Bloomsbury Academic has debuted its latest Marvel Age of Comics title in stores this week. Written by Paul Levitz, Marvel Explodes: From Bullpen to Big Business, take a look at the business history of one of the biggest publisher in comics. The book is available in stores now.
After launching Marvel Comics into the Silver Age with Fantastic Four #1 in 1961, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and the team of creators who comprised the mighty Marvel Bullpen at the time continued to build on their success.
Marvel Explodes: From Bullpen To Big Business looks at that pivotal period of comics history from 1967 to 1975, just before three of Marvel’s classic anthologies were split into separate titles to accommodate the growing popularity of characters like Iron Man, Captain America, Sub-Mariner, The Hulk, Doctor Strange, and Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
From that moment on, Marvel entered an explosive arc of growth, which culminated in them becoming America’s largest comics publisher in 1972. Writer Paul Levitz tells the story of that unprecedented expansion year-by-year, using his intimate knowledge of the industry and those involved to explore this decisive period from a creative standpoint – the expanded mythology, the new titles, and the writers and artists who would join to fuel the explosion – as well as a business one: detailing the key transitions, including new distributors, owners, and opportunities.
Having been a fixture at the “Distinguished Competition” since his teenage years, and an avid comics reader for even longer, Levitz offers a unique and qualified perspective on both the industry and its players at that time.
“Getting to tell a vital piece of Marvel’s business history from the perspective of a witness, a friend to many of the key players, and a competitor who understood the important factors was a fun challenge.”
Illustrated with full-color art from the comics of the time, Paul Levitz’s entry in the MARVEL AGE OF COMICS offers an eyewitness account of Marvel Comics in the years that established, and then cemented, its greatness.
Paul Levitz is former President and Publisher of DC Comics and has written for many of DC’s major comic books series, including Superman and Justice Society. His story Legion: The Great Darkness Saga was voted one of the top 20 best comic stories of the last century by readers of The Buyers’ Guide.
