Marvel Comics in the 1970s

The World Inside Your Head

By: Eliot Borenstein

Narrated by: Todd Menesses

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.

©2023 Cornell University (P)2023 Tantor

Not a history but an academic study of interiority

If you're looking for a fun history of Marvel Comics in the 1970s, this ain't it. I feel like the publishers foisted the deceiving title "Marvel Comics in the 1970s" upon the author. He refers to his own book as "The World Inside Your Head." I'm guessing the publishers figured the other title would sell more books.

"The World Inside Your Head" is a more fitting title though. This book is not a history of Marvel but rather an academic study on "interiority" in '70s Marvel comics. I'm still not completely sure what he means by this, even after reading the book, but I'll give it my best attempt. "Interiority" in this sense is the degree that Marvel characters have rich interior lives, replete with thoughtful interior monologues, internal struggles, etc. The opposite would be the "less talk more action" heroes, who didn't have time to carefully weigh every move. After all, there is ass to kick.

If that specific subject interests you and you don't mind a more academic style of writing, then you'll love this. Although the book is quite cogent and quite funny at times -- and the narrator's voice is well suited -- I still found myself going into "mind drift" quite frequently. Very often, I realized that I drifted off and completely missed what was just said. I had to rewind and replay VERY frequently.

It feels like 80 percent of the book is just simply summarizing comic arcs and then offering small insights afterward. I found the summaries quite boring for the most part. The chapter introductions are entertaining though. I do want to read many comic runs that he discussed here.

I like the narrator overall, but he frequently substituted a similar word for the intended word. The chapter pauses are too rapid, making it hard to realize that one chapter ended and another began. Overall, I'd say this book needs another Quality Control pass.

I probably would have returned the book, but sadly, Audible stopped allowing returns for non-credit purchases.

Misunderstood What it was about

I was hoping for a 'behind the scenes' expose about the wonderful characters, storylines and artwork of 1970's Marvel, my favorite era of comic book collecting (also when I started). Instead, it's more of a long essay on comparisons and contrasts between said stories & characters, and those of other literature. It spends an inordinate amount of time in the 60's and tends to over emphasis some of the salient points through repetition.

That said, if that's your thing, you'll love it, otherwise i'd pass on it.