Book Description

At last, the long awaited, complete and up-to-date listing of more than 100 top Marvel heroes and villians, from A to Z. This fully illustrated, comprehensive hardcover includes biographies, statistics, essential reading and quizzes on all the Mighty Marvel's most popular characters.How did they get their powers?What were their greatest adventures?Who are the deadliest adversaries?All is revealed in the Marvel Encyclopedia. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Waste of Money
Everyone already knows what Captain American, Hulk, and Wolverine have done in the comics. I thought this book would be an (almost) complete encyclopedia of marvel characters. Due to its small size I just figured it would provide brief descriptions of each character. It doesn't even cover all of the first x-men. And yes, everything was just cut-and-pasted from the marvel website.

Don't judge a book by its attractive cover!

Marvel for Dummies
The book looks great, the problems start when you search for information on a caracter and you only find the ones you already know. I understand that Marvel dedicate more space to it's icons, but it's illogycal to exclude 80% of your caracters, even if they are well know outside the comic comunity (Apocalyps, Mr. Sinester, Hobgoblin, Tigra, Machineman, Valder, Mr Hyde, Omegar Red, Lady Deathstrike, etc).
Almost every art piece has already been publish, and the ones who haven't are not very good (Quicksilver and Scarlet Wish).
The information is scarce to say the least, and the recomended reading is almost limited to recent issues.
Sometimes the power level of the caracters dosen't make any sense. (according to the guide Jubilee has more energy than Gambit).
If you have never read a Marvel Comic this might be your cup of tea, otherwise don't buy it.

An excellent resource!
I have to wonder whether some of the other reviewers read the same book I did. No, not everyone knows what Captain American, Hulk, and Wolverine have done in the comics. No, the entries weren't "just cut-and-pasted from the Marvel Web site". And I had to laugh at the obviously clueless person that said "many of the people writing Marvel now know less about the characters than a lot of us older fans"! This is an excellent, well-researched, visually-attractive, informative, and up-to-date guide to the Marvel Comics universe that will appeal to both new and long-time readers. Granted, it's nowhere near as in-depth as Marvel's older Encyclopedias, but it was never meant to be. Marvel are promising future editions and updates of the new Encyclopedia, so If you like Marvel's comics, movies, or TV shows, and want to know more about the characters, then get in on the ground floor with this great book!

WHERE IS THE GUIDE TO MARVEL UNIVERSE AT?
I bought this under the false belief that this would be an awesome edition to my collection.
this is so full of errors those tech specs are soo off when it comesto strenght.. duribablity and fighting skill. and contradict what are tthe known superpower levels.
It's mainly Eye candy and not even that when it comes to artwork because it's artwork we've already seen before. The history background is VERY VERY breif and actually forgets some good points in character development.

I'd say this is good foora kid but not a mature comic reader. If you want info and accurate info on character look for the guide tothe marvel universe set.. I'm sure you can get it on ebay.

Marvel Rocks!
I thought this book was great! The illustrations are cool and beautiful. It's a great example of Marvel's genius at character creation. Incredible! ... Read more

Book Description

Collecting Ultimate X-Men #34-39. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

the hunt is on
i thoguht that the story in this graphic novel was exceptionally good. it starts out in a bar with logan eating and a women walks in acting she is like a fan of him and the x-men. when she leaves the diner he is in takes heavy fire and he is seriously wounded. he then goes to the house of peter parker and hides there until he is healed. he learns that people from weapon x are looking to kill him with new equipment. there are also appearences by spider-man and daredevil. the artwork in this novel is also very good and there are some funny parts to the story. this one probably has the most action and wolverine dies, don't worry he comes back like a page later.

Fair but could have been much better
it was a fair story story though from the cover i expected more daredevil than the little we seen, he never even gets to do more than throw his stick a couple of times, spidey kind of leaves before the end of the story too.

at least for once bendis didn't skip the action, in fact it's pretty much nothing but action from the third page where wolvie gets blasted.

spidey is played a little too dumb here i think, yeah i know he's a rookie but DD or wolvie are having to get him out of harms way a lot and he does not listen well.

fair read and I have skipped the rest of the ultimate x-men since i don't care a bit about them after having read the first 26 issues and dropping the book, seeing them coem in near the end showed me why, oh well i still have the trades coming out of the older claremont x-men to fall back on :

Somebody is seriously hunting down Logan to kill him dead
Wow. There have been lots of changes in the Ultimate version of the Marvel Universe, but one constant has been the back story on Wolverine. He remains a mutant with extraordinary healing capabilities and claws popping out of his hands whose skeleton has been coated with the unbreakable metal adamantium by a covert military group called Weapon X. In the process of creating the ultimate living weapon they also wiped clean his memory. Once known as Logan he is now called Wolverine and has been trying to be a member of the X-Men.

But now two things have happened. First, Professor X has discovered a wedding ring that belonged to Wolverine in the government's Weapon X files. The ring bears the inscription: "To James, with all my love." This leads us to wonder if James is Wolverine's real name and who was he married to? Second, since his feelings for Jean Grey led him to leave Cyclops behind on a mission to die, he has left Charles Xavier's school. When "Ultimate X-Men Volume 7: Blockbuster" begins Wolverine is just trying to enjoy a cup of coffee and a sandwich. That is before a hail of automatic gunfire rips him to shreds.

"Blockbuster" collects together issues #34-39 of "Ultimate X-Men," written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by David Finch. The story arc follows the pursuit of Wolverine by a strange strike force armed with sophisticated military technology that includes a way of tracking Logan and adamantium bullets. Unwilling to ask the X-Men for help after the initial assault Logan ends up hiding out in the basement of none other than Peter Parker. When the battle moves to Hell's Kitchen that means not only Spider-Man but now Daredevil is also involved in Wolverine's problems. Eventually Nick Fury and Shield as well as Professor X and the X-Men become involved as some more clues regarding Logan's past are revealed.

Throughout this storyline Bendis and Finch take full advantage of Wolverine's powers of recuperation to really put him through the wringer. This is especially true of Chapter 3, that begins with Logan being driven through a series of buildings by a rocket and reaches a crescendo when he has an up close and personal encounter with the psychotic blonde heading the team that is trying to kill him. She clearly knows who he is but Logan has no memory of her whatsoever and if you think this might be the woman who gave him that wedding ring you will not be alone.

Although this is a very personal storyline in terms of Wolverine there are significant implications for the X-Men as well. Bendis continues to expand the idea of mutants being a divisive political problem as the modern equivalent of the slavery issue while the X-Men's role in the "real" world continues to be restricted by the order of the government. But more importantly, in the short-term, it is not Wolverine but another X-Men who takes a fateful step over the line.

