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Marvel The Avengers Encyclopedia
Marvel's The Avengers Encyclopedia is the most comprehensive volume of Marvel's premier Super Hero team ever. Follow the genesis of the team and the individual heroes - including Captain America, Thor, Iron Man and the Hulk - and their many friends and foes. Super Hero profiles explode from the page with stunning Marvel comic book art. Including more than 250 Marvel Avengers characters and more than 40 teams and line-ups, explore the characters Avengers origins and powers, and read about their defining comic book moments. Plus 20 of the most significant comic book storylines in The Avengers history are profiled throughout. Discover everything there is to know about Earth's Mightiest Super Hero team in Marvel's The Avengers Encyclopedia.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published October 6, 2015
10 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
About the author
Matt Forbeck
211 books313 followersI'm an award-winning, New York Times-bestselling author and game designer and happily married father of five, including a set of quadruplets. For more on my work, see Forbeck.com.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 25, 2017
What can I say about the DK series of Marvel books, yes they are exploiting the current attention all things Marvel have to offer. Yes I am sure there are life long fans and Marvel aficionados out there who feel this is just simply making money from old rope.
But I disagree, yes see these are all just simply a lot of fun. There is a massive amount of material out there from the Marvel studios and to be truly expert on it all would take a life time (and a major fortune). What you have here is a condensed version of it all, repackaged and re-edited so it all now flows together.
The book is colourful and full of fun facts and figures with lost of cross references to other entries. The challenge really here is do you reading it one page at a time or follow where the links take you and jump around following one entry to another.
One thing that is no really recognised much here is the artwork (which for a subject which clearly has its roots in comics you would have though would have been more important. The artwork is in its majority is very modern which is both good in that you have a level of consistency but bad in that you looks so much of the comics heritage. I guess the current generation of readers just are not that fussed as long as it all makes sense and all links up.
So really to return to my initial comments - this is all a lot of fun but don't take it as the definitive source of information. Now lets see what DK bring out next.
But I disagree, yes see these are all just simply a lot of fun. There is a massive amount of material out there from the Marvel studios and to be truly expert on it all would take a life time (and a major fortune). What you have here is a condensed version of it all, repackaged and re-edited so it all now flows together.
The book is colourful and full of fun facts and figures with lost of cross references to other entries. The challenge really here is do you reading it one page at a time or follow where the links take you and jump around following one entry to another.
One thing that is no really recognised much here is the artwork (which for a subject which clearly has its roots in comics you would have though would have been more important. The artwork is in its majority is very modern which is both good in that you have a level of consistency but bad in that you looks so much of the comics heritage. I guess the current generation of readers just are not that fussed as long as it all makes sense and all links up.
So really to return to my initial comments - this is all a lot of fun but don't take it as the definitive source of information. Now lets see what DK bring out next.
December 30, 2016
I picked this up at the library and read most of it while my son was doing Lego Club.
It's a good book, with profiles on the Avengers from the 1960s through the 2000s. You get tons of information on lots of characters, good and bad. It's a good book for teens, but adults that read comics in their teen years will like it too.
It's a good book, with profiles on the Avengers from the 1960s through the 2000s. You get tons of information on lots of characters, good and bad. It's a good book for teens, but adults that read comics in their teen years will like it too.
November 27, 2019
Hundreds of profiles of heroes and villains, and teams of heroes and villains, who have been in Avengers comics over the decades. Many of the characters are obscure. Includes "key storylines": summaries of memorable or major stories in the Avengers comics. Pretty good art.
Notes
The Avengers originated when Loki sought vengeance on Thor. 1st 18 issues were dominated by Thor, Iron Man, Giant-Man, Wasp. In 4th issue, Captain America was thawed from ice and presided over team including 2 outcast mutants (Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch) and reformed supervillain Hawkeye. Later Black panther and Vision became Avengers.
Black Widow received physical enhancements from a copy of the Super-Soldier serum.
Nick Fury led the Howling Commandos in World War II. At the end of the war, he received a dose of Infinity Formula which kept him youthful and strong. Fury's eye was damaged in World War II.
The Vision's body once belonged to the android Human Torch, but was redesigned as part of Ultron's plan to defeat the Avengers.
Thanos is "personally powerful enough to defeat the Avengers single-handedly."
Inhumans were created 25,000 years ago when Kree performed genetic experimentation on primitive people on Earth.
Notes
The Avengers originated when Loki sought vengeance on Thor. 1st 18 issues were dominated by Thor, Iron Man, Giant-Man, Wasp. In 4th issue, Captain America was thawed from ice and presided over team including 2 outcast mutants (Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch) and reformed supervillain Hawkeye. Later Black panther and Vision became Avengers.
Black Widow received physical enhancements from a copy of the Super-Soldier serum.
Nick Fury led the Howling Commandos in World War II. At the end of the war, he received a dose of Infinity Formula which kept him youthful and strong. Fury's eye was damaged in World War II.
The Vision's body once belonged to the android Human Torch, but was redesigned as part of Ultron's plan to defeat the Avengers.
Thanos is "personally powerful enough to defeat the Avengers single-handedly."
Inhumans were created 25,000 years ago when Kree performed genetic experimentation on primitive people on Earth.
April 28, 2018
227 - 2018
August 9, 2019
"Marvel’s Avengers Encyclopedia" (2015) by Matt Forbeck et al. is a fascinating, 10 x 12, 350-page book about the hundreds of characters who, as individuals or part of a team, have appeared in the various Avengers books. I wish the origin of the Avengers would have been presented at the beginning. Also, some of the print is a bit small and therefore difficult to read. All in all, it’s a well-documented book with wonderful reprinted illustrations. Highly recommended.
November 28, 2016
I liked this book and thought there was a lot of info in it, but overall found it kind of hard to follow and would have liked a little more information to each characters. Something like the first comic book they where featured in or something like that. I also thought the rating system was a little weird.
February 20, 2017
Finally read this great book cover to cover with my son. Thanks, Matt, for a great romp thru the history of the Avengers.
April 22, 2016
This had a lot of information and I got a bit tired of it all. If you're a bin Avengers fan it's probably a good resource to keep all the characters straight. The Avengers world is very much like a soap opera, but instead of everyone sleeping with everyone else, everyone dies and comes back to life is some way (they come back in another dimension or alternate reality; they really weren't the person when they were killed, but a skreel impostor; or someone just flat out brings them back to life).
The part I liked the best was the summaries of important storylines that they had throughout the book. It helped me make sense of all the information I was reading about the individual characters.
This book had more information about the heroes than the villains in general. I'm not sure if that was because the heroes were more developed in the comics or if they thought more people would be interested in them. There also was a lot more information on the heroes that are in the Avenger movies than the others.
The part I liked the best was the summaries of important storylines that they had throughout the book. It helped me make sense of all the information I was reading about the individual characters.
This book had more information about the heroes than the villains in general. I'm not sure if that was because the heroes were more developed in the comics or if they thought more people would be interested in them. There also was a lot more information on the heroes that are in the Avenger movies than the others.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 8, 2016
There is a wealth of information here but there are also strange omissions and the organizational pattern is actually kind of hard to follow. One of the bigger problems is that this clearly takes some cues on focus from the films and downplays or omits X-men related Avengers except for the ones that appear in the movies. It also downplays the Fantastic Four. They are mentioned in write-ups, and have plenty of illustrations, but are omitted by and large from entries. The art is and selections are nice. Forbeck researches his material well. DK makes great coffee table books in general and this is no exception, but there are a few limitations.
May 3, 2017
This book shows you all the facts about your favorite marvel character as well as unfamiliar character such as ''Valkietry'' .
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews