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Marvels

Marvels was a novel perception of the idea of the superhero by Kurt Busiek and illustrated by the legendary Alex Ross. Following the eagle-eyed camera of Phil Sheldon, the events of the Marvel universe are recreated in chronological order, stemming the gold and silver-age of comics. The focus of the miniseries is not about the heroes themselves, but how the public feels about them.

It's a theme that isn't usually given a lot of attention. How does the everyday citizen respond to the appearance of superpowered beings? The fear and adoration that would bring, along with the constant danger to one's life if they live in New York City, is immeasurable. In Sheldon's case, it brings obsession, but others yield frustration and anger. Each individual has an instinctive reaction to an impending threat, a fight or flight response, but what if the world is about to end and everything is literally out of your hands? Then you sit and you watch someone else and you pray. That's all you can do.

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