Marvel Absolutely Everything You Need to Know

by Adam Bray, John Sazaklis, Sven Wilson

Marvel Absolutely Everything You Need To Know is packed with fun facts, bizarre-but-true tales, and quirky insights into everyone's favorite Marvel comic characters, including The Avengers, Spider-Man, and Daredevil.

Discover why the Hulk comes in three different varieties-green, gray, and red-and how a frog once gained Thor's powers! This unique guide sheds light on the most fascinating corner of the Marvel Comics Universe, from secrets of the Super Heroes to the making of Marvel's finest and strangest comic moments.

From behind-the-scenes revelations to strange and interesting facts, Marvel Absolutely Everything You Need to Know will surprise and delight new and die-hard Marvel fans.

© 2016 MARVEL

Author Bios:

Adam Bray is a frequent contributor to DK Star Wars™ and LEGO® Star Wars books, including Ultimate Star Wars and the best-selling Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know. Visit him online at https://twitter.com/authoradambray.

New York Times bestselling author John Sazaklis enjoys adventures of his favorite characters. To him, it's a dream come true! By day, John is a somewhat mild-mannered art director and designer at a publishing house. He has also illustrated Spider-Man books and created toys used in MAD magazine. John lives with his equally (if not more) super-powered, beautiful wife and daughter in New York City. You can check out his blog at Sazmagic.blogspot.com and follow him on Instagram at @johnnysaz.

Lorraine Cink is a comedian and writer for Marvel's weekly web show, The Watcher. But don't let that comedy background fool you, she is a serious Marvel expert who really knows how to make her deep knowledge accessible and entertaining to a wide audience. She lives in New York City.

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Nonfiction, Graphic Novels, Reference, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

240 pages, Hardcover

Published August 30, 2016

About the author

Adam Bray, Author, Travel Writer, Adventurer
Adam Bray is the USA Today and Amazon Best-Selling author of nearly 20 official Star Wars, Marvel and LEGO books. He has also contributed to nearly 40 books on travel in Southeast Asia and has been called a 'Modern Indiana Jones' by CNN.
From working with great apes, to finding lost temple ruins in Vietnam, to writing in a galaxy far, far away...
Adam Bray writes a lot of books. He is the author of the first comprehensive licensed reference books for the Marvel Cinematic universe, including the Marvel Studios Visual Dictionary, the Marvel Studios Character Encyclopedia and Marvel Studios 101. Adam is also a co-author of the cornerstone reference books for Marvel Comics, including the flagship Marvel Encyclopedia (with a forward written by the late, great Stan Lee), Ultimate Marvel, and Marvel: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know.
Fortunately Adam is a life-long Star Wars fan, because he's written even more Star Wars books than Marvel. Adam is the author of the official guides to Disney XD’s Star Wars Rebels animated TV series (with a forward written by Executive Producer Dave Filoni--seen in the lower right photo--and interview exerpts with Simon Kinberg, producer of the X-Men and Deadpool movies). Adam has also co-authored the reference books that define Star Wars canon, including Ultimate Star Wars (with a forward written by actor Anthony Daniels, aka C-3PO), the Star Wars Visual Encyclopedia and Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know (Nominated for a Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award). He is also the co-author of Stormtroopers: Beyond the Armor (with a forward by actor John Boyega, aka “Finn”), the definitive filmmaking history of the Empire’s iconic soldiers, from the earliest appearances of stormtroopers in marketing of the original Star Wars: A New Hope (1977), through merchandising, publishing, games, animation, the 501st Legion, and though seven more live-action films, including Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017). The book features interviews with lots of Star Wars creative talanet, including actors Sam Witwer (Darth Maul, Starkiller) & Dee Bradley Baker (Captain Rex and all the clone troopers), artists Kilian Plunkett, Terryl Whitlatch and many others. And speaking of stormtroopers, Adam is also proud to be an honorary member of the 501st Legion.
Adam Bray is a life-long fan of LEGO and proud do be associated with their brand. Adam’s LEGO books include DK’s LEGO Star Wars: Into Battle! and LEGO Star Wars: Chronicles of the Force (featuring an exclusive LEGO minifigure from The Force Awakens).
Publicity appearances are a big part of Adam's work. He has survived four national book tours, stopping at around 45 cities to promote his Star Wars and Marvel books. He has appeared as a featured guest, panelist and autographer at Star Wars Celebration (Anaheim, London and Orlando), San Diego Comic-Con (2014, 2015, 2018), New York Comic-Con (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018), C2E2 in Chicago (2016) and Fan Expo Vancouver (2018). He also appeared on the Emmy-Nominated “The Star Wars Show” (see the video below). Adam has written numerous articles for StarWars.com and has also been interviewed many times for StarWars.com and Star Wars Insider (the official magazine). His books have been advertised on billboards in Times Square in Manhattan and inside issues of Marvel Comics too.

Reviews

[Ondra Král · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sbírka náhodných faktů k Marvel postavám/týmům/lokacím/předmětům. Hezky udělané, pro nováčky co nechtějí číst komiksy asi ideál. Pokud umíte anglicky, českému vydání se spíš vyhněte.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

As childrens books go this is a great,fun introduction to the Marvel universe. Very colourful with bite size pieces of information for the zero attention span generations.

[MC · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought the gorgeously illustrated Marvel Powers of a Girl by Lorraine Cink and Alice X. Zhang and was curious to pick up “Marvel Absolutely Everything You Need to Know,” another book co-written by Cink. This was a great companion read in the days leading up to the premiere of Infinity War: Endgame. And, it’s wonderful primer for anyone interested in Marvel and understanding their vast array of comic characters across a variety of story lines.

[Aman 4-7 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book.But then again I could be saying that just because i'm a comic geek.Nonetheless,this book gave facts about anything/everything in the marvel comic world.I would recommend this book to anyone taking interest in marvel,and wishes to know more about the comics because this gives it plain and simple.All fast facts for you.

[Sanemsrgz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dnf : 114

Güzel bir kitap ama tek oturuşta bitecek birşey değil. Bence bir karakter hakkında bilgi alınmak istediğinde okunulacak bir kitap. O yüzden yarım bıraktım. Hepsini teker teker okumaya dayanamadım.

[Drzejms]

Wydanie przecudowne

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 4 out of 5]

420 - 2020

[Adam Dawson · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 / 5 for 'Marvel...Absolutely Everything You Need to Know' by Adam Bray

OK, OK...I know this book is aimed at young teens, but I don't care. I love DKs 'Everything You Need To Know About...' books, no matter what the subject. I've read loads and I'll be reading more. Also, I love Marvel; I've been reading the comics since I was 4 in 1982, as my dad had started collecting in 1962 and already had a massive collection by the time I was born. I've read loads of DC too, and I followed Image from its inception in the early 90s and I still read many of their series now. But Marvel will always be my first, and main, comic love.

This is a reasonable collection of info and images about some of the most important characters, teams, baddies, organizations, worlds and events of the Marvel Universe. Of course, it mainly focuses on characters and concepts in the MCU and Netflix series up to 2016, so it's not really a huge collection. There are some interesting 'Top Fives' and info / stat boxes, and there is some nice comic artwork used in its presentation. However, it all feels a little messy and a little incoherent as if it's been thrown together at the last minute by someone who is only really interested in the MCU, not Marvel's historic comics.

But, it's okay-ish. In fact, it could have earned a 3 / 5, but it loses marks for one huge infuriating negative. Many of the 'Between The Panels' info boxes throughout the book (which give us behind the scenes info) give credit to Stan Lee for ideas, concepts, characters etc, that he did not create or think up. Unfortunately, the main person that suffers from this is poor old Jack Kirby, who pretty much came up with 70% of Marvel's 1960s output all on his own...characters, concepts, stories, plotting and artwork were all his own, with Steve Ditko responsible for anything else. All Stan Lee did was tidy up the dialogue between characters and the text in the caption boxes, and suggest changes to make the books run smoother. That's it. To see someone who supposedly knows enough about Marvel to write a DK book, make these misappropriations at the cost of the TRUE creators such as Ditko and Kiby is infuriating.

As I said, it's almost like the author is only interested, and only has knowledge about, MCU relevant stuff....and this lack of knowledge and lack of foresight makes the book a bit of a stinker. A real shame...this good have been a great backstory book for young Marvelites, instead, it's a messily put together book, which focuses on Marvel of the last 16 years and is filled with factual inaccuracies.

1.5 / 5 (rounded up to 2 / 5)

[sberatelka.knih · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jasná volba pro komiksové fanoušky Marvelu. Já znám postavy a události z filmů, takže informace z této knihy mi do toho moc nezapadaly. Nicméně kniha je šikovně graficky zpracovaná a někdo si dal hodně záležet, aby nastřádal všechny informace o postavách, bitvách, místech atd.

[Jessica Venegas · Rating 3 out of 5]

So many characters! Some not worth remembering but it's an entertaining book

[Lobo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Kolibri Kiadó felkarolta azokat a könyveket, amelyek igazán az ifjabb korosztálynak szólnak. Nagyon szeretem ezeket az igényes összeállításokat, az eredeti kiadóban, a DK-ban (Dorling Kindersley) még sose csalódtam, mindig nagyon igényes és képekben roppant gazdag kiadványokat jelentetnek meg. A Marvel ​Studios: Szereplők nagykönyve kötet után ebben a kötetben a hősök, társaik, ellenfeleik, környezetük, kalandjaik mind-mind rajzos formában jelennek meg.

Nem véletlenül már a könyv külseje is egy az egyben erre utal, hiszen a nagy zöld illusztrált Hulk fej mellett mind az előlapon, mind a hátlapon szövegbuborékok tűnnek fel. A kötetben öt fő fejezet van az első a karaktereket mutatja be (szuperhősül. szupergonoszok és az ő klasszikus küzdelmeik), az második fejezetet a csapatoknak szánták (itt is külön vannak a szuperhős és szupergonosz csapatok, valamint a Shield) aztán jönnek a helyszínek (Földön, űrben és misztikus helyeken), a negyedik fejezet a Mágiára és a tudományra koncentrál az ötödikben pedig a Kulcseseményekkel ismerkedhetünk meg. Minden fejezetben vannak alcímek, s ezek mind buján rajzos és szöveges oldalakat jelentenek. Mert a kettő teljesen összefügg a képregényekben is. Nagyon érdekes, szórakoztató és informatív átlapozni a könyvet. Az élénk színek, rajzok és elrendezések abszolút adják a képregény hangulatot.

Amivel gondom volt, hogy a szövegek között néha semmi összefüggés nincs. Vannak a nagyobb részek, amik a címhez/alcímhez igazodnak, aztán adatáradat, utalások stb. Igazából csak a jéghegy csúcsát mutatják és a képregények világában nem jártas egyénre két hatással lehetnek: elbizonytalanítják és elkedvetlenítik, mert szembesül tudatlanságával, vagy éppen meghozzák a kedvét ahhoz, hogy felkutassa és elolvassa az eredeti műveket.
Ez tipikusan nem az a kötet, amit elsőtől az utolsó oldalig olvasunk. Lapozgatunk, bele-belepillantunk, aztán a szerencsére nagyon alapos index segítségével felkutathatjuk és elolvashatjuk a számunkra érdekesebb részeket, a filmekből ismerős karakterekre, eseményekre rákereshetünk (legalábbis én ezt csináltam)

Mint említettem nagyon jó kézbe venni a könyvet, lenyűgöző a kiállítása. Rengeteg adat van benne, néhol kicsit ad hocnak tűnik, de biztos vagyok abban, hogy a családunkban például nagy sikere lesz. A nagyobbik fiam az a típus, aki elejétől végéig olvas egy könyvet, úgyhogy szerintem velem ellentétben ő ezt így fogja abszolválni, aztán használja majd az indexet illetve lapozgat majd vissza és rágja át magát újra a kedvenc részein.

Ez a Marvel kötet kiváló ajándéknak tiniknek és igazi kapudrog lehet a képregények világába. Úgyhogy felkészülök én is, hogy ezek után majd vehetjük a többi kiadványt is.
Részletesen: http://olvasonaplo.net/olvasonaplo/20...

