Between different events, major creative changes and the wealth of books available at any time, it can be hard to get a sense of the overall Marvel Universe in just a single comic. Luckily for these fans, Kurt Busiek has returned for The Marvels, a new series with artist Yıldıray Çınar that aims to capture the entirety of the company in a single series. The book captures the spirit of the world's largest superhero publisher, telling a classic tale that feels immediately accessible for new fans, yet surprisingly rewarding for tenured readers. As it stands, The Marvels is another stellar installment of the Marvels line of books and proves the endless appeal of the House of Ideas.

The Marvels #1 opens in 1947 in the fictional province of Sin-Cong as the Invaders patrol for a mysterious woman. A few local criminals hide the woman, as she offers to make it worth their while. In the years that pass, Sin-Cong becomes the center of multiple superheroic encounters, with Daredevil, Reed Richards and Ben Grimm all experiencing different adventures there. As the story jumps ahead to the near future, Captain America airdrops into the now-named Siancong, and encounters the woman, who has since revealed herself as the villainous Lady Lotus. No sooner do Cap's reinforcements arrive than the story finally turns to the present, where readers are introduced to Kevin Schumer. Kevin leads a superhero-themed tour in New York City, but when his tour comes across Spider-Man and the Vulture, the fallout may change his life forever.

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Over the last few years, Marvel has quietly turned the world of the Marvels into one of their most interesting timeless lines. At the center of this all is original Marvels writer Kurt Busiek, who returns here for The Marvels #1. Busiek is no stranger to handling an ensemble cast, as his fan-favorite runs on the Avengers and the original Thunderbolts have shown. Here, Busiek slowly reveals characters and plot threads while jumping across the timeline. This helps to establish the mysteries surrounding Siancong, which is surely the most unknown element of this story. Though Siancong has a great history of Silver and Bronze Age adventures, it is likely unknown to many modern fans. Busiek also introduces the new character of Kevin Schumer, who feels like a natural fit to the Marvel Universe. Anybody who has passed through New York City will likely have seen the various different tours that run through the city, so using that as a way to endear this new character immediately makes him feel right at home.

Joining Busiek is artist Yıldıray Çınar. Çınar has an earnest quality to his work that helps humanize the larger-than-life heroes of The Marvels, without losing the fantastical scale of the story. Çınar is able to effortlessly bounce between heroic splash pages and quiet moments in the park, which makes this book feel well-rounded and balanced. While many fans of the original Marvels may credit that book's success with Alex Ross's realism, there's an important argument to be made for how critical the human element of these characters is, which is what Çınar channels in this art. Colorist Richard Isanove is the perfect complement to Çınar's soft linework. He enhances the epic scale of this series with his scenic color washes, which help the landscapes of Siancong come to life. Letterer Simon Bowland further enhances the story through his vivid sound effects and strong framing devices. As the story jumps across different time periods and locations, Bowland's consistent and clear lettering helps the core plot shine through so readers never miss a beat.

Admittedly, The Marvels has a grand task ahead of itself. The marketing for the book advertised it as "the most ambitious series to ever hit the Marvel Universe" and with a premise like that, it would be easy for it to falter, especially after a year of delays. Still, The Marvels #1 actually lives up the billing with a story that sprawls across multiple decades of Marvel's history without losing its sense of character. Busiek's latest installment in the Marvels series feels immediately engrossing and amongst the wide cast of characters, Kevin Schumer is already being set up as an intriguing new hero. The Marvels #1 stands on its own as a wonderful new launch from the House of Ideas that simultaneously feels fresh while harkening back to a simpler time.

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