The Marvel Comics Guide to New York City

Marvel Comics is headquartered in New York City, and unlike other comics companies, ::Cough,cough:: DC ::Cough,cough.:: they set all their heroes (or a large percentage of them) in New York City. While Washington DC may be the administrative capital of the United States, New York is its financial capital.

Many of the real landmarks in NYC show up in Marvel Comics, such as City Hall, where Peter Parker, better known as Spiderman, married Mary Jane Watson in a civil ceremony. But there are less well-known places, such as the Home of Doctor Stephen Strange, Warlock Supreme, at 177A Bleecker Street, in the heart of the West Village. But even if you go there to find it, you won't, as Dr. Strange has covered the house with an illusion of a Starbucks, permanently under construction.

In addition to actual landmarks, the book covers some fictional landmarks. For example, Timely Plaza, where the She-Hulk works, is named after Timely Publications, the former name of Marvel Comics. And the firm she works for, Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg and Holliway, immortalizes the real name of Stan Lee (Stanley Lieber), Jack Kirby (Jacob Kurtzberg) and the Founder of Marvel Comics, Martin Goodman. The fourth name is the fictional senior partner who hired Jennifer Walters, the She-Hulk, when she started working as a lawyer.

Some locations are given a general area, but no street name, such as Alicia Masters' studio loft, which is located somewhere in Tribeca (TRIo of streets BEneath CAnal Street), the Coffee Bean, a 60's beatnik coffee house located somewhere in the East village, Shield Headquarters (before it was moved to the Shield Helicarrier)- Midtown on the eastern side, or Nelson and Murdock, the law office where Daredevil, Matt Murdock, works (which is somewhere on the Upper East Side).

Others are given an actual location, but no street number, like the Baxter Building, owned by the Fantastic Four, at 42nd Street and Madison Avenue, The Daily Bugle, at East 39th Street and 2nd Ave, The Hellfire Club, 5th Avenue and East 66th St. and Fogwell's Gym and Josie's Cafe, from 34th and 57th Streets between 8th Avenue and the Hudson River.

It also points out some interesting trivia, such as that the Avengers mansion is based on the Frick Collection building, and showed the difference between the movie and comica versions of Spiderman. It also pointed out the inaccuracies in the comics version of the Death of Gwen Stacy. Which bridge did she fall off of? The script says, George Washington Bridge, but the images in the comic are of the Brooklyn Bridge. So, according to this book, since comics are primarily a visual medium, the Brooklyn Bridge edges it out for the win.

And the book also gives some advice should you be transported to the Marvel Comics version of NYC: move to Staten Island. No Supervillain has yet fought a battle or destroyed that section of the city. And the only supervillain that lives there is the Vulture, who apparently doesn't want to dirty his own nest. So, if you are looking for somewhere sane (and *quiet*) to live, live there!

The book ends with a Spider-Man centered Walking Tour, covering past big battles of the wall-crawling webslinger, and the places where he supposedly lives and works (comics and movies both). So, if you love comics and plan to be going to NYC, this would make an excellent book to let you relive some of your favorite (or not so favorite) moments.