394 MARVELS
have super powers or are integral to the plotline. Not so with Marvels. It is the average
person who becomes the hero of the story.
Busiek weaves a tale that puts Phil Sheldon—a photographer and budding writer for
a local newspaper—at the heart of the story, chasing the exploits of various superheroes
living in New York. Th rough his eyes and photographs we see the origins of some of the
most infamous heroes and villains in the Marvel universe. Th e ordinary and fantastic
live side-by-side in New York.
The prologue to Marvels opens with a narrative from a Frankenstein-inspired
creation: a man made of fire. Fueled by scientific discovery, but shunned by a con-
servative society, scientist Phineas Thomas Horton realizes the world is not ready
for his creation, thus he secures him away from public harm. However, in 1939 the
man of fire is freed by accident, once again able to roam the streets in hopes of being
able to control his “gift.” Thus begins Marvels as a new interpretation to the origin
of the first (android) Human Torch, the forerunner of the better-known (but very
different) character from the Fantastic Four.
With gloriously romantic overtones and emblematic visual aspects of diff erent
decades in the 20th century, Busiek introduces such characters as Prince Namor,
Angel, Captain America , and a newly minted reporter named J. Jonah Jamieson.
Th rough Sheldon’s perspective readers fi nd out why he calls the superheroes marvels
“Marvels I called them—and that’s what they were. Next to that—what were we?”
Th e supremacy of the human race becomes secondary to those whose powers are
greater than average people.
Chronologically, the fi rst chapter provides a beginning to the Marvel universe.
Ross’s artwork brings to life not only the grandeur of the superheroes themselves, but
also a glimpse into life during each era covered by the series. Ross’s award-winning
style fl eshes out the people and events in his iconic vivid style to provide the reader an
authentic experience.
Th e second chapter, “Monsters Among Us,” refl ects the care-free attitude of America
during the 1950s and 1960s. Fascination with superheroes still lingers, but at times
it gives way to the more mundane and practical aspects of their triumphs: who pays
to clean up the mess left in the wake of their battles? Likewise, a fear of those that are
diff erent— mutants —begins to grow among the masses. Secularism arrives and people
feel threatened by those not really all that diff erent from themselves.
Th ematically, the second chapter is more about tolerance and understanding
than super heroes battling one another. Introducing characters like the X-Men and
Iron Man , the storyline gives Marvels ’s characters humanistic qualities, like fear and
loathing. Riots and xenophobia occur, and readers see an apparent metaphor for the
Cold War mentality.
Th e third chapter, “Judgment Day,” is grandeur on a global scale: Galactus versus
the Silver Surfer and the Fantastic Four. It is the traditional scenario most superhero
comic books utilize at some point: the battle for the very existence of the planet; but
Busiek infuses the characters with the moralistic compass of humans, taking readers
