Marvels
| Marvels | |
|---|---|
Marvels #1. Cover art by Alex Ross
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Limited series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | January – April 1994 |
| Number of issues | 4 + #0 |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Kurt Busiek |
| Artist(s) | Alex Ross |
| Letterer(s) |
John Gaushell Richard Starkings |
| Colorist(s) | Alex Ross |
| Creator(s) |
Kurt Busiek Alex Ross |
| Editor(s) | Marcus McLaurin |
| Collected editions | |
| 10th Anniversary Edition | |
Marvels is a four-issue limited series comic book written by Kurt Busiek, painted by Alex Ross and edited by Marcus McLaurin. It was published by Marvel Comics in 1994.
Set in the 1939 to 1974 time period, the series examines the Marvel Universe, the collective setting of most of Marvel's superhero series, from the perspective of an Everyman character, news photographer Phil Sheldon. The street-level series portrayed ordinary life in a world full of costumed supermen, with each issue featuring events well known to readers of Marvel comics, as well as a variety of minute details and a retelling of the most famous events in the Marvel universe.
Marvels was a success, winning multiple awards and launching the careers of Busiek and Ross, who would both return to the "everyday life in a superhero universe" theme in the Homage Comics series, Astro City.
Warren Ellis' Ruins returned to this theme in 1995, but an actual sequel was not developed until 2008 with the release of Marvels: Eye of the Camera.
Marvels was a four-issue miniseries (cover-dated January–April 1994) by writer Kurt Busiek with painted art by Alex Ross. It was followed by an issue #0 (August 1994) containing a 12-page story of the original 1940s Human Torch by Busiek and Ross, two text articles, and 18 pages of Ross superhero pinups. The series was later collected into a trade paperback edition.
The story begins in early 1939 with the origin of the original Human Torch (Marvel Comics #1) told from his point of view. The android is created by scientist Phineas Horton, and the project is considered a success until the android catches on fire when air is projected into its glass chamber, only to go out when the air is gone. Horton shows his creation to the public, which is met with demands from the terrified civilians to destroy it. Horton decides to bury the android. The android describes himself as "aware of everything, understanding nothing", when he reflects on his "father" (Horton), who saw the Torch for what he was, and the harshness of the public. The chamber cracks, allowing air into the chamber at which point he is once again engulfed in flames. The Human Torch escapes and describes his appearance as the beginning of a "golden age".
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