Customer Reviews

Superman: The Ultimate Guide to the Man of Steel

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'd like to start off by saying this book deserves a 3 1/2 star rating.
The Ultimate Guide hardly lives up to its title. I am a serious Superman fan and was rather disapointed. Although richly illustrated and explained, this book was really full of information I already knew. It's very evident that Scott Beatty went to great lengths to research this, but I was rather underwhelmed.
However, this book is PERFECT for younger fans. Children will love the rich illustrations and, although some explanations for storylines will go over their heads, it will stil be a home run for any littler ones.
One thing I did like about this book is the timeline of Superman's career, located in the back of the book. Year by year, it gives a synopsis of key storylines in events, all the way from 1938 until now. That's useful for any Superfan.
So, if you're a parents looking for a wonderful book for your young Superfan, this is the one for you. But if you're already a serious collector, this book doesn't offer much. Try "Superman: The Complete History" by Les Daniels instead.

DK's series on the DC universe shows its strengths in this text on our favorite Man from Krypton. As usual, the people involved have done their homework and research well. The hours put into this text show. The pictures are fun visually, but I am concerned that a few of the photos might be intense for the under twelve set. Remember, a great many of these books will be sold at Costco, Sam's Club and a few other general outlets where some parents may not check out the books. Still, it is a vast improvement over the Batman book, which was slightly more intense.

For the fans of the comic since 1986 (when the fictional character was overhauled), this book is all comprehensive and forgetting little that has happened in the comic since then. I would have liked to have seen Superman from the different interpretations given a few pages apiece (Superman in the live action the Adventures of Superman, Superman in the Superfriends, Superman in the Superboy show, Superman in Lois and Clark, etc. .)

I also found myself wishing for a few pages of the pre-Crisis history. Like a page on the five types of Kryptonite (green, red, white, blue, and jewel), and other nostaligic trivia of the past.

I loved the illustrations for Krypton and various other detailed graphic pages. And I especially enjoyed the six pages on the back which gave a good breakdown over the past fifty years and gave an excellent overview for those of us older fans.

I look forward to the next book on the Justice League coming in November.

Sincerely,

JThree

Superman: The Ultimate Guide to the Man of Steel has been out for a few years now, but with the latest Superman film, "Superman Returns" just hitting theaters, DK has revised their fantastic guide to the first and greatest superhero of all! This 144 page, oversized hardcover book contains just about everything you ever wanted to know about Superman. Written by comic industry pro Scott Beatty this is a fun and informative walk through Superman's long history as we meet friend and foe alike.

The book begins with a long look at the history of Superman's home world of Krypton and its long history which incorporates many of the modern concepts devised by both John Byrne and Dan Jurgens during their runs as the writer of Superman's adventures. This includes a large map of Krypton, one of several two page maps in the book. From there the book moves to Superman's early life in Smallville after being taken in as an infant by the Kents. Included here is a complete rundown of all of Superman's powers from his laser vision to his super hearing. There is another great two page map of Metropolis with important buildings such as the Daily Planet, Lexcorp Towers, and S.T.A.R. Labs noted for the reader.

Next up we have lengthy chapters that highlight Superman's major foes such as Lex Luthor, Doomsday, Brainiac, Metallo, Darkseid, Mongul, Imperiex, The Cyborg, and many more. These give a brief history of the villain along with their powers and some of their previous plots. The issue with their first appearance is also noted. Next we get the same for Superman's friends and allies like Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Supergirl, Steel, and the Eradicator.

The last chapter is actually my favorite and takes a look at Superman's career from the Golden Age right up through the present. This chapter shows how the character has evolved over his nearly 70 years of existence. Complementing this chapter is 16 page timeline spanning his first appearance in Action comics #1 in 1938, right up through the end of 2005. This year-by-year rundown notes important events and issues in Superman's career and is invaluable for both fans and comic book collectors.

As with all DK's Ultimate Guides, the Superman book is a visual treat with stunning art and an eye for detail. A welcome addition to the library of any Superman fan!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

I have been a lifelong fan of Superman. However, I never had the time or money that would allow me to get into the comic book aspect of the franchise. Curiousity finally got the better of me, and I set out to learn more based on how Superman has been perceived through comics. When I received this book, I was blown away at how great it was. Through beautiful illustrations and a detailed account of comic book history, I was able to learn everything I never knew about the Man of Steel. Every aspect of the character is shown in this book, and then some. I loved the way that the book went through Superman's history in chronological order. This made it very easy to learn about Superman's history. I especially enjoyed the detailed section of all the super villans that Superman has encountered. That was one area that I was seriously lacking in. Of course I had heard the names before - Doomsday, Brainiac, Metallo, etc. However, I never knew about their abilities, or what happened when they faced off with Superman. Every major villan is described in detail, which gives you a full understanding of each one. Now maybe I think more of this book than others, because I am a comic book novice. However, ths book was very satisfying to me, and I recommend it to anyone who has always liked Superman, but still has alot to learn.

Of course I read Superman comics on and off as a kid, watched the old television show and the Christopher Reeves movies, and occasionally caught a cartoon on television. However, I never consistently read the comics until DC decided to start over with the character and gave John Byrne free reign to retool the character. Consequently, I found Scott Beatty's "Superman: The Ultimate Guide to the Man of Steel" very informative and a solid attempt to take 60 years of comic book adventures and turn it into a coherent whole. Reconciling everything that has happened to Superman in over a thousand comic books is a rather daunting task and the major complaint is that this DK publication tries to do it in only 128 pages.

