Synopses & Reviews
70 years ago, a new publishing company named Marvel Comics stuck its toe into the first waters of the comic book industry. Before they became a pop culture powerhouse publishing famous superheroes like Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, and Iron Man, Marvel's first ever comic book featured a daring new anti-hero named the Sub-Mariner, created by legendary artist Bill Everett. 70 years later, Everett's watery creation continues to be one of the pinnacles of the Marvel Universe of superheroes, as attested to by its recent option as a major motion picture. Bill Everett invented comics' first anti-hero in 1939; an angry half-breed (half-man, half sea-creature) that terrorized mankind until uniting with the Allied Forces to conquer fascism's march across Europe during World War II. But the reasons to celebrate Bill Everett's monumental career in comics books don't stop with his water-based hero. Everett was a master of many comic genres, and was one of the pre-eminent horror comic-book artists in the 1950s (before government and societal pressures led the comics industry to censor itself with the imposition of the Comics Code Authority), producing work of such quality and stature that he ranked alongside the artists who produced similar material for the justifiably lauded EC Comics. is the latest book from Blake Bell, author of the acclaimed , and is being produced in cooperation with the Everett family. It will feature the definitive biography of the man and his career, and how his personality informed his signature character, before his untimely passing at the age of 55 in 1973. The main focus, however, will be the stunning display of artwork that few artists can match in breadth and quality. From the superhero and horror genre, to the mid-west, romance, crime, and suspense, Bill Everett was a master of the medium -- all on display in this coffee table art book that is destined to ensure Everett's place at the table of premier comic book virtuosos.
Review
"A true testament to a man who lived comics throughout his entire life and loved it with a passion...[I]t's important not only to remember the characters, but the men behind them. Bell's book here on the life and times of Bill Everett... is a testament to that." Chris Marshall
Synopsis
A biography and "best of" collection showcasing the man who co-created Marvel Comics.
Synopsis
Bill Everett invented comics first anti-hero in 1939; an angry half-breed (half-man, half sea-creature) that terrorized mankind until uniting with the Allied Forces to conquer fascism s march across Europe during World War II. But the reasons to celebrate Bill Everett s monumental career in comics books don t stop with his water-based hero. Everett was a master of many comic genres, and was one of the pre-eminent horror comic-book artists in the 1950s (before government and societal pressures led the comics industry to censor itself with the imposition of the Comics Code Authority), producing work of such quality and stature that he ranked alongside the artists who produced similar material for the justifiably lauded EC Comics Bill Everett: Fire & Water is the latest book from Blake Bell, author of the acclaimed Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko, and is being produced in cooperation with the Everett family. It will feature the definitive biography of the man and his career, and how his personality informed his signature character, before his untimely passing at the age of 55 in 1973. The main focus, however, will be the stunning display of artwork that few artists can match in breadth and quality. From the superhero and horror genre, to the mid-west, romance, crime, and suspense, Bill Everett was a master of the medium all on display in this coffee table art book that is destined to ensure Everett s place at the table of premier comic book virtuosos. "
Synopsis
- In 1939, brand-new Marvel's first ever comic book featured an anti-hero named the Sub-Mariner, created by legendary artist Bill Everett. From the superhero and horror genre, to romance, crime, and suspense, Bill Everett was a master of the medium. Blake Bell's follow-up to Strange & Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko, Fire and Water: The Sub-Mariner, and the Birth of Marvel Comics is the definitive biography of the man and his career. The main focus, however, will be the stunning display of artwork that few artists can match in breadth and quality, all on display in this coffee table art book that is destined to ensure Everett's place at the table of premier comic book virtuosos.
Synopsis
A biography and 'best of' collection showcasing the man who co-created Marvel Comics.
Synopsis
In 1939, brand-new Marvel's first ever comic book featured an anti-hero named the Sub-Mariner, created by legendary artist Bill Everett. (The angry half-man, half sea-creature Sub-Mariner property has recently been film-optioned.) From the superhero and horror genre, to romance, crime, and suspense, Bill Everett was a master of the medium. Blake Bell"s follow-up to Strange & Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko, Fire and Wateris the definitive biography of the man and his career. The main focus, however, will be the stunning display of artwork that few artists can match in breadth and quality'" all on display in this coffee table art book that is destined to ensure Everett's place at the table of premier comic book virtuosos.
About the Author
Blake Bell is the author of Strange & Stranger (a retrospective of Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko); The Secret History of Marvel Comics, Fire & Water: Bill Everett, The Sub-Mariner, and the Birth of Marvel Comics; Amazing Mysteries: The Bill Everett Archives; and Strange Suspense and Unexplored Worlds (two volumes in The Steve Ditko Archives). He lives in Toronto, Ontario, with his son.