Among true Marvel Zombies, the name John Romita is synonymous with clean, attractive art and great storytelling. He's contributed to just about every character Marvel has, and his run on Spider-Man (Filling the spot vacated by Spidey co-creator Steve Ditko! Not exactly a cushy assignment; Talk about having tough shoes to fill!) is the stuff of legends. For fans who haven't been reading comics since they were in diapers, this is a great collection- It presents Romita's first four issues (Where the identity of The Green Goblin is at last revealed, The Rhino is introduced, and Spidey butts heads with the pumped-up son of his eternal nemesis, J. Jonah Jameson, and we finally get a look at the future Mrs. Spider-Man, Mary Jane Watson.), along with a selection of five other issues, including the classic "Spider-Man No More!", a two-part Kingpin story, and Romita's favorite Spider-Man story, the two-part Flash Thompson Vietnam story co-starring Dr. Strange.

For old fogeys like me, though, the book is just OK. I've seen these stories a million times before; That's ok, since they're classics, but I was expecting interesting behind-the-scenes tidbits from Mr. Romita, and aside from a few small blurbs that introduce the stories, there's really nothing new here. The stories are newly re-colored, but aside from a STUNNING looking color job by Digital Chameleon in the last chapter, they stay a little too close to the original limited-palette, and end up looking bland by comparison. (The color job in that last chapter makes Romita's already gorgeous art look simply staggering!)

All told, this is a feast for fans of Spider-Man and John Romita, as well as fans of the immortal prose of Stan Lee. Just as an aside, I'd like to thank Mr. Romita for the years of enjoyment I've derived from his exquisite art. It's been a great ride, and I hope there's more to come!

"Spider-Man Visionaries: John Romita Sr" provides nine examples of the artist work on "The Amazing Spider-Man" drawing the stories written by Stan Lee. Included are the first four issues drawn by Romita, which includes the classic two-parter where the Green Goblin discovers Spider-Man is really Peter Parker, who learns his arch foe is Norman Osborn, father of his best friend Harry: #39 "How Green Was My Goblin!" and #40 "The End of the Green Goblin!" There was certainly no time for fans of the webhead to complain about Steve Ditko being replaced as the comic's artist when the first illustration we see from Romita is the classic cover of #39 with the Goblin carting away the unmasked Spider-Man. This pivotal story is followed by 41 "The Horns of the Rhino!" and #42 "The Birth of a Super-Hero!" where John Jameson is turned into a superhero type by his father's meglomania. Then we have another one of Romita's best covers and stories in #50 "Spider-Man No More!" This is followed by #68 "Crisis on the Campus!" and #69 "Mission: Crush the Kingpin!" the second encounter with the round ball of muscle destined to become the crime boss of New York City. Finally, we have #108 "Vengeance from Vietnam!" and #109 "Enter: Dr. Strange!" has Spidey trying to help Flash Thompson, who is wrongly blammed for the shelling of a temple in Vietnam and the death of the Holy One. Dr. Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts, comes along to provide, uh, spiritual guidance. So, on the one hand we have the top three issues drawn by Romita you would want (#39, #40 & #50), but the rest of these are fairly pedestrian. What you will discover is that while Romita might not have the superb compositional skills of Ditko, nobody ever drew Gwen Stacy any better. I have a slight preference for the art of Gene Colan when it comes to drawing females, but Romita is a close second and his drawings of both Spider-Man and Peter Parker have become the standards by which all succeeding Spider-Man artists have been judged (even Jr.).

While this book is definitely thorough, it is far TOO thorough. The author seems to have been unable to engage in editing. While Kenton's life is interesting, the biographical information is buried in an avalanche of verbatim news reports, press releases, concert announcements, and reviews. Was it really necessary to include the complete text of some many concert announcements, including contact telephone numbers? Do we really need full text reviews of so many concerts?

Although some of the quotes from fellow bandmembers are illuminating, it appears that William F. Lee merely wanted to talk to all former bandmembers- some of those quoted only appeared with Kenton a few times. In addition, many times Lee only lists information, providing little context; there are almost day-by-day accounts of various tours, listing personnel and pieces played. With all of this information, it is too difficult to follow the thread of the biography.

