Rating: 
Summary: If you read Marvel comics at all, get it
Review: Actually, if you read comics regularly, you don't really need a recommandation: The name Busiek & Ross alone should tell you this is excellent.I don't really like Busiek's work on Iron Man (probably because he was doing too many monthly, Avenger was alright), but anyone who read AstroCity series will tell you exactly the same thing I do: He is a good writer. In this case, he did a nice job. As for Alex Ross, his art speaks for itself.
Rating: 
Summary: Three Stars For Its Art
Review: Alex Ross has NEVER been short of being impressive in all his works. The artwork is just breathtaking and best in its class. Patience and passion are also shown through the pages of Marvels. Alex Ross is the greatest illustrator, bar none. However, the story of Marvels could not make this a great book. It's a frustrating summary told in a common man's perspective. I believe some would think highly of it's literature value; but for me, it fails to inspire. Nevertheless, it's great to tell superheroes stories from a different perspective, but I swear this could be better. I highly recommend Kingdom Come, if you want great work by Alex Ross, and a good story.
Rating:
Summary: Great Story...Great Artwork...
Review: Alex Ross has to be one of the best illustrators in the Comic industry today. He takes characters that are often "Larger than Life" and makes them real and human. Nearly every frame of this Graphic Novel could be taken and blown up into a poster for wall display. Kurt Busiek does a fantastic job of encapsulating the formative years of marvel history and relating it to modern day ideas and visions. Marvels is a must read for any Marvel comic fan.
Rating:
Summary: The book that made Alex Ross famous
Review: Best. Artwork. E-V-E-R. This comic, in my opinion blows all other art away, even in other comics Ross has drawn. I originally bought this book FOR the art and I was so impressed I went out and bought as many of Alex Ross' books as I could get my hands on. The story is set in WW2 and the 1960s Marvel Universe, so you get to see some of the history of Marvel. It isn't a superhero book either but rather follows the life of a simple photographer in New York City and ends with one of the most famous Marvel stories ever.
Rating:
Summary: MARVELS: Human Response
Review: Busiek's MARVELS is not about Marvel Comics superheroes; it's about people. We see the 1930's to the early 60's as a period of constant doubt, skepticism, and paranoia. Can you say "McCARTHYISM"? MARVELS captures how we respond to the nouvelle, to the hideous, the amazing and godlike, and more importantly, it captures the social consciousness exhibited on the streets of America. No other comic book can give you that. To that extent, the story Kurt Busiek has created is unique and humanistic. And furthermore, Alex Ross' artwork doesn't hurt either. Photorealism done at the tip of an art brush, it accurately captures the era. The only thing that bothered me about it was the delivery. Maybe it's just me, after reading Watchmen, the Sandman series, and Frank Miller's Batman, I'd expect a graphic novel of this magnitude to have a deeper use of language and a richer dialogue. Busiek gives neither, although I still think that it is still a great book.
Rating:
Summary: The Marvel Universe throguh the eyes of the everyman
Review: First and formost, I am not a very big Marvel fan. I picked this up after reading "Kingdom Come" and thoroughly enjoying Alex Ross' art. The art here was just as good as it was in Kingdom Come but the story was totally different. As a matter of fact, this was different that any comics stories I've read. Nearly all stories put the superheroes in the driver's seat, with the stories being from their point of view and narration. This was the exact opposite. This story, much to its credit is told from the point of view of a photojounalist, Phil Sheldon. He chroicles the entire birth of the Marvel Universe, from the birth of the Human Torch in the 1940's to the death of Gwen Stacy in the more recent chain of events. He tells a story of awe, appreciation, respect and fear regarding the Marvels (as he likes to call these superheroes). He reflects the emotions of how humans would truly react whether this phenomenon had really occurred. The end product being a masterpiece and one of the best comic stories....no, one of the best stories ever written. As I mentioned in the beginning, the art is flawless and truly a feast for the eyes. The details that Ross places on every panel he paints is truly uncanny and cements his status as on the best artists in the medium. Much applause and crdit should go to the author, Kurt Busiek who does the seemingly impossible task of tying together all the events on the Marvel Universe in a very coherent manner (from the sighting of the X-MEN to the senate hearing for Tony Stark, the disbanding of The Avengers to the death of Captain Stacy). This shows that he had put in a lot of work on this painstaking research and story. All of these factors puts MARVELS on the list with other comic masterpieces such as The Watchmen, The Dark Knight Returns, etc. Anybody who believes comics are for kids and just a showcase for colorful and flamboyant superheroes should read this. This story manages to penetrate deeply emotional issues that are comparable and might even rival some of the writing done in the more mature and regular medium.
