Marvel in the 1970s

While I disagree with claims concerning the undeniable racism that surrounds Fu Manchu in the original novels and Master of Kung Fu itself (see: Fu Manchu Is Not A Racist Stereotype), here is some interesting reading from Marvel in the 1970s: The World Inside Your Head by Eliot Borenstein. The first draft of a book in progress, under contract with Cornell University Press.

Marvel Comics in the 1970s explores a forgotten chapter in the story of the rise of comics as an art form. Bridging Marvel's dizzying innovations and the birth of the underground comics scene in the 1960s and the rise of the prestige graphic novel and postmodern superheroics in the 1980s, Eliot Borenstein reveals a generation of comic book writers whose work at Marvel in the 1970s established their own authorial voice within the strictures of corporate comics.

Through a diverse cast of heroes, and the occasional antihero, - Black Panther, Shang-Chi, Deathlok, Dracula, Killraven, Man-Thing, and Howard the Duck - writers such as Steve Gerber, Doug Moench, and Don McGregor made unprecedented strides in exploring their characters' inner lives. Visually, dynamic action was still essential, but the real excitement was taking place inside their heroes' heads. Marvel Comics in the 1970s highlights the brilliant and sometimes gloriously imperfect creations that laid the groundwork for the medium's later artistic achievements and the broader acceptance of comic books in the cultural landscape today,


Orange Is the New Black Belt: The Problem of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung-Fu

Fighting and Talking

Games of Death and Deceit

Paper Movies

From Solo to Chorus

Go Your Own Way

Routine Difficulties

Mind/Body Problems

Mind Over Matter

In/Action


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