The Marvel Encyclopedia

Book Description

Marvel Comics' character roster boasts some of the best known and most popular characters ever conceived-heroes that are international household names, both as comic book stars and movie stars, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk and Wolverine. This unique, one-volume encyclopedia contains more than 1000 of Marvel's greatest, with full details of their powers and their thrill-packed careers. The encyclopedia's range of spectacular art features eye-popping work by Marvel's finest artists, while the authoritative text is supplied by a team of top Marvel comic book writers. In addition, double-page features, illustrated with classic covers, trace the fascinating story of Marvel Comics through the decades. The Marvel Comics Encyclopedia is an essential book both for new fans and for those who grew up loving the excitement, heroism and humor of the Marvel Universe. Includes a foreword by Stan Lee.

Customer Reviews:

limited in its bio's.......2007-09-19

Though the book is imformative, the bios are very limited. There are no scales to properly determine strength and intelligence. Also there are a lot of typos, leading me to believe that they didn't care much when they created this. If you want a short overview on marvel characters then this book is for you, otherwise don't bother.

Tons of good information!.......2007-08-06

Great book for anyone. Being an avid marvel fan I thought I knew most everything, but I have learned a lot from this book. It is a good buy.

The Marvel Encyclopedia.......2007-06-11

The book is well illustrated and has exhaustive description of each character of Marvel Comic Books.

so many errors!.......2007-06-07

Like any Marvel fan I was very excited about getting my hands on this encyclopedia, only to be sorely disappointed by the amount of errors found within it's pages. Error examples include: page 46, Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, an image of Nightcrawler is found under a listing for Black Tom Cassidy. Page 212 , an image of the Shiar imperial guardsman Nightside is shown under the character listing for Nightshade. Page 171 An image of the Asgardian character Lorelei is shown under the character listing for the Savage Land mutate of the same name. These are few example of the many errors throughout the book.

It's not an encyclopedia.......2007-06-06

There isn't enough information on individual characters. (There are a lot of them, and there are pictures, but the pictures take up some much space that there's none left for details.)

Average customer rating:

Non Fiction
The best way to draw a comic
An excellent lesson for the aspiring cartoonist and a worthy read for anyone who marvels at Marvel
A Foundation in Drawing
Comic Artist Bible

How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way
Stan Lee , and John Buscema
Manufacturer: Fireside
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0671530771

Book Description

Stan Lee, the Mighty Man from Marvel, and John Buscema, active and adventuresome artist behind the Silver Surfer, Conan the Barbarian, the Mighty Thor and Spider-Man, have collaborated on this comics compendium: an encyclopedia of information for creating your own superhero comic strips. Using artwork from Marvel comics as primary examples, Buscema graphically illustrates the hitherto mysterious methods of comic art. Stan Lee's pithy prose gives able assistance and advice to the apprentice artist. Bursting with Buscema's magnificent illustrations and Lee's laudable word-magic, How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way belongs in the library of every kid who has ever wanted to illustrate his or her own comic strip.

Customer Reviews:

Non Fiction.......2007-09-03

An entertaining look at how the comic work was approached at Marvel way back when. I can't draw, and have no real desire too, so basically got this out of interest.

As far as that goes, it was a reasonable read. For actual artistic types it is probably a bit more useful.

The best way to draw a comic.......2007-08-31

The reason why I bought this book is because I want to learn how to draw comic for hobbie, and Stan Lee really explain everything so nice and easy that any person will learn, the draws by Joe Buscema are just perfect. The book introduces you to many vocabulary of the industry of comics, is a very complete book. If you work in the comic industry, this book is a perfect beginnig and if you are a comic fan like me, then you must have this masterpiece.

An excellent lesson for the aspiring cartoonist and a worthy read for anyone who marvels at Marvel.......2007-07-12

Personally, the only way I could draw an excellent square is if you spotted me three of the sides. I grew up reading Marvel comics and had the good fortune that my parents went grocery shopping at a small neighborhood store where the owner allowed me to read the comics while they shopped.
Therefore, I read this book not as an aspiring artist, but as someone who is interested in and can appreciate the artistic talent that went into making Marvel comics the success that it is. And from that perspective, this is an excellent book. In a few captions and example illustrations, the many ways in which the dramatic effect can be enhanced are demonstrated. Using these techniques the superheroes appear more heroic and the villains even more villainous.
If you are like me and just appreciate Marvel comics or want to become a better artist, then this is a book that will be of great value to you.

A Foundation in Drawing.......2007-07-11

I have some graphic art experience. Our instructors always emphasized the fundamentals of drawing. With computers today many believe you don't need to know how to draw. They are wrong.

"How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way" is more than just learning comics it is learning how to draw. It is one of the best area to begin. If you are advanced maybe you will pick up some ideas from the powerful examples. It starts with the tools, then perspective, to stick figures, to motion, to faces, to putting the panels together, and finally inking.

If you can draw comics then you can draw anything. I don't consider myself to be a good artist. This book is where I started, and I have improved ever so slightly. There is just something about comics that intrigues people. There is the fact of the art and all its meaning and ideas that come from it. There is also a story told by the art with panels that allow the reader to visualize the world the artist created. If that is what you want to do then this is the book to start with. That is the drawing aspect and not the layout or story telling theory.

