Marvel 75th Anniversary Magazine

I had to share this very cool Marvel 75th Anniversary Magazine I picked up for FREE last Wednesday at the comic shop. Sure, every other page was an ad for Marvel swag or congratulatory message from licensing company that manufactures Marvel swag, but there were several other aspects about this handsomely produced, full magazine format that made it like a gift. A recap of the major crossover events is to promote trade paperback collection sales, but was a nice checklist to see what I've read so far, even if lean on the details. And in the pages before the "Event Horizon" article, a fairly generous fan-elected Top 75 Marvel Comics checklist was printed...

While I'm old enough to remember getting Marvel Mego dolls, it's easy to forget that some younger readers might not be as well read on the subject as I. The "Marvel Legend Toys" article also touched on the earlier Marx figures, the Secret Wars figures of the '80s, and into Marvel Legends and Infinity Series figures produced today. We also get a play-by-play of Marvel Studios development of the franchise onto the silver screen, and the company's foray into the digital age and comics online.

Splash pages featuring six of Marvel's brightest new artists fill the middle of this 75th Anniversary special, Nick Bradshaw being one of my favorites! The stunning work of Mahmud Asrar, David Marquez, Sara Pichelli, Valerio Schiti, and Ryan Stegman are also showcased...

And throughout most of the magazine, we are given a decently written, running tour of the events through the decades that shaped Marvel into the entertainment giant it is today. Stan Lee gives a candid interview about the early decades here, and Marvel artist Walt Simonson talks about working on the very successful run of Thor during the '80s. Again, it's easy to forget that some kids may be hungrily consuming this history for the first time. I was thoroughly impressed by this quality publication, and must extend my thanks to Marvel for keeping it classy!

More Later- Make It FUN!