Marvel Chronicle

by Tom DeFalco, Peter Sanderson, Tom Brevoort

Dig into the archives of Marvel Comics with this massive compendium. Every iconic hero and villain of the Marvel Comics Universe is chronologically catalogued in this lush celebration of Marvel's seventy year history including Spider-Man, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Captain America and hundreds more.

Exerpts from Marvel Chronicle
(Click on images for larger version)

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Nonfiction, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Reference, History

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Tom DeFalco is an American comics writer and editor, well-known for his association with Marvel Comics and Spider-Man.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a good read, a veritable feast for the eyes!
Detailing Marvels history through key titles and events from October 1939 to June 2008 make this a good one for the shelves.

A good solid read but for one thing... Bullseye made his first a appearance in Nick Fury Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. before Daredevil.

[Devero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pur non essendo privo di alcune pecche e errori, questo volume è una lunga raccolta ordinata per mese e anno dei principali eventi, narrativi e non, dell'Universo Marvel. Non è una enciclopedia, quanto piuttosto una cronistoria.

[Ian Massey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a book to dip into (this is the first book I've read alongside others for a long time), this is a bit of a mixed bag for me. Starting out chronicling the rise of Marvel from its Timely beginnings, there were lots of facts I didn't know. By the time it finished, though, just as the MCU was beginning, most entries were related to which comics series started and "major" appearances. Some of the latter felt a little like filler entries, rather than thjngs that needed chronicling.

I would have liked a little more emphasis on the story of the company, rather than focussing wholly on the publications.

Still, fun, informative and easy-reading, so no major complaints. Minor complaints, though, include repetition (another reason for dipping in and out) and at least one inaccuracy (although I'm blowed if I can remember what it was...)

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great, exhaustive resource for Marvel Comics history through mid-2008. It hews a little too closely to the company line, especially as you get closer to the present, but it’s a great place to start for anyone who wants to take a deep dive into the company and its history. I host a Marvel Comics history podcast, and I still learned plenty of stuff that was new to me.

My biggest complaint though is that they decided for some reason to re-letter EVERY SINGLE WORD BALLOON with the most generic computer “comic book” font, and it just looks jarring and cheap. I wish they’d gotten an actual comics letterer to do the job right.

[Scott Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book featured a ribbon bookmark and was incased in a book case

[Cruzzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

discovering each step that each character has passed in their trajectory.

[Rachel Skowronek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Black Panther and Storm got married????

[Mike Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book! A massive coffee table type book, huge and heavy, in a beautifully inked hard cover. It details the rise of Marvel comics from when they were called Timely comics in 1939 to when they were Atlas comics in 1951 all the way through till they were Marvel comics in 1963. The book chronicles the company up to 2007, very easy to read, with lots of good artwork of old covers etc. Also it has the obligatory foreward by Stan Lee, and Afterword by the current editor in chief, Joe Quesada. I recognise some of the comics I used to buy as a kid in the mid to late 70's, this book is more americanised so some of the comics took a year, sometimes 2 years to get to these shores and even changed names, like in 1972 Marvel started on a series of comics called The Tomb Of Dracula, which I remember getting in my country ( UK ) as Dracula Lives in 1974. They did the same with a series based on Planet Of The Apes, which I also collected in the same year. It is an essential reference to a company that has entertained millions throughout its lifetime, now continuing to entertain through comics, graphic novels and films, as the $1.5 billion world wide box office takings for the Avengers show. On the back cover there is a slip containing 2 prints of the box cover artwork, one just inked, one coloured and signed by the colourist, Justin Ponsor. This is an expensive book, but the way it is put together, the history and the prints make this an essential purchase for marvel fans, or comic fans in general.