I also recommend "Draw the Marvel Comic Super Heroes" and "Super Heroes" by Joe Kubert. (And as always feel free to check out my Amazon profile.)

Comic Artist Bible.......2007-07-06

If you are endeavoring to be ANY kind of artist, I highly recommend this book. Stan "the man" Lee and John Buscema have made it the most simplified, yet exhaustive, step-by-step process for any artist to follow. Your artwork will benefit greatly; from the tools you need, to perspective, shadows and highlights, pencil techniques, inking techniques,... it's ALL here in one nicely illustrated and fun to read collection. I consider this an invaluable resource.

Essential X-Men, Vol. 3 (Marvel Essentials)

Average customer rating:

Graphic SF Reader
Graphic Novel junkie
Awesome...yet in dire need of reprint.
Still Lovin' the Mutants !
GREAT

Essential X-Men, Vol. 3 (Marvel Essentials)
Chris Claremont , and Dave Cockrum
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0785106618

Customer Reviews:

Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-03

Arcade and Murderworld, Starjammers, Dracula, Arkon and more great X-Men. Arcade is one of those crazy nut supervillains you love, with his weird sense of honor and gamesmanship. The Starjammers are fab, as Cyclops learns about his past. Storm encounters some more personal issues, are various men want to be involved with her. Ok, Dracula is an undead vampire, but he still fancies her in the same way Arkon does.

Graphic Novel junkie.......2007-07-31

Ok, ok, I should say comic book junkie, because that's what they were called when I first started reading them some decades ago. This whole series of Essential X-men books are a fun read unless you get bogged down in details. I never did, I just enjoyed reading them. This is a great book. Enjoy

Awesome...yet in dire need of reprint........2007-02-03

These stories are amazing. Pure and simple. After I read the Dark Phoenix Saga-well, of course, no X-Men story will ever equal the depth, perception, and feeling of those nine issues, but this volume comes close enough to be hailed. From the opening arc concerning Doctor Doom and Murderworld to the spellbinding cliffhanger on the final page, it's a great thrill form beginning to end.
You get to see some X-characters that don't get a lot of steam these days like Polaris and Banshee really work it, and it's a treat to witness the short-lived (and never formally ended) romance of Scott Summers and Lee Forrester. Thier entire subplot to 150 has just the right amount of emotion and serves as a great "breather" during those early issues. Kitty Pryde fully takes her place as an X-Man, yet Dave Cockrum's art doesn't do her justice (I always felt he made her look nerdy.) For everything else, Cockrum's art excels, and it's sad to think that he recently died. The events with Magneto in issue 150 are amazing, particularly the last pages. The Storm and White Queen Saga is very unusual, and Kitty's fairytale is a joke, but the good kind of joke. Then you get the whole complicated Brood and Shi'ar saga, which is always a blast (even if it takes up a thrid of the book)and two great issues illustrated by guest pencilers that, in my opinion, are the jewels of this collection. First you get X-Men 159 guest-starring Dracula and suprisingly astounding on levels of art, stories, and personality. Then next issue is where the mutants are transported to Limbo to save Illyana Rasputin and encounter evil and dead versions of themselves and eventually rescue Colossus' sister, but at the price of her aging seven to thirteen in the moment the X-Men exit Limbo without her. And, c'mon, when it features the Starjammers, Garrok (yeah, he's back!), Dazzler, and Spider-Woman, plus Arcade's revenge, it's impossible not to love these stories.
The one bad thing about this book is that it's gotten behind the times. All the other X-Men essentials have been reprinted with new covers, a better-looking continutiy shuffle, and more content. I think they're not doing it for this one because if they do they'll have to remove the X-Men Annuals 3-4 since they were replaced in thier rightful positon in Essential X-Men #2, leaving this book with one (albiet properly placed) annual and making the book significantly thinner. Maybe they'd find a place to put Annual 6 or something, since it seemed to get lost in the transistion for Essential X-Men Vol. 4 from first printing to second printing. Ah well, the clever mind can easily deduce the chronological placement of X-Men Annual #5.

Still Lovin' the Mutants !.......2006-07-05

Bottom line definitive classic X-Men from the writer who
helped to define them in the first place, Chris Claremont.
The 'Essential' Volumes are just what the the title says.
A must if you want to get a handle on these longtime claw
slicing, mind reading, stormbrewing, metal manipulating
band of superheroes and villains.
Recommended for ages 6 - 60.
The only downside would be the black and white art,
but for the amount of material you get for the money,
it's certainly worth putting up with.
If you've enjoyed the films, and are a new fan as a result,
or if you just want to go back and relive the fun, these'Essential' titles
will leave you more than satisfied,
they'll make you hunger for more..enjoy!

GREAT.......2004-04-03

Here we have Uncanny X-Men #145-161. We have Starjammers, Dr. Doom, and all sort of goodie. I just wish it would have been in color.

Marvel Masterworks Doctor Strange 3: Master of the Mystic Arts!

