The Marvel Comics Library

Plot

The Marvel Comics Library’, an exclusive, long-term collaboration between TASCHEN and Marvel, was announced today. Over the next decade, Marvel’s rarest classic comics, including Spider-Man, Avengers and Captain America will be reproduced in their original glory, in extra-large format. The library offers collectors a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lay their hands on

the world’s most desirable comics.

The inaugural volume of ‘The Marvel Comics Library’, Spider-Man. Vol. 1. 1962–1964, features the first 21

stories of everybody’s favorite web slinger, meticulously honoring the original vision of Spider-Man

creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. An in-depth historical essay by Marvel editor Ralph Macchio, an

introduction by uber-collector David Mandel, original art boards, rare photographs, and other neverbefore-

seen gems make this book the ultimate tribute to the teen who redefined what it meant to be a

hero, right ahead of Spider-Man’s 60th birthday.

TASCHEN’s extra-large format, close in size to the original artworks, reveal startling new details in the

work of Marvel’s most acclaimed artists. For each title in the series, the most pristine pedigreed comics

have been cracked open for reproduction in close collaboration with Marvel and the Certified Guaranty

Company. Rather than recolor the original production artwork (as has been done in previous decades’

reprints of classic comics), TASCHEN has attempted to create an ideal representation of these books as

they were produced at the time of publication. Beginning with high grade, top-quality comics sourced

with the assistance of the CGC, super-high-resolution photographs of each page were made as printed

more than half a century ago, using modern retouching techniques to correct problems with the era’s

inexpensive, imperfect printing. This included improved and balanced ink densities and color matching,

proper registration of the four-color printing and correction of thick/thin lines resulting from

the flexible plates “smudging.” The end result is a finished product — as if hot off a world-class printing

press produced without economic or time-pressure constraints – tailored for readers, fans, artists and

collectors alike.

Each volume features an essay by a comic book historian alongside hundreds of photos and artifacts. The books use three different paper stocks, including an uncoated and woodfree paper exclusively developed for this series that simulates the feel of the original comics.