The volume is divided into five parts, all of which are illustrated with original art from the comics (although there is a decided preference for art from the Steel Age): (1) Birth of a Superman covers both Planet Krypton, the House of El, and Armageddon as well as the Kent and Smallville, along with Superman's superpowers and super-weaknesses; (2) City of Tomorrow is, of course, Metropolis, which means the Daily Planet, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, S.T.A.R. Labs, Supergirl, and other local superheroes. This is also the section that deals with the Sudden Death and the Return of Superman, along with the superheroes who tried to take his place, Superboy and Steel; (3) Secrets of the Man of Steel covers the Fortress of Solitude, Kandor, and the Eradicator: (4) Supervillany trots out the roster of villains from Lex Luthor and Bizarro to Doomsday and the assorted demons and aliens who have crossed Superman's path; (5) Superman's Career touches on his relationship with the JLA and Imaginary Stories that have come up over the years, but is mainly devoted to a Superman Timeline that looks at the several hundred highlights from a career spanning from "Action Comics" #1 in 1938 to the four Superman comics returning to the "alternate" Krypton to help Jor-El fight a civil war in September 2002.

Ironically, the less you know about Superman, the more you will enjoy and benefit from this book. For younger readers who are not clear on where Brainiac came from or what exactly are the rules (so to speak) with Mr. Mxyzptlk, this book provides two pages of background information. I especially like the Superman Timeline, where you can learn when Kryptonite first appeared ("Superman" #61), that JFK once pretended to be Clark Kent ("Action Comics" #309), and that the Man of Steel once lost a fight to the heavyweight champion of the world ("Superman vs. Muhammad Ali"). My main complaint is that I would have liked to have seen more artwork from the Golden, Silver and Bronze Age comics, and that of course there should have been a two-page spread devoted to how Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created Superman. Given that there are 60 years of comics to deal with I think the decision to ignore the television and film versions of Superman is regrettable but necessary since all things considered only the comic books are "true" Superman stories.

I've always been a fan of Superman and the integrity by which he lives in spirit for all of us to aspire to. This book is a nice introduction to Superman and the story behind the man of steel. On a side note about the upcoming Superman film which is being directed by Brett Ratner: I've seen cover model and aspiring actor Gregg Avedon over the years, knowing he would make the perfect man of steel. This is the opportunity for America to realize their favorite superhero in physical form at a time when the words "Truth, Justice, and The American Way" mean more than ever. I certainly hope Gregg gets the opportunity. Back to the book: I would certainly reccommend this overall simple guide to anyone who wants to have cliff notes packed together in one simple, well illustrated, and affordable book.

... If you want a guide to Superman's current activities, then this is the book for you. It is very detailed, well written, and brightly illustrated with what I feel to be a very refreshing take on Superman, the stylings of Superman artist Ed McGuiness, who is featured prominently.

Granted, this book can hardly be considered the Ultimate guide in a literal sense, considering the fact that Superman began his career in the early 20th century, but nonetheless it does an excellant job in giving you a real feel for the breadth and width of the legendary Man of Steel.

As a veteran and current reader of the Superman titles I can wholeheartedly recommend this book as a great starting point for any novice or an enjoyable read for an established fan. It is very up to date, right up to this months current story line (August 2002), and compliments the other titles in this series very well. In comparison to the other "Ultimate Guide To" books; Spider-man, Batman, X-men, the Superman title stands out to me as the most fun and the best written.

If you are looking for something dealing with Superman's famed and storied past, and are not interested in his current activities, then I encourage you to pick up the archives that DC offers, as well as the Trade Paperbacks: "Superman in the Fifties", "Superman in the sixties", and so on.

The value of this book should not be based on an unsound bias toward anything new and unconventional, but rather on the quality and quantity that is most assuredly captured within the pages of this publication.

In "Superman- the Animated Series" Brianiac is a computer from Krypton. I would've gone on assuming that was true in the real Superman comic if it wasn't for this book. It was definately wonderful and nesscessary for me to buy this book.

This book concentrates on the history of Superman since the character and his universe was revised around 1986. A series from DC called Crisis On Infinite Earths wiped out past continuity and allowed creators (most notably writer-artist John Byrne and fellow writer Marv Wolfman) to give the Man Of Steel a fresh start.

It's a well written and illustrated book that allows new and old readers alike to make sense of Superman and his world. Space is allocated to explaining the backstories and abilities of all the major players in the DC Comics Superman mythos. A timeline of all major events in the entire history of Superman comics is included in the back of the book which is great for readers who have only been reading the comics in recent years. It is also an acknowledgement that Superman had a long and important history before the revamp in the 1980s.

As a Superman fan for over 30 years, I can thoroughly recommend this informative and colourful book. At first glance it may appear to be little more than a picture book, but there's a lot of information contained between the covers. A must have for any Superman fan.

I thought this book was just for kids- it is not. It was an invaluable tool for catching up with a lot of the stories and plotlines that I had missed. I hope to one day see one done for all the major DCU characters.