[Tyrone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came to Marvel largely through the MCU . I read mainly British Comics like Starlord, Eagle and 2000 AD but when i did read comics they were generally of the DC variety. My marvel input was from a few Fantastic Four annuals as a younger child and then mainly from TV with series like The incredible Hulk, Spiderman and the more lately the X-Men cartoon series. In the late 80's, early 1990's like a lot of people i became Batman crazy digging deep into his archive and reading the best that DC had to Offer (Anything by Moore, Miller, Morrison, et al.) and the input that came out of Marvel seemed at best weak, at worst camp and terrible. The exceptions being Daredevil/Elektra Assassin and the Punisher who seemed darker and closer the the DC ascetic of which i was so taken.
The MCU has made me reevaluate that somewhat and I've been mining some of the better regarded GN's from the years i missed. This was such a good present for my wife to buy me because i was always caught short when MCU announcements were made and i'd go, who the hell is that? I didn't know that X existed, etc. It has joined the dots for me in so many cases and when the next choice of hero/villain is announced then i'll probably know who they are talking about. The book is packed with detail, amazing illustrations and well organised into clear categories/sections and is a must read for novice and expert alike.
Nothing to do with the book but it did validate my decision to go DC rather than Marvel (at least until the latest cinematic incarnations) because the Marvel Universe seems filled with all sorts of silliness and campiness which means i will need to be selective with my archive diving.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow there was so much information to digest about the Marvel Comics, from the superheroes to the villains to the locations to the weapons. it was not too overwhelming but there was definitely a lot to take in. i feel like this isn't even all the information on Marvel but just a part of it since the comics have been around for so long. there were some superheroes and villains that were not featured and i feel like if the book included EVERYONE, it would be so thick. the graphics and the layout also play a part in making the read super entertaining while learning about everything that there is to know about Marvel. i'm only familiar with Marvel from the films and series so this was also a great introduction for me to the Marvel and how the comics differentiate from the films & tv shows. i would definitely recommend this to fans of Marvel and to those that are fans of superheroes!

[J 🍂🍃FOSBookGoddess 🍂🍃 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent quick read guide! The last Avenger’s film left a disparity feel of a 5-year-old instantaneously discovering the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, & the Tooth Fairy isn't real. I needed this book to bring some solace and understanding until the next movie comes out! Gooo Captain Marvel!!

The illustrations are beautifully put together. Each section is clearly defined so if you are grade-school age or know nothing about Marvel comic Characters you will still enjoy this book and feel very knowledgeable about these characters.

I have a feeling I’ll be pouring through this again and again. It’s a lot of information, so I’m grateful for my marvel bible!

[岩倉 NIV7 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This oversize book is vibrant on every page, conveying the feel of comics and providing a strange sort of overview via mostly unconnected specificity. Organized by subject and without any additional 'more on'/'see'/'turn to' page direction, this collection of Fun Facts feels like the shimmer of the sun on the tip of the iceberg: the details presented glimmer interestingly and prove a complexity despite never plumbing the depths. There isn't any coherence or through-line that helps anchor any of the tidbits to each other (not that one is needed (per, perhaps, possible) for a book like this), but the scale and the art make it a perfect coffee table book.

[RumBelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is fun about books like this are the quirky, little known facts that they present. You learn things about characters, and subjects, that, even after having been a lifelong fan, you didn't know. The Black Panther and Thor were two characters about which I learned a lot. The illustrations, and layout make it interesting as well. Your eye keeps moving, reading all you can. An enjoyable guide to Marvel.

[van · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ich hätte mir mehr Fakten über einzelne Personen gewünscht. Hier sind nur wenige ausgewählte aufgezählt. Um einzelne Personen oder Gruppen kennenzulernen ist es gut, aber ich wünsche mir eher ein Nachschlagewerk.

[Matthew Manchester · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this book is really up-to-date, I found it to barely be a beginners guide. Should be called "Random book facts for people who might like the comic book characters they really like on-screen".

[Keith Lord · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting information with great art work selected.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down. BEST. BOOK. EVER.

