A review by barnesstorming
All of the Marvels by Douglas Wolk

3.0

This is a fun read and it grew my appreciation of comics as more than just the page-turning high adventure stuff I remember from when I was a kid, when I would tear through my uncles' stash of '60s and '70s titles in an old trunk in my grandad's house. But this book was not the all-encompassing "greater narrative" of all the Marvel comics, as the Times review led me to believe it would be. Rather, it attempts to build a series of narratives with a few of the signature heroes' story arcs. And oftentimes it's really just a greatest-hits checklist of the titles. So it would serve as a great guide if you're looking for the key beats over, say, the many decades of Spider-Man titles. Whatever you do, don't skip the footnotes, which is where Wolk's humor really shines. I don't regret spending the time with this book, but if you're lured to it by the promise of more than it is, just adjust your expectations.