With the huge hit of the WandaVision series streaming on Disney+, it has been announced that there will be a huge slate of new Marvel shows on the service tying in with the new Marvel films that will be released in the next couple of years.
The Ultimate Marvel book is an excellent book that gives a great crash course of the Marvel comics history. Unfortunately the films are not covered in the book. It is not comprehensive but it will give a chronological order of comic book appearances of marvel characters, artifacts, locations, etc. Different Marvel timelines will be explored in the book (eg Golden, Atas, Marvel, Bronze, Modern, and Heroic). These ages cover the years between 1939 and go to the present.
The book is extremely colorful and includes photos and artwork from many artists who have drawn for Marvel through the years. The book begins with a summarized Marvel Universe timeline of events. Superheroes and villains will then be covered from the different ages. Major superheroes are covered in a couple of pages such as Captain America and Thor. Key storylines in Marvel history are explored. One interesting story covered pertains to Jane Foster, Thor’s girlfriend who wields his hammer as one point to become a female version of Thor. The next Thor film will cover this theme. Lesser known characters are given a smaller amount of page space such as half a page. Each entry covers the character’s first appearance in a certain series and issue number, also their affiliations with certain superhero groups like the Defenders and the Avengers.
There is a separate section in the book that deals with vehicles that the heroes and villains have used such as the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier and the Silver Surfer Surfboard. Weapons and technology are explored as well as various lands such as Wakanda from the Black Panther series.
The writing for each entry is clear and concise. As mentioned the artwork taken from various comics that supplement each entry is varied and display different art styles. This book will also be interesting who want to compare the heroes and villains of the various time periods to see how they have evolved in look and manner.
Availability: Book Rating: **** Stars (I really liked it) Reviewer: Van, Reference Librarian