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The Golden Age of Marvel Comics #1
The Golden Age of Marvel Comics, Vol. 1
Book by Jack Kirby, Carl Burgos, Joe Simon, Ron Garn, Gustav Gus Schrotter
176 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1997
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63 people want to read
About the author
Jack Kirby
2,801 books476 followersJack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg) was one of the most influential, recognizable, and prolific artists in American comic books, and the co-creator of such enduring characters and popular culture icons as the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Hulk, Captain America, and hundreds of others stretching back to the earliest days of the medium. He was also a comic book writer and editor. His most common nickname is "The King."
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 9, 2019
An odd collection, this. Oddity 1: there are only super hero stories here, and Timely/Atlas published other genres at the time. There are two, but those are covered in oddity #3. 2: Angel and Vision stories are all terrible. Why does Marvel include them in these collections? 3: Ignore the title. This collection continues into Marvel's first version of the silver age when it imitated DC comics by reviving super heroes, but without the fineness or the success. That came in the sixties. 4: those fifties stories are wordy, so wordy that most of them are really bad. The partial exception are the stories reprinted from YOUNG MEN #24. The following is not an oddity, but it was a pleasure to discover just how fine an artist Bill Everett was. His golden age Sub-Mariner and even the fifties Sub-Mariner stories are a cut above most of the stories in this collection. On balance, however, this "golden age" collection is hardly golden.
March 7, 2022
This was and incredible collection of Golden Age stories. Yea, some of the dialogue is cheesy and all, but overall this was a fun look back at Timely/Atlas/Marvel comics from the forties into the fifties.
Captain America and Bucky's outfits were exactly the same as they were in the sixties, seventies and eighties.
The Vison was an alien without real powers as far as the story within these pages.
We all remember the Human Torch, the android (Or as these stories say, he was born in a test tube/vat?)
I think Sub-Mariner came off really cool in this select grouping and from what the introduction said that he had more stories during that time period than either Human Torch or Captain America--almost 300.
It was a cool collection.
Captain America and Bucky's outfits were exactly the same as they were in the sixties, seventies and eighties.
The Vison was an alien without real powers as far as the story within these pages.
We all remember the Human Torch, the android (Or as these stories say, he was born in a test tube/vat?)
I think Sub-Mariner came off really cool in this select grouping and from what the introduction said that he had more stories during that time period than either Human Torch or Captain America--almost 300.
It was a cool collection.
January 21, 2023
Fine for what it was. You might be deceived by the cover or back cover into thinking it's an Invaders collection. Really it's more like a time capsule of the introductions or Soviet-era re-introductions of some major and minor golden age heroes. They weren't great comics but it helps you imagine what great-grandpa might have been reading when he was a kid.
April 6, 2013
In this short volume, readers are treated to a sample of Golden Age Marvel works. A great portion of the book is focused on stories of the big three: Sub-mariner, the Human Torch, and Captain America. However, there are also appearances from lesser lights of the Marvel era including Marvel Boy, the Black Knight, the Yellow Law, and my personal World War II favorite, the Destroyer.
Some of the highlights from the book include:
-The first Sub-mariner story-which was actually the first real story in the Marvel universe. It's worth noting that DC began with Superman trying to ave the world and Marvel began with Sub-mariner trying to take it over.
The book features the first battle between the Human Torch and Sub-mariner, but the highlight of the book for me was Marvel Comics #17 which features Sub-mariner and Human torch teaming up to battle the Nazis for a full 26 page adventure. While the Justice Society was conducting regular group meetings, this had to be one of the earlier two hero team ups.
The 1950s Atlas Material was interesting for historical purposes and great see anti-Communist messages in books, but the philosophy of limiting stories to 6-7 pages to give good value led to a lot of rushed plot resolutions. In the first return of the Human Torch story, he discovers his former partner's been brainwashed by the Communists and doctors are quickly able to fix the brainwashing in the same seven page story.
Still, despite the weaker parts, this a great overview with a lot of about Marvel's early and forgotten days.
Some of the highlights from the book include:
-The first Sub-mariner story-which was actually the first real story in the Marvel universe. It's worth noting that DC began with Superman trying to ave the world and Marvel began with Sub-mariner trying to take it over.
