THE MIGHTY MARVEL DICTIONARY - Robb Pearlman


The fifteen year old in me absolutely loves this.  I sure would have liked having something like this in the 1970s when I was an avid comics - specifically Marvel - reader. I would have referenced this constantly with the introduction of new characters or villains (or at least someone i didn't think I was very familiar with).

This purports to "define the Marvel Universe."  Not just the cinematic universe. But where is the line drawn?  What is knowingly excluded?  The Marvel Universe I grew up with included westerns like Kid Colt, Rawhide Kid, and Two-Gun Kid. These are not included.  This is not a surprise since it definitely appears to be geared toward the superhero stories and there's still plenty of information to include. (I should note that this isn't just a dictionary of character names and home-worlds, but anything that might be unique to the Marvel worlds.) But what IS interesting is the omission of major players like Magneto ... he is listed multiple times, but only as part of another entry (ie "daughter of Magneto" or "created by Magneto") but he does not have his own entry.  Ooops.  That's got to be an oversight.

The dictionary is lavishly illustrated with at least one, generally two, sometimes more, illustrations per page. The artwork comes from many different generations of artists. There are 'classic' Jack Kirby/Steve Ditko styles and the much more modern, computer art styles. I really appreciate that it wasn't just one artist or one period being represented.  It is too bad, however, that the artists aren't identified anywhere (at least not in my ARC).

Some of the choices for what to include strike me as odd, but then again, I haven't been reading a lot of superhero comics in the last 30-40 years.  But, since when did Dr. Strange look like Paul Rodriguez with a Howard Hughes mustache? (See the image for the dictionary term "Dark Dimension".)

My digital ARC is searchable, which is really nice, but I would definitely prefer a physical copy of this book. I think that thumbing through and randomly looking at art and reading an entry would be great for casual reading enjoyment. However, a digital search will find entries that you might otherwise miss.

Looking for a good book? The Mighty Marvel Dictionary by Robb Pearlman is a great resource for the comic/Marvel reader, even though an important figure (or more) is missing. It's also just plain fun to look through. Just in time for holiday gift-giving!

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

* * * * * *

The Mighty Marvel Dictionary: An Illustrated Glossary from Avengers to X-Men

author: Robb Pearlman

publisher: Smart Pop

ISBN: 9781637745519

hardcover, 256 pages

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