Average customer rating:

Engaging Dr. Strange Collection

Marvel Masterworks Doctor Strange 3: Master of the Mystic Arts!
Roy Thomas
Manufacturer: Marvel Enterprises
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0785124101

Customer Reviews:

Engaging Dr. Strange Collection.......2007-08-10

This here's a solid collection of Doctor Strange, with most of the artwork by the distinctive Gene Colon. I'd forgotten Colon's run on this title and looking at it again, I'd have to say I rather prefer Colon's work to most of Ditko's. Steve Ditko laid a great foundation, that few have been able to follow up on. Most Dr. Strange books have fallen flat without the Ditko touch. Not here. Colon and Thomas do real nice work.

Also, if you're a Doctor Strange fan look for Doctor Strange: The Oath (New Avengers). The Oath is just about the best Dr. Strange collection ever.

Average customer rating:

A Match Made in Heaven
One of the finest graphic novels created
The Marvel Universe Enters 1602 - Excellent Twist Of Comic Book Genius!
Fun story, beautiful art
Good history tie-in

Marvel 1602 Volume 1 HC (Marvel Heroes)
Neil Gaiman , and Andy Kubert
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0785110704

Book Description

"1602 is a triumph. The Marvel universe hasn't been this engrossing in ages." - Entertainment Weekly Neil Gaiman's vision of the Marvel Universe in the year 1602! The year is 1602, and strange things are stirring in England. In the service of Queen Elizabeth, court magician Dr. Stephen Strange senses that the bizarre weather plaguing the skies above is not of natural origin. Her majesty's premier spy, Sir Nicholas Fury, fends off an assassination attempt on the Queen by winged warriors rumored to be in service to a mad despot named Doom. News is spreading of "witchbreed" sightings - young men bearing fantastic superhuman powers and abilities. And in the center of the rising chaos is Virginia Dare, a young girl newly arrived from the New World, guarded by a towering Indian warrior. Can Fury and his allies find a connection to these unusual happenings before the whole world ends? In Marvel 1602, award-winning writer Neil Gaiman presents a unique vision of the Marvel Universe set four hundred years in the past. Classic Marvel icons such as the X-Men, Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and Daredevil appear in this intriguing world of 17th- century science and sorcery, instantly familiar to readers, yet subtly different in this new time. Marvel 1602 combines classic Marvel action and adventure with the historically accurate setting of Queen Elizabeth's reign to create a unique series unlike any other published by Marvel Comics

Customer Reviews:

A Match Made in Heaven.......2007-09-06

Famed comic writer and Hugo winning novelist Neil Gaiman gets the opportunity to use 40 plus years of Marvel Comic's history to "re-create" Marvel's universe in, that's right, 1602. What more could you want?

Apparently nothing. Mr. Gaiman brings to bear the wit, wisdom and genius he applied to the creation of American Gods and Sandman. Conversely, he has the whole Marvel Universe to pick and choose elements from! Not a bad sandbox.

There is nothing amiss here: great storytelling, beautiful art and immense respect for what has gone before (or comes after, rather), 1602 deserves that over-worn phrase, tour-de-force.

In true collaboration with the artist Andy Kubert, Mr. Gaiman does not retell a displaced story but rather sets the beginnings 4 centuries into the past and tells his own story. The characters are familiar to Marvel fans, and yet they are quite different.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the cover/color work of Richard Isanove; it sets the mood for the entire story.

I apologize if you were expecting details but I won't spoil the read. Suffice it to say that if you love Marvel and you love Mr. Gaiman, you will love this book!

One of the finest graphic novels created.......2007-09-04

Neil Gaiman, masterful creator of the Sandman graphic novels and one of the preeminent comic book and urban fantasy writers alive. This is a hardbound compilation of his award winning 1602 comic book series for Marvel. It takes some of Marvel's inconic superheroes and reimagines them (or transposes them) in an alternate reality in which the heroes of Marvel exist in the melieu of Queen Elizabeth I.

It is one of the best graphic novels written and holds a place of honor among other greats such as League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Dark Night Returns, From Hell and of course, the Sandman.

If you are a Neil Gaiman fan this is a MUST have.

The Marvel Universe Enters 1602 - Excellent Twist Of Comic Book Genius!.......2007-07-17

Author Neil Gaiman (Sandman) takes the Marvel Universe and sets it in England in the year 1602 and the first thing you notice is that even with the twist of character and composition, all the Marvel icons stand tall in their new guises. Redefining. With all of the Marvel tie-in, upheaval, alternate universe attempts (Age Of Apocalypse, House Of M, Days Of Future Past, Civil War) to get people to buy more titles to see their favorite characters in different situations, 1602 is one of the better storylines, if not the actual best. Gaiman knows how to weave a coherent, thought-provoking story and that counts for a lot. Nicolas Fury is the Queen's Protector and Doctor Stephen Strange is her Court Physician in this tale of deceit and betrayal. Strange weather is happening all over the world. The end times seem near. A secret treasure (weapon?) is being sent from Jerusalem to England by the Templars to help save the world. Suddenly the Queen is assassinated by a contraption devised by Count Otto Von Doom and everything is thrown into chaos as the King James of Scotland marches forward to caputre the empty throne and to add the crown of England to his own. Determined to cast out or destroy the Witchbreed (Mutantkind), James conspires with the mysterious Grand Inquisitor in Spain (Magneto) to bring about his new reign with absolute domination. Meanwhile, Count Otto Von Doom is toying around with the captured Templar treasure in an attempt to rule the world. Filled with such characters as the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Peter Parker (Parquagh) Matthew Murdock (Daredevil) and a host of others, 1602 is an eloquent, refreshing rendering of the same old characters. Riveting. One that I would definitely read again.

