History ComicBook / Marvels

* OneHundredPercentAdorationRating: Everyone ''loves'' ComicBookCaptainAmerica, to the point that he never gets slandered the way other heroes do.

* DeconReconSwitch: It's a deconstruction in showing how scary it would really be if a bunch of masked men with godlike powers started showing up, but then reconstructs it to show how awesome and heroic it would be too, especially when they save the day. [[spolier: And then it falls back into deconstruction at the end when it explores what happens when [[ComicBook/TheNightGwenStacyDied these "Marvels" end up failing to save the day]].]]

* OneHundredPercentAdorationRating: Everyone ''loves'' Captain America, to the point that he never gets slandered the way other heroes do.

* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Spider-Man and the ComicBook/XMen, especially in the second part where Phil speculates that the mutants are here to replace us and kick the dirt over our graves. A key theme of the story is Phil's increasing disgust at how much dirt and ingratitude the heroes constantly have to put up with despite selflessly saving the people, the city and even the entire world over and over again.
** The Thing deals with this too, despite him being part of the beloved Fantastic Four.

* BadassCrew: ''ComicBook/TheInvaders'', and later, ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'' and the ''ComicBook/FantasticFour.''

* BrokenPedestal: Gwen's death causes Phil to lose faith in not just Spider-Man, but the Marvels in general.

* ComicBookFantasyCasting: Alex Ross used models for certain characters, such as [[Music/{{Queen}} Freddie Mercury]] for Namor, Creator/TimothyDalton for Tony Stark, [[Series/GilligansIsland Russel Johnson]] for Reed Richards, and, most notably, Creator/PatrickStewart for Professor Xavier, years before the actor [[Film/XMen1 would be cast for that same character]]. Don Knotts also appears as Frederick Foswell, a reporter for the Daily Bugle.

* CoversAlwaysLie: Some editions of the book just show Spider-Man front and center on the cover, even though he has little if anything to do with the story.

* DeconReconSwitch: It's a deconstruction in showing how scary it would really be if a bunch of masked men with godlike powers started showing up, but then reconstructs it to show how awesome and heroic it would be too, especially when they save the day.

* FantasticRacism: As is common with works relating to the X-Men. Complete with ridiculous claims of mutants enslaving humanity, paranoid riots, and more.

* FullFrontalAssault: Namor, for some reason, is entirely naked here-even though he first appeared in 1939 wearing his trademark green speedo.

** In the same interview, Phil is utterly dismissive of the notion that ''Canada'' of all nations would be fielding [[ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} a vicious covert-ops super-agent]].

** Peter Parker looks a lot like Creator/TobeyMaguire. The ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'' movies have come out after the comic, so the possibility for the ''Marvels'' Pete to be based on the ''movies'' Pete is pretty unlikely. But it could be the other way around -- Maguire being a casting choice could be based on this comic alone.
** Also: Ross based his [[Franchise/XMen Professor X]] on Creator/PatrickStewart, much before the ''X-Men'' films. (Stewart was a popular fantasy casting choice even when the movie was purely hypothetical.)

* WolverinePublicity: The original trade paperback cover, used in the page image, is a photo of Giant-Man that made Phil's career. Later covers have put Spider-Man on the cover to emphasize a more marketable character.

** Perhaps inevitably, played a bit more straight in the sequel, which covers events of comics published up to the mid-80s, when the trope was already becoming evident. (For example, Phil's daughters are only teenagers by the final issue, despite their first appearances as young girls happening concurrently to stories published in the mid-60s.)

* ContinuityNod: While musing about the Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner, Phil contrasts them with a couple non-superpowered "mystery men" who existed earlier in the timeline: specifically, the Angel[[note]] premiered alongside Torch and Namor but as an already-active hero whose origin wouldn't be told until later[[/note]], the Phantom Eagle[[note]] a WWI-era hero, premiered in the Silver Age[[/note]], and the Rawhide Kid[[note]] an Old West-era hero, premiered in the later years of the Golden Age[[/note]].

* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Used both in- and out-of-universe with the initial Namor/Torch fight. Phil says that it must've been a sight to behold, but all Phil and his colleagues (as well as the reader) ever get to see of it is brief glimpses or from at a distance and the only time they actually manage to get a good view is after the fighting is over and the heroes had been convinced to make peace, much to the disappointment of most of the reporters.

