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Release Date: December 01, 2002 |  |
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| Product Reviews from Amazon.com (Rating System 1 to 5) |
| Review | Rating | Last Updated | Fantastic!
I love this software.
Great to use my computer to index the items. | 5 | Today | Lo! How the Mighty Have Fallen!
As a Marvel fan since 1968 onward, I've dreamed of a collection like this. The classic icon heroes of my youth forever preserved in pristine condition, dynamically digitized, electronically enumerated! Herein, find, if ye dare, the original appearance not only of most core heroes of the Marvel Universe, but the supremely villanous counterparts: Dr Doom, The Mandarin, Doc Ock, Magneto. A rogue's gallery! Art by the incomparable Jack "King" Kirby and Steve Ditko! Scripts by Stan "The Man" Lee! Who could ask for more! Make mine Marvel! Yeesh! Can you tell I was raised on the dulcid dialogue of Stan Lee? Technical notes: Each page of the comic (as previously indicated, story only, no ads or letters) appears in an Explorer window. Problem is that comic books are drawn in "portrait" and computer displays are in "landscape". So you have a choice of seeing the whole page but having black bars on each side of the screen, or blowing the page up but only being able to see half the page at a time. A lousy choice, but one made necessary by the natures of the media. The initial display is a single page with each of the ten series lead characters, selecting from there gives you a view of the original covers of the 10 issues. Clicking on a cover brings you to a full size screen, and you can use PgUp/PgDown or arrow buttons to move from page to page. This is rather a slow process, probably due to the detail of the art & color. Use your cursors "Back" button to return to the menu levels. A nice feature: Special buttons along the top row allow you to view either the uncolored art, or the colors without the black ink. The quality of the reproduction is excellent. Even when grossly blown up, there is no sign of digitization in the display. Another unfortunate side-effect of this presentation is that two page spreads cannot be viewed together. Makes for some awkward reading on Cockrum's X-men art. I recommend this for any comic afficianado over 20. Not because the material is inappropriate for kids, but because, and it pains me to say this... The writing is just awful. Characters endlessly talk to themselves, explaining details to nobody in particular. Co-incidences so improbable as to be laughable. Dialogue so inane that it is unreadable. And plots so silly it beggars the imagination. Examples: In FF2, the Skrulls are convinced, based on comic book clippings, that Earth is inhabited by monsters. In FF3, the villain is a mass-hypnotist who bring a monster to life at the televised premiere of a movie. (Mass hyponosis works on TV?!?) In FF4, the Human Torch runs into an amnesiac Sub-Mariner only seconds after reading a 20 year old comic featuring him. But I forgive all this. Truly I do. These tales, sometimes awful as they are, were the foundation for and inspired greater works to come. The Galactus trilogy, the Kree-Skrull wars, Days of Future Past. I'm hoping this release is a sampler, intended to test the market. If they release future editions of the first 100 issues of X-Men, Spidey or, particularly, the Fantastic Four, count me in! Excelsior! | 5 | Today | Great value to visit the "roots" of Marvel
As a 28-year-old life-long Marvel fan, I could not pass up this CD collection, even though I already own the Essential Spider-Man vol. 1 and the Essential X-Men vol. 1 (the contents of both books are covered on this CD). I was glad to see that it was Mac-compatible; however, if you own a Mac, don't run this collection on Safari, as it doesn't handle the Dj-Vu plug-in properly (it works just fine with Explorer). Basically, instead of using an application like Adobe Acrobat Reader, you use your browser (with the Dj-Vu plug-in) to navigate through the pages. Each book is easy to access to, and the fact that it can be read in color or in black and white is a great feature. The image quality is top-notch, and the colors are vibrant (I would say that the visual quality in general is on a par with the great reprint of the Marvel GI Joe comics of 2 years ago). My only real gripe is that Wolverine's popularity is not enough to justify detracking from the promise of the CD-ROM's "first ten issues" and include the "New" X-Men of 1975 (Storm, Wolverine, Colossus and Nightcrawler) instead of the original 1960s Uncanny X-Men. It also would have been great to see the wartime version of Captain America and the Submariner, if only to compare them with their 1960s revival. All in all, it's a great product that definitely gives out a great value for its price. I really hope that future volumes will focus on one series at a time though (which would be a great alternative to Marvel's paperback reprints). | 4 | Today | Can't wait for Volume 2!!!
