Bloomsbury Academic recently published two new Marvel Age of Comics titles exploring the stories behind the creation of many of their best known characters. Marvel Explodes: From Bullpen To Big Business by Paul Levitz and Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars: The Epic 1980s Saga by Tom K. Mason are in bookshops now.
After launching Marvel Comics into the Silver Age with Fantastic Four #1 in 1961, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and the team of creators who comprised the mighty Marvel Bullpen at the time continued to build on their success.
Marvel Explodes: From Bullpen To Big Business by Paul Levitz looks at that pivotal period of comics history from 1967 to 1975, just before three of Marvel’s classic anthologies were split into separate titles to accommodate the growing popularity of characters like Iron Man, Captain America, Sub-Mariner, The Hulk, Doctor Strange, and Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
From that moment on, Marvel entered an explosive arc of growth, which culminated in them becoming America’s largest comics publisher in 1972.
Paul Levitz tells the story of that unprecedented expansion year-by-year, using his intimate knowledge of the industry and those involved to explore this decisive period from a creative standpoint – the expanded mythology, the new titles, and the writers and artists who would join to fuel the explosion – as well as a business one: detailing the key transitions, including new distributors, owners, and opportunities.
Having been a fixture at the “Distinguished Competition” since his teenage years, and an avid comics reader for even longer, Levitz offers a unique and qualified perspective on both the industry and its players at that time.
“Getting to tell a vital piece of Marvel’s business history from the perspective of a witness, a friend to many of the key players, and a competitor who understood the important factors was a fun challenge,” he says.
Illustrated with full-colour art from the comics of the time, Paul Levitz’s entry in the Marvel Age of Comics series, now running to twelve books to date, offers an eyewitness account of Marvel Comics in the years that established, and then cemented, its greatness.
Also in shops now is Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars: The Epic 1980s Saga by Tom K. Mason, taking a deep dive into how Secret Wars became the modern comics industry’s first true blockbuster.
In the modern landscape, “event comics” have become the norm, with several high-profile events that have defined the medium over the last 40 years.
But there was one series that started it all in 1984, when Marvel’s Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter brought Marvel’s greatest heroes and villains together for an epic battle that became the template for comic book crossovers and impacted Marvel’s storylines for decades – including major changes to the Spider-Man mythos and the introduction of a new villain.
“Marvel had always crossed over their characters because it’s a shared universe, but Secret Wars was their biggest crossover, and Jim Shooter made big promises. The summer of Secret Wars was to comics like the summer of Jaws or Star Wars was to the movie business.”
Within the 12-part storyline, characters who had never met before would find themselves thrown together to achieve a common goal. They formed shaky alliances. There were tremendous power struggles. Teams within teams would form. Relationships would be tested, and both heroes and villains would never be the same. Neither would the Marvel Universe.
“It was supposed to be a simple mini-series with a toy tie-in and it became so much more,” notes Tom K. Mason. “Secret Wars created a brand identity for a specific type of series, it created a new successful character, Venom, out of a costume change that was supposed to be temporary, and it set the stage for all the blockbuster event comics that would follow its example.”
• Marvel Explodes: From Bullpen To Big Business by Paul Levitz | ISBN: 979-8216377719 | Buy it from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)
• Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars: The Epic 1980s Saga by Tom K. Mason| ISBN: 979-8765141694 | Buy it from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)
The Authors – and some Further Reading
Paul Levitz is former President and Publisher of DC Comics and has written for many of DC’s major comic books series, including Superman and Justice Society. His story Legion: The Great Darkness Saga was voted one of the top 20 best comic stories of the last century by readers of The Buyers’ Guide.
Over on The 13th Dimension, Paul shared 13 THINGS he learned while researching Marvel Explodes. To find out more about his cryptic references — read the book!
Tom K. Mason is an Emmy-winning television writer with credits as writer, story editor, or head writer on more than 600 episodes of children’s entertainment. As a cofounder of Malibu Comics, he edited more than 1,000 comics and wrote close to 100 of them. He was a founding editor of Bravura, the comic book imprint created by Howard Chaykin, Walter Simonson, Jim Starlin, and others. He recently wrote a Lilo & Stitch graphic novel, and currently co-writes the Captain Awesome books under the name “Stan Kirby.”
Marvel Age of Comics
• Check out the full Marvel Age of Comics line on AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)
Marvel Age of Comics is a series of concise, affordable, beautifully designed books that explore the history of over 85 years of Marvel Comics.
Books in the series range from deep dives into a singular comic storyline, notable runs and works produced by creators who have made a special contribution to Marvel stories, the origins and evolution of a particular character, or social and progressive themes and historical moments that have been reflected in Marvel Comics.
Written by great writers who also happen to be comic book fans, Marvel Age of Comics blends personal narrative with a look back at comics history through the decades. The books are brought to life using curated artwork from the comics and reproduced materials from Marvel’s digital archives creating a series that is perfect for both dedicated and new comic book fans alike.
Coming in 2027
• Check out the full Marvel Age of Comics line on AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)
• Check out the full Marvel Age of Comics line on AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Comics, Creating Comics, downthetubes News, US Comics
GOSH! announces “My Beloved Other” Launch Party With Nick Abadzis and Angela Watson 
British Captain Britain Fans celebrate 50 Years with a special not-for-profit comic 
British creators recognised in Ringo Awards 
On This Day, in 1972, Britain welcomed the arrival of The Mighty World of Marvel
Leave a Reply