Oh man, who doesn’t love the straightening of twisting and turning comic book continuity – something that the History of the Marvel Universe series intends to do?
That’s right.
Eight decades of story for a bunch of world-famous (and not-so-world-famous) characters that wear masks, capes or gauntlets and that tend not to age.
And then, you know, do.
And then don’t. And then change names. Or change hair or skin colour. Or affiliations. Or families. Or memories. Or die. Or don’t die.
Twists. Turns. Bends. Loop de loos!
That’s what comics are. That’s what comics are for! Ever fun. Ever-changing. And ever-frustrating for continuity obsessed readers. Are you one of them?
Regardless, it’s fascinating stuff to try to make heads and tails of so many stories that have been built out into the comic book zeitgeist over the better part of a century.
Today, Marvel Comics tries their hand at just that – to tell a coherent history of the Marvel Universe via the six-part miniseries called, appropriately enough, History of the Marvel Universe.
History Of The Marvel Universe #1
Written By: Mark Waid
Illustrated By: Javier Rodriguez
Published By: Marvel Comics
You may recall that DC Comics had their turn in rearranging their own universe, making something coherent out of it in the mid-1980’s Stemming out of their ground breaking Crisis on Infinite Earths twelve-issue series, the (just!) two–part, prestige format miniseries The History of the DC Universe made sense of everything that was. Written and illustrated by the legendary team of Marv Wolfman and George Perez, it was an encyclopedic university-level history class of new comic book continuity.
Today’s release of History of the Marvel Universe #1 is but a first chapter in that same sort of endeavour.
Written by fan and critical favourite, Mark Waid, and lavishly illustrated by Javier Rodriguez, this first chapter begins with the Marvel Universe’s version of the big bang, signaling the beginning of a timeline filled with the exploits of superheroes, super villains, mutants, Gods, demigods, deities, and a whole host of aliens, fair folk and other, near indescribable creations.
The series itself will run through the ages, all the way to the twilight of existence (something the heroes of the Marvel Universe have already faced on more than one occasion)! In-between we’ll see a wrinkly timeline ironed out, right through the golden, silver, bronze, dark, and new age of comic book publishing.
Of course, it’ll be fantastic, fascinating and compelling reading – and it’s perfectly timed for fans of both the Marvel Universe via comic book storytelling and fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is now rushing into its Phase Four in grand style! In fact, you’ll probably get a glimpse of some of the key figures who look to be prominent in the movie phases to come!
Make the run to your local comic book shop today and pick up History of the Marvel Universe #1 – and discover everything you knew or thought you knew, in an all new way!
Your comic book university credit and corresponding degree for framing will be in the mail shortly.
You can catch the trailer for the History of the Marvel Universe right here:
