Colorful book presents a very concise history of Marvel Comics. This book is not all about its cool reproductions, the text is pretty good with a balanced if not detailed look at the comics company through the decades. ( )

The Marvel Vault is chock full of Marvel's history from it's beginning as Timely Comics to the opening of Super Hero Island at Universal's Islands of Adventure. Included in this volume are tons of reproduced memorabilia which you can take out of their plastic pages and peruse, making you feel like you've been there every step of the way. I also really enjoyed the sections dedicated to Timely's teen comic collection, women's comics and horror/mystery comics! I just wish the sections had been longer, but these are not the comics most Marvel fans want to learn about, so I'm not surprised it was very small in the information expanded on. I also wish that there had been more pieces of memorabilia, but I realize that would have made the book longer and more pricey.

This is a lovely gift for Marvel fanatics and those who just want a fun, hands-on history of one of the biggest comic publishing companies of all time! The information can get a bit dry at times, but overall it is a fantastic read and experience! Four stars! ( )

Excellent book on the history of marvel comics and the people who create it! Very hands-on. ( )

Being a longtime Marvel zombie, I was intrigued by the reproductions of rare collectibles this book contains, including Stan Lee's original two-page typewritten plot for Fantastic Four #1, the MMMS Welcome Kit, Marvel Value Stamps, and a menu from the shortlived Marvelmania Hollywood restaurant (including such irresistible delicacies as Daredevil's Rolled Billy Club Sandwich, Hulk Smashed Potatoes, and Howard The Duck's Chicken Fingers). Interesting though these Marvelous Mementos may be (and to be honest, I expected more of 'em), the book itself turns out to offer far more. Seven decades is a lot to fit in, particularly once the big guns arrive in the 60s, but Marvel veterans Thomas and Sanderson do an excellent job of balancing basic information for new readers with fascinating behind-the-scenes insight for those, like me, who have already read a dozen or more books or articles on the history of the word's greatest comics company. For example, I've never read about the 1972 Marvel-ous Evening With Stan Lee at Carnegie Hall in which bullpeners performed music and skits and Stan was 'kidnapped' by Dr. Doom. Wish I could have been there... if only I hadn't just been born.

Read the full review at my blog. ( )