Spider-man: The Ultimate Guide [Hardcover]

Cynthia O'Neill (Author), Tom DeFalco (Author), Stan Lee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2001

Enter the world of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!

Ever since he was bitten by a radioactive spider and transformed into the amazing Spider-Man, Peter Parker has been astounding comic-book fans with his breathtaking acrobatics, as well as his battles against a host of villains, such as the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, the Rhino, and Venom. Spider-Man: The Ultimate Guide brings you everything you ever wanted to know about the wall-crawler, including the thrilling events and personalities that have shaped the life of one of the world's best-known comic-book characters.

With unique access to nearly 40 years' worth of publications from the Spider-Man archives, Spider-Man: The Ultimate Guide provides the in-depth guide to the world of the web-swinger. The book contains over 600 full-color images, including specially commissioned artwork that has never been seen before, and a detailed text which offers a comprehensive guide to all of the major characters and stories. Altogether, this book is a must-have for any Spider-Man fan.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Unless Peter Parker decides to pen his own autobiography someday, you're not going to find a better guide than this to the life and times of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. From that fateful radioactive bite in the science hall up to Spidey 2099, DK's Ultimate Guide recounts all the career milestones--major and minor--of Stan Lee's web-slinging wall-crawler. Organized and authored by Tom DeFalco, former Marvel editor in chief and the series' bestselling author, this guide pulls together the storyline's many twists and turns (chronologically, by decade) and devotes big spreads to nearly every noteworthy ally, friend, and villain (with one curious omission in the Shocker). Special sections cover episodes like the alien costume, the regrettable clone saga, and the wedding to Mary Jane, while panel after panel of original art (over 600 images in all) flesh out the action (a particular treat with the corny old dialogue and art).

DeFalco makes some small missteps--inevitable in any fan-boy project--and certainly The Ultimate Guide will feel dated as the series evolves, but as a comprehensive guide, it just doesn't get any better. Throw in a foreword by the inimitable Stan Lee, and you've got a book that would make even Peter Parker proud. --Paul Hughes

About the Author

Ranking as the web-slinger's top-selling comic-book author, Tom DeFalco has written about the adventures of Spider-Man and his friends for over 20 years. At one point, he was even Marvel's Editor-in-Chief. Other titles Tom has written for Marvel include Fantastic Four: Nobody Gets Out Alive and Thor: Alone among the Celestials. He also edited the definitive Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 168 pages
• Publisher: DK CHILDREN; 1st edition (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078947946X
• ISBN-13: 978-0789479464
• Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 10.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #100,725 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A GOOD PLACE FOR BEGINNING WALL-CRAWLERS, January 12, 2002

By 

M. Grant "MacGyver of the Books" (Detroit, Michigan) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spider-man: The Ultimate Guide (Hardcover)

Spiderman - The Ultimate Guide is a very thorough and informative book. New fans of comics and people who know little about Peter Parker and his alter-ego Spiderman will find this an enjoyable read and will leave it with a strong knowledge of the 30+ year history of the character.

The book covers everything from Spidey's origin and powers to his supporting cast including Aunt May, J. Jonah Jameson, Mary Jane, and plenty more. Key points in Spiderman's adventures are also covered including: the Death of Gwen Stacy, the Alien Costume, the mystery of the Hoblgoblin, and the Clone Saga. Villains and vigilantes are also reviewed like: Green Goblin, The Vulture, Sandman, Electro, Venom, Carnage, and several minor characters that you might not expect to see included in a 170 page book.

The Ultimate Guide also mentions alternate creations of Spiderman like Spiderman 2099 and The Ultimate Spiderman (my personal favorite).

If DeFalco's Guide does have a weak spot it's that many entries have captions and paragraphs that simply reiterate the same material. With two pages of information on a character this can become annoying to read the same fact three times in such a short space. Also a personal gripe of mine is that sometimes laughable characters like The Rocket Racer were included while a more common classic villain like The Shocker was overlooked. Instead of pages devoted to Will O The Wisp and Silvermane, I would have much rather preferred a more indepth look at some of the runs of Spiderman stories and the various plots they dealt with...alas maybe in Ultimate Guide #2 (hint).

All in all I recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn about the incredible character of Spiderman before the movie premieres on May 3, 2002.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Look at Spider-Man, July 1, 2002

By 

David Suiter (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spider-man: The Ultimate Guide (Hardcover)

This the most comprehensive look at Spider-Man out there. There are a lot of books out now about Spider-Man the Movie, but this is Spider-Man the comicbooks. The comicbooks give you a real sense of the charater and this book takes you into every aspect of the adventures of the webslinger. Covering the major points in the Spider-Man mythos, it captures great moments from the introduction of Venom to the not so popular Clone Saga. All villains and supporting cast members are covered. From the Green Goblin to the Prowler (One of my personal favorites). From Aunt May to Debra Witman. This book has it all. From the large format of the book with incredible pictures and great text. Tom DeFalco did a great job, and he is a Spidey expert. This even has references to the individual issues where the major events took place. Recomended highly for fans of the Comics and especially the Movie.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Resource for the old or new Spidey fan alike!, October 9, 2001

By 

Andreas Athans "wiseguy" (NOWHERE) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Spider-man: The Ultimate Guide (Hardcover)

I have been a rabid Spider-Man fan, reader, and collector for the past 13 years. In that time, I've seen some of the best (1980's to 1993) and worst (Clone Saga) this hero has to offer. IN addition, I have collected every issue ever published. So, I'm very knowledgable about SPider-Man and his world. Still, this book is a delight to read. I didn't learn anything new, but it is well written, spectacularly illustrated with original comic art from some of Spidey's most legendary artists (Ditko, Romita Sr., Romita Jr., Frenz, Andru, Sal Buscema, Gil Kane, McFarlane, Bagley, Larsen). New fans will learn a lot from this book, but no matter how long you've been a fan of Spidey, this book is a treasure trove for you!!