Comic Wars

The story of how Marvel Comics went bankrupt, then came back from the dead - bigger than ever as a movie giant. The true, inside tale, with larger-than-life characters fighting for control of Spider-Man, The Avengers, and the other superheroes of Marvel.

As ferocious and fateful as any battle in the pages of Marvel Comics, this is the true story of the life-or-death struggle for Marvel -- choked by bankruptcy in 1996 because of high-powered money men who did not care at all about Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Incredible Hulk, Captain America, or the other iconic heroes of the comics. Coming meticulous investigative reporting with entertaining story-telling, COMIC WARS exposes the actions and motives of two Goliath-style corporate raiders (Ronald Perelman and Carl Icahn), two innovative Davids (Avi Arad and Ike Perlmutter), and some of the world's biggest banks. It is the rollicking true tale of a unique Wall Street showdown, of a surprising emergency from the ashes, and of Marvel's triumphant reinvention as the producer of hit Hollywood movies: the Spider-Man films, Iron-Man, The Hulk, Captain America, the X-Men series including Wolverine, and the crowning glory of The Avengers.

Dan Raviv, a Washington-based correspondent for CBS News, is co-author of the best seller about Israeli intelligence, EVERY SPY A PRINCE (1990), as well as SPIES AGAINST ARMAGEDDON: INSIDE ISRAEL'S SECRET WARS (2012) and FRIENDS IN DEED: INSIDE THE U.S.-ISRAEL ALLIANCE (1994). He is host of the national radio magazine program, CBS News Weekend Roundup.