmulas clássicas da Marvel chocariam o lado mais woke da cultura contemporânea， mesmo dando de barato que são facilmente chocáveis）。 Lê-lo ajuda a perceber o porquê de se ser fã， o saber que mesmo já com alguns anos a pesar sobre os tempos de juventude que são o público-alvo deste género， sabe bem não só regressar às histórias clássicas， como acompanhar as actuais。 É entretenimento， é certo， mas por detrás do aparente simplismo há complexidade temática e narrativa， um longo historial e contínua evolução， sempre em sintonia com a evolução dos seus leitores。 。。。more
Peter Tillman
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Junot Diaz gave this a 5-star review at the NYT: https://www。nytimes。com/2021/10/12/bo。。。Excerpt: He Read All 27，000 Marvel Comic Books and Lived to Tell the Tale！ "If Western popular culture has a common idiom， a force that binds us all， the stories contained in Marvel comics are probably it。 In a few short decades， the Marvel Universe （in all its corporate manifestations） has rewired how millions， perhaps even billions， of people imagine what is possible， what is heroic， what is good。 Once con Junot Diaz gave this a 5-star review at the NYT: https://www。nytimes。com/2021/10/12/bo。。。Excerpt: He Read All 27，000 Marvel Comic Books and Lived to Tell the Tale！ "If Western popular culture has a common idiom， a force that binds us all， the stories contained in Marvel comics are probably it。 In a few short decades， the Marvel Universe （in all its corporate manifestations） has rewired how millions， perhaps even billions， of people imagine what is possible， what is heroic， what is good。 Once confined to dime store spinner racks， Marvel’s creations have burst free of their humble roots， hulking out into one of the most successful transmedia empires on the planet。 。。。"You get a few free looks @NYT/mo， so read it for yourself。 Junot Diaz is *definitely* a fan。 Well， so was I， as a kid -- especially of Jack Kirby （et al）'s great panels。 "If you grew up on Marvel comics like I did， “All of the Marvels” will be a gift，" writes Diaz。 I'm in。。。。。 。。。more
Alan Kercinik
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How do you make sense of a story 50+ years in the making？It may not be possible， but Wolk tries by reading pretty much every page of every Marvel comic。Highly enjoyable， but likely moreso for those who may have read quite a bit of Marvel as well。
Andy Mascola
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Wolk read over 27，000 Marvel comics in order to document the pivotal issues that helped shape Marvel as it reflected the changing culture of the world over the last 50+ years。 Can’t imagine a non-comic book fan enjoying this。 Liked it。
Paul Sutter
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I certainly cannot hold a candle to the accomplishments of Douglas Wolk。 As a long-time comics lover from way back， I think I read every comic Marvel published from late 1964 to early 1972。 That included Kid Colt Outlaw and even Millie the Model。 Wolk has gone a dozen steps past tha，t by reading every single comic Marvel created from 1961 right up to 2017。 This means the author has poured over 27，000 Marvel comics， and over half a million pages of marvelous stories。 ALL OF THE MARVELS not only c I certainly cannot hold a candle to the accomplishments of Douglas Wolk。 As a long-time comics lover from way back， I think I read every comic Marvel published from late 1964 to early 1972。 That included Kid Colt Outlaw and even Millie the Model。 Wolk has gone a dozen steps past tha，t by reading every single comic Marvel created from 1961 right up to 2017。 This means the author has poured over 27，000 Marvel comics， and over half a million pages of marvelous stories。 ALL OF THE MARVELS not only chronicles that achievement， but it also looks at the themes and trends that have been part of the Marvel universe for almost sixty years。 The Marvel world was much different from that of its chief competitor DC Comics。 Marvel had its own storytelling method， with heroes that were much different than ever seen before。 They were flawed in many ways， but found ways to adjust and fit in。Peter Parker for example， was the nerdy teenager who was pretty well bullied by other students at the college he attended， until a radioactive spider bit him and life changed forever。 Wolk studies the worlds and motives of many of the superheroes we grew up with。 The X-Men for example was a different group of people from those ever seen before。 They were outcasts， mutants who didn’t fit in with the world， and kept to themselves pretty well。 It offered legitimacy in many ways to those who were different， but were as a part of the world as anyone else around them。 Marvel also brought the Black Panther to the forefront as well， an African-American hero who became one of Marvel’s most successful characters。 Marvel did have black characters earlier such as Private Gabriel Jones a member of Sgt。 Fury and His Howling Commados， but Black Panther became larger than life， a true role model。 As Wolk points out， Marvel did go beyond the traditional when it came to story telling， and was not afraid to present heroes who were different。 Daredevil （aka Matt Murdoch） was blind， and used his keen senses to fight evildoers everywhere。 Other did their best with what the world had bestowed upon them。 What is most impressive about the book is the fact that Wolk was able to compress 27，000 plus comics into an under 400 page book， creating the perfect reference work for Marvel maniacs everywhere。 Comic fans past and present will find much to marvel over from first page to last。 。。。more
Bill
，
An entertaining tour through the Marvel Universe since its inception。 This perhaps will be of most interest to readers like myself who were rabid Marvel fans at one point， lost interest and then had it reawakened by the rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe （MCU） over the past dozen years。 This recounting is a good way to catch up on the history we missed during our time away， and see how the overall Marvel story has evolved in response to changing times。
