Marvels #0-4

Marvels #0-4

Originally released in 1994

Written by Alex Ross (#0), Kurt Busiek (#1-4)

Art by Alex Ross

I'm finishing off 2024 with a short, but gorgeous, series. Marvels is a tribute to Marvel's history, written by Avengers scribe Kurt Busiek with art by Alex Ross. Issue 0 is much shorter than the others, and it came out after them, but I'm reading it first.

It shows the origin of the original Human Torch (an android named Jim Hammond, not the Fantastic Four member Johnny Storm), who was the first superhero that Marvel made. His backstory, as depicted here, is horrifying - Phineas Horton manages to create mechanical life, though a design flaw results in the android bursting into flame upon exposure to oxygen.

To appease the terrified public, Horton seals the android (who viewed Horton as a father) in a chamber buried beneath concrete, along with machines that will give the android information. The Human Torch is fully conscious this entire time, creating a terrifying sense of claustrophobia throughout the second half of the story, where we only see flickers of colour as the Torch is surrounded by darkness.

The rest of the series is told from the perspective of Phil Sheldon, an intrepid photographer who provides a grounded perspective on the superheroes of New York. He's just starting out in the late 1930's when he is a member of the press at Phineas Horton's demonstration of the Human Torch.  The joking quickly turns to horror when the man (or, as reporters believe at first, the mannequin) that burst into flames starts to move.  This doesn't get Horton the reaction that he wants.

Alex Ross's art remains as incredible as ever, and it's peppered with cameos - the two reporters in the top left resemble certain famous reporters from Marvel's Distinguished Competition.  As more and more superpowered beings emerge, many brush it off as a hoax or propaganda, but Phil can't shake the feeling that something big is coming, and it terrifies him.

His fears become reality when the Human Torch and Namor the Sub-Mariner battle their way across New York City.  The superhero battles (usually exciting/thrilling spectacles) are seen here from the perspective of ordinary people, and they are terrifying.

Average New Yorkers scramble to escape the effects or can only sit around impotently and wait when before this, they felt like they were on top of the world.  Phil's reaction in particular seems to foreshadow the bigotry that mutants will face, as he feels like the world is being taken away from ordinary people.

The arrival of Captain America changes the attitude towards people with superpowers, to the point where terrifying figures like the Human Torch and Namor are accepted and celebrated by the public just because Captain America works with them.

However, knowing Namor, this alliance isn't likely to last.  For reasons that aren't revealed here, he turns against the Allies, attacking British forces before attempting to flood New York City.  The Human Torch follows close behind and, while taking pictures of the event, Phil is hit by debris and left unable to see out of one eye.

The first issue ends with Phil overseas as a war correspondent, unable to serve due to his eye but still working with the press.  He witnesses an attack on a German base by some of these "marvels", as he calls them, and Busiek and Ross definitely did their research when it came to golden age heroes - I don't recognize most of them.

The second issue skips forward to the 1960s, where the Avengers have formed and are facing the first attack by the Masters of Evil.  Phil is inspired, and wanting a more stable life for himself and his family, he decides to write a book using the photos that he's taken of New York's countless superheroes and supervillains.

Meanwhile, anti-mutant hysteria is becoming more common, and the sheer hypocrisy of it is highlighted as an angry mob runs by a shop advertising fashions inspired by the Wasp to chase after the X-Men.  There's no real difference between the Avengers and the X-Men (aside from the Avengers having better public relations), and yet one group is cheered while the other is demonized.

Even Phil slowly starts to slip into mutant hatred, giving us an idea why mutants would be feared and hated considering that many of them go around proclaiming themselves to be the next step in human evolution. It remains as irrational as ever, however; the X-Men save people, but even then, their words and actions are misconstrued and they're lumped in with villains like Magneto.

It's only when his daughters shelter a terrified mutant girl that he realizes just how wrong that he's been - looking in her eyes gives him flashbacks to what he saw during the war when concentration camps were liberated.

