Illustrated throughout The Penguin Classics Marvel Collection presents specially curated comic
book anthologies of the origin stories seminal tales and characters of the Marvel Universe to
explore Marvel's transformative and timeless influence on an entire genre of fantasy. A
Penguin Classics Marvel Collection Edition It is impossible to imagine American popular
culture without Marvel Comics. For decades Marvel has published groundbreaking visual
narratives that sustain attention on multiple levels: as explorations of the relationship
between power and responsibility as metaphors for the experience of difference and otherness
as meditations on the pain of adolescence and the fluid nature of identity as examinations of
the meaning and limits of patriotism as ironic juxtapositions of the cosmic and the
quotidian as resources for the understanding of political and social history and as high
watermarks in the artistic tradition of American cartooning. For the first time these classic
stories of some of the most iconic super heroes in the history of American comics are Penguin
Classics. This anthology goes back to the original source material for The Amazing Spider-Man
with key stories from the first two years from 1962 to 1964. These allegories of adolescence
permanently transformed the conventions of the super hero genre by insisting that great power
is never just a means to an end but also a burdensome responsibility. The introduction offers
fresh insights into character development and the personalities of his creators. Also included
are rarely reprinted non-super hero stories early letter pages and supplemental materials
shedding light on Lee and Ditko's artistic process.