A very thorough book. Great for any Stan Kenton fan. Wonderful photographs and quotes from former band members.

It is obvious from the first ten pages that you are left with the feeling that, if Frank Miller had written it, it would've rocked but instead it flopped. The poor writing is a complete turn-off and the ending is horrible. The only story in the book that I actually liked was the Daredevil vs. Hulk one. It was awesome and, although I am not a big fan of Frank Miller art, it was appropriate for the story but other than this, the book was not worth buying. I recommend Dardevil:Gang War which was written by Frank Miller as well as illustrated by him and that was plain awesome!!!

Daredevil: Marked For Death reprints some of Frank Miller's earliest Daredevil stories. Published in 1990, this trade paperback collects Daredevil (first series) issue #'s 159, 160, 161, 163, and 164 (Miller had started with issue #158; Miller did not draw issue #162). These early stories that Miller worked on were not written by him. Roger McKenzie was the writer. Miller would become the regular writer and artist of Daredevil a short time later, and would, of course, revive the character's history with his acclaimed run on the book.

The stories collected here still made for enjoyable reading. I liked them, and found them to be very well told. Some highlights include the villain Bullseye kidnapping the heroine Black Widow, with Daredevil coming to her rescue. Another highlight is a spectacular showdown between Daredevil and the Hulk. The last story is a retelling of Daredevil's origin, as Daredevil, while recovering in a hospital from his battle against the Hulk, tells Daily Bugle reporter Ben Urich (who by his own conclusions, discovers that Matt Murdock and Daredevil are the same person) why he became a crimefighter.

I would say that this book is worthy to add to anyone's library. If you want to collect Frank Miller's entire Daredevil run, then pick up the trade paperbacks Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller Volumes 1, 2 and 3 instead.

This volume collects the first several issues of Frank Miller's run on Daredevil. But be warned: he wasn't writing yet. These issues feature Roger McKenzie as the writer. Is he as good as Miller? Maybe not, but very few people are. He is, however, a wonderful writer, and these stories build the character of Daredevil well before Miller took over. Miller himself said that McKenzie was the best writer he ever worked with. These stories are a must have for any Daredevil fan.

I was expecting some sort of an Elseworlds scenario in this title, but this Wonder Woman by Stan Lee is totally far-fetched. I'm glad WW was created by William Moulton Marston and re-created by George Perez. DC succeeded in selling this short-lived title, but now I wish I had never bought it!

I bought this along with the Just Imagine Superman title, primarily out of a love for the characters and a nostalgic fondness for Stan Lee. Avoid the Superman title (look up my review on that page) but this one is worth the money.

Lee's writing is broad and under-nuanced, but at least with Wonder Woman he doesn't have a checklist of mythical elements he feels compelled to include. This frees him to write a more compelling and breathable story. That's not to say it IS a compelling story - it's just a MORE compelling story than the Superman title.

What saves this book is the breathtaking art by Jim Lee, with the amazing production values and special effects that he is an expert at utilizing. The character design is excellent, and Jim Lee gives Stan Lee so many more panels to work with that Stan is actually able to write a good amount of text. The back cover by Adam Hughes is stunning, but the backup feature "On The Streets" is fairly blah.

All in all it's less painful than the Superman title, and worth your nickel - for the art.

This is perhaps the best of the Just Imagine stories that Stan has been doing at DC. His version of Wonder-Woman is a fresh approach to doing a character that has largely been under-written and under-estimated in the main DC books. This Wonder-Woman actually comes across as beliveable and fairly human. The mythology surrounding Wonder-Woman in the main DC books, is here given a more lighter touch and is easier to read. Well done Stan.

And that's saying something ...! It took all I could muster to finish this book (I only read half of the last story before putting it down in disgust). How all but ONE of these authors could make a awe-inducing character (when you really think about it)like the Silver Surfer, and make him a boring TOOL, is actually comendable. It actually makes you think if a character that can go anywhere in the universe is really interesting? And the answer must be no. This guy obviously can go anywhere and see anything, but obviously finds nothing of interest. . .... Only get this if you're a die-hard Silver Surfer fan, or a Marvel novel completist like myself.

