by Sean Howe
First published 2012
Sean Howe chronicles Marvel Comics' transformation from a small Madison Avenue operation in the 1960s into a multibillion-dollar entertainment empire. The story begins with Martin Goodman, a publisher who entered comics on a money-making tip in 1939, and follows the company's creative explosion under editor Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. Together, Lee and Kirby created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and other iconic characters during an intense three-year period that would later spark legal disputes. Howe draws from over one hundred interviews with Marvel insiders to reveal the personalities behind the scenes: struggling artists, ambitious editors, and corporate executives who shaped the company's destiny. The narrative tracks Marvel's volatile journey through financial crises, Hollywood ventures, market collapses, and ownership changes. At its heart, this is the story of creative individuals who built modern American mythology while battling commercial pressures, personal conflicts, and questions of artistic credit that continue today.
Genres: biography, 20th-century, business, american, 21st-century, comics
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: creative-individuals, creative-vs-commercial, legal-disputes
Setting: Madison Avenue, Marvel Comics
Period: 1960s
485 pages · Hardcover · Harper