Dig it!

Fun story, beautiful art.......2007-06-08

Marvel 1602 was originally released as an 8 issue mini-series. This book collects those issues into a beautifully bound hardcover edition with a very nice cover. In addition, it contains some bonus material including a note by Neil Gaiman in which he reflects on what he wanted to accomplish with the story and how the book came into being. On top of that, notes from the production of each issue are also included.

As far as the story goes, it's a fun tale that imagines what if the Marvel superheroes came into being in the world of 1602. Gaiman does a really nice job of keeping the characters true to who they are, while putting them into the earlier time period. I especially liked his take on Peter Parker, who we see before his transformation into Spider-Man as the shy and frightened young man. I also liked what Gaiman did with Daredevil, who was much more playful than he has become since Frank Miller reimagined the character.

The artwork is absolutely beautiful. There are no throwaway panels to be found. Each panel is painstakingly detailed and maintains the story nicely. The printing in his hardcover edition is also excellent. Really, it's just a pleasure to have this in my collection. I love it!

sincerely,
R.C.

Good history tie-in.......2007-05-08

This story is a triumph by Neil Gaiman. He does an excellent job translating Marvel characters into a time in the past. I use this novel to teach students about character traits and development.

Essential Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe - Deluxe Edition, Vol. 3 (Marvel Essentials)

Average customer rating:

nice basic encyclopedia
Final Chapter in a Unique Classic

Essential Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe - Deluxe Edition, Vol. 3 (Marvel Essentials)
Mark Gruenwald , Peter Sanderson , Bob Brown , & others , John Byrne , Dave Cockrum , Bob Layton , and John Romita Jr.
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0785119361

Book Description

How many rooms in the X-Mansion? What makes web-shooters work? Find out as Spider-Man and the X-Men join forces to highlight the third volume of this Guide to the Greats! Featuring full profiles on Rogue, Shadowcat, Storm, the White Queen, Wolverine and more! The Scarlet Witch, the Silver Surfer and so many more in glorious color! The secrets of S.H.I.E.L.D.! The schematics of the Sentinels! The story of Subterranea and the wonders of Wakanda! Plus: details on more than a hundred alien races! Collects Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe - Deluxe Edition #15-20 (3 of 3).

Customer Reviews:

nice basic encyclopedia.......2007-01-06

nice basic encyclopedia for ppl who wanna review some chracters or learn some unknowm material to them, but it is alil out of date so some recent info are missing

Final Chapter in a Unique Classic.......2006-09-27

Note: The description for this volume provided by Marvel (on Amazon and the sites of other online book-sellers) is really a description of Vol. 2, not this, the 3rd volume. Also, this series origionally came out nearly 20 years ago, so it is quite dated, but still provides more info. than any other book of its sort, and based on the recent Marvel Encyclopedias (which I loved but were NOTHING next to the level of info. put into the Hand Book series), nothing like them will ever be seen again.

Never before nor hence has there ever been such an indepth, painfully detailed source book of information for Marvel Comics (or any other company for thart matter). The majority of this, the Third and final volume in the initial Delux edition of the Marvel Handbook, tome collects the "books of the dead" in the series, meaning the info here relates mostly to those Marvel characters who were considered dead and buried for good at the time they were written. However many of them have, as Marvel is prone to do, come back to life by one means or another, since the Hand Book was written. Also included is the Appendix of Alien Races, a fair handling of the alien races in the Marvel Universe seperate from the major three (Kree, Skrull and Shiar). Around 100 alien races are discussed.

The high-lights of the books of the dead are mostly of the Marvel Sci-Fi realm, such as Capt. Marvel (Mar-Vel), Thanos and Adam Warlock and crew. Other fun entries include losts of the old western characters, the Rawhide Kid included, who has recently been "outed"; mini-profiles of the surprisingly high number of Savag Land-unique races; and an extensive entry covering the Vampires as they are/were in the Marvel Universe.

Also, it is here that the X-Men and X-Factor etc... are covered in the few ramaining pages of the last issue (non-books of the dead that is) before going into the extensive Alien Races Appendix.

This volume, and the previous two (meaning those of the DELUX editions), are simply a must-have for any fans of Marvel in general, but this volume is a necessity for specifically those following the sci-fi and X-Men families. Also, if you read and loved the Earth X series, you simply can not pass this up.

