Two Morrows
An Issue-By-Issue Field Guide to a Pop-Culture Phenomenon
224 page Trade Paperback – by Pierre Comtois

What they say: By popular demand, TwoMorrows Publishing presents Marvel Comics in the 1970s, the sequel to Pierre Comtois’ heralded first volume on the 1960s!This book covers Marvel’s final historical phase: the twilight years of the 1970s, after the initial ’60s wave of popularity pushed the company to the forefront of the comics industry, and made many of its characters household names. This full decade of pop-culture history saw Stan Lee’s role as writer diminish as he ascended to Publisher, the stunning departure of Jack Kirby to DC (and his later return to Marvel), the rise of Roy Thomas as editor (and eventual Editor In Chief), and the introduction of a new wave of writers and artists who would expand the boundaries of comics beyond super-heroes, while planting the seeds for the company’s eventual self-destruction. Comics such as the Spider-Man “drug” issues, Conan the Barbarian, Tomb of Dracula, Master of Kung Fu, Howard the Duck, the new X-Men, and more are covered in detail—along with the creators who wrote and drew them, including Chris Claremont, Barry Windsor-Smith, Gene Colan, Marv Wolfman, Steve Gerber, John Romita, Gil Kane, Sal Buscema, and many others. So don’t be satisfied with only half the story! Check out Marvel Comics in the 1970s and find out why Marvel was once hailed as The House of Ideas!

What I say: As a child of the 70’s I grew up loving Marvel Comics, even today I still feel a special bond with these characters even if I don’t care for the books nowadays. But the 70’s contain my best memories of Marvel, I think everybody is fondest of the era we grew up in. Back then Marvel was a magic wonderland with super-heroes, monsters, kung fu, and a lot more. I used to feverishly devour any Marvel book I could get my hands on. I loved them all.

In this massive tome, Pierre Comtois takes an issue by issue month by month year by year look at this pivotal time in Marvel history. Reading this certainly brought back a lot of memories. Revisiting the books of my favorite time to be a Marvel fan was a lot of fun. I even discovered a few books I had never read or heard of and now I’m looking forward to seeking them out.

Pierre Comtois obviously has a lot of love for these books as well and it shows in the detail he provides to every book and every creator profile. This is a valuable resource and one that can be enjoyed by fan or even a pro looking for perspective.

Book: 9/10
Highly Recommended!