If you can't afford the Marvel Masterworks this is the disc for any Marvel fan. If only the entire line of one character could be on one disk. For instance the first hundred issues of Fantastic Four by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby would be a great place to start. All I can say is why didn't they put this out a lot sooner. If anyone here likes this I'd say e mail Marvel and ask for more. It's the only affordable way to see classic comics. | 5 | Today | Excelsior! Wonderful Tribute and Archive to Marvel Comics!
If anybody has tried to repurchase, look into purchasing, or even wondered if the early Marvel Comics' main Lines-this is the product for them to get! To have it on CD-Rom and in great resolution is a wonderful thing! I really appreciate the fact that I did not have to pay out my Retirement funds to be to own the paper versions of these stories, but anybody in the comics business will tell you-these issues are very, very costly. Wonderful stories, imagination, Kirby at the pencils and Stan Lee providing the thoughts! A wonderful combination for the MArvel Mythology! This Marvelite is a very, very happy camper! It made a wonderful Christmas gift from my loving wife!Thanks | 5 | Today | Read Comics you can't afford
This is a great way to read old comics you can't afford. You get ten different issuses per character/group at a price thats less than one printed collection, and in color not like the Essential series of Marvel reprints. I did have a couple gripes with this product however. It advertised that you get to read the first ten comics of each hero, however in the case of Capt. America, Namor and some Hulk issues they shared thier books with another hero and you don't get those stories. In other words in some cases you get half comics. Also it has the new X-men (issues 94-102) not the first 10 issues of the series. | 4 | Today | 100 of the most sought after comics!
What can I say about this amazing collection that hasn't all ready been said? The first ten comics in each of marvel's famous line-up (Though X-Men starts with Giant Sized X-Men #1, not the Uncanny X-Men). All in all you get the 100 comics that started the Marvel mythology and launched its beloved characters into our imagination. Some of these comics go for thousands and are impossible to find except in reprints like the "Essentials" collections (Highly recommended as well if you want more than just the first ten issues) but with the miracle of CD's and computers you don't need to go out and buy those comics or reptints to see your favorite hero's origin. If you're a fan of Marvel Comics and haven't read these original stories then what are you waiting for! The price is right and the material you get is truly priceless! Make mine Marvel! | 5 | Today | Awesome Value for the Collector
First of all, I want to agree with the reviewer above (Mac G4) -- if you have a problem with the first version of the disc for your Mac, contact the manufacturer, they are helpful; and with the first reviewer -- I would have _loved_ it if they included all the pages including the ads and letters pages (some of the best stuff!). You wonder why --at least on a digital version of this-- they couldn't include the additional pages. Even though I own about 60-80% of this material already in either Paperback or Hardcover Marvel Masterworks, I bought this mainly to support the project: it is so good FINALLY to have an affordable way to access these great old comics. For the price of one Hardcover Marvel Masterwork, you get 10! Certainly makes it easier to hang onto the comics and enjoy them without using up too much physical space. I heard from the manufactuer that they are going to release a 2nd and 3rd volume (more Marvel masterworks! and a Spidey volume!) -- let's support their efforts. As for the product itself, once I got the revised Mac version, I was pleased. The viewer is a bit primative, but it's easy to use and no instructions are really necessary. The pages look beautiful and the transfer to digital went really well -- consistent for each of the comics Iooked at. Amazon's current price for this item is incredible -- but even if it is at list (24 or 29 bucks) -- you should pick this up. It's awesome tool and treasure for the collector. I give it 4/5 stars because 1) this stuff has been reprinted so much I just wished they could have included a few "non-standard" volumes like Doc Strange or Thor and saved Iron Man or Cap for later; 2) as I supported the first reviewer before, we need _all_ of the pages (oh, at least the letters page, c'mon!). | 4 | Today | Hope You Like Iron Man and The Hulk