With "Blockbuster" we basically have a giant chase story. These people are out to get Wolverine and to take him down hard. Throughout the entire story they are chasing him, but there are also times when he is trying to turn the tables on them as well. The appearances by both Spider-Man and Daredevil are well integrated into the story and as much as this is an action driven story there are plenty of character driven moments; the exchanges between Wolverine and Spider-Man are especially good, but those between Logan and Xavier are clearly more important. Consequently, "Blockbuster" lives up to its title because it not only stands on its own as a great action story but because it advances a couple of key plotlines for "Ultimate X-Men." To be continued... ... Read more

Reviews (16)

ALMOST the complete history
Faiz Rehman (faiz79@hotmail.com) from Wales welcome look at the history of the man of steel Heavy on the pictures, this book is an excellent look at 60 years of Superman. Don't miss the covers - the dust jacket has original art work from the past, while the cover of the book proper has modern versions of the same art by the one and only Alex Ross. It overs the origins, the merchandise, and the adaptations. Although not as detailed as you may hope for, there are still plenty of facts to discover. The book does not gush over all aspects of the legend - it is critical of some aspects of, for example, the Dean Cain series. The books is not complete - for example, it does not mention the excellent radio series produce by Dirk Maggs in the BBC which is probably the closest adaptation of the comics stories. It does look gorgeous, though, and is much better than the majority of books of this type.

Entertaining history of the rise of the Man of Steel
Need to know something about how Superman changed over the years? Need to find out how the character evolved from comic books, to radio, to television, to motion picture, to TV again? This is the book to answer all those questions. Plus it has lots of nice photos of Superman toys and merchandise over the years. (The only thing missing is Superman Spinball Pinball, an amazingly fun toy that Mattell churned out to coincide with Christopher Reeve's first Superman film.) Tells you how the characters evolved, and more importantly, why they did, as the behind the scenes activities at DC Comics changed. A nice book for superhero fans of all ages.

Good overview of Superman's history
This is a great book for anyone who is interested in reading about the history of The Man Of Steel in all of his media incarnations (it's a few years old, so misses out on any info on the tv series Smallville). Well written and illustrated, it's a must-have for any fan of Superman.

Hardly the True Story of Superman
There is no doubt the comic book industry owes a great debt to Superman, or rather, to Siegel and Shuster who created him, but in his book, Les Daniels frequently looks for ways to minimize, rather than credit, their contribution. DC Comics made millions of dollars on the movies, TV Shows, cartoons, and other merchanising over the decades, while Siegel and Shuster shared in hardly any of it. The most shocking thing now is, this book, written with the cooperation of DC - rather than apologize to the two men, or even express any kind of gratitude, it actually takes stabs at Sigel and Shuster. Rather than simply state the facts regarding to Superman's history, Daniels frequently assails the characters of the two men, claims they took most of their ideas from other places, assigns poor motives to both men, even mentions extra-marital affairs they may or may not have had. The book is supposed to be about Superman, who cares about any of that? Of course Daniels would never turn a critical eye towards DC, who seem to have hired him, it's surprising they still seem to be bitter about two men that made them so much money for the last sixty years. There is no doubt, DC has been the best comic book company when it comes to promoting their characters, but they have also been very lucky in the courts. Not only did they force Superman's creators to relinquish all rights to the character, their lawsuits also managed to force Captain Marvel, a character more popular than Superman at the time, out of business. They claimed they were too much alike, but anyone who knows comics could see their differences. Later, DC took over Captain Marvel and actually began publishing him themselves (!). This story is only touched on briefly here. I give the book two stars because the illustrations are good, but the text deserves one, if even that. Everyone is entitled their opinion, but, in a book like this, people don't want to hear about it, they expect a decent read about the character of Superman. The true history of Superman is really not told here, it actually involves greedy businessmen sitting back and counting their money, while the creators that were the ones to make these characters, end up dying peniless.

A great history of the greatest superhero.
Superman is, without a doubt, one of the most recognizable characters in the world. But how did he reach that point? Les Daniels excellent history of Superman tells that story, and is packed with great pictures and photos as well. A perfect book for comic or pop culture fans. Highly Recommended. ... Read more

Book Description

Daredevil found new life under the pen and pencil of Frank Miller, and his vision of the Man Without Fear is highlighted in this third volume, collecting the complete run.In this collection, Daredevil once more takes on New York City's criminal underworld, angered over the prevalence of drugs in the schools.Along the way, he has to first compete against and then fight the Punisher, who has a deadlier method for dealing with pushers.

Daredevil also finds himself foiling the Kingpin of crime's latest machinations while precariously handling a crumbling relationship with Heather Glenn.

When the dangerous Hand return from Japan, Daredevil needs help but his last ally against them, Elektra, is dead.Coming to his aid is the Black Widow, an old lover, who only further complicates Daredevil's emotions. ... Read more

Reviews (41)

Excellent, an absolute must have
The highlight of Frank Miller's legendary run on Daredevil, Visionaries Volume 2 collects issues 168-182; introducing Elektra and beginning the classic saga which would lead to her death. In this collected volume, DD tangles with Turk, Sewer King, the Kingpin, and the deranged assassin Bullseye; culminating in the classic battle between Bullseye and Elektra which left her dead. Miller's cinematic style artwork and superb storytelling perfectly control the pace of the story, something that is nearly impossible to do in comics. However, while this is an essential book and all, the dialogue can be a bit cheesy and grating at times, but if you can look past that, you'll find one of the greatest stories ever to be written in comic history. If you're new to Daredevil and like this, pick up Miller's Born Again which manages to be even better than this.

From Humble Beginnings--Comic History Was Made!
Five stars for this collection of very decent Daredevil stories is more a tip of the hat to an historic moment in comic history than it is to the actual contents. Without the work of Frank Miller represented in this exact book, you would never have seen a Daredevil movie, guaranteed! For a few years before Miller took over the art chores of the Daredevil comic back in the very late 70's, it was a second tier (maybe third) Marvel title and was on the verge of imminent cancellation. The stories and villains had been so lame for so long that the book was on sale bi-monthly and was ready for the ax. That is, until Marvel gave a promising young artist named Frank Miller a shot at the title and it quickly turned into the (STILL) heavyweight champion of comics. It simply doesn't get much better than Frank Miller's work on Daredevil.
This collection features Miller as an artist rather than a writer as his own stories don't appear until Visionaries Volume 2. And what an artist. Back in the day, the gritty realism and innovative design work accentuated by the inking of Klaus Janson rocked all of us young comic geeks to our collective bones. Quickly evolving from standard comic fare to eye popping visuals, Miller began establishing himself as a cornerstone of modern comic creators.
While Miller's amazing art style dominated the page and quickly won him a shot at writing the title, the scribe of the stories in this volume was the current DD writer of the day Roger McKenzie. When Miller turned up the art a few thousand notches, McKenzie answered back with some great writing of his own. McKenzie gets lost in the shuffle and often gets no credit, but as these stories attest, it was he who was a key figure in establishing a number of things Miller used so well in his run on the series. In these stories, Bullseye becomes the front-runner for making DD's archenemy list, the mob captures a major portion of Daredevil's attention, DD and the Black Widow finally end their long-standing on-again-off-again relationship, reporter Ben Urich becomes a major player in DD's life, Turk and Grotto begin their unfortunate association with old Hornhead, and the Gladiator becomes a tragic rather than a ruthless bad guy. McKenzie also worked with Miller on a duo of stories that made the Punisher a major comic player, but these tales appear in a later volume due to the Comics Code Authority's stand on drugs back in the early 80's. Although Miller had a hand in some of the stuff that went on here, you can't neglect giving McKenzie his due for getting the ball rolling in high fashion. Daredevil #164 which is re-printed here and written by McKenzie is one of the top ten Daredevil stories of all time and possibly the best Daredevil origin story ever.
Miller is and always has been an innovator. While many of his generation have spent much of the past decade churning out the same old thing, he has continued to evolve and experiment and blow the socks off of the comic world (sans the Dark Knight 2 fiasco which simply seemed to be a very fat paycheck). This volume is where Miller really began the ride (he did some earlier and mostly forgettable work for Marvel re-printed in The Complete Frank Miller Spider-Man if you are a completist). The stories presented here aren't the best around, as Miller got very adept very quickly with his own writing, but they are still better than most comics of their day to this one. Daredevil #163 which is re-printed in this volume speaks to Miller's absolute tenacity. Although written by McKenzie, the concept was his--"What if Daredevil had to fight the Hulk?" When this was posed to his editor, comic apocrypha claims that the editor laughed and said, "So what happens in the second panel?" Needless to say the story runs for the full 18 pages. Daredevil fights the Hulk. So what happens in the second panel? How does a blind lawyer with moderate super abilities go one-on-one with the jade giant and survive? Well, you'll just have to buy this work and let Roger and Frank tell you themselves.

