Writer: Mark Waid

Art: Javier Rodríguez, Álvaro López, VC’s Joe Caramagna, Steve McNiven, Mark Farmer, and Sunny Gho

Price: $4.99

Release Date: July 24th, 2019

Everything you ever wanted to know about the Marvel Universe – in one lavishly illustrated series! From the Big Bang to the twilight of existence all in this week’s all-new HISTORY OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE #1 by Mark Waid. Let’s jump in and possibly witness the greatest tale ever told – and be prepared for some shocking revelations!

WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

The best way to describe Mark Waid’s first issue of the HISTORY OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE is smart, informative, brilliant, and heavy. To those who have searched our own universe looking for answers but never finding them, Waid is literally giving Marvel fans the creation of the Marvel Universe and maps out the epic highlights up through Wolverine’s birth. The knowledge, research, and time alone that it took Waid to compose this all-inclusive narrative is simply breathtaking. Every answer to the order of your favorite universe of stories has been laid out with so much thought, precision, and care that all true Marvel fans will be amazed by the intricate detail to each nuance strategically organized into the largest puzzle readers have ever seen!

The only knock anyone could give this amazing lesson is that there is very little “story” involved. Waid is giving a play-by-play of events, so many that this reviewer couldn’t list them all. Things that this Marvel fan thought he knew were proven right and wrong throughout this issue. Your mind will be blown by some of the revelations. However, after multiple reads, the continuity will become clear. Ideally, isn’t that what everyone wants deep down? Doesn’t everyone want clarity, knowledge, understanding, and continuity? Well, Marvel fans, Waid was given the task to categorize, organize, and systematically chronicle the events that laid out the Marvel Universe and he did it flawlessly! Well done Mr. Waid.

Readers, it’s heavy and may come off as herculean to digest in one sitting. However, how does someone tell the history of something cosmic in a way that’s easy to stomach? How does someone explain God, or something otherworldly, to someone of THIS world in a way we can understand? Honestly, you take the knowledge you have and formulate a response the best way possible, which is exactly what Mark Waid. His experience, dedication, understanding, and sheer genius shine through on each page of this issue and any Marvel fan searching for answers and continuity would be a fool to skip this series.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Pick this issue up and add this series to your pull list to get the answers you’ve been craving since you started reading Marvel Comics in the first place. Additionally, watch as this art team gets to let loose on every imaginable moment with wonderfully beautiful depictions of truly marvelous events. Readers will leave feeling that this issue was well worth the price and excited for the next one. Guys, don’t we all want to know where we came from and why? Well, Waid gets to tell us the Marvel version and he does so with impeccable taste.

9.3/10