I only have two small criticism:
1. This volume is much shorter than the previous two but still costs the same.
2. Through out the whole run of the series the appendix is referenced, but nowhere in this or the previous two volumes does the appendix ever manage to reach the point of covering the teams and characters demoted to it, instead the whole of it heavily focused on "alternate realities", and lots of space was used for the rambling of the creative teams behind this stellar gem of nerdom.

Yet neither of these petty complaints take away from the volume or series as a whole.

Enjoy!

Essential X-Men, Vol. 6 (Marvel Essentials)

Average customer rating:

Graphic SF Reader
Graphic Novel junkie
Solid Era of X-Men in Affordable Format
Asgardian adventures, mutant massacres, and more Chris Claremont classics!
Essential a Dissapointment

Essential X-Men, Vol. 6 (Marvel Essentials)
Chris Claremont , Barry Windsor-Smith , Louise Simonson , Walter Simonson , John Romita Jr. , Rick Leonardi , June Brigman , Bret Blevins , Alan Davis , Art Adams , Terry Shoemaker , Walt Simonson , Jackson Guice , and John Bogdanove
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 078511727X

Book Description

"Mutant" means "change," and there was plenty of that when the Uncanny X-Men counted down to the Marvel Mutant Massacre, beginning with the trial of Magneto! Rachel Summers became Phoenix and the Brotherhood became Freedom Force! Lady Deathstrike became a cyborg, Moonstar a Valkyrie, Colossus a killer, and Psylocke an X-Man! And Sabretooth first set his clawed foot into the X-Universe alongside his fellow Marauders! Guest-starring the original X-Factor, Power Pack and Thor! Gods, Morlocks, talking frogs and more! Collects Uncanny X-Men #199-213, New Mutants Special Edition #1, X-Men Annual #9, X-Factor #9-10, New Mutants #46, Thor #373-374 and Power Pack #27.

Customer Reviews:

Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-03

This includes the classic Mutant Massacre, and some great Barry Windsor Smith stuff. A team of mutant assassins is hired to slaughter the Morlocks living in the tunnels after the city. Most of them fall, but they manage to get word to the X-Men, and their absentee leader, Storm. The X-Men come to help, at great cost to themselves. There is also an appearance by Thor.

Graphic Novel junkie.......2007-07-31

Solid Era of X-Men in Affordable Format.......2006-02-24

I love this "phone book" format - I remember reading these and have since sold mucgh of my collection. This book gives me the opprtunity to enjiy those issues in one setting! Only way to improve this is to add color and better paper but that's not the point - this is made for people who love to read comics!

Asgardian adventures, mutant massacres, and more Chris Claremont classics!.......2005-10-04

I can thank the X-Men for my present love of Marvel comics. When I was ten, the superlative X-Men animated series premiered on Fox and my good friend Nick offered to share with me his almost exclusively X-Men comic collection (which was begun by his father in the late 70's). I wasn't able to collect many comics myself until I discovered the Essential series five years ago and made the Essential X-Men #1 my first purchase. Also, as a casual moviegoer, I am even more thankful that the X-Men movie of 2000 was such a hit and opened the door for all of the Marvel-licensed movies that followed (which have a way of begetting even more Essentials). Frankly, I think that Chris Claremont's revival of the X-Men is probably the most deserving title to be reprinted in its entirety. It seems that Marvel agrees because we now have six Essential X-Men's (the second since the release of the second movie) and I'm just as pleased as punch.

There are so many enjoyable stories in this collection that I'd better just get right to them. Cyclops duels a still de-powered Storm for the right to lead the X-Men. The child who will one day become the time-hopping warrior Cable is born. Mystique's Brotherhood of Mutants receives a pardon for their acts of terrorism by serving under the U.S. government as the Freedom Force (it makes you wonder if our government would let an al-Qaeda agent work for the CIA). Fans of Wolverine are bound to love seeing their favorite Canuck go claw-to-claw with Lady Deathstrike and Sabretooth in their X-Men comic debuts. In the latest Hellfire Club appearance, we learn that the preferred ensemble of the discerning depraved mutant plutocrat can include headbands and bandito masks in addition to double-breasted suits, powdered wigs and lingerie. Also, a recurring villain, who twice before survived a vivisection from Wolverine, suffers a heart attack in the heat of battle and dies (I found it to be a "comedy = tragedy + time" kind of moment). My personal favorite story would be issue #200, the Trial of Magneto. A repentant Erik Magnus Lehnsherr goes on the stand in front of an international tribunal to answer for his crimes against humanity while the X-Men scramble to stop the attacks made by a radical band of mutants called Fenris who (allegedly) want to free Magneto by force. The issue is a great balance of blistering comic book action and realistic characterization and emotion, plus it expertly ties in the events from an important past issue, and it makes for the most interesting courtroom drama from Marvel that I have read (and I've read all three Essential Daredevils).