Daredevil Becomes Great
During Frank Miller's first nine issues on Daredevil, numbers 158-161 and 163-167, the stories were written by Roger McKenzie with Miller supplying pencils. (Number 162 was a non-McKenzie/Miller fill-in issue.) It was only with number 168 - the first issue in this collection - that Miller was handed the writing chores as well. That's when Daredevil, since its inception in 1964 one of Marvel's second tier books, truly hit its stride.

In his very first outing, Miller slammed a home run when he created Elektra Natchios, ninja assassin and Matt Murdock's (Daredevil's) old college girlfriend. Miller has since admitted the basic plot skeleton was lifted from Will Eisner's famous old Spirit story containing the first appearance of Denny Colt's ex-girlfriend Sand Saref, including the idea of the hero's old flame becoming in the present his criminal enemy, that she was turned evil by her father's violent death, the final kiss on the docks, etc. That doesn't change the fact DD #168 is an incredibly powerful piece of comics storytelling - just not as blindingly original as some people like to believe.

Frank Miller was hardly comic books' first writer/artist. Jack Cole with Plastic Man; Neal Adams with Deadman; Steve Ditko with The Question, Mr. A, The Creeper, E-Man, etc.; Jim Starlin with Warlock; Dave Sim with Cerebus; all predated Miller. But he did weigh-in as an outstanding member of a group that's never been large.

Not to come across like I'm downgrading Miller's accomplishments here - I'm not - but it's worth noting that, for a first time big league comic book writer and neophyte penciller, he had a powerful support team. Marvel Comics' then-Editor-In-Chief, Jim Shooter, one of the greatest writers of comics' Silver Age, and even then penning some of Marvel's best stories (he STILL had it, and in spades), took an early interest in Miller's Daredevil and, as Miller put it, "proceeded to kibitz ferociously." Klaus Janson, a seasoned comics pro, had inked Miller since his start on Daredevil, and (another Miller quote), "had to sand down many a rough edge, and rescue many a panel outright." McKenzie and Miller had spent countless hours discussing the character before Miller ever soloed. So the kid had just a wee little bit of help.

None of which changes the fact that under Miller's tenure as writer/artist, Daredevil began to absolutely kick butt. McKenzie, long before Frank Miller showed up, had already begun the metamorphosis of DD from a second rate Spider-Man, instead casting him as a second rate Batman. Grim 'n' gritty, doncha know. Miller, combining his love of hyper-violent Japanese manga like Lone Wolf and Cub with a penchant for hard-boiled crime writers like Jim Thompson, took that basic idea and ran with it. Under his aegis, Matt Murdock's world became a battleground against street thugs, gangsters, hitmen, secret societies of assassins. Demonstrating an artistic sensibility heavily influenced by Eisner, rooms became chiaroscuro landscapes cut by light and shadow. The Kingpin, a laughable Spider-Man foe, was elevated by Miller to the pantheon of Marvel villains, a grotesque giant ruling New York's underworld with an iron fist inside an iron glove. Bullseye, a minor DD baddie for years, became then and forevermore Daredevil's Joker, his arch-nemesis. In these stories we find love betrayed, murder, revenge, psychosis. Our hero was driven by violence and loss to the very edge of insanity - and maybe just a tiny bit beyond.

All heady stuff, the likes of which comic books had never seen. It was a time, and a comic, where you almost literally couldn't wait 30 days for the next issue. I was there, and I loved it. For those of you who weren't there, or, like me, already own these issues but just want the stories in this square bound, paperback, heavy slick paper format as well - so you can hand the book to Frank Miller Daredevil virgins, showing them how great these stories are without cracking the seal on your mylar encased, backing boarded, mint condition originals - you NEED this book. Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller Volume 2 collects some of the greatest super-hero comics ever.

Still fresh after 20+ years
I haven't read the issues collected in this trade paperback but when I read it, my respect for Frank Miller has gone up off the scale. Even though it was written in the early 80s, the plot, the pacing and the way he told the story is still compelling, fresh and exciting unlike similar Marvel Visionaries collection. Frank Miller's run has not only defined Daredevil. It has defined comics as well.

Brilliant
This first collected edition of Frank Miller's (The Dark Knight Returns) brilliant run on Daredevil features some of the best storytelling to come out of Marvel in years, and the best Daredevil storyline to ever be published. Collecting all the classic issues that let readers read their favorite blind vigilante tangling with his arch nemesis the Kingpin of crime, the insane assassin Bullseye, and the mysterious group known as The Hand. But Miller's run was most notable for the introduction of Elektra: the beautiful assassin who was the love of Matt Murdock's life, and the tragic enemy of Daredevil. Miller's writing gave the Daredevil/Matt Murdock character more depth than he had ever had before, and the fact that when a new character is introduced (Elektra) and dispatched not long after and the reader actually cares, that in itself is a milestone in the comic biz, especially Marvel Comics. The showdown between Elektra and Bullseye gives me chills to this day when I read his dialog; I'm still surprised the comic was printed way back when considering the comic code. The art may turn off some readers, but it manages to grow on you (just like Miller's art on Dark Knight Returns). All these years later and all the writers and artists that have come and gone like Brian Michael Bendis, David Mack, Kevin Smith, Joe Quesada, John Romita Jr., and others (regardless of how great work they all did on the character), it is Frank Miller's which still remains the best. The mega budget feature film which starred Ben Affleck was mainly based off the events from these issues, and if you enjoyed the film than you should definitely pick this up. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

new x-men #13-18
Millar keeps up the high quality of storytelling he has shown us so far. I really don't know what else to say that hasn't been said already.