'''''Marvels''''' is a 4-issue mini-series, running from January to April, 1994. An exploration of the history of the Franchise/MarvelUniverse from the perspective of an [[TheEveryman Everyman]], written by Creator/KurtBusiek and beautifully illustrated by [[ComicBook/KingdomCome Alex Ross]].

* TheEndIsNigh: Phil and his family encounter a street preacher loudly announcing the end of the world when they visit a zoo, and claims that superbeings are heralds of the Apocalypse. Phil tells him off for scaring his daughters. Ironically, he's not entirerly wrong, as not long after, Galactus arrives on Earth.

* ContinuityNod: While musing about the Human Torch and Namor, Phil name-drops a couple non-superpowered "mystery men" who existed earlier in the timeline: the Angel (premiered alongside Torch and Namor but as an already-active hero whose origin wouldn't be told until later), the Phantom Eagle (a WWI-era hero, premiered in the Silver Age), and the Rawhide Kid (an Old West-era hero, premiered in the late years of the Golden Age).

* CurbStompBattle: Namor and the Android Torch absolutely steamroll battalions of German and Japanese soldiers when the Axis attempts to invade the US through Alaska.

* CoversAlwaysLie: Some editions of the book just show Spiderman front and center on the cover, even though he has little if anything to do with the story.

* BrokenPedestal: Gwen's death causes Phil to lose faith in not just Spider-Man, but also other heroes in the city who didn't even try to help.

-->-- '''The Android Human Torch''', ''Marvels'' #0

It's [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks 1939]] and Phil Sheldon is a young freelance photojournalist. He's interested in going over to Europe, where he knows trouble is brewing, and he has a young fiance, Doris. This all changes, however, when he's at the press conference where Phineas Horton announces his newest creation -- the android known as the Human Torch. Soon, other "marvels" appear, the ComicBook/SubMariner and ComicBook/CaptainAmerica among them, and Phil can only watch on the sidelines, both awed and fearful. He hopes that they will leave, that this will all pass... but he knows better.

* FamedInStory: Phil becomes known as ''the'' photographer of superheroes (which says something in the same universe as Peter Parker), and is commissioned by the Fantastic Four to be their wedding photographer.

--->'''Phil's narration''': And if it struck me as odd, at the time, to applaud two men who'd caused so much destruction so recently - I was too busy cheering to notice.

-->'''Phil's narration''': And if it struck me as odd, at the time, to applaud two men who'd caused so much destruction so recently - I was too busy cheering to notice.

* SeenItAll: Phil was there when they first unveiled the human torch and though initially traumatized by the fourth issue he was StrollingThroughTheChaos during one of Namors attacks.
* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: When Phil interviews Doctor Octopus in prison, Octavius flatly denies that Spider-Man was able to make him lose control of his mechanical arms, despite Phil not having brought up Spider-Man in his questioning at all - [[LampshadeHanging which Phil easily picks up on]].
* TheEndIsNigh: Phil and his family encounter a street preacher loudly announcing the end of the world when they visit a zoo, and claims that superbeings are heralds of the Apocalypse. Phil tells him off for scaring his daughters. Ironically, he's not entirerly wrong, as not long after, Galactus arrives on Earth.

** Captain Marvel, presumably in his Billy Batson appearance from ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'', can be seen in the theater audience that's applauding the newsreel footage of Namor and Torch battling the Axis.

*** Taken even further in the sequel miniseries, where Phil, already in a bad mood, angrily brushes Peter off while storming out of a Bugle party. Out on the New York streets at night, he gets accosted by muggers, but before they can hurt him, Spider-Man swings in and saves him.

** The follow-up miniseries ''Marvels: Eye of the Camera'' has Phil die of lung cancer before he can finish his new book. On the bright side, he is at peace with his final hours, he got to see Maggie again and be assured that she's alright, and his daughters and Maggie decide to finish his book after he passes away.

* EvilIsPetty: Doctor Octopus takes clear pleasure in informing Phil, without technically admitting to anything, that he (intentionally or not) framed Spider-Man for George Stacy's death.