One of the greater complaints about the fifth Essential X-Men is the amount of plot threads connected to other series that don't get presented or resolved in the pages of the book, and I'm afraid that's still the case here. It's an unfortunate but understandable drawback of reading these stories in reprints two decades after the fact. At this time in comicdom, all roads pretty much lead to (and from) the X-Men, and so more crossovers were featured in this series to get the recent bandwagon-jumpers to invest in other series. Therefore, some stories can't help but feel a little broken. For example, take the sudden arrivals of Spiral and Psylocke. I know who they are and where they came from thanks to outside sources, but you won't learn that from these issues since it's never mentioned. This book also contains a small fraction of the Secret Wars II crossover issues, so only some of the Beyonder's shenanigans on Earth are recorded. However, in what is perhaps an attempt by the publisher to stave off some of the inter-series mystery, non-X-Men books are included for the first time in an Essential X-Men for two great crossovers.

Exhibit A: X-Men in Asgard. Although the ninth X-Men Annual is well remembered for sending the merry mutants into the fabled land of Norse mythology, the saga actually began in a New Mutants Special Edition. This book is included, all 64 pages of it! After reading it, I felt that, if it had been omitted, I would have accepted the X-Men's sudden quest to free Storm from Loki's fiendish plan and the unexplained transformation of some of the New Mutants (into valkyries and fairies and the like) as par for the course. Not to mention that the Special raises as many questions as it answers. Why is Storm babysitting the X-Kids on the island of Cyprus when she was last seen starving and alone in the Serengeti a couple of issues back? Why is Karma, who was pronounced dead back in the fourth Essential X-Men, now alive and morbidly obese? Regardless, I still enjoyed this story and am happy to have read it, since it wouldn't otherwise be in an Essential volume until the Essential New Mutants #2 (and don't ask me when the first one will even come out).

Exhibit B: the Mutant Massacre. The first crossover that brought all of Marvel's mutant titles together (and Power Pack and Thor, apparently), the Mutant Massacre famously came about because readers weren't becoming enamored with the homely, sewer-dwelling Morlocks, despite their multiple across-the-board appearances. Therefore, author Chris Claremont rolled up his sleeves, crafted a new villain team called the Marauders, and sent them down into the Morlock tunnels to waste anything that moved. A previous reviewer commented that there was little point in offering the entire Mutant Massacre in B&W when it has long been available as its own trade paperback in color. While I agree to a point (I've owned the TPB myself for over a year), I feel that the Massacre was an event that greatly affected the X-Men world and that the entire sordid affair belongs in the X-Men reprint series so that any level of reader can understand it.

That's about all I have to tell about the Essential X-Men 6. I'd say that it's required reading for any true X-aficionado, and still a very entertaining read for anyone. As a longtime fan, I can say that the only thing that would make me happier is a second Essential for the original `60's X-Men. Until then, face front, true believers!

Essential a Dissapointment.......2005-09-21

I love the essential volumes, started since the first Spider-Man volume all those years ago, 8 years I think. I love readin the classic X-Men stories from Claremont and collect those great tpb's featuring the great crossovers. My complaint is I bought this for the X-Men stories not the crossover stories. If you want to read about the Mutant Massacre, go buy the tpb in color, especially since it was just re-released and readily available. Extremely and essential dissapointed in this volume. Marvel don't make this mistake again, we're buying it for the X-Men issues, and those issues only. Think about it money wise that if the person really wants to see how the Mutant Massacre turned out they will shell out the money to buy the tpb itself. Way to lose some money.

Essential Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe - Update 89, Vol. 1 (Marvel Essentials)

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Essential Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe - Update 89, Vol. 1 (Marvel Essentials)
Peter Sanderson , Peter Wohl , Marcus Mclaurin , Glenn Herdling , Len Kaminski , and Various
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 078511937X

Book Description

Origins and updates of the eighties' elite in one easy installment! Trace major revisions to major characters like Archangel and Vision, the Red Skull and S.H.I.E.L.D., the Hulk and Hobgoblin, and who knows who else! Featuring the debut stats of Apocalypse, Sinister, Venom and more! Plus: Marvel's first go-round of profiles for herodom's best supporting casts! Collects Offical Handbook of the Marvel Unvierse - Update '89 #1-8.

Essential Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe - Deluxe Edition, Vol. 2 (Marvel Essentials)

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A Must-Have for hard-core Marvel Fans

Essential Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe - Deluxe Edition, Vol. 2 (Marvel Essentials)
Mark Gruenwald , Peter Sanderson , Eliot R. Brown , & others , John Byrne , Dave Cockrum , Bob Layton , and John Romita Jr.
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0785119353

Amazon.com

Marvel's late-'80s Essential Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (Deluxe Edition) was a wildly ambitious attempt to collect definitive biographical information on every single Marvel character. It's perfectly suited to Marvel's Essentials line: Since the series is intended more for reference than for reading cover to cover, the black-and-white lightweight-paper format isn't that much of a drawback, and the inexpensive price makes it affordable to collect all three 400+-page volumes. (The earlier non-Deluxe version is short enough to fit in one volume.) Volume 2 covers issues 8-14, and characters from Magus to Wolverine, with stops along the way for Man-Thing, Moon Knight, Shanna the She-Devil, Silver Surfer, Spider-Man, Ultron, and the Valkyrie among others. Yes, the information is dated, and these days you can probably find something similar on the Web somewhere, but this kind of nostalgia is exactly what the Essentials line is for. --David Horiuchi

Book Description

Full-blown infotainment marks the halfway point of the encyclopedia of the Marvelous - highlighting members of the Avengers and the X-Men, and most of the Fantastic Four! Iron Man! Luke Cage! The Punisher! The horrors of Hydra and the menace of the Maggia! Magneto, Mystique and more! Special Feature: mapping the mysteries of Marvel's Manhattan! Collects Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe - Deluxe Edition #8-14.

