Thank you to Abrams for sending a copy of Marvel Super Stories: Amazing Adventures Book 2 in exchange for an honest review.
Looking for a perfect point of ingress into the world of Marvel Comics for your middle-grade superhero(es)? Behold Marvel Super Stories: Amazing Adventures Book 2. Edited by comics superstar Professor John Jennings, this book is an exciting anthology that showcases 15 cartoonists’ short superhero stories. Whether in the library, classroom or at home, this title is sure to be a hit with your young readers.
Marvel Super Stories: Amazing Adventures Book 2
Marvel Super Stories: Amazing Adventures Book 2 is an anthology comprised of 15 six-page comics written and illustrated by 15 different cartoonists. Each of these stories spotlights a different Marvel Comics character. These include many characters readers will already find familiar from their onscreen counterparts, like the Guardians of the Galaxy and Black Panther. Other featured characters’ stories may serve as an introduction, like the Silver Surfer and Silk (whose inclusion I was especially pleased to see). However, these characters are soon to be adapted to the screen. Synergy is the watchword.
Each six-page story is introduced with a page that explains the basics of the character. These are quite similar to the first pages of the standard 24-page Marvel Comics issues that are released at your Local Comic Shop each week.
I also appreciated the roster of cartoonists whose work appears in this anthology. They are: Ethan M. Aldridge, Ryan Andrews, Mike Cavallaro, Chan Chau, Gabriela Epstein, Tim Fielder, Brian Fies, Dean Haspiel, Jennings, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Kat Leyh, Jamar Nicholas, Amber Padilla, Carlisle Robinson and Judd Winick.
This is closer to the demographics of the creators who were working on the main line of Marvel Comics a few years ago. But today, it is increasingly rare to see a mainline Marvel Comics title that isn’t written by a man. So, I appreciated that this volume avoided such an obvious and easily avoidable pitfall.
All-New, All-Different
In terms of the stories themselves, they are varied in tone and style, as is befitting a Marvel Comics anthology. But naturally, being geared towards middle grade readers, the tone never gets too heavy. However, some stories are more similar to the expected superheroics. Meanwhile, others are more lighthearted and hew closer to slice-of-life stories.
I am an especially big fan of the latter type of stories. Give me Stephen Strange trying to remember where he misplaced a library book and Ant-Man helping a family of hummingbirds weather a storm. I love seeing superheroes headline these types of relatively low-stakes tales. Another story that I was especially taken with was Hawkeye’s. This story features a key to explain which dialogue is being conveyed via sign language.
In terms of presentation, the book is a slim five-and-a-half by eight inch hardcover. This is great size for portability inside a backpack or purse. Plus, the hardcover will make it durable and ideal for passing around. Marvel Comics stories are best when shared and discussed with others, so this is a nice feature.
And just in case you are wondering, it’s totally unnecessary to read Book 1 in advance of Marvel Super Stories: Amazing Adventures Book2. Given the fact that it’s an anthology, the stories in Book 2 require no prior reading to enjoy. And as mentioned above, the book could easily serve as a great initiation into the wider world of Marvel Comics.
Avery Kaplan is the author of several books and the Features Editor at Comics Beat. She was honored to serve as a judge for the 2021 Cartoonist Studio Prize Award and the 2021 Prism Awards. She lives in the mountains of Southern California with her partner and a pile of cats, and her favorite place to visit is the cemetery. You can also find her writing on Comics Bookcase, NeoText, Shelfdust, the Mary Sue, StarTrek.com, in many issues of PanelxPanel, and in the margins of the books in her personal library.