Someone in Professor X's closet wants to kill him
By now it is clear that Wolverine is going to be on the cover of each and every trade paperback in the "Ultimate X-Men" series, and Volume 3, "World Tour," is no different. The character who should be on the cover would be Professor X, because he is the pivotal character in the major plot line of issues 13-13 of this comic book, which has to do with the X-Men coming face to face with David, his son with Moira MacTaggert, who has escaped from his confinement on Muir Island. In what is essentially the prologue to the story arc, "It Doesn't Have to Be This Way," we check up on the X-Men through the context of Xavier's article on mutants and learn that Magneto is not dead: the Professor has placed a mental block in his lower cerebrum to prevent him from remember who Erik Lensherr really is and how to use his mutant powers. Xavier's position is that he would not take the life of another living creature when a peaceful solution was possible. In the four-part "World Tour" story that follows, Xavier learns to rue his world and rethink his position.

Ultimately, "World Tour" is not simply a retelling of the Proteus story from Volume 1 of "The Uncanny X-Men" (issues 125-128), because the fact that Doctor MacTaggert's son is now also Charles Xavier's is a significant change and placed in the context of Xavier's attempt to blitz the world with a public relations effort in support of mutants forces a reconsideration of what Xavier is trying to do. Remember, in the "original" Proteus story Xavier was in a galaxy far, far away enjoying the first state ball hosted by the newly-crowned Empress Lilandra. The sub-plot, which has Colossus returning to Russia because of his disagreement with Xavier's tactics in general (and letting Magneto live in particular), provides a different take on the issue of responsibility for mutants. The epilogue, "Resignation," returns Xavier to the park when Erik Lensherr is playing where the Professor is entertaining a change of much more than heart.

This trade paperback volume also includes a two part story introducing Gambit as a street hustler who ends up using his mutant gifts to protect a young girl that he has met. The idea is apparently to explore those mutants who are not part of Xavier's School for Gifted Children, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, or another other organized group of merry mutants. These "Ultimate X-Men" stories are not, to date, superior to the original comic's glory days under Chris Claremont and John Byrne, but they are an entertaining take on the familiar characters in a slightly different context. Like the best of the Claremont-Byrne story lines it takes several issues to tell the story and for those who remember the X-Men (both the Stan Lee-Jack Kirby originals and the Claremont-Dave Cockrum next generation) it is interesting to see Mark Millar and Adam Kubert's twists on what we remember.

Why not just read the original?
I loved Bacheolo's art in this book. Really good stuff. Again Millar's poor writing of villains shows. Proteus just didn't have an "umph" behind him. Though he did get in his required body count (is it just me or do villains now aday have to kill like 300+ people an issue? Is it like a requirement to get their villain's license?). I will give Millar points for having Proteus being Xavier's son.
Still, over all, I wasn't as impressed with this book as I was Tomorrow People or even Return to Weapon-X. I think Millar is running out of steam. If you want a good telling of the Proteus Saga go pick up the original Claremont/Byrne one, it's worth it.

Ultimate X-Men: Great Stuff!
After countless attempts at creating a new universe, or continuum, the folks at Marvel finally hit on the right approach: recast their franchise characters as younger and more in tune with the issues of the day. Add top-notch writers and artists and voila! we have a hit. Though the story arcs are so far quite familiar to those with any sense of Marvel's history, the fresh approach to characters and the nifty art contribute to an overall great reading experience.

I would recommend this compilation to anyone who can't get enough of the Marvel universe or those who would like to start their trip into said universe. In short, recommended for any Marvel fan!

Proteus, magneto,and gambit oh my
This is a mile stone in the ultimate line. It shows colosuss returning to russia, a battle with xaviers son proteus a reality warping mutant and a issue featuring a heartwarming and violent story of gambit. ... Read more

Book Description

A white skull on a field of black.

In the Marvel Universe, no symbol inspires fear in the hearts of criminals like the stark calling card of the Punisher. His wife and children killed in a mob shootout, former serviceman Frank Castle wages a one-man war on crime, and he won't stop until he's won no matter how many bullets it takes.

Originally a character who rose to popularity in the law and order Reagan 1980s, The Punisher has made a spectacular and astonishing return to the top of the comic book charts. Reinterpreted through the eyes of visionary creators Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon the masterminds behind DC's Preacher this ultra violent urban vigilante is taken over the top in stylish, Tarantino-esque fashion. This time around, the mountains of ammunition are heavily sprinkled with black humor and stinging social commentary that Ennis and Dillon have become famous for.

The story is pure mythic archetype, with a several post-modern twists. After a long absence, the Punisher has returned to the streets of Manhattan, and a criminal elite that has grown over that time is set on guard. In particular, Ma Gnucchi and her crime family have been targeted by Castle. Can one man take down an entire criminal organization with heavy armament alone? ... Read more

Reviews (28)

Top writer brings Punisher back from the dead!
For a while, 'The Punisher' was a character in Marvel comics that really hit rock bottom with fans. In the 80's, the character had gained prominance with it's harsh, violent gun-toting look at vigilantism, but in the late 90's things weren't so good. Bounced from one boring, out-dated story to the next, Punisher was wasted.

That was until Marvel decided to reboot the series and allow the awesome team of writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon to helm a 12 issue mini-series. The two had worked on amazing titles like Hitman and the acclaimed Preacher series, and just as Marvel had hoped, brought the same magic to the pages of 'The Punisher'.

Collected in this trade paperback, this 12 issue story is a fun, exciting story that reminds fans why they so enjoyed the original Punisher stories to begin with.

This book will make you forget Kevin Smith's Daredevil story
Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon restore the Punisher to the one man war on crime charcater he is, in this paperback that reprints the 12 issue run that Ennis and Dillon wrote for the Marvel Knights books. This is not kiddie literature, this is a very adult style of writing that gives new life to a character many Marvel fans thought was over and done with. It's for fans of the Godfather films and would make an interesting movie, if dones on a big budget. But please remember, this is for adults only, not kids.

Bloody goodness
The first time I became a fan of Garth Ennis' work was when I started picking up the Preacher papaerbacks, and then Hellblazer. This guy is a genius, not because he fills every frame with cuss words and exploding heads(credit also goes to artist extraordinare, Steve Dillion), but because he dishes out intellectual and all-too-true observations on society, politics, and above all, religion. I immediately ran out and bought this book, including Vol. 2, without leafing through it first or anything. The two names on it alone was why I shelled out the 20 bucks. At first I was a bit disappointed because he was afterall writing a Marvel title and it kind of held back his freedom to do whatever he wanted like he did with Preacher and Hellblazer but trust me, it strangely gives each issue more gravity and showcases even more how creative Ennis is, even though I cringed at times reading the mobsters' dialogue. There is still a ton of violence(the body count is unimaginable), and Dillion's artwork is still captivating, but it's the story that will keep you reading to the last page. I liked Frank's relationship with his freakish roommates Spacker Dave, Mr. Bumpo, and Joan the Mouse. The nice subplot involving miserable Detective Soap is both laughable and depressing at the same time. I could go on and on about how great this book is, but it has to be read to be truly understood. Get it. Here's to comics' duo of unstoppable revolutionaries.

Welcome Back, Frank!
Welcome Back, Frank is a bone crunching, blood letting, teeth shattering thrill ride that hits you between the eyes with all the intensity of a sledgehammer.

