The story is amazing - and so is the art - but it isn't put together well - as the inside edges are too far into the crease that reading them is a frustrating challenge and repetitively caused me to lose the flow of the story as had to juxtapose the book and hold it at different angles forcing the book open a bit more so I could read and see artwork that was disappearing into a crevice. ( )

With MARVELS, you needn't even open the cover to realize that you have something special in your hands. MARVELS was the debut of Ross' fully painted, nearly photo-realistic comic book illustrations. I still remember going into the comic book shop as a kid and seeing the individual issues on the shelf. I was awed by the covers, but back then the comic book shop was more of a place I entered and dreamed about, I hadn't the money to buy anything. As an adult, I've rectified that situation and the art is just as breathtaking now as it was then, but that isn't all that sets MARVELS apart, though I probably wouldn't have appreciated Kurt Busiek's story as much as a kid.

Busiek shows key points of legendary Marvel characters in the formative years of the Marvel Universe... but instead of showing us the battles from the perspective of the heroes themselves, we watch the world through the eyes... err lens of a photojournalist, Phil Sheldon, from his first days on the job, prior to the explosion of superheroes, through his retirement.

In the first story, he is a rookie photographer that wants to make a name for himself covering the war in Europe. At the time, the original Human Torch and Namor are the first two super beings to frequent the city... and at first, Sheldon feels powerless and insignificant beside them, even calling off his marriage because he feels he is unable to live up to a husband's duty to protect his wife and future children. However as Captain America and then the Human Torch and Namor begin fighting the Germans and Japanese, the people of America learn to embrace them as 'their heroes'. Sheldon throws off his funk and starts his career on a path not of war journalism, but of documenting the exploits of the superheroes.

In the second story, set in the 60's, having come to revere the superheroes... he deals with anti-mutant prejudices. In a moment of mob passion he even throws a rock and hits Ice Man in the head. However, the discovery of a small mutant child his children have been hiding helps him learn the horror of the prejudice against mutants. This is the most touching story in the MARVELS collection, in my opinion. The end is sort of anguishing... until you take another look at the beautiful cover.

The next story covers the coming of Galactus. At this time, the public perception is turning against the superheroes. Sheldon is disgusted with all the negativity directed towards the heroes, and the feeling of entitlement the people have in their protection. He decides to work on a book to put heroes, "Marvels" as he calls them, in their proper light. To this end, he becomes lost in his work and neglects his family, until, believing that the world finally is coming to an end, he realizes that he wants to spend his last moments with his family. Of course Galactus is defeated and the world is saved.

In the final story, Sheldon's book is published to instant popularity. However, he finds he isn't satisfied. He still wishes to do something more, he wants to find a way to turn the tide of negative publicity, by the likes of Jameson in the Daily Bugle... though in a moment of honesty, Jameson reveals that his need to tear down the heroes are really as immaculately selfless as they seem... how can a normal man every measure up to them. He, and his readers, feel a need to pull the heroes down to a more human, fallible level. Sheldon set's out to write a book, clearing Spiderman of the accusation that he is responsible for the death of George Stacey. He finds a surprising ally in Stacey's daughter, Gwen. He sees her as the beautiful innocent that the heroes are their to protect. However, his vision of the superheroes comes crashing down as he witnesses the death of Gwen Stacey at the hands of Green Goblin. He witnesses the failure of Spiderman to save her... and his faith in the superheroes is shattered. He passes on his camera to his assistant and retires to spend time with his family.

If you read MARVELS and find the story of how people relate to their superheroes, I highly recommend Busiek's "Astro City". In which he manages to refine the concept to even greater levels. ( )

Limited Edition Graphitti Designs Hardcover. One of 8500 numbered and signed by Alex Ross and Kurt Busiek. ( )

What makes a great graphic novel is a story that goes beyond the typical comic book fare and grapples with deeper themes, usually only found in literature, in a new and enlightening way. Oh yeah, and great artwork. Marvels is simply one of the best graphic novels to date. The storyline is inventive, telling many of Marvel comics' classic stories through the eyes of the ordinary people on the ground. The protagonist is a photographer who goes through internal philosophical debates and epiphanies about how ordinary people should feel about these super heroes. The reader, like those on the ground, spends a lot of time looking up, but also spends a lot of time looking around at their fellow humans. How do they react to these beings greater than themselves that they do not fully understand? How do they react to their helplessness in the face of these grand dramas and battles? Classic stuff. ( )

It was neat that it centers around the "real" people living in the city with the Marvel Universe characters like Spider-man and The Fantastic Four. It was also better than anything else I've seen Alex Ross's artwork in so far. He definitely deserves to be paired with an equally talented writer. ( )