miércoles, 15 de marzo de 2017

The History of Spider-Man


Spider-Man is the quintessential Marvel character. Although a super hero, he is spared none of the slings and arrows of ordinary life; he experiences difficulties with friends, family, sweethearts and employers. His powers enable him to do good, but not to improve his own lot in life, and it is his simple humanity, rather than his exotic talent, that has won him millions of enthusiastic fans. He is one super-hero who has not lost the common touch, and in fact he is frequently described as "your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man." 

In his 1962 debut, Spider-Man took to fighting crime for a reason commonplace in comc books: he was motivated by the murder of a father figure, his Uncle Ben. Yet Spidey's driving force is guilt, not revenge; he must live forever with the knowledge that he could have prevented the killing if he had not been so self absorbed. Perhaps he suffers from a classic Oedipus complex; in any case he is certainly neurotic, forever agonizing over the choices that confront him when he attempts to do the right thing. Despite his best efforts, he is viewed with a touch of suspicion by those in authority, and is sometimes considered little more than a criminal himself.

Although nobody seems to understand him, Spider-Man has the spirit to be a joker as well as a tragic figure. He is quick with a quip, appreciates the irony of his endless predicaments, and relishes the chance to play tricks on people who never suspect that he and Peter Parker are one and the same.

As originally depicted by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, Peter Parker was just a bit of a wimp. Bright, imaginative, but nonetheless an alienated adolescent, he might well have been a typical comic book reader. Although he has matured and gained in confidence over the years. Spidey is still all to human. He misses appointments, catches the flu when he needs to fight, forgets to put film in his camera and has trouble paying the rent. In short Spider-Man remains Everyman, "the super hero who could be you."


From 1982 to 1988, Spider-Man was seen around town in this black costume,but now he has returned to his true colors.


Caught in the web
The first Spider-Man story was originally intended as no more than a one-shot experiment, and almost didn't get into print at all. "Martin Goodman didn't want to publish it," recalls Stan Lee. Goodman was convinced that readers would find the subject of spiders distasteful.

Fortunately for all concerned, a comic book called Amazing Fantasy was about to be canceled due to faltering sales. "Nobody cares what you put in a book that's going to die," Lee says, "so I threw in Spider-Man. I featured him on the cover and then forgot about him." For the occasion the comic book reverted to its original title ofAmazing Fantasy, an appropriate amendment since Spider-Man was to be the most important adolescent super hero in comics. 

Spider-Man was the hero and teenage helper rolled into one; he was his own sidekick. Marvel's first editor, Joe Simon, theorized that kid companions like Captain America's Bucky were important because they gave the protagonist someone to talk to; Spider-man talked to himself. In fact he has delivered more siloquies than Hamlet. In his first appearance he mused out loud but subsequently Lee adopted the device of the thought balloon with its characteristic bubbles. "I used those thought balloons to help the exposition," says Lee. "I could put interesting thoughts there that weren't necessarily about what ws happening in that particular panel - something to hold the reader's interest."

Spider-Man, despite the fact that he was not originally intended to star ina series, became the epitome of the radical innovations that characterized The Marvel Age. Lee used him to challenge the very concept of the super hero. Spider-Man was neurotic, compulsive and profoundly skeptical about the whole idea of becoming a costumed savior. The Fantastic Four argued with each other, and The Hulk and Thor had problems with their alter egos, but Spider-Man had to struggle with himself.

In the original story (August 1962), Peter Parker is a bookish, bespectacled high school student, isolated and unpopular. An orphan, he lives with his elderly relatives, Aunt May and Uncle Ben. While attending a science exhibit, Peter is bitten by a spider that has accidentally received a dose of radioactivity. As a result, Peter acquires the agility and proportionate strength of an arachnid. He sews his own super hero uniform and uses his scientific knowledge to build mechanical devices that eject sticky webbing, but he is less interested in fighting crime than in making a buck. Disguised as Spider-Man, he becomes a professional wrestler and then demonstrates his abilities on television. Hw blithely ignores the chance to stop a fleeing thief, but his indifference ironically catches up with him when the same criminal later robs and kills Uncle Ben. Eventually Spider-Man subdues the murderer, but for a tearful Peter Parker, there is no peace. He wanders remorsefully off into the night to the accompan iment of Lee's now famous caption: "With great Power there must also come - great responsibility!"

This story, with its challenge to comic book clich?s, created an unexpected sensation. "A few months later," Lee recalls, "we got the sales figures, and that Spider-Man issue of Amazing Fantasy was one of the best selling books we ever had. There were no flies on us, so we put him out in his own title." However, the usual months of creative and production work leading to publication kept #1 from appearing until March 1963.

Until this time Jack Kirby had been drawing all of the company's new characters, but Spider-Man ended up in the hands of another artist. Kirby drew several pages of a version of Spider-Man, but he never completed a story. Kirby's version was as bold and dynamic as the rest of his work, but Lee wanted something a bit more offbeat and edgy. Steve Ditko was the artist to provide it, an Lee asked him to illustrate the initial Spider-Man adventure. The now famous cover for the first story was drawn by Kirby and Ditko together. "Steve Ditko was a fine artist, " says Kirby, "and he did a fine job on Spider-Man". 


Born in 1927 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Ditko had already won a cult following with the dark moody tales he had illustrated for comic books like Amazing Adult Fantasy. An intensely private individual who shuns personal publicity and consistently refuses interviews, Ditko has always preferred to let his work speak for itself. The analogy to Peter Parker working behind the mask of Spider-Man may not be entirely inappropriate. Ditko was the perfect choice to depict the new antihero, a skinny kid who just didn't know what to do with the extraordinary gift that had unexpectedly come his way. "Steve was every bit as inventive as Jack Kirby was," says Lee. "He always added so much." As time went on, Ditko also began to contribute significantly to the plotting of the stories. From the very start, Ditko's sensitive, humanistic portrayal of the beleaguered Peter Parker was enough to alter the look of the medium forever: he brought a touch of realism into a world of fantasy.

Peter Parker - His Life and history
Peter Parker was only a young boy when his parents died in a plane crash. He immediately moved in with his fathers older brother and wife. Ben and Mary Parker were an elderly couple with no children of their own, and they raised Peter as if he were their son. They rarely spoke about Peter's real parents, so Peter became convinced that his parents had left him because of something he had done. Afraid of being abandoned, Peter worked hard to win his uncle's approval - though he didn't have to worry. Ben and MAry truly loved their nephew and would have done anything to please him.

High School
Peter was an honor student, and his teachers always thought very highly of him. He always came prepared for class, and completed all of his asignments. The other students , however, had little time for a know-it-all like puny Peter. The girls thought he was too quiet, and the boys considered him a wimp. Peter was pinfully shy, and some of his classmates misinterpreted his silence for snobbery. He had trouble making friends, but never stopped trying. He often invited other students to join him at science exhibits or monster movies. But they usually responded with ridicule, and almost never asked him to join them.