This series marks Frank Castle's return to the 'basics' of being the Punisher. For those fans lucky enough to miss the years that came before this one, let's just say that Frank had been lost in a whirlpool of hero hype and bad characterization during the 90's comic book boom.

But all that ended here with this series thanks to the Garth Ennis and Steve Dillion. Not only did they breathe fresh life into the Punisher, they introduced such delightful foils for him as Joan, Spacker Dave, Mr. Bumpo, and of course the Russian. The fight between Frank and the Russian alone is worth the cost of the book. That fight is just one example of how Ennis and Dillion remind us that Frank is a man, without powers. He can be hurt, and often is. The only thing that keeps him going is the rage and pain that gnaw his every nerve, every second of every day.

His is the series that the 2004 Punisher movie is based on. Do yourself a favor and add this book to your collection right away!

very entertainig book art not so great though
This first installment in the punisher series by garth ennis is very well written and entertaining. Ennis mixes comedy with action and pretty much everything else you can think of some times you thing you are gonna die laghing and others you think you might puke your guts out. Punisher is as mean as ever in this book and he has to be when he's up against enemys like the russian and the Gnucci family. Overall a good book to pick up. The reason i only gave it 4 stars, however, is that the artwork could have been better and there are three kind of stupid characters that think they got what it takes to be with the punisher but they get what they deserve in the end. ... Read more

Book Description

Written and illustrated by Frank Miller; cover by Miller.

The most eagerly-awaited sequel in comics begins! Three years after the events in THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, Batman knows the world is nowhere near the perfect little place it pretends to be, and he sees the cracks in the system that have been neatly covered up. It's time to find where all the heroes have gone, and the Dark Knight is the right man for the job. ... Read more

Reviews (170)

we should'a known what we were in for...
Like everyone else, I was excited by the prospect of Frank Miller revisiting Batman, in the form of a sequel to the original Dark Knight book, no less. Like everyone else, I imagine, that's about as far as I thought it through. I mean, what more was there to do and/or say after the original series, which wrapped up in a tidy way? Not much at all, as this next installment proves.

The original "Dark Knight Returns" was about refashioning a character that had virtually lanquished to the point of irrelevancy in the comics world (something that artist Neal Adams began with his darker take on Bats in the "Brave and the Bold" comics in the seventies). Miller succeeded in making Batman iconic and relevant again, and did it in a manner that was enjoyable in a comic-book context. "DK2" is rarely enjoyable in a comic sense. Other reviewers here want to credit Miller with some kind of bold vision for his hasty-looking art in this book; I think it mostly looks like [garbage], and detracts from, and is distracting to, the story he's trying to tell.

And the story, well, blah. Wouldnt've this story have benifited from a narrower focus? Did it have to involve nearly every major DC superhero? Batman is largely just here in spirit; almost the entire second installment concerns Superman. I like the idea of Carrie leading the reckless group of former mutants as a Bat-modeled strike force, but Miller misses an opportunity by doing nothing with this subplot. What I did like is Miller riffing on current politics; his computer-generated G. W. Bush is a funny counterpart to the first book's nuke-mad Reagan; and Lynn Varley's coloring adds a brilliant surreal edge to the proceedings. Also, the appearance of one of the Robins was a weird, funny and unexpected moment. Yes, this is one-of-a-kind stuff from one of comicdom's most potent iconoclasts, but as it has nearly nothing to do with the original book, as it failed to deliver on the excitement that the words Miller/Batman/Dark Knight 2 carried, it was all just a sick tease.

Near Classic
Frank Miller completely overhauls the older Bruce Wayne he created in The Dark Knight Returns. Gone are the miniscule panels filled with words as well as the pages and pages of talking heads. The story, although dealing with a revolution led by superheroes, seems less epic than the first series did. Instead, Miller has decided to scale everything back except for the panels. Miller has replaced the intricacy of his original series with a rough art and storytelling style. As in the first series, there are no shortages of ideas - this time Miller's creativity spills over into the other superheroes of the DC Universe (even The Atom looks cool)while he segues heavily into Superman's reawakening into the world around him. While every new idea of his is intriguing, he doesn't follow through with them as he did in the first, and this is probably the main problem with the work. In attempting to create a rough punk rock aesthetic Miller has left an awful lot of loose ends. (The secret villian at the end just didn't seem to mesh). The question is, would you rather have an artist go out on a limb and be moderately successful, or have him regurgitate his past work? My vote is with the former. Miller had a ton of fun with this one and it translates into a good read. Surprisingly, it's probably one of the funniest comics I've read in a really long time. A near classic from an artist who doesn't fear breaking other people's expectations.

Not Enough Batman
First off, I enjoyed The Dark Knight Returns very much, but was a little let down with this one. Why? Batman was hardly in it! Superman was probably featured most. It should have been part of the Justice League since it featured every obscure superhero in depth, except Batman. Even Catgirl (formerly Robin, which was a change that annoyed me) got more page time than him. Interesting, a little hard to follow, and overall inferior to DKR. Recommended reading, but you probably won't read it twice.

A bat for a president?
This is an important work. The comic itself brings into the world of comics the strain of overyday politics. I believe that it is more important today than ever, since we can see many of the dark aspects of this future world slowly emerge in the world today, i.e. in the wake of mr. B. et. al.

Struck-Out This Time
Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again, is lacking in so many things. It has the build up of a good story by asking some interesting questions, such as: why is the government so corrupt?, what happened to Batman's legacy? Who is behind the public's missinformation? Who secretly controls the world? Why are the other super heros afraid to do anything? The good thing is that all of these and many other questions are answered in this book. But the answers seem to pander to a more fantasy theme of a comic book in contrast to the surreal world of a noir gotham city. There is good monologue and dialog between character (making Frank Miller's style more apparent.) But it lacks character depth and dark over-tones, it lacks the excellent monologue and good artwork. The colors are done nicely through each frame, but the drawings are terribly sloppy! You'll cringe at the drawing of Superman's face, which looks like it's melting. The character drawings are vomit inducing. The story becomes more silly as you read into it. Frank Miller also crammed too many characters into the story. It's nice that it had lots of cameo appearance of other super heros, but throw in the media characters, villians and the public people, and politicians. You'll notice that the story feels convulted and losses focus of the key character = BATMAN.
Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again, is a big let down.

(...) ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Comics ain't all about superheroes
Well, the best ones are. Sorta. Watchmen, Squadron Supreme, Wanted, Authority and Top Ten. If you're still telling your friends why they should read these (even if they won't) then I strongly recommend you check out Ex Machina.Along with Sleeper it's one of the best reviewed monthly comics from the past couple of years that no seems to be reading.Here's hoping being collected into a trade paperback keeps it being published; I like getting my fix monthly.But I'll be buying a couple of these as gifts.

One of the Top 5 Comic Books of 2004
Brian K. Vaughn has crafted a parallel New York City that feels absolutely real and populated it with 3-dimensional human beings that go far beyond comic book stereotypes - a legitimate spiritual descendant of Alan Moore's Watchmen. Summarizing the plot would be selling it short, because there are multiple layers at work here - superheroing, politics, the human condition - and Vaughn's barely scratched the surface so far. If there was ever a comic book that could seamlessly transition to traditional fiction, this is it. Unfortunately, that would mean missing out on Tony Harris' eye-popping artwork.

