Organized chronologically, Marvel devotes three shorter chapters to the period before Marvel's 1960s heyday, with one each on the early history of comic books, the golden age, and the 1950s crisis. The second half contains longer chapters that focus on Marvel's output during the 1960s superhero boom, the experimentation in the 1970s, and the direct sales period of the 1980s and 1990s. A seventh chapter reprints four "classic" stories. Profiles of creators and characters are sprinkled in side-bars throughout.Daniels produced this book in close cooperation with Marvel; there is little here that is critical of the company. The Kirby art dispute is entirely omitted, and many of Marvel's business practices are glossed over. Despite this, the book is a useful reference tool. It is well written and clearly organized, and has an excellent index. It is copiously illustrated, with many reproduced pages and some oddities like company Christmas cards from the 1940s. The book also includes a good overview of the production process.
Sullivan, Darcy. "Marvel Comics and the Kiddie Hustle." [Review essay.] The Comics Journal 152 (August 1992): 30-37.