May Parker insisted that peter wear glasses, but after he became Spider-Man his eyesight improved. Flash Thompson broke Peter's last pair of glasses during a shoving match, and Peter never got around to buying a new pair. Before hi gained his spider powers, Peter had considerably less than average strength for a boy of his age. Clumsy and uncoordinated, he also had no athletic ability. He had a fear of heights - even getting a book from the top shelf in the library resulted in his suffering severe symptoms of vertigo.

Peter always thought of his Uncle Ben as his best friend. Ben had an extensive collection of old comic books and science fiction magazines that he enjoyed sharing with his nephew. Peter spent hours reading these comics and their stories about outrageous heroes and their intriguing adventures. He dreamed of being a costumed adventurer like Captain America, striking terror in the hearts of criminals.

Peter Parker graduated from Midtown High with the highest scholastic average in the school's history, but he almost missed the ceremony. Instead of attending to last minute graduation details, Peter was trading punches with a superhuman villain, the Molten Man. He won his fight and arrived home just in time to change for the ceremony. Later, he was thrilled to discover that he had won a full scholarship to Empire State University.

CollegeFascinated with science ever since Uncle Ben took him to his first monster movie, Peter Parker immersed himself in his studies. Despite web swinging and a hectic social life, he was determined to be success and to make his Aunt May proud. Peter was more self confident in college than he had been in high school. Leaving home for the first time, he moved into a bachelor pad and even bought a motorcycle. Spider- Man ruined Peter's college graduation. In the week before the ceremony, Spidey was battling the Green Goblin and the Rocket Racer. He couldn't graduate with the rest of his class since he'd missed a required gym class.



Peter finally got his degree from Empire State University, but he continued his studies as a graduate student, and took a job as a teaching assistant. With all these activities, as well as being Spider- Man, Peter's life got a little too hectic. He decided he needed a rest, and he withdrew from the graduate program. Later, taking Aunt May's advice, he returned to college and continued working toward his master's degree.

Throughout his career as Spider-Man, Peter has always been torn between his sense of duty and the mixed feelings he has received from the public. This reception has varied from praise to outright condemnation, and it has left the teenager confused about his role. It has even driven him to the brink of despair, causing him to throw away his costume and renounce his alter ego. Nevertheless, his dedication to using his powers responsibly has always led to Peter donning the mask again in the hope that some day the world will learn to appreciate Spider-Man.

Spider-Man's Powers

His Spider-Sense
He may not know if you've been bad or good, but he can always sense when you're dangerous. Spider- Man possesses many incredible abilities, but his most amazing power must be his uncanny spider-sense. This strange tingling sensation, which originates in the back of his skull, warns him of danger. The danger could be something immediate, like a gun being aimed at him or a punch being thrown at the back of his head. Or it could be something subtle, like a slippery floor or a sandwich that contains tainted meat. While his spider-sense cannot tell Spider-Man the exact nature of a particular threat, it always lets him know when and which way to move in order to avoid the danger.


Spider-Man's spider sense is like having a personal radar unit. He doesn't have to worry about watching where he's walking or web-swinging because it always guides him away from danger. Loose ceiling tiles or rotted roof tops don't trouble Spider-Man because his spider-sense warns him in plenty of time to avoid them. Even if he were trapped in complete darkness, hi spider-sense would prevent him from bumping into anything. And Spidey's spider-sense tingles if someone can see the web-slinger out of costume, warning him that he may be spotted.

Like a Geiger counter that somehow reacts to danger, Spider-Man often uses his spider-sense to track down enemies. He has also developed special spider-tracers that are attuned to his spider-sense and can help him to pinpoint foes who are far away. Thanks to his spider-sense, it's practically impossible to sneak up on Spider-Man to ambush him. Not only can he sense the exact direction of an impending threat, but his spider-sense immediately triggers his amazing reflexes to help him avoid injury. He often dodges blows before they are actually thrown. ...Its one weakness is its inability to detect Carnage and Venom.

Since his spider-sense instinctively reacts to trouble, Spider-Man depends on it most when he is in a fight, weaving his way through a hail of bullets without a scratch. Over the years he has come to realize that his reflexes work a lot faster than his mind. Because he can trust his Spider quick reflexes completely, Spidey is free to come up with the witty one-liners he spouts to distract his opponents.

Wall Crawling
Nothing seems to unnerve a bad guy more than being approached by a certain webbed crime-fighter who is crawling up the side of a nearby wall. Though Spider-Man possesses many amazing powers, his ability to cling to any surface is certainly the most unsettling. No matter how friendly our neighborhood web-slinger claims to be, the sight of him scurrying across the ceiling can be very distracting. The fact that he looks like a monstrous insect whenever he scampers up a building helped Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson convince the public that Spider-Man is a menace. Many people hate spiders, and are easily frightened by someone who can hang from their ceilings and cling to their walls.

No one knows exactly how Spider-Man's wall clinging ability works. Peter Parker has often theorized that he has a form of bio-magnetic power that allows him to increase the attraction between the molecules in his body with those of the surface he climbs. All that is known for certain is that he can stick to anything. No matter how smooth or slippery a surface may be, Spidey can attach himself. He just has to keep concentrating until he can bond with it. Unlike his spider-sense, the web head's clinging power is strictly a conscious act. He can never stick to something by accident. He must deliberately press his hand to an object and chose to adhere to it. Of course, Spidey likes to show off as much as the next fellow. He occasionally likes to run upside down along a ceiling or strides up a wall.

Once Spider-Man has latched on to an object, only he can decide when to release it. No outside force has managed to pry him from a surface if he consciously wants to stick to it. Foes with superhuman strength have been known to rip Spidey from walls and ceilings, but that's only because these surfaces have shattered under the strain. Chunks of drywall or pieces of ceiling tile can usually be spotted clinging to Spidey whenever this situation occurs. If someone as strong as the Incredible Hulk were to try to pull Spider-Man off a slab of granite, he might accidentally rip off the web-spinner's arms before the rock would splinter. Of course, there is an easy way to separate Spider-Man from an object. All a villain has to do is find a way to knock him out. Once Spidey has lost consciousness, his body will automatically go limp and detach itself from anything it is holding.

Though Spider-Man tends to focus on his hands and his feet whenever he is climbing up a wall, every part of his body has the same clinging ability. His back and head can stick to surfaces as easily as his fingers and toes. All he has to do is lean against something and he will stick to it until he decides to free himself.

Strength and Agility
Shortly after he was bitten by the radioactive spider that gave him his amazing powers, Peter Parker accidentally crushed a steel pipe as if it were made of paper. He was astonished to discover that he now possessed superhuman strength. Since then, Spider-Man has often told people that he has the proportional strength of a spider; but he's actually a lot more powerful. While not as strong as the Incredible Hulk, The Mighty Thor, or The Thing, our friendly neighborhood web-slinger is able to lift almost 10 tons. He can bend a solid iron bar with his bare hands and shatter a concrete wall with a single punch. And in one, spider-powered spring, he has leapt the height of three stories, or the width of a highway.

Even more impressive than his spiderlike strength is Spider-Man's amazing speed and agility. When it comes to quick thinking, death-defying, lightning swift, acrobatic stunts, the wall crawling wonder is truly without equal. Spider-Man moves with a fluid and casual grace that can't even be equaled by trained superathletes such as Captain America or Daredevil. He leaps from rooftops, summersaults over flagpoles, tumbles off water towers, and balances on top of light poles as he routinely travels across the city in his own unique manner.

