Marvel Comics: The Untold Story by Sean Howe

One of my fondest memories that I look upon with true nostalgia is my mother taking myself and brother on our weekly trip to the used book store on the corner of May and Miles.  But we weren’t there for books, we were there for comics.  Once in the store’s comic book section, it was heaven, comic books everywhere.  We were too young to know that comic books were supposed to be kept in pristine condition; we thought they were meant for reading and occasionally drawing in.  Since we were oblivious to condition, we always made a beeline to the shelves containing comics in pretty bad shape, costing less than a quarter each. We would scour through and find Spider-Man, X-Men, Incredible Hulk, Ghost Rider, Captain America and numerous other titles.  Heaven.

When I was browsing through the shelves at the library, a book title caught my eye: Marvel Comics: the Untold Story by Sean Howe.  This book is a thorough, fast paced history of the comic book giant, from its fledgling beginning, to near bankruptcy, to top of the world.  Howe describes the continuous ups and downs which the company faced throughout the years with back stories behind all the amazing comic book titles and their various editors, writers and artists.  The comic book industry was not for the faint of heart, it was a battle of survival and thankfully, perseverance has given countless people the pleasure of reading thrilling, spellbinding stories by some of the most imaginative, creative talents.

Sean Howe has written a fabulous, well researched account into the comic behemoth.  For those of you who recognize the name Jack Kirby, you need to read this book.  For those of you who do not recognize the name jack Kirby, you need to read this book.

Derek Gradner- www.tbpl.ca