Throughout this, Phil's writing career develops, and he's even asked to cover Reed and Sue's wedding, which is treated like a marriage involving royalty.  Alex Ross does an astounding job (though at this point, saying that almost feels redundant) with the full page spread showing the ceremony, which is incredible to look at.

In the aftermath of the wedding, a debate between Charles Xavier and Bolivar Trask turns into a full-fledged anti-mutant riot when Trask reveals his Sentinels, who kidnap Xavier on live TV before murdering Trask.  Phil makes it home, terrified for his family, to discover that they're fine but the mutant girl ran away, fearing that they'd be hurt if she was caught.  Phil admits to his daughters that she doesn't know if she'll be safe, though the gloomy mood is shattered a bit by the TV advertising a fight between Iron Man and Titanium Man like it's a monster truck rally.

Phil's book plans feel like they're being dashed as, true to form, Marvel's civilians are quickly turning against the heroes.  Whether it's Tony Stark being called before a Senate committee to determine who's behind Iron Man's mask or the Avengers being framed by criminal doppelgangers, it seems like new controversies are constantly brewing up to cause the public to turn against the people that Phil wants to write about.

It seems like things couldn't possibly get worse - a wave of fear has gripped the city, and nothing that the heroes do seems to be able to keep it from spreading.  And that's when the coming of Galactus happens.

I've covered the original storyline, but Alex Ross's artwork and this story's grounded perspective shows how terrifying it would be for most people. A godlike entity arrives on Earth, treating people like we would treat ants.  He calmly states that he's going to end the world, proceeds to act on that statement, the Fantastic Four can't stop him, and the Avengers are nowhere to be found.

The massive scale and spectacle of the Fantastic Four and the Silver Surfer trying to fend off Galactus is contrasted with Phil Sheldon trying to get back home to his family.  In the aftermath, he figures that the Fantastic Four would be beloved the world over, having mountains and bridges named after them - instead, it's back to business as usual.

Phil is frustrated by this whole development, and how Jameson continues to profit off of committing libel against Spider-Man and claiming that Galactus was a hoax.  He mutters that, if he was Spider-Man, then he'd beat up that snot-nosed punk Peter Parker who keeps giving Jameson ammo against Spidey.

In a stark contrast to how he felt in issue 1, Phil is supportive of all heroes regardless of their origin, and increasingly frustrated at the ungrateful nature of Marvel's New Yorkers to the point where he lashes out at them.

Issue 4 focuses on an event that's much less dramatic in-universe, but one that serves as a turning point for Phil, Spider-Man, and the real world comics industry as a whole. Phil's first book was a success, so he decides to write a follow-up that counters the negative publicity that's surrounding heroes.  He chooses to focus specifically on Spider-Man and clearing his name for the murder of George Stacy - when witnesses prove too biased and Doctor Octopus is unwilling to cooperate, Phil tracks down Stacy's daughter Gwen.

The two of them bond, and Phil comes to realize how important heroes are when it comes to protecting innocence and keeping people safe.  However, when he stops by Gwen's apartment to get her father's journal, he finds the Green Goblin flying out of her window with her in tow.

Phil is confident that Spider-Man will save her, since that's what people like him do.  In most cases, he'd be right.  However, this isn't a normal Spider-Man story that he's in the middle of - this is the night Gwen Stacy dies.

Making matters worse is that, to Phil at least, it feels like nobody cares - the death of Norman Osborn is front page news, while the news of Gwen's death is buried.  Gwen's death feels like the death of innocence, and the world just keeps on going.

Feeling like he's gotten too invested to be objective, Phil decides to retire, passing the torch to his assistant to make a documentary about the heroes that she had talked about.  The series does an outstanding job with capturing the history of Marvel's comics from its humble beginnings in World War Two to the sense of optimism and discovery when the Fantastic Four were starting out, all the way to the end of an era when Spider-Man's life is changed forever.  Several of these pages feel like they should be framed in a museum, and Busiek does a great job with humanizing and developing the characters, getting us to feel their frustration.  I'm glad I chose to end the year with this.