Average people have been known to lift cars in times of stress. Spider-Man can raise a couple of Cadillacs on a normal day. Add in the excitement of one of his typical battles, and his power level can shoot into uncharted territory. Over the years the web-slinger has been seen holding up multistory buildings, freeing himself from beneath tons of debris, and flattening cosmically powered aliens.

Spider-Man's reflexes operate up to forty times faster than those of a normal person, and he uses them to dazzle much stronger foes. Faced by the Rhino or even the Hulk, Spider-Man kicks into high gear ricocheting off the walls, ceiling, and ground to barrage his opponent with blow after blow. THe victim, dazed by the wall-crawler's speed, is left punching thin air.

Web-Slinging
Every Spider needs a web, and Spider-Man is no exception. Shortley after he gained his amazing powers, Peter Parker set out to create a web of his own. Peter used his high school's science laboritory after hours and, having studied multipolimer compounds for a few years, he produced an adhesive fluid capable of imitating a spider's silk webbing. TO complete the mechanism, Peter then designed and built a pair of web-shooters that snapped on his wrists.

Peter has improved upon his initial design. He now switches between different forms of webbing by the way he taps his trigger. With a short second tap he releases a thin cable like strand that is perfect for web-swinging. A longer second tap increases the strand's thickness for additional support. If Spiey prolongs the pressure on the fluid, web fluid squirts out in the form of an adhesive liquid which can paste a foe against a wall. A series of brisk taps discharges many thin strands that form a fine spray of webbing, perfect for blinding an opponent.

Peter designed his web-shooters so that he wouldn't accidentally fire them every time he made a fist. Resting in the palm of his hand, the trigger works just like a computer's mouse. He must tap twice in rapid succession to release his webbing. The web fluid is almost solid in its natural state. The spinneret {mechanism in the web shooters} cuts the solid fluid into thin strands. Each web shooter has one web-fluid cartridge locked in, plus nine spares.

Though Peter Parker built the original pair of web-shooters, he now splits up the designs for the various parts and sends them to a number of different machine shops in the New York area. To maintain a degree of secrecy, Peter later assembles all of the pieces himself. Peter has also designed a special utility belt to carry his spare cartridges of web fluid. {The belt can carry 30 cartridges of web-fluid.} The buckle of the belt contains a spider signal which can be projected onto his opponents. Sometimes Peter equips te buckle with a miniature camera.

The pressure in Spider-Man's web-cartridges is enough to propel a single strand of webbing up to 50 yards, but thicker strands and more complex web patterns can't reach nearly as far. Each of his web-shooters has ten cartridges, and each cartridge contains approximately 1,000 yards of single-strand webbing. [The] web begins to harden the instant it is exposed to air. Given enough time and sufficient thickness, one strand could even bind the incredible Hulk and hold him prisoner - although it's hard to imagine the Hulk standing still while Spidey applies the necessary webbing!

Spidey's normal webbing can easily withstand temperaturs of 1,000 degrees Farenheit. It melts, but it has never caught on fire. If the wall-crawler is preparing to fight someone like the Human TOrch, he can pack a webbing which resists temperatures of up to 10,000 degrees Farenheit. This type can only be released in strands that are as thick as a clothesline. Its special cartridge can only hold 10 yards of the webbing at a time.

Costumes
If clothes make the man, a distinctive costume is a definite must for a budding young super-hero. Of course, Peter Parker didn't intend to be a crime fighter when he first gained his amazing powers - he wanted to go into show business, and he needed an exciting look to match his stage act. Peter learned thatMidtown High's dance class was throwing out some old bodysuits. Slipping into the school after dark, he found one that fit him, took it to the art room, and spent a few hours silkscreening a web pattern on the shirts. He also made a skin tight pair of gloves and boots, and with some one way mirrors he found in the drama class's old prop box, he now had a mask. His first spider-costume was finally ready.

Having the perfect costume is one thing, keeping it is another matter. Peter Parker and his trusty sewing needle have spent many hours repairing the numerous rips and tears his costume has received in battle. Aunt May also contributed to Pete's costume woes. She once found his costume behind the bookcase where he had hidden it. Though Peter claimed it was for a practical joke on his friends, she refused to return it. He was forced to buy a Spider-Man suit from a local costume shop. The imitation was so cheap that it began to shrink and come apart during one of his many conflicts.

Spider-Man's boots and gloves consist of a thin layer of material so that they do not inhibit his ability to stick to walls. Spidey can [also] see out through his white eyepieces, but no one can see in. Running from his elbows to his waist, Spidey's underarm webbing is made of a flexible nylon netting. Beneath his costume's shirt, Spider-Man wears a belt that contains his spider-signal, a miniature camera, and spare web artridges. He keeps meaning to add a change purse, but has never gotten around to it. The major disadvantage of a skintight costume is that there's no room for Peter's street clothes. He either webs them into a ball attached to his back or he leaves them behind.

The Alien Costume
[In the Secret-Wars] Spider-Man found himself on a satellite in a galexy far from Earth. Along with other super heroes, such as Captain America, and super villains, including Dr. Doom, Spidey was brought to the satellite by a near-omnipotent being called the Beyonder. The Beyonder wanted heroes and villains to fight a war on a planet called Battleworld. [There] Spider-Man fought many battles and his costume was left in tatters then he found a machine that could replace ruined clothing. SPider-Man triggered the clothing machine and a round black object sprang from it. It immediately started to spread up Spidey's arm, and didn't stop until it covered his entire body.

After defeating the villains and escaping the Beyonder, the heroes returned to Earth, and Spider-Man took his alien costume with him. The alien costume always seemed to know what Peter wanted, sometimes even before he did. He learned that his new supersuit was capable of generating a seemingly endless supply of webbing, and that it could also change its appearance at will. Peter and his alien costume were always in some kind of psychic contact, even when physically seperated. If the costume was in a different room, it came [slithered] at Peter's summons. [However] each night while Peter slept, the alien costume secretly slipped over him and took the unconscious Spider-Man wall-crawling at night. The web-swinger awoke each morning with no memory of his nocturnal adventures. All he knew was that he felt more exhausted before he had gone to bed.

As Peter's fatigue continued to grow he slept through the entire day and began to have terrible nightmares. So Spider-Man went to Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic of the Fantastic Four) for help. After an exhaustive series of tests, Mr. Fantastic made a startling pronouncement. Instead of an amazing suit made of some unknown extraterrestrial fabric, Spidey's new costume was actually a living creature. It was a sentient symbiote who had formed a mental and physical bond with the Web-Slinger.

As soon as the symbiote's secret was revealed, it attempted to permanently graft itself to SPider-Man's body. Spider-Man did all he could to escape from the costume, but the symbiote tightened its grip on him, almost crushing Spidey in the process. Luckily ,Reed Richards had discovered that the symbiote was vulnerable to certain sound frequencies. Using theses sound waves, Richards managed to seperate Spidey from the costume. At last our hero was free and the alien was imprisoned.