The Silver Surfer works better as a visual character that you can see in a comic book story board, it's very hard to capture the Surfer's sense of cosmic wonder in prouse form, and so with many of these stories you have to really use your imagination to get a taste of what the Surfer is all about. Most Marvel heroes translate very well from comics to novel writing, but the Surfer does not quite make the mark.

Like in a dream,it all becomes real.Visual art manifests in the deep realms of the mind.A journey into the nether reachs of the universe. Out there ,light years from earth is our sister planet.The ultimate silver surfer lives in the hearts and minds of the true believers!@ Gilbert Kea,Rainbow Bridge!

This is not a bad book, but is not the book it claims to be. Lee combines two favorite ideas in a story of alien contact during WWII. But the alien is really just a McGuffin, and the reader is treated to a tale of Allies, Nazis, Communists, spies and resistance all trying to outfox one another and protect their own ideas. The alien could easily be replaced with a munitions dump, secret weapon, or other typical WWII target without changing the story very much. Good war story but a lousy alien tale.

Sci Fi and WWII don't mix well in this failed effort. Imagine the Dirty Dozen saving ET from the Nazis in "Raiders of the Lost Ark", and you've got the story. Lee is not a bad writer, but there's just no originality here. He gets sloppy with his facts too. The villan's pistol is alternately a Luger and a Ruger. The good guy is sometimes referred to as a Captain, sometimes a Major, and sometimes a Colonel. Give this one a miss.

Forget just for the whole book that Stan Lee has created just about every character in the Marvel Universe and is a god to many. Do that and you'll be fine for the whole book.
Alien Factor tells the sci-fi story set in WWII about an alien ship crashing in Germany and who can get there first to claim it: The US or the Germans. We take the role of Joe Logan and his squad Logan's Losers as they try to get to the ship. We soon learn that the Germans got their first and have it in the "Forbidden Zone." The trek to get the ship now becomes a trek to destroy it before the Germans are able to use the ship. We also get the side story of a young French boy who saw one of the aliens and believes it to be god.(it makes sense in the book)
Stan the man Lee packs so much action into this book it puts some of his superheroes to shame. There is also a comparison between this book and Saving Private Ryan because of how tightly knit Logan's Losers become in the process of their operation. Although some of Lee's war information used in the book is inaccurate it is easily overlooked by how fast the plot moves, character development and excellent dialog between the characters. A great read not only for the comic buffs but also for the sci fi fans.

This is the second graphic novel I've needed negative stars to adequately express my feelings for in the last two months. I really was taken aback by Stan Lee's writing. "He created my favorite comic superhero, Spider-man, how bad could this be?" was my thought when I bought this. The story lines are really bad. I guess the best way to describe it would be to compare the stories to the mostly bad 70's comics. This isn't something that I'll ever reread due to the poorly written stories which is a shame since I respect most of Stan Lee's work. My true review of this would be about negative 2 stars. I hated it but I didn't throw it away which I was very tempted to do with Frank Miller's DK2 travesty.

Remember when comics were the stuff that dreams were made of? When the writing and the artwork were very good? When they actually made deadlines to get the books out on time? When there was no Internet and comics captured your imagination? Well this book is it. The last time we will see comics done in this way. Fun, easy to read, and makes you want to read them again. We will never see comics like this again, and that's sad.

Stan's take on all the DC heroes was so much better and more creative then the main DC books are. DC should drop the current DC versions and put Stan's versions of the characters in their place.

Poorly designed and conceived this book does a disservice to the legendary comic book artist.

Severely lacking, It reads and looks like a "fanzine." It's all black and white which would have been ok, but the book confines what little art there is into the small comic-book trade paperback size, giving the book a very claustraphobic look.

For a hardcore fan it was a pleasant, light read, but as a "sketchbook" it is really disappointing. John Romita deserves a much more professional tribute.

This book is a must have for any lover of great comic book art. John Romita is a legend.

Marvel Visionaries: Steranko is NOT the book to get if you're looking for a good read. The book is REALLY slim, and story-wise, the choices leave a lot to be desired. There's a two-part X-Men story, which is virtually unreadable- It's a convoluted, overwritten mess, and Steranko's art is very primitive. The three-part Captain America is a much better choice, as it showcases Steranko's groundbreaking visual style to much better effect, but the plot itself is sloppy, and it's way too long at nearly 60 pages; It could have been done in half that, and some of the logical lapses just boggle the mind. The android Vision knocked out by gas...? He doesn't BREATHE!! Why does the cornered Captain America just happen to have an inflatable replica of himself, complete with a lifelike face mask, and how does he get his costume off of himself and onto the dummy in a few seconds????? Stupid stuff...

