Rating: 
Summary: Great value to visit the "roots" of Marvel
Review: As a 28-year-old life-long Marvel fan, I could not pass up this CD collection, even though I already own the Essential Spider-Man vol. 1 and the Essential X-Men vol. 1 (the contents of both books are covered on this CD).I was glad to see that it was Mac-compatible; however, if you own a Mac, don't run this collection on Safari, as it doesn't handle the Dj-Vu plug-in properly (it works just fine with Explorer). Basically, instead of using an application like Adobe Acrobat Reader, you use your browser (with the Dj-Vu plug-in) to navigate through the pages. Each book is easy to access to, and the fact that it can be read in color or in black and white is a great feature. The image quality is top-notch, and the colors are vibrant (I would say that the visual quality in general is on a par with the great reprint of the Marvel GI Joe comics of 2 years ago). My only real gripe is that Wolverine's popularity is not enough to justify detracking from the promise of the CD-ROM's "first ten issues" and include the "New" X-Men of 1975 (Storm, Wolverine, Colossus and Nightcrawler) instead of the original 1960s Uncanny X-Men. It also would have been great to see the wartime version of Captain America and the Submariner, if only to compare them with their 1960s revival. All in all, it's a great product that definitely gives out a great value for its price. I really hope that future volumes will focus on one series at a time though (which would be a great alternative to Marvel's paperback reprints).
Rating: 
Summary: Lo! How the Mighty Have Fallen!
Review: As a Marvel fan since 1968 onward, I've dreamed of a collection like this. The classic icon heroes of my youth forever preserved in pristine condition, dynamically digitized, electronically enumerated! Herein, find, if ye dare, the original appearance not only of most core heroes of the Marvel Universe, but the supremely villanous counterparts: Dr Doom, The Mandarin, Doc Ock, Magneto. A rogue's gallery! Art by the incomparable Jack "King" Kirby and Steve Ditko! Scripts by Stan "The Man" Lee! Who could ask for more! Make mine Marvel! Yeesh! Can you tell I was raised on the dulcid dialogue of Stan Lee? Technical notes: Each page of the comic (as previously indicated, story only, no ads or letters) appears in an Explorer window. Problem is that comic books are drawn in "portrait" and computer displays are in "landscape". So you have a choice of seeing the whole page but having black bars on each side of the screen, or blowing the page up but only being able to see half the page at a time. A lousy choice, but one made necessary by the natures of the media. The initial display is a single page with each of the ten series lead characters, selecting from there gives you a view of the original covers of the 10 issues. Clicking on a cover brings you to a full size screen, and you can use PgUp/PgDown or arrow buttons to move from page to page. This is rather a slow process, probably due to the detail of the art & color. Use your cursors "Back" button to return to the menu levels. A nice feature: Special buttons along the top row allow you to view either the uncolored art, or the colors without the black ink. The quality of the reproduction is excellent. Even when grossly blown up, there is no sign of digitization in the display. Another unfortunate side-effect of this presentation is that two page spreads cannot be viewed together. Makes for some awkward reading on Cockrum's X-men art. I recommend this for any comic afficianado over 20. Not because the material is inappropriate for kids, but because, and it pains me to say this... The writing is just awful. Characters endlessly talk to themselves, explaining details to nobody in particular. Co-incidences so improbable as to be laughable. Dialogue so inane that it is unreadable. And plots so silly it beggars the imagination. Examples: In FF2, the Skrulls are convinced, based on comic book clippings, that Earth is inhabited by monsters. In FF3, the villain is a mass-hypnotist who bring a monster to life at the televised premiere of a movie. (Mass hyponosis works on TV?!?) In FF4, the Human Torch runs into an amnesiac Sub-Mariner only seconds after reading a 20 year old comic featuring him. But I forgive all this. Truly I do. These tales, sometimes awful as they are, were the foundation for and inspired greater works to come. The Galactus trilogy, the Kree-Skrull wars, Days of Future Past. I'm hoping this release is a sampler, intended to test the market. If they release future editions of the first 100 issues of X-Men, Spidey or, particularly, the Fantastic Four, count me in! Excelsior!
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Value for the Collector
Review: First of all, I want to agree with the reviewer above (Mac G4) -- if you have a problem with the first version of the disc for your Mac, contact the manufacturer, they are helpful; and with the first reviewer -- I would have _loved_ it if they included all the pages including the ads and letters pages (some of the best stuff!). You wonder why --at least on a digital version of this-- they couldn't include the additional pages. Even though I own about 60-80% of this material already in either Paperback or Hardcover Marvel Masterworks, I bought this mainly to support the project: it is so good FINALLY to have an affordable way to access these great old comics. For the price of one Hardcover Marvel Masterwork, you get 10! Certainly makes it easier to hang onto the comics and enjoy them without using up too much physical space. I heard from the manufactuer that they are going to release a 2nd and 3rd volume (more Marvel masterworks! and a Spidey volume!) -- let's support their efforts. As for the product itself, once I got the revised Mac version, I was pleased. The viewer is a bit primative, but it's easy to use and no instructions are really necessary. The pages look beautiful and the transfer to digital went really well -- consistent for each of the comics Iooked at. Amazon's current price for this item is incredible -- but even if it is at list (24 or 29 bucks) -- you should pick this up. It's awesome tool and treasure for the collector. I give it 4/5 stars because 1) this stuff has been reprinted so much I just wished they could have included a few "non-standard" volumes like Doc Strange or Thor and saved Iron Man or Cap for later; 2) as I supported the first reviewer before, we need _all_ of the pages (oh, at least the letters page, c'mon!).