Later, [during a power failure] the symbiote escaped from the laboratory and pounced on the unsuspecting Spider-Man. In desperation, SPider-Man lured the alien to the bell tower of Our Lady of Saints Church. He knew that the sound of the bells could free him from the symbiote. The alien, knowing that only one of them could survive the ordeal, sacrificed itself to save Peter. [Rid of the old costume Spider-Man went back to his old look.] The Black Cat, however, thought the black costume was sexier [so] she made a cloth version of it as a gift for Spidey. He used both costumes for many months and didn't get rid of his black one until Venom entered his life.

l'histoire de l'homme-araignée...

Créé par Steve Ditko et Stan Lee (à qui l'on doit également les Quatre Fantastiques, Hulk, les X-Men ou Daredevil), Spider-Man apparaît pour la première fois dans Amazing Fantasy # 15, édité par Marvel, en 1962. Dès l'année suivante, Spider-Man aura son propre comic book : The Amazing Spider-Man. La version française des aventures de Spider-Man a été publiée dès 1969 dans la revue Fantask et à partir de 1971 dans Strange par les éditions Lug. À l'époque, le super-héros de Marvel était plus communément appelé l'Homme-araignée ou l'Araignée.

Les origines de Spider-Man
Orphelin depuis l'âge de 6 ans, Peter Parker a été confié à son oncle et à sa tante, Benjamin et May Parker. Fragile émotionnellement et physiquement, Peter développe très tôt un intérêt pour les sciences et c'est au cours d'une expérience à laquelle il assiste qu'il est mordu par une araignée radioactive. Cette morsure lui octroie des super-pouvoirs : il peut s'accrocher à n'importe quelle surface et escalader un bâtiment ou toute autre construction à la manière d'une araignée, son agilité et ses réflexes étant exacerbés. L'ensemble de ses capacités (force, endurance, résistance, sens et capacités de régénération) sont de loin supérieures à celles d'un être humain ordinaire et il possède un sixième sens : un « sens d'araignée » qui l'avertit de tout danger imminent. Last but not least, Spider-Man peut également projeter de ses mains une toile extrêment solide et collante, qui lui permet d'immobiliser ses ennemis ou de se déplacer plus rapidement.

Peter Parker utilise, dans un premier temps, ces pouvoirs afin de gagner de l'argent, mais l'assassinat de son oncle par un cambrioleur qu'il a laissé s'échapper va le faire changer de voie. L'homme-araignée va, à partir de cet instant, lutter contre la criminalité et les malfaiteurs. Il mènera également une double vie en tant que photographe au Daily Bugle.

Spiderman va affronter au fil de ses aventures un grand nombre de super-vilains, qui ont souvent en commun avec l'homme-araignée d'avoir subi des accidents scientifiques. Le Docteur Octopus, Venom et le Bouffon Vert sont considérés comme les trois plus dangeureux, mais la liste de tous les vilains est longue : l'Homme-sable, Mystério, Kraven le chasseur, le Lézard, le Caméléon, le Super-Bouffon, Carnage, Mac Gargan, le Rhino, le Vautour, Hydro-Man, Shocker et Morlun.

Spiderman a fait l'objet de nombreuses adaptations en séries télés, séries d'animation, long-métrages et jeux vidéo. La dernière en date est la trilogié réalisée par Sam Raimi (Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2 et Spider-Man 3) avec Tobey Maguire dans le costume de l'homme-araignée. Cette série de films a connu un énorme succès planétaire et le premier épisode s'est classé au 11ème rang des films les plus vus au monde avec des recettes de 806 millions de dollars. Pour l'anecdote, il convient de noter que le créateur de Spider-Man, Stan Lee, fera une apparition dans chacun des épisodes de la trilogie de Sam Raimi.

Plongez dans l'univers de Spiderman en consultant notre large sélection d'articles de linge de maison et de décoration Spiderman : housse de couette Spiderman, rideaux Spiderman, stickers Spiderman, plaid Spiderman, tapis Spiderman..

lunes, 13 de marzo de 2017

Naruto es mucho mejor que Dragon Ball

Pocos, o casi ninguno de mis amigos, puede decir que cuando chico no disfrutó a fondo las aventuras y desventuras de Gokú y sus amigos, y las razones son obvias: el trabajo de Akira Toriyama marcó un antes y después en el mundo de los superhéroes japoneses, y aunque estoy bastante lejos de ser un otaku, lamentablemente tenemos un sucesor para este ícono pop, y su nombre es Naruto.


En primer lugar, no quiero que me mal entiendan; Dragon Ball me parecía una saga realmente alucinante, con capítulo y situaciones que en realidad nunca olvidaré y que gracias a Internet logras darte cuenta, forman parte de la cultura pop de casi una generación completa. La muerte de Krillin durante la saga de freezer, el paso a “segundo nivel de Gohan” o la evolución de personajes como Vegeta en verdad son intensos, pero resulta que después de más de 600 episodios vistos de la serie del Ninja, y a pesar de que es una serie que pertenece a algo así como el Canal 13 de Japón, es una serie que en sí misma, deja a Dragon Ball como un juego de niños.

Las razones son varias, y de hecho todo adquiere mucho sentido cuando investigas superficialmente la vida de su creador, Masashi Kishimoto, un fanático de las historias de Toriyama, historias que obviamente lo inspiraron a crear el universo de Naruto.

El argumento de Naruto y Naruto Shippüden, es la historia de un joven ninja que vive y muere por convertirse en el Hokage de su pueblo, un cargo de líder, que más allá del poder político y social que entrega, tiene una significancia mucho más profunda que se irá manifestando y revelando a lo largo de la saga. Desde esa perspectiva, el argumento no tiene comparación con el de Dragon Ball, y en efecto para los fanáticos de las historias de acción, Dragon Ball es “más bacán” porque Gokú es “más fuerte que Naruto”, y de hecho lo es, pero la magia del segundo mucho más allá de esa trivialidad, está en cómo está contada su historia.

El primer punto de comparación, podemos verlo a través del universo que cada serie crea.
En Dragon Ball veremos un mundo más sci-fi, repleto de enemigos que usualmente vienen desde lejanas partes del Universo, y cuya única motivación es “dominar al mundo” y no hay más. El personaje maligno más desarrollado que verás, con suerte busca venganza, o cumplir las convicciones de su creador. En Naruto al contrario, vemos un mundo con una estructura política y social, basada en algo muy similar al sistema Feudal. Cada personaje pertenece a una familia (Clan), con un linaje sanguíneo que es al mismo tiempo la justificación a sus poderes o tipos de habilidades. Ese linaje sanguíneo y familiar (crianza y traumas) determina aspectos sumamente importantes del comportamiento y la búsqueda de cada personaje, e incluso te permite entender las motivaciones de los enemigos, que mucho más allá de “querer dominar al mundo”, la mayor parte de ellos obedece a un plan maestro, maquinado por “el más malo de todos”, que en realidad no es el realmente malo, solamente quiere resolver ciertos problemas desde otro enfoque. En Naruto, desde el episodio 1, todo pasa por algo, y puedes ver que un diálogo de los primeros episodios, justifica acciones u eventos del episodio 300, y cuando eso ocurre, es como si toda la historia fuese una gran orquestación, magia pura.


En Dragon Ball a pesar de que todos los personajes tienen un rol, su evolución dentro de muchísimas temporadas, es tan básico como “qué tan fuerte y buena onda se hizo”. Nada muy sofisticado como entenderán. En Naruto, a pesar de que es una serie de acción, todo es mucho más complejo y puedes ver y entender las motivaciones de cada uno en su vida, en la que su ir y venir oscila entre un estado casi sacado del eneagrama, actuando por aquello que los hace feliz o respondiendo a sus propios miedos. Todo esto obedece a algo que en la serie llaman “La volundad de fuego” o “La maldición de odio” y cada personaje responde a ello.

Tal como mencionaba antes, parte de la narrativa de Naruto, es la que causa la magia. A pesar de que abusan un poco del flashback, considero que salvo cuando los usan para rellenar, la mayor parte de ellos se justifican muy bien, pues determinan casi todos los acontecimientos; Naruto quiere ser Hokage, porque siempre fue rechazado por todo su pueblo, y por ejemplo, cuando eres capaz de entender cuan fuerte fue ese trauma, es que en episodios como su recibimiento post “pelea con Pain”, es un momento súúúúúper intenso, con el que no debería extrañarte que una lágrima te roce la cara.

Por último –porque este post ya está lo suficientemente largo– está el factor peleas, porque a pesar de que en Dragon Ball Z, todas las peleas son atómicas y con un desplante técnico brutal, Naruto se basa mucho más en otro factores, como los tipos de técnicas (Jutsus), las invocaciones y por sobre todo, pero por sobre todo, la estrategia, algo que en DB lamentablemente no es más que un “quién pega más fuerte”. Eso hace que nuestro héroes muchas veces se vean enfrentados a situaciones en verdad dramáticas, pero de la que salvan solamente por sus artimañas. En Naruto podemos ver peleas casi tan brutales como las de las primeras temporadas de Dragon Ball Z, pero aún así siempre detrás del triunfo de cualquiera, hay un desarrollo estratégico que es el que le permitió ganar con peleas, que dentro de todo este rollo argumental seudo denso son verdaderamente ÉPICAS: Sakura contra Sasori, Sasuke contra su hermano Itachi, Jiraiya contra Pain, Naruto contra Pain, Sasuke y Deidara, Madara contra los Kages, Madara contra Hashirama son solo algunas, y tienen un nivel de acción, emoción y tensión, que son para arrancarse los pelos.

Wolverine: Old Man Logan download free



A future world savaged and sundered by super villains, the United States ain't what it used to be. In California, now a wasteland controlled by the evil Hulk Gang, the former Wolverine seeks to live in peace. He's retired, finally free from the violence of his former existence as an X-Man, and he wants to keep it that way. If only  they'd let him. Now, Logan and an aged, blind Hawkeye are forced into a cross-country jaunt through villain-ruled lands, on a collision course with the worst of them all! Can Old Man Logan maintain his pacifi st vow, and make his last stand without doing what he does  best? Mark Millar and Steve McNiven unite for a riotous romp through a future world of death, despair and dynamic action!

sábado, 11 de marzo de 2017

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE

Marvel's Golden Age Begins - Marvel Comics #1
This is the comic that became, essentially, the beginning of the Marvel Universe (although it was published under their previous incarnation, Timely, which later became Atlas in the 1950s, which finally became Marvel Comics in 1961). It provides the first appearan ces of the Original Human Torch, an android (featured on the cover, but not anything like how he appeared in this or any subsequent comics) and the Sub-Mariner, Namor, an Atlantean-Human hybrid, Marvel's first mutant, and ruler of Atlantis. 

Namor had been created for an unreleased comic book entitled "Motion Picture Funnies Weekly" and an expanded version of that first, unpublished story appeared in this comic. The book was renamed "Marvel Mystery Comics", although the "mystery" aspect of its title was rather obscured.


The two characters crossed over in Marvel Mystery Comics #8 in 1940, edited by Joe Simon*. This founded the basis for a universe of heroes who could interact (copying the lead of All-Star Comics #3, which featured the creation of the Justice Society of America). Namor, as a character in general, seemed unbalanced, as he was regularly reconsidering his allegiances. Later, in his own comic, the Torch got a sidekick, Toro, the Flaming Torch Kid, who, inexplicably, was also empowered just like the Human Torch.


Joe Simon*, the editor of Marvel Mystery Comics #8, went on to team up with Jack Kirby and create Captain America Comics in 1941. This comic was the first to show its hero bashing Hitler on the premier cover. In this first issue, we find out about Steve Rogers, a young, skinny 4-F patriot who is given a second chance by the "Super-Soldier" formula, combined with "Vita-Rays", which transform his body into the pinnacle of human perfection. Cap also gets a "sidekick" in this first issue, James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes and they later founded a multiracial group of patriotic kids led by Bucky called the Sentinels of Liberty.

Captain America, Namor and the Human Torch were the basis for all of the company's successes, although they had a stable of other super-heroes throughout the Golden Age. Their most popular feature characters were finally teamed up in All-Winners #19 in 1946 as the All-Winners Squad (on the cover below, the kid who looks like a Namor sidekick is actually Toro who simply hasn't "flamed on").  The team only had two appearances, but it formed the basis for retroactive continuity (RetCon) formed by Roy Thomas while writing The Avengers for Marvel comics in the late 1960's. In Avengers #71 (Vol.1), an "earlier" version of the AWS with the three anchors was named The Invaders, who were a quickly slapped-together team of super-heroes who didn't necessarily get along, but had a common goal - the elimination of the Nazi regime.


Teamed together after saving the life of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill from Master Man, the PM suggested that they should become a team. The rest is "history" (or, retconned history, anyway). Members of the team included sidekicks Bucky and Toro, as well as Union Jack, Spitfire, Miss America, and the unfortunately named Whizzer (his super power was super speed, BTW - not the ability to pee on command...).

During WWII, Sgt. Nick Fury and his "Howling Commandos" made a name for themselves as an integrated unit of soldiers with diverse backgrounds.

In 1945 Captain America and his teenage sidekick Bucky, went on a mission to prevent Baron Zemo from destroying an experimental plane. The plane was a drone, which was loaded with explosives by Zemo. While Cap and Bucky caught up to it during takeoff, Bucky attempted to disarm the detonator but it exploded, flinging Cap into the frozen Northern Atlantic Ocean. Captain America was frozen in ice and his teenage sidekick Bucky was killed. Both were soon secretly replaced by the U.S. government to avoid lowering morale among the Allies. Soon after, the Allies advanced to Berlin, and the Invaders broke into Hitler's bunker.

The original Captain America, as well as his arch-enemy the Red Skull, would be revived in the modern era (1964).

At the end of the war, it is later discovered that a young man by the name of Magnus was in Auschwitz with his future wife Magda. The pair escaped, married, and had a daughter, Anya. When Anya was killed in an arson attack on their home, "Magnus" used his mutant powers to kill the attackers, frightening away Magda, who - unbeknownst to Magnus - was actually pregnant with twins at the time. This becomes significant later in Marvel Universe history.

After the war, most of the Invaders remained active as the All-Winners Squad. Later, the Human Torch was rendered inert for decades due to exposure to an atomic bomb detonation, and the Sub-Mariner was rendered an amnesiac following a mental breakdown after the destruction of much of Atlantis by the mesmerist Paul Destine ("Destiny").
The Atomic Age/Parenthetical Age/Age of Atlas
From the period between the end of WWII and the beginning of the Marvel Age, there were several attempts to keep publication of Timely's/Marvel's most popular heroes going. The continuation of the Captain America story and reboots between 1945 and 1960 resulted in several explanations utilizing Retroactive Continuity (retcons) to explain publication history. 
After Captain America (Steve Rogers) and Bucky Barnes are reported missing in action in 1945, President Truman has Cap replaced by The Spirit of '76, William Naslund and Bucky was replaced by Fred Davis. The "new" Cap and Bucky would fight alongside the All-Winners squad for the next year until Cap II was killed by a robot under the control of Adam II (an android).
Upon the death of Captain America II, Jeffrey Mace, aka The Patriot, becomes Captain America III and serves in this capacity until 1950.
Later on, a fourth Captain America would appear in comics during a reboot. William Burnside was obsessed with Captain America and even went so far as to have plastic surgery in order to resemble Steve Rogers, changed his name to "Steve Rogers", injected himself and sidekick Jack Monroe with a Super Serum, resulting in their having become mentally unbalanced and requiring medical status until an intervention for their insanity could be provided.
Several new heroes were active during the 1950s, including Marvel Boy (Robert "Bob" Grayson), the 3-D Man, Gorilla-Man, M-11 the Human Robot, and the goddess Venus, and Jimmy Woo. The group broke up fairly quickly, but in the modern day, thanks to immortality, long life and a rejuvenation formula, they re-formed as the Agents of Atlas.



During the Cold War, a joint U.S./Canadian task force that was later codenamed "Team X" was formed. This was a group of spies and assassins, including some that become important to the Marvel Universe later on. Subsequently, the Weapon Plus Project, which had supported the creation of the Super-Soldier Project that had created Captain America, started a new iteration of its Weapon program. The Tenth Weapon program (Weapon X) resulted in the implantation of adamantium in the body of a man named "Logan" and the creation of many false memories in him and the other Team X/Weapon X agents.
Some time during this period, or during the Lost Generation, Stephen Strange - a highly talented and egotistical surgeon - has an accident that destroys the nerves in his hands, ending his livelihood as a surgeon. Strange seeks out an aged mystic, known only as "The Ancient One", seeking to regain full use of his hands. He studies with the mystic for years and will later return to New York City during the Marvel Age.
The Lost Generation
As the time between the end of the war and the beginning of the Marvel Age, or "Marvel Time" (always "10-12 years ago") began to stretch, fans became curious as to how the period of time from 1945 to present (which was originally 1961 when the Marvel Age began) was to be explained. The Marvel series The Lost Generation was an enjoyable trip into the intervening period by regular Marvel scribe and artist John Byrne. A grouping of heroes became known as "The First Line"

Heroic Age/Silver Age/Marvel Age
The Marvel Age of Heroes started officially with the public debut of the Fantastic Four (1961), Marvel's "First Family" of super-heroes, Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Girl, The Human Torch (II) and The Ever-Lovin' Blue-Eyed Thing. 

Bruce Banner, after being exposed to the Gamma Bomb he created while saving the young Rick Jones, becomes The Hulk.
Peter Parker, a high school student, gains extraordinary strength and other powers after being bitten by a radioactive spider, resulting in his choice of the costumed persona of Spider-Man.
Dr. Henry (Hank) Pym, noted scientist, discovers "Pym Particles" which he is able to use in a serum, allowing him to shrink to the size of an ant (Tales to Astonish #27). He also uses a specially designed helmet to communicate with ants (TTA #35) and have them do his bidding. His girlfriend, wealthy socialite Janet Van Dyne, also uses the particles and becomes The Wasp (TTA #44), at which point they become a regular feature in Tales to Astonish. Shortly after both Ant-Man and The Wasp become charter members of The Avengers, Hank Pym uses a different serum utilizing Pym Particles to grow into Giant-Man (TTA #49).

Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner gets his memories back after a meeting with the Fantastic Four's Human Torch. He subsequently flirts with and then kidnaps the Invisible Girl and, after regaining his throne in Atlantis, shortly considers conquering land-dwellers, but then changes his mind. 


Not much later, Donald Blake discovers that he is Thor, Peter Parker becomes Spider-Man, and Tony Stark dons his Iron Man guise. In the March 1963 issues of Fantastic Four (#12) and Spider-Man (first issue), the Thing and the Hulk battle and Spider-Man meets the Fantastic Four, setting the stage for a shared universe in which all Marvel characters can cross over into each others' series.

Some of these heroes joined to form the Avengers, Marvel's premier super-team, funded by munitions researcher, Tony Stark (aka Iron Man) and overseen by the US Government. 

Also, at this time, a group of mutants under the leadership of Professor Charles Xavier emerge, calling themselves the X-Men (Cyclops, the Angel, the Beast, Iceman and Marvel Girl). Subsequently, the X-Men go public, fighting the mysterious Magneto.

Here are some of the major events of the following years, in chronological order - in "Marvel Time", all of these events of the past 47 years have occurred only within the past 10-13 years:

The Avengers find Captain America, kept alive in a block of ice by the super-soldier formula and revive him with the help of Namor, the Sub Mariner. Cap will go on to be the most regular leader of the group through it's changing roster.

The Fantastic Four encounter a few Skrulls, a shape-shifting, imperialistic race. They are quickly defeated and hypnotized into believing they are actually cows...  Shortly thereafter, having spent all of their previous adventures in street clothes, the Fantastic Four don special uniforms made from unstable molecules.

Magneto returns with his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (Mastermind, the Toad and twins Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, now known as Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch) to battle the X-Men. It is later discovered that Magneto was Magnus and the twins, Pietro and Wanda, were his children.
Stephen Strange, former surgeon, returns to New York City, taking up residence in Greenwich Village in a mansion dubbed the Sanctum Sanctorum. He battles unseen and other-dimensional threats as Earth's Sorcerer Supreme: Doctor Strange.

Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer trained in boxing with exceptional athletic abilities and senses heightened to a superhuman level, becomes Daredevil.

Colonel Nick Fury, after several years in the CIA and now sporting an eyepatch from a war injury, conceives and later becomes director of S.H.I.E.L.D. The acronym originally stood for Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division. It was changed in 1991 to Strategic Hazard Intervention, Espionage Logistics Directorate. In the 2008 Marvel Studios film Iron Man, the acronym stood for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. S.H.I.E.L.D. continues to be the watchdog of the Marvel Universe and Nick Fury, thanks to the Infinity Formula, which has slowed his aging considerably since the 1940s.

