Calling all Marvel Comics fans! This is one review you DON’T want to miss!
As a child, I was a HUGE comic book reader. My older siblings had a “MARVEL”ous collection of comics ranging from Archie and Richie Rich, to Spider Man, G.I. Joe, and many others. I was partial to the Archie series, so I never really became interested in all the superhero comics there were available. I left that genre to my brother.
Over the years, my tastes have changed and, with the release of so many superhero stories onto the big screen in recent years, I have evolved into being a fan of such superhero stories chronicling the lives of Spider Man, Guardians Of The Galaxy, and Iron Man.
Celebrating Marvel’s 75th Anniversary in 2014, DK Canada Books has released an updated and expanded edition of their Marvel Encyclopedia this year. This 439 page comic masterpiece “contains more than 1,200 of Marvel’s most memorable characters, with details of their powers and thrill-packed careers.”
1,200 characters? That’s a pretty admirable collection of super heroes, villains and sidekicks if you ask me!
Flipping through this bigger-than-life Marvel Encyclopedia I discovered a few things I never knew about some of my favourite Marvel characters:
- The Hulk first appeared as a Marvel comic back in 1962. At that time he was coloured grey as opposed to the more familiar green hulk of today.
- Spiderman’s middle name is Benjamin
- Thor’s weight is listed as 640 lbs with a height of 6’6″ – that’s a lot of muscle!
“Created in full collaboration with Marvel Comics, the revised pages of Marvel Encyclopedia now feature new entries on the latest characters and teams, updated facts on existing ones including their latest looks and story lines, and expanded entries on major superheroes such as Spider-Man, Thor, and The Avengers. Special double-page features have also been added highlighting recent major crossover events in the Marvel Universe, such as Fear Itself, and the new Marvel Now series.”
With a lengthy foreword written by Ralph Macchio (comic book editor and writer – not the actor of Karate Kid fame), introduction by Stan Lee (comic book writer), and contributions by seven Marvel comics experts, this Marvel Encyclopedia is a plethora of super hero facts, literally from A to Z.
Readers will find that many of the pages in the Marvel Encyclopedia list essential story lines for characters. Readers will also find larger 2-4 page features for the more popular Marvel super heroes.
This Marvel Encyclopedia is a must for Marvel fans and comic book aficionados alike. Full of eye-catching, colourful illustrations, bios, and factfiles, this book, a perfect addition to coffee tables everywhere, would make a fantastic gift for anyone with a comic book geek on their Christmas list.
Be sure to check out DK Canada’s selection of fantastic books – there’s something for everyone on your holiday list!
Disclosure: Canadian Blog House was sent the above book in exchange for this review. All opinions are our own.