Rating:
Summary: Mac OSX Version
Review: I was unable to install the initial version on my mac G4. I contacted the manufacturer who was very responsive. They said the initial version shipped with 2 problems in the Mac version. They were aware of the problem and sent me a beta of the corrected program. Later they sent my the final version. If you have problems, contact the manufacturer - my experience with them was very good. The content is as described and the quality is very good. The only reason I give 4 stars instead of 5, is that it requires Microsoft Explorer to view the content. The browser plug in does not work with Safari. Perhaps that will come in a future version.
Rating:
Summary: Mac OSX Version
Review: I was unable to install the initial version on my mac G4. I contacted the manufacturer who was very responsive. They said the initial version shipped with 2 problems in the Mac version. They were aware of the problem and sent me a beta of the corrected program. Later they sent my the final version. If you have problems, contact the manufacturer - my experience with them was very good. The content is as described and the quality is very good. The only reason I give 4 stars instead of 5, is that it requires Microsoft Explorer to view the content. The browser plug in does not work with Safari. Perhaps that will come in a future version.
Rating:
Summary: Excelsior! Wonderful Tribute and Archive to Marvel Comics!
Review: If anybody has tried to repurchase, look into purchasing, or even wondered if the early Marvel Comics' main Lines-this is the product for them to get! To have it on CD-Rom and in great resolution is a wonderful thing! I really appreciate the fact that I did not have to pay out my Retirement funds to be to own the paper versions of these stories, but anybody in the comics business will tell you-these issues are very, very costly. Wonderful stories, imagination, Kirby at the pencils and Stan Lee providing the thoughts! A wonderful combination for the MArvel Mythology!
This Marvelite is a very, very happy camper! It made a wonderful Christmas gift from my loving wife!Thanks
Rating:
Summary: Can't wait for Volume 2!!!
Review: If you can't afford the Marvel Masterworks this is the disc for any Marvel fan. If only the entire line of one character could be on one disk. For instance the first hundred issues of Fantastic Four by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby would be a great place to start. All I can say is why didn't they put this out a lot sooner. If anyone here likes this I'd say e mail Marvel and ask for more. It's the only affordable way to see classic comics.
Rating:
Summary: Hope You Like Iron Man and The Hulk
Review: Let me begin by saying I really want to give this a better rating. What it is, is good. But it's not exactly what is suggested by the packaging and some glitches detract from end-user enjoyment. First, the packaging claims the CD-ROM includes "100 original, full-length digital comics." It doesn't. It includes only the story panels from the comics. No ads for X-ray specs or pepper gum or a bazillion plastic army men *now with grenadier!* No Stan Lee's Soapbox (or its equivalent). No fan mail. A good portion of the nostalgia and charm of these comics is missing with these exclusions. Second, the front and back of the box highlight an offer for "3 FREE COMICS!" Only once you fire up the CD-ROM and click on the offer do you discover a Shipping & Handling charge. Granted $3 isn't a big deal, but it's aggravating having it snuck in at the last minute. Third, the on-screen interface to the X-Men Comics doesn't work. Someone miscoded the standard hyperlink code, using backslashes (\) instead of forward ones (/). You can still get to the comics through Windows Explorer, but an end-user workaround is a poor substitute for incomplete product testing. Customer support did give me a prompt reply and offered to send a replacement CD-and this accounts for the 4-star rating instead of a 3. Fourth, the Character Bios apparently have been taken from the Marvel Comics Encyclopedia without any cleaning up for this product. This means there are extraneous page numbers on the bio pages. Hyperlinks that would take you to other characters in the encyclopedia do nothing in this product. Artwork bleeds from one page to the next in the encyclopedia, but since all pages are shown singly, there are bits and pieces of art in the margins that give the pages a sloppy look. Finally, while the exterior packaging is very nice (full-color embossed cover, hero shots all the way around, fold-out front cover with more graphics and info inside, etc.) the interior packaging is laughable: a cardboard box containing a half-sheet of installation instructions and a CD-ROM in a paper sleeve. Like a number of these criticisms, it's disappointing to think you're getting one thing (full comic books, totally free bonus comics) and wind up with something much less satisfying. On a positive note, given the way characters were introduced, you wind up with a lot of Iron Man and The Hulk in these comics. Iron Man shows up in his 10 self-titled books, plus he's a member in all 10 Avengers comics and a co-star in all 10 Captain America comics. The Hulk appears in his 10, plus half the Avengers, plus all the Sub-Mariners. Sub-Mariner, the Fantastic Four, and other characters cross-over into other titles, as well. If you're not a fan of these characters, maybe this is a turn-off; but after so many other aspects of this product fell short, it was nice to get something extra for a change. My advice: Wait for this product to come down in price, be packaged in a stand-alone jewel case (which will probably also mean a price reduction), or for current buggy versions to work their way off store shelves. It's not a bad product (the stories are the selling point and they (mostly) come through), but it currently suffers by failing to meet customer expectations.
Rating:
Summary: I'm about to vomit all over myself.
Review: Pat, you're in no position to criticize the writing in these comic books. You couldn't tell the difference between real literature and a hole in the ground. So why don't you go back to the renaissance fair, buy yourself a big crock of mead, and take in a Shakespeare play? What gets me is the way you think you're stylin' when you trot out words like "dulcid." Gee, I had to look that one up. Where did you read Classics? Christ Church, Oxford back in the 19th century?
Rating:
Summary: Read Comics you can't afford
Review: This is a great way to read old comics you can't afford. You get ten different issuses per character/group at a price thats less than one printed collection, and in color not like the Essential series of Marvel reprints. I did have a couple gripes with this product however. It advertised that you get to read the first ten comics of each hero, however in the case of Capt. America, Namor and some Hulk issues they shared thier books with another hero and you don't get those stories. In other words in some cases you get half comics. Also it has the new X-men (issues 94-102) not the first 10 issues of the series.
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