The horror story that is included is a keeper, though. I remember reading this when I was a kid in Les Daniel's excellent Comix: An Illustrated History, and it still packs a punch. Steranko's visuals are stunning, and you can see his influence in character poses and page layouts to this day. The last story is a Stan Lee/Steranko romance short, and in light of political correctness and Women's lib, it's hilarious. One scene in the story screams out sexual harassment, and I think this cornball classic alone is worth the price of admission. Steranko's art on this piece is simply stunning; WAY ahead of it's time. The color reproduction on all of the stories is nice, better than I've seen in previous reprints of this material. The book is rounded out with a nice selection of Steranko's Marvel cover illustrations.

Overall, fan's of Steranko's art will enjoy this installment of Marvel's Visionaries series. People looking for a good read might want to give this a pass.

I really anticipated this book being a BIG fan of Steranko. I purchased the earlier tomes from Marvel reprinting Steranko's amazing Nick Fury tales. Marvel Visionaries: Jim Steranko reprints his incredible Captain America issues, a groundbreaking, if not short, horror tale from Tower of Shadows, an unexpected romance tale from Our Love Story, and several cover illustrations from various titles around that time.

Now the stories, illustration, and sheer verve on display here blows the mind. Being a young guy of 22, I see even now how a lot of Steranko's influence has seeped into and expanded the vocabulary of comics storytelling and art for my contemporaries. The Captain America issues are just so cinematic and steady in storytelling. I guarantee that the finale to the Cap story arc will leave you giddy with excitement and amazement, like a great action movie. The horror and romance stories are very much welcome as they are very difficult to find as originals and otherwise. So many of the popular comics creators of the last 20 years such as Michael Golden, Paul Gulacy, and Jim Lee readily admit that Steranko played a key part in their development as artists.

My only gripe with the book is that the coloring is sometimes off-putting, but not wholly awful. Steranko's techniques of color holds and otherwise should have held more than enough, even better with today's technology to keep the colors true.

Regardless, I highly recommend this volume, along with Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD and Nick Fury: Scorpio, as must haves for your comic collection and testaments to one of the most extraordinary creators to ever grace comics, Jim Steranko.

This interesting black-and-white blast from Marvel's Silver Age past is thankfully uncolored, either by Ted Turner or anyone else -- but the appalling number of typos make the book irritating to read. Can't Marvel afford proofreaders, or is all their money going to publicize the Spider-Man movies? The contents page lists the reprint as "relettered," leading me to wonder if the typos were faithfully copied from the original or were added in the relettering, or a mixture of both. Pages 32 and 33 alone contain 6 typos, leading to such enlightening exchanges as "It's Mr. Jameson. He has any appointment." "My story will make you for a shoo-in for office." "Yes, yes. Or course." My own favorite is Captain Stacy's comment, "May heaven protect us from those they know all they need to know...about anything." Heaven protect us, indeed.

This is a reprint of the over-sized black & white "Spectacular Spider-Man" comic magazine that Marvel put out in 1968. With story by Stan Lee and art by John Romita (Sr.) and Jim Mooney, this is an election year tale of a slick politician coming out of no where to take the lead in the race for mayor of New York City. Of the guy is running a major scam, having himself attacked at his public rallies as a way of building sympathy and support (Lee must have penned this script before RFK's assassination that year). But as the web-slinger discovered, the candidate is also creating an army of super soldiers so he can take over the entire world. There was a lot of fanfare about this comic when it came out, but we were all pretty disappointed with the effort. The new villain is not a super villain per se and it is hard to get excited about a new guy when you have the Green Goblin and the Kingpin running around (the Goblin pops up in the much better second issues of this limited run series; THAT is the one you want). But then the political realities of 1968 made this story seem such a trifle in comparison. So this ends up being more of interest from the standpoint of nostalgia and history (the first "second" Spider-Man title) than anything else. This 2002 reprint also includes an updated Spider-Man origin by Bill Everett.