Marvel: Unforgettable Stories. Patton Oswalt & Jordan Blum. The Folio Society. 280pp. $100. (Pub. date 27 Nov. 2024).
With the release of Marvel: Unforgettable Stories, a very special collection of some of the greatest hits from Marvel Comics, published by The Folio Society, I thought I would take a moment to revisit a couple of the titles included in this collection just to give a taste of what you can expect.
I have to admit that I have a keen interest in writing for comics as I create my own comics and I’ve been reviewing all manner of comics for many years. Even with my extensive experience, I can sometimes get tripped up over whether this or that comic is from what era. The best rule of thumb is that DC Comics dominated the Golden Age and Marvel Comics dominated the Silver Age. But that’s just a general guideline. As this new collection makes clear, Marvel Comics has a certain vision that it has refined over the years. Another bit of comics wisdom is to know when to use words and when to let the art speak for itself. In the two examples I want to share with you, each benefits from art so compelling that it becomes a character all to itself. I’m speaking of a Spider-Man issue from 2001; and a Hawkeye issue from 2013. Like everything in this book, this is a collection of truly exceptional stand-alone issues.
“Severance Package”
The first example is entitled “Severance Package,” from Spider-Man’s Tangled Web #4, September 2001, written by Greg Ruck, art by Eduardo Risso. This one keeps to a delicious rigorous tempo as our main character is basically being summoned to his death. This guy screwed up big time and he must answer to The Kingpin. Once you get the gist, the artwork takes over. One perfect moment is when our doomed henchman is taking the elevator down to see the boss. Risso evokes the dread with individual panels staggering down. Fantastic stuff!
“Pizza is My Business”
The second example is entitled, “Pizza is My Business,” from Hawkeye #11, August 2013, by Matt Fraction, David Aja and Matt Hollingsworth. Now, this comic is a wonderful commentary on the rise of the internet and social media, basically permeating into the very fabric of our lives. A lot of the comic is made up of various emojis and symbols. The star of this issue is the Hawkeye mascot, Lucky. As many pages as possible are devoted to how Lucky goes about solving crimes. This is essentially a wordless comic with only a few word balloons evoking dialogue. It’s a beautiful example of how sometimes only a few words, or no words, are needed.
The Folio Society, the independent publisher of beautifully illustrated hardback books, is paying tribute to Marvel’s epic storytelling tradition with Marvel Unforgettable Stories.
This is a handsome, collectible 280-page hardcover that collects ten seminal Marvel stories selected by acclaimed writer and actor Patton Oswalt and acclaimed writer Jordan Blum. The story selections by Oswalt and Blum range from the classic ― including The Amazing Spider-Man #33 from the heart of the Silver Age ― to the contemporary ― including Hawkeye #11. Marvel Unforgettable Stories features an all-new stunning cover and slipcase design by Marvel artist Marcos Martín (Daredevil), an introduction by Patton Oswalt, and 280 pages of super hero adventures featuring Spider-Man, Wolverine, Daredevil and Captain America. The Folio Society will publish Marvel Unforgettable Stories on Wednesday, November 27, 2024. 100 signed copies will be available on Tuesday, November 26, 2024.
