30 review for Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Marvel Comics, Vol. 2

1. 

   4 out of 5

   Michael Neno – Apr 02, 2018

   Golden Age Marvel Comics Vol. 2 reprints Marvel Mystery Comics Nos. 5-8. The origins of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Marvel Universe in general start in this important book, wherein The Sub-Mariner and the Human Torch meet and battle it out! Never before had two Marvel characters interacted in a shared universe. As with the previous volume, Bill Everett's work on Sub-Mariner is the best in the book - it packs a punch, with the mariner acting more like Osama Bin Laden than a Marvel hero. Golden Age Marvel Comics Vol. 2 reprints Marvel Mystery Comics Nos. 5-8. The origins of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Marvel Universe in general start in this important book, wherein The Sub-Mariner and the Human Torch meet and battle it out! Never before had two Marvel characters interacted in a shared universe. As with the previous volume, Bill Everett's work on Sub-Mariner is the best in the book - it packs a punch, with the mariner acting more like Osama Bin Laden than a Marvel hero. Also great is Steve Dahlman's art for the underrated Electro: the Marvel of the Age series. Ferret: Mystery Detective has a ferretless story near the end; his series would soon be supplanted by Terry Vance, boy detective. The rest of the features are primitive, but fascinating as time capsules, and The Angel was about to get a lot weirder in the next volume. Also features an introduction by Roy Thomas and contemporary ad reproductions.

2. 

   5 out of 5

   Scott – Aug 07, 2014

   It's getting interesting. Some world-building with Human Torch and Sub-Mariner. The message of #8 seems to be, "If your hands are tied, put your hands in the nearest fire because the bindings will be destroyed before your hands." The Angel, Ka-Zar, and Steve Burnett (in the text story) all do this, and the latter is the only one who even uses any sort of ointment afterwards! I can only assume this was intended for comics' high readership among G.I.s at the time, because the information isn't the It's getting interesting. Some world-building with Human Torch and Sub-Mariner. The message of #8 seems to be, "If your hands are tied, put your hands in the nearest fire because the bindings will be destroyed before your hands." The Angel, Ka-Zar, and Steve Burnett (in the text story) all do this, and the latter is the only one who even uses any sort of ointment afterwards! I can only assume this was intended for comics' high readership among G.I.s at the time, because the information isn't the best advice for kids, who might try to do it in play. It's amusing that Roy Thomas's introduction puts Namor's "murders" in quotation marks, as though he is completely oblivious to the fact that in the previous volume, he was shown intentionally killing three cops, to the point that he went back to kill the one that was only injured. For this he is electrocuted, but all that serves to do is negate the effect of the drugs that they put in his food. He blames Betty Dean for this, who denies it without much effect. Comics in these days weren't consistent about matching the cover to the issue--one of the Angel covers matches with a story from last volume, and has nothing to do with this volume. This is the first time that we get Angel's real name--Thomas Hallaway--he is recognized immediately by his real name by a woman he rescues. For some reason, later sources give his name as "Halloway," mach as later sources double the Ms in Jim Hamond, the way it is consistently spelled throughout the volume here. Thomas continues to give his most disparaging comments for Electro. It feels like the perfect concept for a 1960s adventure series, but such a series would develop the twelve Elctro agents as unique characters. Although some of them are identified by name, as in the previous volume, the characterization is not particularly important. The important thing is using this big robot (the illustrations seem pretty inconsistent as to how big) to do amazing feats, which Thomas says just couldn't thrill readers the way seeing human beings do such things could (or people who appear to be human, like The Human Torch, who is an android). The battle between the Human Torch and Sub-Mariner only begins in this issue and goes on through issues 9 and 10, and unsurprisingly, vol. 3 seems to be sold out at the stores I've browsed recently, so as with my review of The Mighty Thor vol. 3, this one essentially ends on a cliffhanger, too, although with an anthology book, it's pretty much the nature never to have all stories end in the same issue. I'll be back for the next volume even if it really is a mixed bag. I'm still not crazy about the Angel, Ferret, or Masked Raider, and I've already said what I think of Electro. Thompson seems to try very hard to make Ka-Zar not seem too racist. The authors of the text stories can put together great sentences from time to time laden with similes and metaphors that suggest that they are either avid readers or English majors, but their narratives are pretty simplistic and don't expect too much of the audience. Martin Goodman, was, after all, going based on surveys of hobo camps (as someone who lives in a homeless shelter, the term "hobo" bothers me, but it's the word used in both the introductions and in Sean Howe's descriptions of Goodman's early life) for what they liked, not achieving the collegiate appeal that Stan Lee's writing mustered. Amusingly, Namor gives up going nearly nude (I've always found this making for an off-putting read as a straight male) for a spiffy costume consisting of a red shirt, blue pants, and yellow cape after a one-panel visit to his mother (I had to add Princess Fen's appearance to comicbookedb.com) that he wears for two issues. I don't think the creators working that closely, but the Ka-Zar story in issue #8, in which the villain complains of seeing "a naked white man," who is, of course, Ka-Zar, who wears only a loincloth. Kevin Plunder at least wore boots most of the time (Daredevil #24, one page of X-Men #10 that is continuity inconsistent, and the Neal Adams X-Men cover on which he was featured). An advertising page shows the eighteen winners of the vintage contest that was announced in the previous volume. Of the eighteen winners, between 8 and 12 are female (several names are gender ambiguous, and that's with assuming that the Marion is female). This is interesting, since the readership for comic books, and adventure comics specifically, has pretty universally be considered more than 90% male, and the figures here are pretty close to Sandman proportions. I have heard several comic shop owners say that The Sanmdan was really the first time they saw a noticeable number of women come to buy comics for themselves (as opposed to for boyfriends or sons), which is reflected in The Sandman A Game of You 's interior content.

