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Marvels: Eye of the Camera #2: Review

Dec 2008
Kurt Busiek, Jay Anacleto

Story Name:

Making Sense of the World

Review & Comments

Rating:
4.5 stars

Marvels: Eye of the Camera #2 Review by (March 23, 2021)

Review: For a review of the series as a whole, see under issue #1.

This issue: Phil Sheldon snaps out of his depression and finds renewed purpose in telling the true story of the Marvels. And he has an encounter with Spider-Man, though it’s a bit difficult to imagine how Peter Parker could sneak out of a party in his honor just to follow Phil, who for all he knew had a car parked outside. Nevertheless, Spidey saved him and this gives him the impetus to move beyond depression and get on with his life. We’ll see how that works out next time.

Comments: Story takes place after the events of MARVELS in the mid-1970s, real time. No inker is credited. Maggie’s story was told in MARVELS #2. Cameo by Mary Jane Watson.





 

Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Marvels: Eye of the Camera #2 Synopsis by Peter Silvestro

Phil Sheldon’s diagnosis of lung cancer is confirmed and his doctor gives him odds of living another five years with radiation treatment plus chemotherapy and six months without. Phil doesn’t want to talk about this and hurries out of the hospital with his wife Doris confused about his reaction. Phil meets with Bennett Schwed, publisher of his first book Marvels about a second book; Schwed suggests one on villains but Phil is hesitant. Phil stops by the Daily Bugle offices and hangs out with some of his co-workers at a bar, trading stories about the Marvels but Phil is uncomfortable and leaves, upset that his life’s legacy consists of taking photos of a bunch of freaks….

At home, Phil puts off making decisions about his treatment to look through his files for ideas. He comes upon a picture of Maggie, the little mutant girl who came into their lives and vanished as suddenly as she came. Phil sees this as one more failure in his life and he sinks into torpor as news stories of heroes and villains play out….

Phil attends a Bugle party to celebrate Peter Parker being nominated for Photographer of the Year but he is disgusted, seeing Parker as a hack who takes pictures making Spider-Man look bad at the behest of J. Jonah Jameson. He storms out onto the streets where he is accosted by a gang of punks with robbery or worse on their minds. Spider-Man arrives and clobbers the punks and Phil goes for his camera automatically. On his way back to the party, Phil realizes he’s cranky because he has quit doing what mattered: taking photos that told the truth. Energized, he goes home, tells Doris to arrange for his cancer treatment and determines to make people believe that the Marvels are heroes….



Jay Anacleto
Brian Haberlin
Jay Anacleto (Cover Penciler)
? (Cover Inker)
? (Cover Colorist)
Letterer: Richard Starkings.

Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

J. Jonah Jameson
J. Jonah Jameson

(JJ Jameson)
Spider-Man
Spider-Man

(Peter Parker)

Plus: Robbie Robertson (Joe Robertson).

> Marvels: Eye of the Camera: Book info and issue index

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