The Fantastic Four find out that "Madame Medusa", former member of the Frightful Four and current member of the Fantastic Four, had suffered from amnesia. Upon learning this, they then encounter The Inhumans, a race of former humans whose genetic destiny was interfered with by the Kree, a warrior race looking to circumvent their own evolutionary stagnation and for a race to create as a new army. The Kree abandoned the experiment with humans, but the Inhumans created their own, insular society and exposed themselves ritualistically to the mutagenic Terrigen Mist, giving them diverse powers, but also resulting in lasting genetic damage and deformities. Black Bolt, their King, Medusa, his wife and their cousins (the Royal Family) Karnak, Gorgon, Triton, Crystal, Maximus the Mad, and the canine Lockjaw.

Captain America, upon meeting Rick Jones, sidekick of The Hulk, momentarily mistakes him for Bucky.

Galactus and his herald, the Silver Surfer, plan to destroy Earth. After meeting Alicia Masters, a blind sculptress and girlfriend of The Thing, the Silver Surfer rebels against his master and, as punishment, remains a prisoner of earth's atmosphere. 

Later, the Fantastic Four are invited to the technologically advanced nation of Wakanda, where they meet and are defeated by The Black Panther, who is preparing for the advent of his archenemy, Ulysses Klaw. Upon learning this, the Fantastic Four help the Black Panther defend his nation and protect its precious store of Vibranium, whose special properties were evident in the shield of Captain America.

Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) and Sue Storm (The Invisible Girl) of the Fantastic Four, wed. Most every character in the Marvel Universe shows up in this comic - including Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

Rick Jones briefly takes the title and uniform of Bucky, Cap's long-dead partner. Rick's brief time as Bucky gave him the training to survive around superheroes to this day.

The Human Torch battles (seemingly) the Original Human Torch.

The Kree Empire sends Captain Mar-Vell to Earth as a spy. Coming to empathize with humanity, Mar-Vell betrays his orders and is welcomed as a hero by the people of Earth. After being banished to the Negative Zone, he later is merged with Rick Jones via the Kree nega-bands, allowing them to change places upon slamming them together, in a manner similar to the Original Captain Marvel and Billy Batson.
T'Challa, son of T'Chaka and King of Wakanda (the only source of vibranium) becomes the Black Panther. Upon accepting his invitation to visit Wakanda, the Fantastic Four are captured in order to allow T'Challa to test himself, as he is on the brink of a battle with Klaw, the man who killed his father. They of course help T'Challa and he later becomes an Avenger.

Hank Pym (Ant-Man/Giant-Man) creates Ultron, a robot based on his own brain patterns, who rebels due to an irrational hatred for his "father"/creator and sets out to destroy mankind. This scenario will be repeated several times, with Ultron renaming himself with a version number after each iteration (Ultron-5, Ultron-7, etc.).

The Vision, a synthezoid, is created by Ultron, to battle the Avengers, but, in an ironic twist, rebels against his creator and becomes an Avenger. The Vision is thought to be based on the same android technology as The Original Human Torch and his brain patterns are based on those of Wonder Man (Simon Williams, believed to be deceased at that time).

Franklin Richards is born.

The Bronze Age (1971-1980)

The Avengers become involved in a millennia-old interstellar war between the Kree and the Skrulls (both races were created by cosmic beings known as the Celestials, who were experimenting with the evolution of many intelligent beings across the universe - this experimentation was the inspiration for the Kree interfering with Human development, resulting in The Inhumans).
During a fight with the Green Goblin, Gwen Stacy is killed when Spider-man is unable to save her.

Captain America teams with The Falcon for a few years. Also during this period, Cap becomes disillusioned with the US government after a serious scandal and he gives up the title of Captain America, becoming "Nomad". After failed attempts at replacement by the government of Captain America, Steve Rogers re-asserts himself as Cap, noting that he is not the symbol of the government but of the United States of America, itself.
The Canadian government brings their "Weapon X" to attack the Hulk. This adventurer, named Wolverine, is knocked out.

Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) encounters Thanos, a deviant member of the race of Eternals (long- lived, almost godlike beings, who once lived on Mount Olympus, but now reside on Saturn's moon, Titan), who, fascinated by nihilism, falls in love with the personification of Death in the Marvel Universe and embarks on a quest to eliminate known life.

Professor X assembles a new team to rescue the original X-Men. First appearance of Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler and first addition of Wolverine and Banshee to the team.

The Beast discovers a mutagenic formula and inoculates himself, resulting in his becoming a beast in appearance, as well as name.

Jean Grey/Marvel Girl, after she is terminally injured during re-entry to Earth's atmosphere in a space shuttle - re-emerges with almost limitless power as The Phoenix. 

Tony Stark succumbs to, and later addresses, alcoholism.

Scott Lang, a failed electronics expert, upon parole from incarceration for burglary, is hired by Stark International's design department and becomes involved in the installation of a new security system at the Avengers Mansion. When his daughter, Cassie, suffers from a grave illness, he turns to burglary again, stealing Dr. Hank Pym's Ant-Man suit. When he seeks out the only person capable of curing his daughter, he finds Dr. Sondheim in captivity. He rescues Sondheim, who saves Cassie's life. Upon offering to return the Ant-Man equipment, Dr. Pym decides that the equipment is in the right hands and allows Scott Lang to become the second Ant-Man (Marvel Premiere #77) as long as he stays on the right side of the law. Lang becomes an occasional Ant-Man assisting various Avengers from time to time.
Alpha Flight, a super-team from Canada, attempts to capture Wolverine and battle the X-Men.

Jennifer Walters, lawyer cousin of Bruce Banner, receives a blood transfusion from him, resulting in her becoming the She-Hulk. She-Hulk is in full control of her faculties.
The Scarlet Witch and the Vision are married.

Jean Grey becomes Dark Phoenix upon allowing the Phoenix force to overcome her personal judgment, resulting in her destroying a sun, destroying an inhabited planet and being called to pay for her crime by being psychically lobotomized by the Shi'ar Empire. A battle ensues between the entire roster of the X-Men and the Imperial Guard (artist Dave Cockrum's homage to his first successful team, the Legion of Super-Heroes). Desperately overpowered, the X-Men losing, Jean - feeling the Phoenix taking over again - summons Kree technology from their battlefield (the Blue Area of the Moon) and sacrifices herself, rather than lose control of her nigh-omnipotent power again.

The Independent Age/Carol Kalish Age (1980-1987)

Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) falls victim to what the Kree call "the Blackend", or what is called Cancer on Earth.

Daredevil (Matt Murdock) rediscovers his lost love, Elektra and also encounters The Punisher, both of whom will go on to have their own adventures chronicled.
The Contest of Champions, the first major Marvel Universe Crossover, is published.
Professor Xavier creates another team of high school aged students, the New Mutants.
Alpha Flight, a team previously intended to be led by Wolverine and the last of Department H's defense initiative (Alpha Flight being the premiere group of it's sub-teams of Beta Flight, Delta Flight and Gamma Flight) become more active in the Marvel Universe.

The Avengers begin a West Coast Team under the direction of Hawkeye.

