Marvel Encyclopedia (Hardcover)

~ Tom DeFalco (Author), Peter Sanderson (Author), Tom Brevoort (Author), Michael Teitelbaum (Author), (Author), Andrew Darling (Author), Matt Forbeck (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Celebrate 70 years of Marvel Comics with The Marvel Encyclopedia! Fully updated with new images and text, this one-volume encyclopedia contains more than 1,000 of Marvel's greatest-from well-known characters such as Spider-Man, the Hulk and Wolverine to lesser known heroes and villains.

An essential book both for new fans and for those who grew up loving the comics, The Marvel Encyclopedia is full of artwork, stats, and history for every character in the Marvel Universe. Updates on characters include information from the story arcs of Civil War and Annihilation, and brings fans up to date with the aftermath of Secret Invasion.

TM & © 2009 Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries. Licensed by Marvel Characters B.V. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: DK Publishing; Revised edition (October 5, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756655307
• ISBN-13: 978-0756655303
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 10.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,262 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Marvel fan's dream, October 7, 2009

By	Jeffrey T. Jones (Central Florida) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

NOTE: This review is for the NEW and UPDATED Marvel Encyclopedia. When I wrote this review, the new version's reviews were separate from the previous version. Since then, Amazon has combined the reviews, and this is a shame, because the updated version corrects most if not all of the problems found in the previous version. /END NOTE

I received this book on it's release day, as I was very excited about it, and wanted it as quickly as possible. I was not disappointed! The book is 400 pages on high quality, glossy print, with brilliant artwork, and color that pops off the page.

The book is meant as a reference, and includes basically every Marvel character ever created with a short bio for some, and up to 4 pages for the Marvel superstars like Spider-Man, Captain America, and Wolverine.

I have the DC Encyclopedia as well, and it's great too, but the text is so small. The Marvel 2009 (Updated & Expanded) Encyclopedia improves this greatly with a font that's at least 2 sizes bigger for all entries, and many lead-in paragraphs include even larger fonts. This was a huge relief to my older eyes.

The encyclopedia includes more than just A to Z entries for heroes and villains, it also has entries for Marvel events, such as the Civil War. Non-American Marvel characters are included as well, including UK hero Captain Britain, and Alpha Flight, a Canadian team.

Extremely thorough, giant glossy pages, incredible artwork, and excellent layout (with a highly readable font) make this a masterwork, and a must-have for any Marvel fan. Amazon's price makes it a no-brainer.

The only drawback? Get your arms ready, this thing weighs 5.5 pounds!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great concept, poor execution., January 18, 2010

By	E. Seal (Valencia CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

I purchased this for my comic book obsessed husband to share with our son. I had considered buying the more expensive collectors edition, however after reading the reviews, I didn't feel that it warranted the additional cost. As predicted, my husband was thrilled with the book, but simply browsing through it, he began to find discrepancies. This book is a great gift for anyone interested in Marvel superheros and villains, but the true comic book connoisseur will easily find errors. It's a shame that even with creator collaboration, they still couldn't get it right.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars NOT AN ENCYCLOPEDIA, January 16, 2010

By	John R. Holt (PHILA PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Those who gave this book high marks either don't know comics or the purpose of an encyclopedia, or is related the author. I'd never use an "encyclopedia" which was full of errors and lacking in info, even at age 8. That's exactly what the 2009 updated Marvel Encyclopedia is. For example,Wolverine and Daredevil are among the most skilled martial artists. So why do their entries make NO mention of their fighting skills? Hercules is among the strongest heroes. So why does his entry NOT AT ALL mention his strength? Northstar has super speed and reflexes. His entry makes NO mention of this. Pg. 358 erroneously shows a picture of Balder instead of Hogun as a member of the Warriors Three. I could go on and on, but it'd take up space needed for my other criticisms. Several characters are shown with costumes 10-30 years outdated! And some of the info regarding the powers of many characters are equally outdated. TME also wastes far too much space on many insignificant 4th rate characters who've not appeared in decades, while more deserving characters are omitted. I think TME may make a nice gift for a 8-12 yr old because of some nice artwork inside and kids care more for style than substance. Anyone looking for substance stick to the Official Handbooks of the Marvel Universe. Even outdated they're superior.