In a world as massive as the Marvel Universe, what’s the best way to keep track of who’s who? With Avengers: Age of Ultron premiering in just a few days, and the upcoming Secret Wars about to redefine the comic world, there’s no doubt that DK’s Avengers: The Ultimate Character Guide Updated and Expanded is a handy reference for Avengers experts and neophytes alike.
From Abomination to Yondu, this character guide covers anyone and everyone affiliated with the Avengers series, whether they be hero or villain. Well, nearly everyone, I should say. As I was flipping through the book, I was extremely surprised to find Wolverine missing from the ranks. For the past decade he’s been a core member of the various teams, so his absence seems somewhat editorial driven, I’m guessing.
As the title makes clear, this isn’t the first time DK has released an Avengers character guide; however, clearly a new movie makes it prime time for revisions and expansion. In this case, we’ve got 60 more entries, including both heroes and villains. There has been some significant additions to this edition, including Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel, her namesake, the new Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan, The Beyonder, and Nova, to name just a few.
As per the first edition, the entries and quick and concise, giving you a solid rundown of the basic facts behind the various characters, including vital stats, and juicy little tidbits of information. You won’t get the in-depth goods on any of the characters, but you will get what I’d consider to be a beginner’s guide to more than 225 of them. The only information I would have liked to have seen added to this edition of this character guide would be a first appearance notification, since this title skews towards a younger audience who may not know where to start.
Overall though, like all of DK’s books, this is another beautifully put together title that works well on its own; however, if you’ve got a few extra dollars, I’d suggest pairing it with another DK offering, The Avengers: The Ultimate Guide To Earth’s Mightiest Heroes!, co-written by author Alan Cowsill. Together, you’ll enter the Age of Ultron and the Avengers well informed and assembled.
You can order Avengers: The Ultimate Character Guide Updated and Expanded here.