The Beyonder kidnaps Earth's heroes and villains to battle on a planet of his creation. Spider-Man finds his symbiote (black) costume. [Secret Wars]

She-Hulk becomes a member of the Fantastic Four, when The Thing stays behind on the "Beyonder's Planet", where he is able to shift to Ben Grimm at will. She-Hulk replaces the Thing in the Fantastic Four for a time until Ben returns from the "Beyonder's Planet".

Iron Man embarks on a mission to destroy armored suits that were created from his own stolen technology (Armor Wars).

Bruce Banner breaks through in a session with Doc Sampson, resulting in the merging of his three personalities (Grey Hulk, Green Hulk and Banner) and giving Banner successful and fully cognitive control over his Hulk persona.
The Dark Age (1987-1997)
The Punisher receives his own series and is portrayed as a hero.
Venom - a character which is an amalgam of Eddie Brock and the scorned symbiote costume of Spider-Man - terrorizes Mary Jane Parker to the point that she asks Peter Parker never to wear the black costume again.
Venom later receives his own series and is portrayed as a hero.
Charles Xavier leaves the School for Gifted Youngsters in the hands of the X-Men's enemy Magneto, leading to a splintering of mutant groups, such as X-Factor (the original X-Men). The Angel's wings are injured and amputated, then replaced with razor-sharp wings after he is hyper-mutated by the evil mutant Apocolypse.
The Hulk is diagnosed by Doc Sampson as a multiple personality disorder and successfully integrates the personalities into a unified being, allowing hulk to gain Bruce Banner's mental faculties. After 10 successful years of this journey, Marvel Editorial reverts him back to a rampaging monster. 
"The Clone Saga" is published, reintroducing clones of Spider-Man from a long-forgotten (by choice) Bronze Age story. This story featured a clone whose dead body had been incinerated.
The Silver Surfer is released from his imprisonment on Earth, resulting in many star-spanning adventures.
The Original Human Torch is (finally) revived. The "Torch" who battled Johnny Storm turns out to have been Toro, the Original Torch's human sidekick. Professor Horton reveals that The Vision is not his work, but an amalgam of some spare parts from his lab. This provides an explanation as to why the original Human Torch was a synthetic human (with synthetic tissue and blood) and the Vision was a synthezoid with robotics (electronic components, as seen in Avengers #93).

Namor, the Sub-Mariner learns that his hybrid physiology requires him to spend time in both the water and air, in order to maintain a healthy psychiatric profile.  Shortly thereafter, The Invaders, if only for a brief moment, reunite to squash a Nazi threat at the end of the 20th Century.

Thanos gains control of the Infinity Gems (Adam Warlock's Soul Gem and other similarly powered gems) and creates the Infinity Gauntlet to use them in unison, rendering him omnipotently powerful.  A situation that requires the attention of every hero in the Marvel Universe. [Thanos Quest/The Infinity Gauntlet]
"Marvels" by writer Kurt Busiek and painter Alex Ross is published.
The Marvel Universe (Earth-616) is erased between 1996-1997 with "Heroes Reborn". It is quickly erased, rendering it unecessary to retell here. Suffice it to say that the mind of Franklin Richards creates a universe which supplants the mainstream universe (with versions of heroes as written and rendered by Rob Liefeld and Jim Lee), and then returns things to normal again sometime later.
The Modern Era (1998-PRESENT)

 The return of the Marvel Universe (Earth-616) was chronicled by Marvel titles beginning in 1998. Much had changed, but our heroes essentially picked up where they left off. 
Rick Jones becomes "partners" with Captain Marvel's son, Genis-Vell, experiencing the same molecular transfer with the nega-bands, only this time through the Microverse, rather than the Negative Zone.

 Scott Lang, during the Avengers: Disassembled event, is seemingly killed by an explosion seemingly set off by Jack of Hearts, which destroys the Avengers Mansion.
Nathaniel Richards, destined to become Kang the Conqueror is given a suit of armor (by Kang from the future, of course) and decides to deny his fate by donning the suit and going back in time to become the young hero, Iron Lad. He forms a team of young heroes with Hulkling (Teddy Altman, a shapeshifter with super strength), Patriot (Eli Bradley, grandson of Super-Soldier Isaiah Bradley) and Wiccan (Billy Kaplan, wielder of magics). They quickly encounter and add to their roster more young would-be heroes: Kate Bishop, a young adventurer who inducted herself into the group without any known powers and saves their bacon from a botched rescue (Captain America will later bless her use of the "Hawkeye" moniker due to her ability with bow and arrow). Cassie Lang (daughter of Scott Lang, Ant-Man II, who learns that her lifetime exposure to Pym Particles has enabled her to change size at will) who becomes Stature. The Vision - re-formed from the then-recovering Vision's programming and Iron Lad's technology. And Tommy Shepherd (Speed) - whom the group find through the Vision and release from power-dampening captivity. The group, upon liberating Tommy, immediately note that he and Billy are identical twins, save for their hair color. This group will become known as The Young Avengers.

The "New" Avengers whose roster includes Luke Cage, Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man and Spider-Woman (Veranke) is formed in the wake of Avengers: Disassembled. Later, Wolverine and Sentry will be added as members, as well as the deaf ninja Echo, as Ronin.
The "House of M" event is the result of the Scarlet Witch's (Wanda Maximoff's) escalating powers. Previously held in check by Professor Xavier's psychic blocks, he recognizes the potential threat she poses to the world at large. Perhaps sensing the impending doom, Wanda reinvents reality in a fashion that results in the world being run by Magneto and other mutants in the House of M. A warped reality bent by Magneto's overbearing desire to "fix" the world for mutantkind and Wanda's desire to have a "normal" life with her ersatz children (Thomas and William) intact, she eventually realizes that she has to put things right. She restructures the world once again - but not exactly the way it was. Some who were dead are now alive, some who had powers do not any longer - in particular, after she has uttered "No more mutants", the millions of mutants have become mostly human, with a few hundred mutants left on earth.
After over 40 years of being the only character in Marvel continuity to have remained dead after being pronounced so (to the extent that comics fans made the distinction between being "dead" and being "Bucky-dead"), the character is revived as "The Winter Soldier".
Subsequently, the great character minds of the Marvel Universe clandestinely gather together, revealing a highly fascistic and underhanded motivation to previously heroic characters, naming themselves "The Illuminati". 
In further attempts at event storytelling, such as "Secret Invasion" and "Civil War" the results are long stories unable to be republished as a cohesive narrative and more universal situations thrust upon characters, writers and readers. Many recent readers, attempting to connect the published Marvel Universe with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, become frustrated with the number of tomes necessary to make sense of these storylines.
Eric O'Grady, an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. discovers Dr. Hank Pym's most updated Ant-Man suit at headquarters and steal the suit to gain his own ends as "The Irredeemable Ant-Man".
In Avengers: The Children's Crusade, during a time travel incident, Scott Lang is saved at the moment of the destruction of the Avengers Mansion and is returned to the present by the Young Avengers and the Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff) at the moment she regains her memories.

In 2013, Marvel shoots for the moon with "Marvel NOW" and, for the umpteenth time, restarts all titles with #1. As with "Heroes Reborn", the concept is abandoned within a year. 
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