3. 

   4 out of 5

   Lser – Oct 14, 2020

   Golden age marvel comics, now i understand why they are called "gold". Golden age marvel comics, now i understand why they are called "gold".

4. 

   4 out of 5

   Rich Meyer – Oct 26, 2013

   There are some good stories in the Marvel Mystery Comics Masterworks series, though naturally the non-Bill Everett and non-Simon and Kirby stories are usually artistically on a par with the median quality of the era. What's interesting in this volume is that many of the stories are actually continued from issue-to-issue (Ka-Zar and Electro), a rarity for comic books that weren't newspaper reprints. You also have the first battle of the Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner spanning both features over There are some good stories in the Marvel Mystery Comics Masterworks series, though naturally the non-Bill Everett and non-Simon and Kirby stories are usually artistically on a par with the median quality of the era. What's interesting in this volume is that many of the stories are actually continued from issue-to-issue (Ka-Zar and Electro), a rarity for comic books that weren't newspaper reprints. You also have the first battle of the Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner spanning both features over the course of a couple of issues. Good stories for the Marvel aficionado, which should be required reading for any true fan or any Marvel professional.

5. 

   4 out of 5

   Edward Davies – Jan 07, 2015

   This was actually worse than volume one. The lineup is more consistent, but some of the strips are utterly rubbish. Maybe I'm expecting too much from the 1940s, but I'd have liked some stories that were actually good, or in fact different each issue. If you want to take a look at the original versions of The Sub-mariner, Ka-Zar and The Human Torch, then this might be worth checking out, but characters like The Masked Raider, Electro and Ferret are beyond rubbish. This was actually worse than volume one. The lineup is more consistent, but some of the strips are utterly rubbish. Maybe I'm expecting too much from the 1940s, but I'd have liked some stories that were actually good, or in fact different each issue. If you want to take a look at the original versions of The Sub-mariner, Ka-Zar and The Human Torch, then this might be worth checking out, but characters like The Masked Raider, Electro and Ferret are beyond rubbish.

6. 

   4 out of 5

   Mabomanji – Apr 05, 2015

   Those comics are entertaining. They hold that vintage sweetness and yet all the heroes created are interesting in their own way. Especially Human Torch and Namor as always. The rest is a little bit dull and Ka-Zar is still great for the way he wants to defend the animals and the jungle and never come back to civilization. Overall a nice read.

7. 

   4 out of 5

   Timothy Boyd – Jan 24, 2016

   Fantastic reprint of these Golden Age of Comics issues. The first appearance of such iconic characters as the Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner appear here. Great collection of rare comics. Very recommended

8. 

   4 out of 5

   Szava –

9. 

   4 out of 5

   Jessica –

10. 

    4 out of 5

    Christopher Allen –

11. 

    5 out of 5

    Joel –

12. 

    5 out of 5

    Alex Reverman –

13. 

    5 out of 5

    thom hamilton –

14. 

    4 out of 5

    Stephen –

15. 

    4 out of 5

    Josh –

16. 

    5 out of 5

    Mister –

17. 

    5 out of 5

    Melissa Ricard –

18. 

    5 out of 5

    C. Edward Edward –

19. 

    4 out of 5

    C.M. Selbrede –

20. 

    4 out of 5

    Budhaditya Mazumdar –

21. 

    5 out of 5

    Joel –

22. 

    4 out of 5

    Jaspero –

23. 

    4 out of 5

    Mike Hill –

24. 

    4 out of 5

    Keith –

25. 

    5 out of 5

    Dean –

26. 

    5 out of 5

    Max Worrall –

27. 

    5 out of 5

    Emily McMullen –

28. 

    5 out of 5

    B Hawley –

29. 

    4 out of 5

    Richard Gombert –

30. 

    5 out of 5

    ISMOTU –