Pascal Vanenburg
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Wolk heeft elke Marvel comic op de planeet gelezen。 Daar schrijft hij fijn over， maar het is waarschijnlijk interessanter als je ze zelf ook allemaal gelezen hebt （wat hij je overigens op de eerste bladzijde al afraadt）。 2。5*， afgerond naar boven omdat hij elke Marvel comic op de planeet gelezen heeft。 Dat verdient wat respect。
Tina
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Well， know i know！
Andrew Ceyton
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This book is only flawed if you expect such a momentous undertaking to be non-subjective， reading a 50+ year narrative indeed！ Bravo to the author's effort， insight， and the final perspective into the project being a bonding with their child。 This book is only flawed if you expect such a momentous undertaking to be non-subjective， reading a 50+ year narrative indeed！ Bravo to the author's effort， insight， and the final perspective into the project being a bonding with their child。 。。。more
anthony e。
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Incredibly enjoyable， despite not *really* being what I wanted。 The appendix is sort of an abridged version of that expectation， but not quite in-depth enough， and the way in which Wolk broke down the narrative does a lot of literary criticism （which is great， and in scat supply on superhero comics） but nothing in that break down specifically required him to read EVERY Marvel comic， or was somehow more informed than had he read those aspects alone。 For instance， his chapter on X-Men does a great Incredibly enjoyable， despite not *really* being what I wanted。 The appendix is sort of an abridged version of that expectation， but not quite in-depth enough， and the way in which Wolk broke down the narrative does a lot of literary criticism （which is great， and in scat supply on superhero comics） but nothing in that break down specifically required him to read EVERY Marvel comic， or was somehow more informed than had he read those aspects alone。 For instance， his chapter on X-Men does a great job of discussing the thematic underpinning of the X-Men's story， but that could have been gleaned just as well for what Wolk writes by *just reading X-Men*。 How did， say Captain America inform the X-Men's story？ That overlap is less well handled， and what I was most interested in in terms of scholarship。Still， a very pleasant read。 。。。more
Ashanti
，
In this impressive exploration of the Marvel Comics’ half a million page story， Douglas Wolk’s breaks down the historical context and analyses key characters in the Marvel Franchise。 I was extremely hyped to read this book after stumbling upon it randomly and reading the intriguing synopsis。 Upon starting the book， I was ready to jump straight in the heart of the Marvel franchise， learning about connections that I have not had the time to explore over the year。 My excitement waned at the author In this impressive exploration of the Marvel Comics’ half a million page story， Douglas Wolk’s breaks down the historical context and analyses key characters in the Marvel Franchise。 I was extremely hyped to read this book after stumbling upon it randomly and reading the intriguing synopsis。 Upon starting the book， I was ready to jump straight in the heart of the Marvel franchise， learning about connections that I have not had the time to explore over the year。 My excitement waned at the author’s slow introduction instead of immediate jump into the plotline and analyses of the comics。 I usually am able to get through books fairly quickly if they peak my interest， but the over 2 hour long contextualization of the Marvel universe made my mind wander to the other books I had on my shelf。 Wolk does encourage readers to skip around throughout the book and even read the appendix first if they please to get the overarching summary of everything he has read。 I appreciate his exploration of the extent of Marvel’s influence（it’s been used to create video games， theme park attractions， books and movies such as Avatar and the Matrix。 Starting off with the Fantastic Four comics of the 1960s， Wolk out lines the plot lines and gives examples of comics that contribute the most to the storyline。 I learned a lot about some other popular writers who contributed to the series。 I have recently read Ta Neishi Coates “Between the World and me” and was surprised that he had been one of the contributors to the Black Panther series。 The most memorable part of the book was the wholesome personal anecdote he included towards the end about spending time bonding with his son through their shared interest in comic books。 After struggling to find common ground with his STEM oriented son， he introduced comics to him and he suggested they should read the comic books in order。 recall specific issues at later dates after only one read。 I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in expanding their understanding of the Marvel franchise。 I found myself zoning out at times due to the density of information in some of the chapters， so I would suggest spanning out your reading sessions over an extended period of time。 Wolk is a talented writer。 His passion and meticulous planning is evident throughout this entire book。 I appreciated the reference to gender and race issues occurring at the time of the publication of several comics。 He also mentions several presidents that have made a cameo in the comics。 。。。more
Laureltmcglew
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Really solid read and great analysis in terms of looking at the material as storytelling cycles。
Karl O'
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