Rating:
Summary: The Marvel Universe throguh the eyes of the everyman
Review: First and formost, I am not a very big Marvel fan. I picked this up after reading "Kingdom Come" and thoroughly enjoying Alex Ross' art. The art here was just as good as it was in Kingdom Come but the story was totally different. As a matter of fact, this was different that any comics stories I've read. Nearly all stories put the superheroes in the driver's seat, with the stories being from their point of view and narration. This was the exact opposite. This story, much to its credit is told from the point of view of a photojounalist, Phil Sheldon. He chroicles the entire birth of the Marvel Universe, from the birth of the Human Torch in the 1940's to the death of Gwen Stacy in the more recent chain of events. He tells a story of awe, appreciation, respect and fear regarding the Marvels (as he likes to call these superheroes). He reflects the emotions of how humans would truly react whether this phenomenon had really occurred. The end product being a masterpiece and one of the best comic stories....no, one of the best stories ever written. As I mentioned in the beginning, the art is flawless and truly a feast for the eyes. The details that Ross places on every panel he paints is truly uncanny and cements his status as on the best artists in the medium. Much applause and crdit should go to the author, Kurt Busiek who does the seemingly impossible task of tying together all the events on the Marvel Universe in a very coherent manner (from the sighting of the X-MEN to the senate hearing for Tony Stark, the disbanding of The Avengers to the death of Captain Stacy). This shows that he had put in a lot of work on this painstaking research and story. All of these factors puts MARVELS on the list with other comic masterpieces such as The Watchmen, The Dark Knight Returns, etc. Anybody who believes comics are for kids and just a showcase for colorful and flamboyant superheroes should read this. This story manages to penetrate deeply emotional issues that are comparable and might even rival some of the writing done in the more mature and regular medium.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!!! Excellent!!! Excellent!!!
Review: First off, let me say that I absolutely love the art work in the comic series. AMAZING!!! What a gift it is to have a written story that rivals the artwork. I thoroughly enjoyed Marvels. I love the concept of seeing the birth of superheros, in the Marvel Universe, through the eyes of a photo journalist. From it's skaky beginnings with the battles between the original Human Torch and the very angry Sub Mariner up until the very sad tragic death of Gwen Stacy at the hands of the Green Goblin. Everything else in between those two story plots are just comic genius. An accurate timeline of Marvel events happening at once to every and all characters. While the Hulk was on a rampage in Washington, The Fantastic Four were having a wedding, and the Wasp was having her own clothing line... etc. Upon reading the series, I kept recalling all these stories I had read as a child. To see them all combined, backed by beautiful artwork was a sheer pleasure. I highly recommend this graphic novel for old and new fans. Very smartly written. Very beautifully drawn.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: For anyone who ever had an interest in Spiderman, the Hulk, Captain America, or the Fantastic Four this graphic novel is for you. The artwork by Alex Ross alone is worth the price of the book. It actually looks like these people exist and could exist in today's world. The combination of Busiek and Ross is the best in comic books and in comic book history. I can't say enough good things about this work!
Rating:
Summary: The Marvel Universe through new eyes
Review: For the 1994 mini-series, Marvels, Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross, came-up with an idea so brilliant, yet so simple, it is curious why no one thought of it years ago. Marvels presents the Marvel Universe (The fictional world that holds all of characters of Marvel Comics including Spider-man, The Hulk, The Fantastic Four, Captain America and more) through the eyes of the common man. Of coarse, to keep the book from being a commonplace tale with some supermen in the background, Mr. Busiek and Mr. Ross needed a protagonist that would have some interaction in the spandex-clad guardians of this world. Enter photojournalist, Phil Sheldon. Despite snapping photos of The Mighty Thor and The Uncanny X-men (and despite his astute introspection) Mr. Sheldon is just your average joe. He is a middle-aged man who commutes to work every morning, plays bridge every weekend, and tucks his daughters in every night. He is also the mouthpiece for the feelings one would expect of a man living in a time of unprecedented spectacles: curiosity, skepticism, awe and a huge hunk of fear. Mr. Busiek obviously undertook massive brainstorming and employed very careful reasoning to construct such a believable, not to mention likable, character with such rational, plausible concerns about an extreme, fantastic world. If there was ever an artist born for such a project it is Alex Ross. His paintings are clear, crisp and, most of all, convincing. He sacrifices excessive dynamics and flashiness for images that are utterly realistic. Only actual photographs of a shimmering extraterrestrial floating down from the heavens or a man in a red and blue costume swinging from building to building could possibly be a step up from his work. Mr. Ross' stunning artwork greatly enhances the feelings of awe and wonderment of a man looking-up at the sky and seeing human beings airborne. Throughout the years of overused ideas, disregard for scientific realities and perspectives from behind the mask, the fantastic events of comicbooks lost their majesty. By viewing them from the eyes of someone no more spectacular than me or you, Mr. Busiek and Mr. Ross return that feeling of wonderment and exhilaration one may have felt in 1938 when Superman first flew or in 1941 when Captain America tackled the Axis Powers with just a shield and a side-kick with more lushness, deliberation and proficiency than ever before. Marvels will do nothing less than make a reader forever see the Marvel Universe in a new light.
| 