Let me begin by saying I really want to give this a better rating. What it is, is good. But it's not exactly what is suggested by the packaging and some glitches detract from end-user enjoyment. First, the packaging claims the CD-ROM includes "100 original, full-length digital comics." It doesn't. It includes only the story panels from the comics. No ads for X-ray specs or pepper gum or a bazillion plastic army men *now with grenadier!* No Stan Lee's Soapbox (or its equivalent). No fan mail. A good portion of the nostalgia and charm of these comics is missing with these exclusions. Second, the front and back of the box highlight an offer for "3 FREE COMICS!" Only once you fire up the CD-ROM and click on the offer do you discover a Shipping & Handling charge. Granted $3 isn't a big deal, but it's aggravating having it snuck in at the last minute. Third, the on-screen interface to the X-Men Comics doesn't work. Someone miscoded the standard hyperlink code, using backslashes (\) instead of forward ones (/). You can still get to the comics through Windows Explorer, but an end-user workaround is a poor substitute for incomplete product testing. Customer support did give me a prompt reply and offered to send a replacement CD-and this accounts for the 4-star rating instead of a 3. Fourth, the Character Bios apparently have been taken from the Marvel Comics Encyclopedia without any cleaning up for this product. This means there are extraneous page numbers on the bio pages. Hyperlinks that would take you to other characters in the encyclopedia do nothing in this product. Artwork bleeds from one page to the next in the encyclopedia, but since all pages are shown singly, there are bits and pieces of art in the margins that give the pages a sloppy look. Finally, while the exterior packaging is very nice (full-color embossed cover, hero shots all the way around, fold-out front cover with more graphics and info inside, etc.) the interior packaging is laughable: a cardboard box containing a half-sheet of installation instructions and a CD-ROM in a paper sleeve. Like a number of these criticisms, it's disappointing to think you're getting one thing (full comic books, totally free bonus comics) and wind up with something much less satisfying. On a positive note, given the way characters were introduced, you wind up with a lot of Iron Man and The Hulk in these comics. Iron Man shows up in his 10 self-titled books, plus he's a member in all 10 Avengers comics and a co-star in all 10 Captain America comics. The Hulk appears in his 10, plus half the Avengers, plus all the Sub-Mariners. Sub-Mariner, the Fantastic Four, and other characters cross-over into other titles, as well. If you're not a fan of these characters, maybe this is a turn-off; but after so many other aspects of this product fell short, it was nice to get something extra for a change. My advice: Wait for this product to come down in price, be packaged in a stand-alone jewel case (which will probably also mean a price reduction), or for current buggy versions to work their way off store shelves. It's not a bad product (the stories are the selling point and they (mostly) come through), but it currently suffers by failing to meet customer expectations. | 4 | Today | Stands Above The Rest -
What you should know: TOPICS Entertainment, one of the fastest-growing software publishers in the nation, is introducing a new CD-ROM titled: MARVEL COMIC BOOK LIBRARY COLLECTION COLLECTOR'S EDITION VOL.1. This rich treasure of 100 complete comic books on one CD-ROM will retail for $29.95 in software and comic book retailers nationwide. Marvel Enterprises, Inc. one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment provided content to TOPICS Entertainment. Marvel Comic Library Collection delivers the first 10 adventures of 10 classic Marvel characters on one super-powered CD-ROM. The set includes SPIDER-MAN, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, DAREDEVIL, X-MEN, FANTASTIC FOUR, CAPTAIN AMERICA, AVENGERS, NAMOR THE SUB-MARINER, IRON MAN AND SILVER SURFER. Also included are character bios, comic book computer wallpaper and screensavers. What happened: Where else can you find 100 classic Marvel Comic issues, valued at nearly $230,000 ... in a convenient pocket-sized package and for only $30? Well, before TOPICS Entertainment came along, you simply couldn't, but they've now made all of your favorite heroes' classic adventures available to anyone on one easy-to-use CD-ROM. What makes this product stand above the rest isn't its packaging, but rather its content. 100 complete issues of your favorite characters and comics from the 1960's and 70's! So you can sit down in front of your computer and read the original stories ... such as AMAZING FANTASY #15, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1, AVENGERS #1, FANTASTIC FOUR #1, INCREDIBLE HULK #1, DAREDEVIL #1, GIANT SIZE X-MEN #1 and 93 other classic issues ... in your choice of full-color or black & white, inked pages. Other features include the ability to print the pages, so you can take them with you on the road or share them with a friend. You can also search detailed character bio's, taken from the recent MARVEL COMICS ENCYCLOPEDIA. It's like the ultimate ESSENTIALS book, with all your favorite characters crammed into one disc! It's great for comic collectors as well as those who want to remember the Silver Age of comics, without breaking their wallets in the process! From a personal standpoint, I can tell you that they're also very helpful to aspiring comic book creators to use as reference material in Marvel Comics submissions. This disc has something for every comic aficionado. Ryan Scott Ottney Media Sharx | 5 | Today |
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