Product Description: As a unique, one-volume encyclopedia of more than 1,000 characters created by DC Comics, this is the book that all comic book fans have been waiting for! Featuring some of DC's most creative artists and heroes and villains from the world famous to lesser known one-offs, this thrilling, one-of-a-kind guide has comic book history exploding off every page.
Some plagiarism involved ^ I'd be very wary of some of the information in this AND the previous printing. I happen to know that the entries for two of the "Marvel Family" characters were plagiarized. Mary Marvel's was lifted off a fanfiction website and Captain Marvel Junior's from a role-playing game site. I know this because I originally wrote them and neither jibe with "history" listed in the DCU Captain Marvel's entry.
A classic expansive detailed overview of the heros & villiains in the dc universe ^ This is truly, wow of an encyclopaedia, I can't think of another book that has more expanded information on what's contained in these pages. This is an exhaustive book on referencing over one thousand DC characters, origins, significant events in DC mythology. It focuses on teams, places, weapons, vehicles, battles and so much more. What naturally is of great emphasis on the icons of mythology themselves the characters like Superman, Batman,also the book is rich in it,s many obscure and overlooked forgotten characters sometimes under appreciated. The golden age artwork and the ultra modern artwork with such incredibly vivid colours and realistic proportions is all I can,visually envy.The cover is a classic masterpiece, that Alex Ross has such, talent and artistic flair that I am truly jealous of his creations because they are so realistic in his character depictions that they leap off the page into your face!He can make you believe that they are really physical!I am the proud owner of x-men the ultimate guide, and I now have an extra book to add to my library of grand books with this incredible encyclopaedia. I believe this is a rich source of detailed information jam packed full of historical information on the dc universe which in the end is all about the fantasy and the powerful brave characters that produce these fantasies.
Editorial Disaster but An Exciting Book for Superhero Enthusiasts! ^ For collectors who enjoy collecting books about comicbooks and superheroes, this is an essential piece of your library. I am happy to own it, bu I would have been extremely frustrated if I paid the original list price.
The DC Comics Encyclopedia, by DK Publishing, reflects some of the sloppiest editorial work I have ever read from a professional book publisher. I have been in education most of my adult working life and I expect a higher standard of quality work from my teenage students when it comes to reviewing and editing their own work.
I am not qualified to evaluate the accuracy of the information but you don't need to be an expert to spot the many flaws. Many pictures are mislabeled. Some sentences just stop midway and pick up with the next sentence. I have even found what looks like editorial notes that were clearly intended for one of the many contributors. It is incredible to believe that this would miss the watchful eye of the editor and publisher and actually make it to print.
As a reference book, The DC Comics Encyclopedia still has value. I can only hope that the person or people responsible for the sloppy work are not hired on for additional projects in the near future. Comics may not be considered "high literature" but for those of us who admire the work of the creators, artist, writers, and publishers of comic books...we, along with the creators, themselves, deserve more respect than what is evidenced by the work in this book.
Caveat Emptor ^ I'll begin my review by being completely honest and admitting that, had I not been able to purchase the second edition of the DC Encyclopedia at half-price, I would not have purshased it. The encyclopedia contains numerous editing errors that even a high school journalism student would have caught before going to press, as well as essentially useless information regarding the relationships of several characters who have become switch-hitters since their pre-Crisis days. The listing of so many gay characters was obviously an editorial decision, as at least one of the contributors is gay. That the person is gay or the characters is less offensive than it is needless. I don't care whether the characters are gay or about their relationships. Having said that, I could overlook it were not for the excessive number of mistakes; the DCE is updated and expanded and contains even more mistakes, including almost all the ones contained in the first edition (although, to their credit, they did replace the picture of Minute Man for the Mister Scarlet entry with a picture of the right hero). An aside to the editors: I have degrees in both English and journalism and would be glad to edit the next edition free of charge. I won;t even complain about the excessive mention of the gay characters if it means a edition of the book will come out relatively mistake-free. Think about it, huh? This book was obviously rush-released in the hopes people would buy it for Christmas market. Unfortunately, as it is, both editions of the DCE, but the expanded edition in particular, say more about the decline of DC Comics than it says about the company's characters. If you want to purchase the book for reference use, as I did, try to find a place where it being sold at half-price, because it is definitely not worth the $40-plus dollar price tag.
My son loves this book! ^ My 10 year old son loves this book. He is into collecting comics and when he wants to learn more about a character, this book is at his fingertips. He does need help reading some of the paragraphs, but it encourages him to read. There is a short summary of most of the DC characters as well as good photos and interesting facts. I think that this book is a good resource for young comics book collectors like my son.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
