A. Rivera reviewed Marvel Visionaries by Roy Thomas
Review of 'Marvel Visionaries' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
I liked it, but I did not love it. Usually, I tend to breeze through anthologies like this, but this one seemed to take forever. It just did not hold my attention overall. I think an issue is that many of the comics in this collection have not aged well. You have to give credit where it is due: Roy Thomas wrote comics in just about every genre. However, it does not follow they were great. It means the guy was flexible. The collection provides a nice sampling of Marvel's works in the 1960s and 1970s. Some comics are better than others, but overall, it is a good collection.
There is also much social commentary as this was a time when racism, sexism, and other issues were at the forefront of American society, and so the comics do reflect that as the superheroes have to confront some of those issues. …
I liked it, but I did not love it. Usually, I tend to breeze through anthologies like this, but this one seemed to take forever. It just did not hold my attention overall. I think an issue is that many of the comics in this collection have not aged well. You have to give credit where it is due: Roy Thomas wrote comics in just about every genre. However, it does not follow they were great. It means the guy was flexible. The collection provides a nice sampling of Marvel's works in the 1960s and 1970s. Some comics are better than others, but overall, it is a good collection.
There is also much social commentary as this was a time when racism, sexism, and other issues were at the forefront of American society, and so the comics do reflect that as the superheroes have to confront some of those issues. Having said, there are also moments that may make today's readers cringe such as Roy's work on "Modeling with Millie." Let's just say today's feminists may have a thing or two to say about Millie's passivity and leave it at that. So, the collection also serves a bit as a time capsule for those who like to get a feel for times past. The collection also includes some silly spoofs and a bit of horror even; the guy really could do diverse work.
I think that casual readers may just want to browse and find their favorite comics: Avengers, Fantastic Four, so on. More hardcore Marvel fans may want to add this to their collections for the sake of completion. If nothing else, this is part of the Marvel Visionaries series, a series the company uses to highlight their best writers and/or specific titles. I have enjoyed other volumes in the series, and while this particular volume was a bit inconsistent for me, I still found it good entertainment overall; I am glad I was able to add it to my collection. Let us admit that at times the old comics could be pretty cheesy, and yet, at times, that is the sort of simple pleasure a comic book reader seeks. Overall, this is certainly a series I will continue to seek. And I may revisit this volume here and there.