Rating: 
Summary: Nostalgic Types - DO NOT COME HERE!
Review: If I could have flipped through this before purchasing, I would have put it back on the shelf and spent my money on something else. Alas, it was covered with shrink-wrap, and the comic store conveniently didn't have a store copy for browsing. "If 'ifs' and 'buts' were candy and nuts, we'd all have a Merry Christmas." Oh, well...I'm not a stereotypical "fanboy" of comics. I have read them since the early '70s, collected them since the early eighties, and I have a fair collection of special older comics (all of Byrne's X-Men, Miller's Daredevil, etc.). I just love comics (DC and Marvel), and this book is a total disappointment. If you are looking to waltz down memory lane, and be treated to artwork from Jack Kirby, John Romita, Sr., Steve Ditko, Frank Miller, John Byrne, you're looking at the wrong book. The focus here is on the current crop artists and their versions of the heroes many of us have come to love over the years. Newer characters are also depicted. If, however, a character you may remember from the past doesn't play a large part in the current Marvel Universe, you will not find them in this book (e.g. Moon Knight, Black Knight, Sunfire, Banshee, Polaris, etc.). Basically, this book sucks pretty badly. There is practically no "history" to be found in the book. There is more artwork to adorn the pages than there are words. AND to top it all off, the lazy slobs at Marvel already have the profiles of these characters thrown up on their busy website. Diehard comic fans like myself will feel terribly short-changed at this shallow piece of junk. I've come to expect that when the word "encyclopedia" is used, the work should be pretty exhaustive - for example, the Baseball Encylcopedia, The World Book Encylcpedia, etc. Of course, to be fair, this huge coaster/paperweight/doorstop is labled Vol. 1. This implies that there should at least be a Vol. 2, right? Maybe readers should give Marvel the benefit of the doubt and assume that this was intended to be a very brief overview of the current Marvel Universe, with no depth and practically ZERO historical treatment. NOT!!!! Save your money and read the profiles on the website if you really care to learn more about the current major players in Marvel's Universe. Works like this really frustrate me. Bill Jemas, Joe Quesada, and the other honchos at Marvel that oversee creative content should hang their heads in shame. Or, maybe I should hang my head in shame for falling for their "over-promise, under-deliver" marketing strategy. I've learned my lesson. I won't buy a Vol. 2 (if one is ever published) until I can flip through it at a store and judge it myself to see if it is worth the chunk of change Marvel wants for it. This rates ZERO stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Marvel for Dummies
Review: The book looks great, the problems start when you search for information on a caracter and you only find the ones you already know. I understand that Marvel dedicate more space to it's icons, but it's illogycal to exclude 80% of your caracters, even if they are well know outside the comic comunity (Apocalyps, Mr. Sinester, Hobgoblin, Tigra, Machineman, Valder, Mr Hyde, Omegar Red, Lady Deathstrike, etc).
Almost every art piece has already been publish, and the ones who haven't are not very good (Quicksilver and Scarlet Wish).
The information is scarce to say the least, and the recomended reading is almost limited to recent issues.
Sometimes the power level of the caracters dosen't make any sense. (according to the guide Jubilee has more energy than Gambit).
If you have never read a Marvel Comic this might be your cup of tea, otherwise don't buy it.
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