For anyone that thinks comics are about men in tights and cartoonish "BIFF! POW!" visuals, Ex Machina will set them straight. As a native-New Yorker, I'm jealous that there's no Mitchell Hundred for me to vote for mayor. As a comic book fan, I'm glad to see a book like Ex Machina being published regularly, and to much-deserved critical acclaim. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Absolutley beautiful work!
This is comic book work at it's best. J. Scott Campbell is a master of anatomy (and not just the girls..), perspective, mechanical illustration, and over all sequential art. I myself am an aspiring comic book artist, and the the art just left me a gasp. I also found the sketch book just as inspirational, if not more so. But this is not just a title for wanna be's (like myself) or comic art nuts (again, like myself), but also for serious collectors of the medium, as each book of the collected Danger Girl series is number and signed.
The story has alot of humour, and action that would leave many movie scripts for dust. The story itself may draw criticism for being similar to Indiana Jones's first movie, but Campbell admits to being a huge fan of the film, so it's not surprising it has influenced him so obviously. The characters are well 'developed', shall we say, and unique.
Over all, I truley am overwhelmed, mostly by the art. I recommend any comic book collector, and especially J. Scott Campbell fans, to add this to their library's asap!! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Great Fun!
For those who are fans of Golden Age comics, or are just crazy about nostalgia, this book is for you! I've always thought Wonder Woman was a well conceived character and being able to read her first adventures (during the early 1940s) was a real treat. While the art and stories are not as sophisticated as what today's comic book readers are used to, they are still incredibly enjoyable. Wonder Woman's character had almost a sarcastic side to her in these early days. Completely different from the very serious character in current issues. Readers will enjoy watching Wonder Woman toss around America's World War II era Axis enemies as well as cleaning up corruption and injustice on the home front. The Amazon princess is also a great role model for young girls. This archive would make a nice gift for the serious comic book collector in your life.

Diana's Debut
I love this book because it shows a lot of firsts in the life of Princess Diana/Wonder Woman-the first time she sees a man,the first fime she leaves Paradise Island and the debut of her arch-enemy,Cheetah!Beautiful artwork and great writing make this a must for Wonder Woman fans.The colors in these comic stories are bright and vigrant.I've been a Wonder Woman Fanatic for years,but had never seen her beginnings in Sensation Comics.If you love the Amazing Amazonian too,buy this book immediately!

Classic Wonder Woman.
I always wondered why Wonder Woman made it to the top with Superman and Batman for over 60 years? This collection shows why. Wonder Woman is powerful and fights injustice. The stories are fun. It's hard to put them down. We see Wonder Woman fight Nazis, the Japanese that were allied with the Nazis, and social injustice such as over priced milk. The art is childish but adds a flavor of fun. It is also interesting to see the great changes that Wonder Woman made in a year: her costume, the magic lasso, and even her origin. These are some of the greatest comic stories that I have ever read.

These are some of the coolest strories.
This book is well worth the money. The stories are fun. The action is great. Wonder Woman is a true hero. The drawings aren't the greatest, but they all a great overall feeling to the book.

A look at Wonder Woman's first incarnartion
This volume covers the early career of Wonder Woman,as chronicled by Dr.William Martson(Charles Moulton,if you will)and Harry G.Peter.This shows Wonder Woman's debut stories in 1941(ten years before the birth of Lynda Carter)and shows how she became the heroine for the female comic-book reader who didn't want to identify with Lois Lane. (Gloria Steinhem was 7 when these stories first came out,and she loved them...not suprisingly, considering her later career.)These stories very subtly show that Moulton believed in female superiority in many cases-and wanted to show that a woman can be as much a hero as any man. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Very disapointing
I used to be a huge X-Men/Chris Clairmont/Jim Lee fan and bought this because it came out right after I had stopped collecting. I was very disapointed. The story is weak, and the art is even weaker, except for the Jim Lee issues. The whole thing seems rushed and thrown together, with a very contrived plot, as if they needed a cross over story arc to sell more New Mutants and X-Factor books. Not recommended

One Of The Worst X-Stories Ever Written
I didn't come into this story expecting it to be great, but it was a whole lot worse than I thought. With the exception of the issues featuring Jim Lee, the art is horrible. The coloring is atrocious, some of the worst I have ever seen in a comic book story. Even though some of the writers are quite good, here they all collectively sucked, even Chris Claremont. Claremont's dialogue has never been his strong suit, but here it's just rediculous. The scripting by the rest of the crew is even worse. The only thing I could think about while reading this was how much money I wasted on it. Even the title is stupid. Avoid "X-Tinction Agenda" at all costs. If your looking for a good X-men crossover, pick up "Bloodties", which is kinda/sorta the same story as this, but much better. Hell, pick up anything as long as it's not this.

Not bad as far as crossovers go
Good:
-Jim Lee's Art
-The crossover has lasting impact to the X-Men mythology
-Plenty of action
-It's good to see our heroes hit the lowest level and beaten to the ground in a mutant hostile territory and somehow come out on top in the end.

Bad:
-The New Mutants and X-Factor artists
-If Cable didn't spell the end for the New Mutants as we knew them, then this crossover surely destroyed them.
-This fast paced type of crossover would become the model for all other crappy crossovers in the future. Mutant Massacre was classic. Inferno complicated, but I liked it. I enjoyed X-tinction Agenda, but Marvel got out of hand with the crossovers after this.

The perfect X-over!
If you know nothing of the X-men, buy this book and read it. If you know everything about the X-men, buy this book and read it! This is one of the quinessential storylines of the X-men, featuring: Their first commando mission against Genosha, the return of Cameron Hodge, the mystrtious whereabouts of Havok, the re-introduction of the original Marvel Girl (Jean Grey), the heated battle between Archeangel and Woverine, and the death of one of Marvel's most popular characters! Nine books long (3 X-men, 3 New Mutants, 3 X-factor) it is presented in full color and the X-men books are all pencilled my Jim Lee, the greastest X-men artist of all time! Cartoon and movie fans may be little thrown off by the absence of Professor X, but cameo's include Mr. Fantastic, The Punisher, and She-Hulk! You'll feel for Storm and Wolvesbane as they are changed forvever and you'll enjoy the lighthearted Jubilee as she babysits a powerless Boob-boom and Rictor. Although the original print included Cable in Lee's cover art, this new reprint has replaced him with Cyclops but it's the best X-men TBP still availble!

Xmen's Golden Era
I have been an Xmen fan for years... in my opinion, the XTinction agenda is the best written crossover story ever. Credit should go to Jim Lee, the best writer, artist of XMen's history. The story line is consistent and characters were properly written. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

inaugural appearance of Iron Man; collectible; hardcover
"Marvel Masterworks: Iron Man vol. 1 HC" are written & drawn by Stan Lee & Don Heck respectively. This less than 250 pages of a hardcover tome constituted original comic issues culled from Tales of Suspense #39-50. These primordial issues mostly compose of 13-page story, sometimes l8 pages. During those times, Stan Lee had a very hectic workload, that he had no other alternatives but had to relegate the scripting chores to his auxiliary, Robert Bernstein. Mr. Berstein virtually scripted all issues from #39-46, while #39 was scripted by Larry Lieber, Stan Lee's brother. Stan Lee only did contributed his plots in those issues however. But, he commenced scripting, as well as plotting, both efforts, onward issue #47 forth.