The book features the first battle between the Human Torch and Sub-mariner, but the highlight of the book for me was Marvel Comics #17 which features Sub-mariner and Human torch teaming up to battle the Nazis for a full 26 page adventure. While the Justice Society was conducting regular group meetings, this had to be one of the earlier two hero team ups.
The 1950s Atlas Material was interesting for historical purposes and great see anti-Communist messages in books, but the philosophy of limiting stories to 6-7 pages to give good value led to a lot of rushed plot resolutions. In the first return of the Human Torch story, he discovers his former partner's been brainwashed by the Communists and doctors are quickly able to fix the brainwashing in the same seven page story.
Still, despite the weaker parts, this a great overview with a lot of about Marvel's early and forgotten days.
October 9, 2014
What we have here is a pretty good overview of the different sorts of comics offered by Marvel during the Timely and Atlas years. The book starts with costumed superheroes and is dominated by them. But even within that genre there is some variety. Starting with early Sub-Mariner and Human Torch stories where they are at odds, we then go in to wartime hero stories they are All-American heroes, along with Captain America, the Destroyer, the Vision, and the Angel. After the war, where Captain America is the biggest name, we go into genre experiments like Marvel Boy and Venus.
Then there are the attempts at reviving the big three superheroes. These stories are not as great as those that preceded them, but it should be noted that the Captain America tales from this era constitute a sort of continuity glitch that necessitated some retroactive rewriting that was truly interesting.
The Black Knight is an obvious Batman-esque take on the old medieval legend. Last of all is the Yellow Claw. Though clearly a Fu Manchu pastiche, the story avoids the unfortunate racism of Sax Rohmer's novels by having the title villain's chief nemesis be an Asian American agent bereft of the caricature traits found all too often in ethnic characters in comics of the time.
Though fun, I would like to have seen more stories featuring characters other than Captain America, Namor, and the Human Torch. Perhaps Vol. 2 will satisfy that want.
Then there are the attempts at reviving the big three superheroes. These stories are not as great as those that preceded them, but it should be noted that the Captain America tales from this era constitute a sort of continuity glitch that necessitated some retroactive rewriting that was truly interesting.
The Black Knight is an obvious Batman-esque take on the old medieval legend. Last of all is the Yellow Claw. Though clearly a Fu Manchu pastiche, the story avoids the unfortunate racism of Sax Rohmer's novels by having the title villain's chief nemesis be an Asian American agent bereft of the caricature traits found all too often in ethnic characters in comics of the time.
Though fun, I would like to have seen more stories featuring characters other than Captain America, Namor, and the Human Torch. Perhaps Vol. 2 will satisfy that want.
December 29, 2009
An outline or possibly better stated as a taste of the Golden Age of comics. You get a text overview and than a reprint of some of the pivotal titles through that period of time.
The run down will give a look at some "prehistory" of characters who have stayed around over the years (though sometimes in different "incarnations", and a taste for the time. there are stereotypes present in these books but remember the times in which they appeared. WWII was a time when it was literally kill or be killed. There was unapologetic "propaganda" in these books, the thing is it wasn't hidden and everyone knew what it was. To "hide it" or change it now to present a PC look would deny the history of the comics.
I was a collector/reader in what is called the Silver Age of comics. just past these books, so this is a picture of my Dad's time and that of the people who lived into and through World War Two.
The run down will give a look at some "prehistory" of characters who have stayed around over the years (though sometimes in different "incarnations", and a taste for the time. there are stereotypes present in these books but remember the times in which they appeared. WWII was a time when it was literally kill or be killed. There was unapologetic "propaganda" in these books, the thing is it wasn't hidden and everyone knew what it was. To "hide it" or change it now to present a PC look would deny the history of the comics.
I was a collector/reader in what is called the Silver Age of comics. just past these books, so this is a picture of my Dad's time and that of the people who lived into and through World War Two.
January 23, 2015
Very nice collection of Golden age and Silver age reprints. First silver age re-appearance of Captain America, Namor the Sub-Mariner and the Human Torch. Recommended to anyone wanting to see and read the ear years of comics.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews