The DC Comics Encyclopedia, Updated and Expanded Edition (Hardcover)

~ Michael Teitelbaum (Author), Scott Beatty (Author), Robert Greenburger (Author), (Author)
Key Phrases: fatal five, subtle realms, female furies, Gotham City, New York City, Infinite Crisis (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This copiously illustrated encyclopedia chronicles more than 1,000 DC Comics characters from the 1930s to the present. Arranged alphabetically, each entry gives the first appearance, status (hero, villain, etc.), real name, occupation, height, weight, and eye and hair color of the superheroes or supervillains. Special abilities and superpowers are also listed along with ample cross-references to other comic characters or superleague affiliations, such as the L.E.G.I.O.N. cosmic peacekeeping force.

The biographical entries make fascinating reading in alternative history. For example, the Crimson Avenger served in a league called the Seven Soldiers of Victory during World War II. Afterward, he was sent backward in time. He came forward in time and discovered that he was struck with a terminal disease. After his death, an unknown woman purchased two guns that had belonged to him. These guns transformed her into Crimson Avenger II, who became an agent of vengeance and execution. Of course, famous characters such as Wonder Woman or Batman are included. But lesser-known characters, such as Superman's college flame, Lori Lemaris (a mermaid), are also listed.

The colorful design makes this book a pleasure to browse. Special two-page features, such as "Amazing Weapons" and "Romantic Moments," are interspersed with the biographies. Recommended for public libraries with active comic readership. Jack O'Gorman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Review

"... it's hard to top this encyclopedia." -- Winston-Salem Journal<br /><br />"Fabulous artwork and pictures of more than 1,000 famous comic book characters fill this classic that will thrill all collectors." --Detroit Free Press

A well-timed expansion of the 2004 edition, this singular, visually extraordinary hero-villain guide provides definitive order to the pandemonium of character names and histories … highly recommended for pop culture, graphic novel and even public library collections. --Library Journal

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: DK Publishing; Upd Exp edition (September 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756641195
• ISBN-13: 978-0756641191
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 10.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (90 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,332 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Hardcover Collection, October 4, 2004

By	Martin Maenza (Hickory, NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The DC Comics Encyclopedia (Hardcover)

Many folks for years have been wanting DC to revisit their Who's Who series from the mid-80's, an A to Z covering of characters. This new hardcover fits that bill in a solid, colorful volume. The wrap around cover by Alex Ross is beautiful and eye-catching.

As for the book's interior, it is obvious a lot of effort was put into this. Four main writers handled the text portions, with art taken from hundreds of artists across the decades.

Naturally, there will be a few errors that creep into something such as this. I found characters in group shots mislabeled, and the occasional wrong fact in an entry. These things probably should have been caught in final proofing. I can forgive them though as they are few and far between.

The one thing that becomes painfully obvious to this long time comic reading fan is that the focus of this tome swings heavy to the post-Crisis universe (understandable as that is what the current continuity is - stuff reorganized and introduced since 1986). This tome makes it obvious that continuity is in fact constantly in flux, being rewritten and reworked. The book is uneven in that at times it takes both old and rewrites into account. Examples include the Legion of Super-Heroes stuff and the Doom Patrol relaunch from earlier this year.

Still, it is a nice coffee table tome and good for quicky research on characters and such.

28 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A nice guide to the DC Characters, November 20, 2004

By	M. B. RENTZLER (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The DC Comics Encyclopedia (Hardcover)

Some people may gripe over that their favorite character got only a small entry in the book but I was surprised at how complete this book was.

Lets face it, unless DC reprints Who's Who you are not going to get a complete guide to the DC characters, this book is made to represent as many of their characters as they could. I enjoyed the entries about the lesser known characters and being given updates on some of the heros and villians I had followed but lost touch with.

The DC Comics Encylopedia makes a nice gift for any comics fan.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome information, September 24, 2005

By	David A. Smithey "Living in Books" (Tennessee) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The DC Comics Encyclopedia (Hardcover)

I really didn't know what to expect when I bought this book. It was just something to help me figure out who some of the characters were in the DC universe. What I found was a history of EVERY character DC has ever created! There were some really obscure characters in there dating back to the 1940s that I had never even heard of.

If you're into DC comics, it's well worth the price. I know I've had hours of fun reading the different entries on not only the characters I knew but many I didn't.