In 1962, Stan Lee, the eminent creator of virtually all Marvel superheroes, conceived Iron Man as a new breed of hero the world has yet to come by. He deemed that there was a discernible void for rich, businessman type of character donning the ensemble of a superhero. In lieu of his theory, the creator single-mindedly molded his stories to be heavy political in flavor. Political as in connotation to the hero ways of life, the people encircling him & his set of cohorts & adversaries befitting to Iron Man yarns. Therefore, after a series of tumultuous brainstorming & planning events, born to the world the first time, a creation-- it is the Iron Man & his alter-ego Tony Stark.

As stated, the hub of these earliest stories are sheer political in nature. Akin to political as stories here are rife with spys & counter spys, spy rings, communist & communism, reds & chinese, POWs, sabotage, contractual supplying of armaments to federal government, government factions & VIPs. Secondarily, these stories likewise synanymous to business/commerce, as are most tales substantially pertinent to Tony's work-- his factory, his contractual weaponry business, himself, the person as an innovator & inventor of arms & paraphernalias, himself being a consequential personage to government officials & VIPs. These series of stories, in my opinion, are generally above average in qualities, although a mild few are weaker than should be. The ensuings are my point of views.

Tales of Suspense #39. A historical milestone. It featured the inaugural appearance & chronicling the authoritative origin story of Iron man & his alter-ego Tony Stark. Also notable, the first appearance of his forerunner armour & another significant character to Iron Man annals, Professor Yinsen.

Tales of Suspense #45. Pepper Potts & Happy Hogan both made their maiden appearance in this issue & they are two of the most important supporting characters in Iron Man's chronicle. Jack Frost, the villain also marked his first appearance.

Issues # 46 & 52. The introduction of Crimson Dynamo. The Reds sent the Crimson Dynamo by sabotaging & derailing Tony Stark factory operations, because the Reds thought if not for Stark's advanced weaponry, America would lag behind in the world's arm race. Their earliest confrontations were classical & memorable, as Crimson Dynamo displayed to us that he was undoubtedly the antithesis to Iron Man's living technology & harness.

Issue #47. The introduction of the Melter. This moment exposed crucially for the first time the intrinsic frailtiness of Iron Man's armour. Iron Man had to ingenously devised a way to vanquish his foe.

Issue # 48. Unfurled Iron Man's "silver age", famous V-shaped aromour mask for the first time. This timeless prototypic armor is very popular with readers, when we can still fondly reminiscent his ever evolving armour throughout the years. To specify in expanse his armour made-over, in issue # 39, the maiden appearance of Iron Man and as well his silver-colored, massive armor. The next issue, #40, he recolored by turning his silver to gold-colored armour, to make it less daunting & endearing to the people, as he said. In issue # 54, he further modified his V-shaped metal mask to a more contemporary-looking, akin to the present. However, this issue #54 is not included in this volume.

Anthony "Tony" Stark, alias Iron Man is a rich, handsome, glamorous playboy & a sophisticate. What wooed Tony Starks to readers, us, despite his upscale status is his character. Tony is an extremely down-to-earth person. He easily relate well with all kinds of people without any hindrances at all. This claim is made even moreso truer by substantiating a fact,-- his close friendship with both Pepper Potts & Happy Hogan, two of the integral supporting characters complementing by interposing with Tony Stark, the character & as well the honcho of this title.

Readers also easily symphatize for Tony because of his apparent frailties & foibles. Tony be necessity, entailed him to harness a chest plate like an interior clothe in his lifetime, as a device to keep his heart beating normally & to allay his shapnel-pierced heart. Because of his plight, he frequently, more than a few fleeting turns, saw & escaped demise both in & out of his armour. Just for once, to negligently amiss recharging his synthetic life-saving suit with electricity can cause him to lose his dear life. This is moreso true, when Tony as Iron Man in action suddenly feel the need to recharge but failed to do so because he still in the thick of incendiary. This is another reason why Tony refrain committing amorous relationship with girls,because he is widely-conscious he is living his life in a borrowed time.

Overall, these precursory of stories are all memorable, cherished, invaluable & historically significant. Stan Lee & Don Heck should be given with proper commendation & plaudit for their endeavor in this title, that shall transcend beyond the space of time for generation to generation to come. Long-time readers, like me, can still joyfully evoke memories once again with these legendary stories presented in this book, as well a good recommendation book for forthcoming & fervent readers alike, who will for the first time unravel who-is-the-Iron Man mythic.

An astounding book to buy and add to your collections.

Highly recommended !

Stan Lee and Don Heck usher in the age of Iron Man
When the Marvel universe exploded and there were suddenly multiple Spider-Man titles and countless comic books devoted to mutants of one sort or the other, I gave up reading dozens of Marvel comic books each month and just kept up with two titles: "Daredevil" and "Iron Man." The latter selection was pretty ironic because I had ignored Iron Man for years. Outside of the story of his origin, I never read very any of these early stories from "Tales of Suspense," issues #39-50, reprinted in color and collected in "Marvel Masterworks: Iron Man, Volume 1." In fact, if I picked up an issue of "Tales of Suspense" in the Sixties, it was to see what was happening with Captain America, the other Marvel superhero sharing the title with Iron Man. I never really read Iron Man until he got his own comic.

My problem was never with the character of Iron Man because I thought the idea of inventor Tony Stark coming up with and continually upgrading and specializing his Iron Man armor was a pretty good premise: give me a suit of armor like that I am too will go out and fight the good superhero fight. However, the whole rich playboy bit was nothing special (the tradition goes back to Bruce Wayne/Batman and Britt Reid/The Green Hornet), and it was not until many years later when Stark was revealed to be an alcoholic that his normal side became really interesting. I also though the weak heart bit was rather unnecessary, except that it provided an unnecessary rationale for why Stark did not let some healthier and heavily insured younger guy do the death defying heroics.

My problem was that I never really liked Don Heck as an artist. He was competent enough, but when the competition is Jack Kirby, Gene Colan, John Romita, Neal Adams, and Jim Steranko, it is hard to hold up to artistic comparisons month after month. Heck does most of the pencils in these "Tales of Suspense" stories, although Kirby does several issues as does Steve Ditko (with Heck usually doing the inking in those instances). For that matter, Stan Lee often does just the plot for these comics, leaving the actually scripting to others, primarily Robert Bernstein.

A lot of these early stories put Iron Man in a Cold War context, which made him rather unique as a Marvel superhero. Iron Man first appears after Tony Stark is captured in Vietnam and his early villains include the Red Barbarian, a top Red general, the Crimson Dynamo, his Soviet counterpart, and the Mandarin in issue #50, who is apolitical but lives in Red China. But you will also find American villains, such as the Melter (an obvious threat to a guy in armor) and even an early villain called Dr. Strange, who is not to be confused with the Master of the Mystic Arts. Meanwhile, Tony Stark, his best friend and loyal associate Happy Hogan, and the beautiful Virginia "Pepper" Potts, start to become entangled in their own little unrequited love triangle.

