If there is a timeless Marvel story that still holds up without having to rely on epic team-ups or changing the status quo, it's "Marvels". Alex Ross and Kurt Busiek's four-issue miniseries is a chronicle of events from the Marvel Universe dating all the way back from Captain America's creation in World War II to the modern superhero renaissance. But, instead of an established Marvel hero as the protagonist, all of these events are told through the eyes of photographer Phil Sheldon.
Sheldon is not a super-powered individual, but instead, a working-class cameraman living in New York providing for his family, which just so happens to coincide with the sudden appearance of gods, aliens, and mutants in the city. Many famous events from various points in Marvel history are retold through Sheldon's eyes, such as Galactus "Devourer of Worlds" arriving in Manhattan (the first public appearance of an alien from outer space), the death of Gwen Stacy and her father George, as well as the first time the government-sanctioned robots the Sentinels are deployed through New York to go after mutants.
So many comic book storylines are told through the eyes of the hero or their supporting characters that it was rare to find one in 1994 that was from the perspective of a random every man. Sheldon does have runs in with certain Marvel mainstays throughout the story, but it is never more than a page or less.
Before "Marvels", the everyday world that the superheroes operated in was a focus, but there was always potential to do more with that concept. Unlike the DC Universe where most events take place in the fictional cities of Metropolis or Gotham, the events of Marvel take place in real cities like New York.
In their own books, the superheroes have many flaws and foibles that ground them in reality. Spider-Man has to pay the bills, Iron Man has a drinking problem, and the X-Men are hated and feared by humanity but still fight for them. Then, here in "Marvels", in the eyes of an average Joe like Sheldon, they are treated as gods above men. It is a nice contrast to how the heroes are usually seen.
It's a testament to how Busiek and Ross paint a rounded picture of the world that a story without superheroes at the forefront can still be interesting and memorable 25 years later. How would the average person react to aliens coming down and laying waste to New York? What are the police's thoughts on a vigilante like Spider-Man doing all of their work for them?
Just like the public in real life, public perception in the Marvel World changes one day to the next. Today's enemy can be tomorrow's hero and vice versa. "Marvels" is the perfect encapsulation of everything Marvel Comics has been about since its inception. A grounded take on the world of superheroes.
Disney is currently developing several Marvel TV projects for their new streaming service out next year, and a series centered around the everyday world the heroes inhabit may not be a current priority, but I would love to see a "Marvels" live action miniseries someday.
