mike
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I thought a good examination of Golden Age Marvel Comics was sadly lacking here. No' mo' tho'! 
I was first introduced to the Golden Age Era of Marvel Comics by the iconic image of Marvel Comics #1 staring down at me from the Marvel Masterwork hard cover reproduction when I was in middle school. At the time, the 50 dollar price tag seemed unattainable.
The first issue was released October 1939
A little later, I got a taste of the characters from Alex Ross' Marvels series which is the story of the Marvel Universe from the late 30's through the 60's from the perspective of a newspaper photographer. It began with the original Human Torch & the Submariner; spotlighting their battles and adventures in New York City and during World War II alongside Captain America fighting the Nazis. I thought this era seemed so exciting but as a kid getting my hands on the expensive reprints of the originals was also a daydream.
As luck with have it, I got older! And have since purchased a bunch of the Marvel Masterwork collections. The artwork in this era of what became Marvel Comics, is intensely raw and primitive. The story lines and characters are bordering on surreal.
The Human Torch, is a 1940's version of a cyborg, but is virtually human compared to other 1940's robo-humans (as featured in the film serials the Phantom Creeps, the Mysterious Dr. Satan and the Phantom Empire.) Throughout his adventures, he severely burns virtually any and everyone he comes in contact with!
The Sub-Mariner is for all intents and purposes a modern day terrorist. He pops out of the ocean, derails an elevated subway train, laughs at the subsequent human suffering and escapes back into the ocean - and yet is the hero?!
Possibly my favorite character is the Angel. He looks like a mirror image of Superman but with a pencil mustache. He has no super powers and is basically just a detective like Batman, minus the inventive gadgets on his belt. He doesn't have a mask, but he does have a secret identity. So anytime he comes in contact with criminals - his secret identity is blown! It just so happens all the criminals he fights wind up dying one way or another so his secret remains safe to fight another day!
Often times the stories are set in haunted houses or featuring mad scientists. Sometimes the "heroes" fight 3 story tall, reanimated corpse frankenstein-esque monsters for no reason and with barely any resolution. Often the characters fight run-of-the-mill golden age gangsters who have invented some elaborate contraption to capture the hero that just can't go wrong, but always does.
So in short, these comic books are completely absurd and are absolutely worth the approximate $50 price tags. Don't be scared away by the fact the collections only feature 5 issues per book, each issue is over 50 pages long and packed with goodness!
Some samples of content...
I was first introduced to the Golden Age Era of Marvel Comics by the iconic image of Marvel Comics #1 staring down at me from the Marvel Masterwork hard cover reproduction when I was in middle school. At the time, the 50 dollar price tag seemed unattainable.
The first issue was released October 1939
A little later, I got a taste of the characters from Alex Ross' Marvels series which is the story of the Marvel Universe from the late 30's through the 60's from the perspective of a newspaper photographer. It began with the original Human Torch & the Submariner; spotlighting their battles and adventures in New York City and during World War II alongside Captain America fighting the Nazis. I thought this era seemed so exciting but as a kid getting my hands on the expensive reprints of the originals was also a daydream.
As luck with have it, I got older! And have since purchased a bunch of the Marvel Masterwork collections. The artwork in this era of what became Marvel Comics, is intensely raw and primitive. The story lines and characters are bordering on surreal.
The Human Torch, is a 1940's version of a cyborg, but is virtually human compared to other 1940's robo-humans (as featured in the film serials the Phantom Creeps, the Mysterious Dr. Satan and the Phantom Empire.) Throughout his adventures, he severely burns virtually any and everyone he comes in contact with!
The Sub-Mariner is for all intents and purposes a modern day terrorist. He pops out of the ocean, derails an elevated subway train, laughs at the subsequent human suffering and escapes back into the ocean - and yet is the hero?!
Possibly my favorite character is the Angel. He looks like a mirror image of Superman but with a pencil mustache. He has no super powers and is basically just a detective like Batman, minus the inventive gadgets on his belt. He doesn't have a mask, but he does have a secret identity. So anytime he comes in contact with criminals - his secret identity is blown! It just so happens all the criminals he fights wind up dying one way or another so his secret remains safe to fight another day!
Often times the stories are set in haunted houses or featuring mad scientists. Sometimes the "heroes" fight 3 story tall, reanimated corpse frankenstein-esque monsters for no reason and with barely any resolution. Often the characters fight run-of-the-mill golden age gangsters who have invented some elaborate contraption to capture the hero that just can't go wrong, but always does.
So in short, these comic books are completely absurd and are absolutely worth the approximate $50 price tags. Don't be scared away by the fact the collections only feature 5 issues per book, each issue is over 50 pages long and packed with goodness!
Some samples of content...