Another thing I did not like about these early comics has to do with the 10-page stories we had to put up with for Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk, the Sub-Mariner, Ant-Man, Dr. Strange, and Nick Fury Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., during the Sixties. Actually, until issue #58, we were getting 13-page stories or longer for Iron Man until Captain America showed up for good (the two actually fight each other in that issue before sharing the magazine officially in the next issue). It is not surprising that the early, longer stories are better. But it was not until Happy and Pepper married and got out of the picture, the major subplots had to do with the business problems of Stark International, and Iron Man got his own comic book, that this title reached its heyday. However, it is not until we get to Volume 3 in the Marvel Masterworks collections of "Iron Man" that you will get to see the character reach that stage. ... Read more

Book Description

Collecting Ultimate X-Men #40-45. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Massive Enjoyable Volume
This is a large graphic novel consisting of four possible returning Supermen: A Superboy clone, a cyborg, a man in a steel armor, and a heartless Kryptonian. In a way this tetralogy seeks to define what makes Superman tick...is it the body, the soul, his Kryptonian heritage? The book comes to a fantastic climax changing forever Green Lantern and spawning three new series after the book was finished. I enjoyed the origin of Steel, who embodied Superman's heroism. The return of Superman was handled tastefully and was touching. This book may be considered the third in the Death of Superman series and is one of the best Superman GN's on the market today.

Return of Superman - eventual comics classic
This book is a must for every Superman completist - science fiction, fantasy and humor abound in this massive tome. Learn what kind of chaos Metropolis was plunged into after the death of Earth's Mightiest Hero. Learn of his rebirth and triumph over his enemies, the Cyborg and Mongul! Meet his new allies Superboy, Steel and the Eradicator! If you haven't read comics in a while, or are a longtime collector, this book should be a part of your comic library. Give it a chance

Superman Is Back...But ...
At one time, in the 80's, I had a comic book collection numbering in the 1,000's. Thanks to the first Superman film, his exploits were among my "must buys" every month. However, for economic reasons and due to the rigors of college, I stopped collecting comics on a regular basis by the time this storyline first saw print in single issue format in the 90's. Special events in my favorite heroes "lives" may briing me out of retirement for a brief time-if I was intrigued enough. Even though, I knew it was an event, that was in part, created to boost sales-The Death Of Superman story qualifies as too cool to pass. When I was out looking in the bargain bin in a comics shop, I came across all three parts of the story as trade paperbacks, at a good price, I couldn't pass it up.I was curious to see how the team would be able to get our hero back from the dead

The 3rd part of The Death Of Superman saga, called obviously enough, The Return, begins as 4 different incarnations take over for the Man Of Steel, following his death. Superboy, Steel, a visor-wearing version, and Cyborg Superman all have a unique motivaton to take over. But to be honest, I could done without Visor Supes. I just didn't find him all that appealing or interesting. The only reason I think that 4 subs were put in the story anyway, was because there are 4 Superman books and each writer needed to have its own version. Which leads me to my next problem, as good as the overall storyline may be this last part can get a bit long at times. If Visor Superman had been eliminated, for example, this last part would be better I think

As for the art, It's solid overall, but I have to say that the art team of Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding stands out as the best here. The pencils and inks seem to stand out a bit more. While I was reading their chapters, the art seemed to be more crisp and detailed-The book was put together by some taletned folks though.

If you happen to own the preivious books in the saga, then by all means complete the trilogy. Be warnd. The longer book hurts the emotional impact began the first 2 parts and is not as good. The paperback has 480 pages and also features The Green Lantern

Exciting but Drawn Out
In 1992, DC Comics made national headlines when it announced its intention to kill Superman. The year-long storyline spanned over three dozen comic books in more than half a dozen titles, including all four monthly Superman titles (ACTION COMICS, SUPERMAN, THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN and SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL). It left the Superman mythos with two new villains (the Cyborg and Doomsday) and three new allies (Superboy, Steel and the Eradicator), all of whom had their own titles for a while. It began an era of Superman's publishing history which would last for the remainder of the decade, in which the titles were treated not as individual titles, each with its own identity, but as parts of one continuing storyline, a weekly Superman comic book with four or more creative teams rotating chapters. As a result, the 1990s Superman comics would be marked by long, convoluted storylines with protracted resolutions, a billowing supporting cast populated by two-dimensional characters who existed more as plot devices, and a sense of excess and disjointedness in almost all of the stories.

The story that began it all was collected in three volumes: THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN, a slugfest heavy on dynamic visuals and weak on plot; WORLD WITHOUT A SUPERMAN, the best of the three, which explored the ramifications of the death of Earth's greatest hero (and a part of the story later sagas would sorely miss); and THE RETURN OF SUPERMAN, in which four pretenders claiming to be Superman emerged, all to take part in a great battle when the real Superman returned.

In this collection's first third, the creative teams explore one Superman pretender apiece to varying results. The best is Roger Stern and Jackson Guice on the Last Son of Krypton. Stern is one of comics' grandmasters of characterization and pacing, which meshes well with Guice's realistic but cinematic style. Close on their heels are Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett (Superboy), whose loose, frenetic but clean, often melodramatic storytelling show why they would become THE teen superhero duo, both in Superboy's own title and in ROBIN. In comparison, writer-artist Dan Jurgens (Cyborg Superman), the Michael Bay of comics, finds his grandiose images at war with his writing tendency towards exposition over characterization, to the extent that two of his chapters are almost solely a series of drawings with narration captions. Worse yet is the Louise Simonson and Jon Bogdanove team (Man of Steel). Simonson tries for a social conscience but is clumsy and preachy in her delivery, and Bogdanove's unfairly maligned impressionistic, exaggerrated style clashes with the other three. (For the record, after his own short-lived, Simonson-penned series ended, Steel would become one of DC's best, most complex supporting players.)

Unfortunately, these explorations can only last so long before the story must be resolved, and it is, as convoluted as possible. Too many chefs spoil the pot, as each team's need to include a major plot point revolving around their faux Superman slows the pacing to a near crawl. There are exciting set pieces, but the weaknesses of one team affect all of them. Jurgens' lack of characterization, for example, gives the reader no emotional investment in his Superman's sudden plot twist. And the sudden introduction of Green Lantern in the eleventh hour, from his own title by Gerard Jones and M.D. Bright, distracts from the central plot.

Still, the collection IS exciting. For comic series completists, this is a handy gap filler, although be warned: The last few issues are not reprinted in their entirety, as subplots introducing later storylines were cut from the collection. For comic books fans just wanting to see this pivotal story, this collection is a must, although I also highly recommend Roger Stern's novel THE DEATH AND LIFE OF SUPERMAN to fill in the gaps in background and present a more even flow to the stories presented here.

ME ENCANTO,ES LO MEJOR QUE ME HA PASADO
oigan chicos,compren esta revista ya que me ha echo super feliz(me he masturbado muchas veces) les pido que me regalen juguetes ya que los colecciono y me encantan.... con amor el jano trucho ... Read more