Marvel Comics (1939) #1

The very first comic made by Marvel in 1939, though then known as Timely Comics, Marvel Comics (1939) #1 is an anthology book that sees the debut of a few well known and not as well known characters and having some stories with one-time characters. These stories see the origins of the original android version of the Human Torch and how people wanted to use his unstoppable fire powers for their own game, The Angel going after members of a crime syndicate, the Sub-Mariner's origins and his goal of war with the surface, Lone Ranger-esque the Masked Rider's mission of freeing his town from corruption, a jungle adventure dealing with rival expeditions and diamonds, a text story about race car driving, and the story of a young boy learning to live in an African jungle and eventually turning into a Tarzan-esque hero named Ka-Zar. Having been made over eighty years ago and being the first work for an entirely new company, one can forgive some of the faults and sensibilities that this comic has. Although most of the coloring has been redone to resemble a much more modern style, the artwork was kept intact to how it was done at the time. The writing is very typical for the time period, having constant dialogue that's more about exposition explaining everything that's going on without hardly feeling natural as well as making up stuff as the story goes. Being the Golden Age of Comics and not having set the rules that many superheroes have now, there is a lot of death and destruction that heroes themselves cause, though with the Sub-Mariner it's expected. Each story is done by different writers, and while there's a lot of room for improvement, all show how much potential there is for most of them. If there is one big issue with the writing it's that it goes from one intense scene to another without letting the reader breathe. Just like with the writers, there's a different artist for each story with a few of them having one person do both tasks. While some of the art of one story is better than another, you can tell how hard the artists worked on them with good detail and well done designs. Yes, a lot of them have a rough and often incomplete look to them, but one can't deny how fresh it may have been back then. So while Marvel Comics (1939) #1 may not be how one would expect something as big as Marvel Comics may start with, it's good to remember that not everything starts out so grand and thought-provoking. Over all: 70%
Top list so far for 3rd set of comics:
1. Star Wars: Doctor Aphra (2020-) #1
2. Showcase (1956-1978) #17
3. Free Comic Book Day: Bongo Comics Free For All 2018
4. Free Comic Book Day 2017: Riverdale
5. Marvel Comics (1939) #1