Customer Reviews:

A Must-Have for hard-core Marvel Fans.......2006-10-03

Okay, so granted the info here is nearly 20 yrs. out of date, but it still is the paragon to which any and all comic book guides should strive to emulate. When Marvel undertook the Delux Handbook series they went didn't hold anything back. The history of even the most obscure characters is delved into with great detail, and the specs on all armor, wepons, etc... is beyond fantastic. Also, the section of each entry relating to the various powers or applications of weapons and armor and such are given great consideration; the authors do their best to give a logical and scientific explaination to each and every one of these subjects, as well as to how said individual got their powers or skills.

I can't say it enough, NO bit of info was deemed too mundane or irrelevant to leave untouched... and the scope of the material covered goes above and beyond the major players of the Marvel Universe. Granted, not EVERY SINGLE last person, place or thing is covered, but they went as far as possible to do so, and no other source book for any single form of writing in the genre has ever been as grand in scope and detail; the more recent Marvel Encyclopedias, although fun and more up-to-date are nothing like the Delux Handbook series, and only the volumes focusing on the Fantastic Four and Spiderman even come close to this land-mark achievement. Also, the wealth of artwork presented here is stunning, though not all of it is the best, the people who put this together did a great job of covering the entries at their best representations over the years.

In this, the 2nd volume (of three, though there is one that came before, the non-delux, and one that is due out that served as a late-1980s update) the latter half of all things marvel from "M" (Magus) to "W" (Wolverine) are covered.

If you happen to have any of the "prestige format" reprints of the series, it might still be worth it to you to pick up these volumes, as those books, which were reprints of the orig. series but collecting 2 issues per volume and on better quality paper, left out several entries per issue that are found in these "Essential" reprints.

There is little to nothing to say that is bad about this series, but I will give a few "constructive warnings" to those interested in buying the series.

1. The reprints, like all those in the "Essential" reprint line of Marvel Comics, are not in color and are in black and white. Personally, I prefer the black and white over the color versions, as it gives it the nostalgic feel that to me makes it all the better.

2. The appendix to the series directs the reader, many, MANY times to appendix entries that will never show, namely any and all refering to any characters, objects or teams simply do not show up, ever, in the appendix of any of the issues. It is possible this was remedied in the late-'80s update, but I never got those when they first came out so I can't say for sure. However, the appendix of alien races, seen in the 3rd volume of the Essential reprints, does not dissappoint.

3. As I said before, this series came out nearly 20 years ago, so if you are looking just for up-to-date info, this series is not for you (and due to the short-commings of the more recent Marvel Encyclopedia hard-backs you pretty much will have to rely on the internet for USEFUL current info., and on-line, its all free!)

All in all, I highly reccomend this volume and the 1st and 2nd to any and all Marvel fans. I randomly picked up and issue of this series in the '90s, and its what truly sold me on Marvel Comics when I first started out. Even then the series was about 10 yrs out of date but it was a big help in getting into Marvel regardless.

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Very Nice Looking Collectors/Coffee Table Book
An Excellent Overview of the "Marvel Age" Of Comics
Great Read and Coffee Table Book
Action packed
The Best Introduction to Marvel I've Seen

Marvel
Michael Mallory
Manufacturer: Universe
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0883631105
Release Date: 2002-10-15

Book Description

The mythological giants of popular culture include Captain America, Silver Surfer, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, The X-Men, Spider-Man, and the Incredible Hulk. For 60 years Marvel has not only brought these larger-than-life heroes to their fans but has also created and sustained a coherent universe where all their adventures take place. In a discussion of the evolution of these superheroes, Michael Mallory draws on informative interviews with cartoonists such as Stan Lee, Joe Simon, and Roy Thomas. Illustrated with incomparable reproductions of comic art and hundreds of photographs from film and TV, this revised edition features new, original cover art by Kaare Andrews and contains updated material on the new Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, and X-Men movies.

Customer Reviews:

Very Nice Looking Collectors/Coffee Table Book.......2005-08-17

This book, while lacking a little in historical content compared to Marvel: Five Fabulous Decadess of the World's Greatest Comics, exceels in Character content on primary Marvel heros. The art work, photos, and some updated material is nice (eventhough, in the age of comic movies, it is now behgind, but that cannot be helped).

Chapters on Captian America, Spider-man, and the Fantastic Four are very nice, but it does not do justice to other marvel heros such as the second tier group like the Punisher or Daredevil.

All in all, this book functions well as a coffee table book, of which it is intended. I ama Marvel and DC fan, and find this book to be a nice collection.