[C. John Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before actually reviewing this title I should mention one thing concerning Marvel Comics. Back in the sixties among my friend Marvel was at best the number three comic company as far aw we were concerned. Number one was DC and number two was Gold Key. That being said this is an interesting tome. It covers the history of Marvel from its beginnings as Timely to the year 2008. It is loaded with covers and artwork that complement the text. This is not a scholarly treatise, nor does it pretend to be. As a fan's history though it is quite good. I do have a couple of quibbles. The first is that it seems to take too much of a reverential tone. At times it seems that the author is of the opinion that if it wasn't produced by Marvel a comic book wasn't important. Obviously I would personally disagree with that statement. My second quibble is with the coverage of the years near the end of the book. Here the fault may lie more with Marvel than with the author. Oftentimes in discussing one storyline a mention is made of another one that has received no coverage in the book. Either the author couldn't be bothered to cover all of them, or Marvel simply has been publishing too many of these complex multi-issue stories and thus the author didn't have the space to devote to all of them and has had to pick and choose which get mentioned. I suspect the latter is the case. Still this is a valuable book and one that probably deserves a space on the reference shelf of any serious comic fan.

[Jorge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro infaltable para cualquiera que se diga amante de los cómics, en especial de los de Marvel. Esta crónica, abarca la historia de esta casa productora de historietas, año con año y mes con mes, desde 1939 hasta el 2008 haciendo hincapié en los personajes, historias y ejemplares más significativos. También menciona datos interesantes sobre cada época en cuestión, de tal manera que se entiende mejor el contenido y tendencia de cada cómic y superhéroe de acuerdo al momento histórico en que se concibieron.
Desde sus inicios con sus historias de vaqueros, de romance juvenil y de sucesos paranormales, pasando por la creación, ascenso y descenso (en ventas e historias) y salto a la pantalla grande de sus ya conocidos superhéroes, la censura por parte de la Comics Code Authority hasta esos crossovers épicos internos y con la compañia de la competencia (DC comics), éste inmenso libro, cubre prácticamente todo lo que hay sobre la jefa de jefas, MARVEL Worldwide Inc.

[Tim Weakley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This history of Marvel comics was one of the books that I had received for Christmas. I have to say that the book does not fail in any aspect. It’s a visual treat which you would really expect given that it’s a history of a graphic body of work. The nice surprise was the amount of information on both the publishing company, and the many iterations that it has gone through in it’s business life. The size of the book and case that it comes in made it a definite home/bedroom read. It would have been a bit of a trial to haul out on the morning commute! Having said that though the size was part of it’s appeal.

[Jean-Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes... I both added and read this book all in one day. A year-by-year exploration of the development of the Marvel line of comics from their inception as romance and westerns , through to the birth of the Marvel Age of comics, right up to the major cross-over events of 2008, like World War Hulk. Last Christmas I received the Marvel Encyclopedia and this year Chronicles. Together they tell you just about all you need to know... though many fan boys recollections are likely to be more in depth (and aware of continuity gaffs!)>

[Ernest · Rating 4 out of 5]

This detailed look at the Marvel recounts major events in the Marvel universe, including first character appearances, notable titles, major storylines and staff movements. I enjoyed the nostalgic look and particularly appreciated covers and some short scenes being shown. The writing was sometimes small and the scope of the book necessarily meant that there was limited depth to the material presented.

[J'aime · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeous, comprehensive historical chronology of Marvel. The book is lavish with illustrations, but the text is also worth reading! The history of the characters and the company is often fascinating. This is an over sized coffee table book, with a colorful traycase. Highly recommended for serious comic fans, but also casual superhero fans like me.

[Marlon Cereca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book I recommend only to hardcore Marvel fans. The book goes from the year Timely was made to the present where it is now Marvel in super detailed analyses. Each year takes quite a while to finish reading if you actually read it. If you want to know a specific date or about a certain comic series, this is the place to look. But I encourage real fans to read it. It covers everything.

[Ahmet Turkoglu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Foreword by Stan Lee, afterword by Joe Quesada and story of every single marvel hero created since 1939 in between. Hard to describe the quality of the cover and the print. must read.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Leroy and Jen.

[Chambers Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are super Marvel fan then this is for you.

[Jdetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another shill for the company, but again, there is a lot of fun to be had in walking down the roads in this comic.

[Elinor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting

[Andy Soria · Rating 5 out of 5]

marvel has a great history

[Charlie Devlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting and comprehensive history of marvel comics and the industry.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book that gives a good appreciation of marvel from day one