An Excellent Overview of the "Marvel Age" Of Comics.......2003-03-18

I put off buying Marvel: The Characters and Their Universe because of the price. I finally decided to give in to the temptation, and WOW, am I glad I did! I had an absolute BLAST reading this book.

The book is beautifully designed; It looks, smells, and feels GREAT. It's so attractive that at times I actually hated to open it for fear of getting it dirty. The cover art by Kaare Andrews is just gorgeous. Content-wise, Author Michael Mallory does a nice job of covering the history of the Marvel Bullpen and it's major players (Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko), and the Marvel Universe and it's major characters (Captain America, The Hulk, Spider-Man, and The X-Men each get extensive chapters of their own, The Fantastic Four, The Avengers, Daredevil, The Silver Surfer, et al, all share smaller chapters). The chapters are lavishly illustrated, and filled with beautiful art from the Comics, Movies, TV shows, and video games that the characters have appeared in. I'm a REAL Marvel Comic afficionado, and not only did I NOT find too many mistakes in the book (A few, but nothing major...), but I actually learned a lot; My favorite tidbit- Captain America co-creator Joe Simon hails from my adopted hometown of Rochester, New York.

Marvel: The Characters and Their Universe is a luxury item, to be sure, but one I'm glad I splurged on. I guarantee any Marvel Zombie will love it.

Great Read and Coffee Table Book.......2002-05-03

This book is great. It goes into, although briefly the rise of marvel comics. The meat and potatoes of this book though is the study of the marvel characters. Captain America, Spider-man, The Incredible Hulk, and the X-Men are looked into in depth. Other characters in the marvel universe are also explored but not in the length of the others mentioned. Whats great about this book is that it looks at the characters major story lines and their origins but also their representations in other mediums. WOndering about Captain America in the movies or on t.v.? Then this is the book for you. There is also another great book titled "marvel universe." That book looks at the characters in the comics only. So if you want just a study of the comics go with "Marvel Universe." If you want a book that looks at everything invovled with the character go with this one. Or buy both, they are fantastic books. So buy both! I did.

Action packed.......2002-04-02

This book is great. Full color, large pictures and information from the past to present on most Marvel Heroes. What is great is that you can be entertained and kept interested while reading about charactors you might not have had any interest in before.

The Best Introduction to Marvel I've Seen.......2001-10-14

Most people who know me know I've loved comic books since I was a mere lad. Mallory's book on the Marvel Universe not only reminds me of exactly why comic books have inspired and thrilled me throughout my life, it includes things that not even I (ravenous comic book consumer that I am) have experienced. Mallory divides his book into several sections, some of which chronicle in detail the pop culture evolution of particular characters in the Universe (Spiderman, The Hulk, Captain America, and the X-Men come to mind.) It also details why comic book lovers consider the universe so special. Marvel was the first comic book company to seriously attempt to create a coherent universe out of all their titles. Ironically, unlike DC, they seem to have had less difficulty making readers take their universe seriously, by-passing all of the convoluted Earths and complicated and contradictory timelines that caused DC to write sometimes horribly ridiculous cross-over events to eradicate half of their characters.

One of the most important things that Mallory outlines in this book, and what makes Marvel so accessible to broad ranges of people, is the fact that the characters to come out of the Marvel Universe are so believable. They aren't perfect gods like their DC counterparts. They do sometimes make the wrong decisions. Spiderman, for instance, is a computer nerd. Iron Man is an alcoholic who has a hard time relating to other people. The X-Men are shunned across the globe because of their powers. These characters aren't automatically celebrated as like Superman and the Flash. People are afraid of those with more power than themselves. Mallory brings out this most human, and ultimately most important, aspect of the Marvel Universe. His book works because it brings out the characters behind those shiny and colorful spandex costumes, making sure that the reader understands that superheroics is not just about having powers and easily saving the day. It's also about wrestling with personal issues.

The book itself is quite simply beautiful. Hundreds of full color pictures chronicle the development of these characters. Dozens of interviews with such people as Stan Lee, Joe Simon and others add to the nuanced approach this book takes in discussing its subject matter. When I recieved the book in the mail, I was literally taken aback at the cover. I think many of you would agree, its one of the most spectacular covers I've ever seen on a book. More than simply chronicling the stories of the Marvel Universe, more than simply being a critical review of the characters within the universe, the book itself is a work of art, something you can display proudly on a coffee table or the like. Mallory brings up so many social issues that were inevitably tied with the production of these comics (Tony Stark's experiences in Vietnam being only one example), that the book inspires many discussions on the ways in which popular culture interacts with the world. Comic books aren't just superficial stories to escape the world. If Marvel comics have taught us anything, it's that comics can deal with real world issues in ways that are appealing. We don't have to think that gods from Olympus (a recent metaphor used to describe the characters in DC comics) watch down on us. They are among us. We have the ability to become heroes ourselves. The Marvel Universe, and indeed Mallory's analysis of that universe, reminds us of our own powers and our own responsibilities. Like Peter Parker's Uncle Ben once said "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility." Mallory's book shows us the degree to which Marvel comics aren't an escape from the world, but are an inspiration to act responsibly as heroes within our own world.

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