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a lot of good information.

[Meghannf · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty good

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has been several years since I read this book but I remember the main point. Nearly everything wrong in the Marvel universe is probably Iron Man's fault.

[Anita]

https://hagyjatokolvasok.blogspot.com...

[Bella Baghdasaryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute gem in my book collection. A book to have and read for a Marvel fan. Learned a lot of new facts about Marvel Universe and favorite characters.

[Maya · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was so much info it was really cool but the information was all over the place which was a bit confusing but that could be just me

[Nate Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good collectors book for Marvel fans, those who are not into the superhero's I would not recommend buying it. A great read.

[Leonardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read with lots of, sometimes very obscure, facts and tidbits.
Not a comprehensive guide by a long shot but a great book to have, especially for fans.

[tony dillard jr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marvel: Absolutely Everything You Need To Know promises readers to give them the complete inside scoop on the Marvel Universe. But this 240-page chronicle doesn't even come close to scratching the surface.
Let's look at the positives first:
It's a DK Book and they do amazing work. Their volumes are like museums in a book. If you need a guide getting around a city or state or particular topic, they are folks you trust to make sure you have arrived.
The illustrations are rather stunning and there are some really great factoids that I have wondered about for years and finally got answered.
For someone who loves Captain America, he's very well covered in this book. The Avengers are also main features.
But sadly, I think I have more negative things to say than good.
First of all, there's a lot of wasted space. At least 20 pages are comprised of splash pages of epic battles with no words. That really trims the book down to about 220 pages. I've read some books about Marvel that take 220 pages just to examine the history of how Atlas Comics in the 40s became Marvel in 1961! So a lot of history is glossed over.

Each 2-page spread looks like a museum display.
Marvel has gotten a lot of flak over the past 5 years in how they have handled their properties licensed to other movie studios. I'm talking mainly about X-Men and the Fantastic Four. Both entities are virtually non-existent in this book. Wolverine, who was Marvel's most bankable character from the early 80s until about 2010 is mentioned maybe twice.
But I also found it odd that many of the characters that Marvel has decided to make the focus of their enterprise in the 21st century are for the large part overlooked. The In-Humans, seen as the poor choice to replace the X-Men, really only get 2 pages devoted to them. Ms.Marvel, Kamala Khan, only gets a 2 sentence blurb on the Captain Marvel page. And where the heck is Deadpool? I don't think he's in this book at all! (This book was found in the children's section, so maybe DK decided to tone down the violence. But it didn't read like a kids book!)
The lay-outs are also a weak point. Several are presented in a pin-up fashion, meaning you have to turn the book sideways in order to read it. There's even 1 segment where you have to read the book upside down!

An example of the book's odd formatting.
I did not doctor this in any way.

If I was going to give this book a new title, I would call it "Marvel: Everything New Readers Absolutely Need To Know In Order to Read Current Marvel Comics." I know that in the past couple of years, Marvel wiped out their original 616 universe in the pages of the Secret Wars. But it's not like everything reset to zero. If anything, it just molded the comics to be more like the Marvel movies and I think that's what Marvel and Disney told DK to do when crafting this book: only tackle things that are relevant to the company's plan for the heroes of the Marvel Universe.
DK has rights to license DC Comics properties. Though I do not see plans for a volume such as this one, I hope if DK does produce a DC Comics version that the publisher will not be bound to Marvel's parameters. There is so many ways that DK can improve and if anyone from DK reads this review, I hope they will take this Madman's critiques and complaints to heart.
An informative volume that focuses less on the company's illustrious 75 year plus history and more on the events of the past 15 years of their cinematic universe.

[Matthew Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marvel Absolutely Everything You Need to Know.

So, I grew up reading comics. But like many of my peers I didn’t have the funds to stay up to speed by getting my hands on every issue as it rolled off the presses. However, like any good comic book loving kid you learn to pick up a bit of trivia here a story arc there from anywhere you can. You talk to friends, you read over issues at the store; anything to get more of what is going on. Even so you don’t always manage to learn everything there is to know about everything.

Marvel Absolutely Everything You Need to Know is a 240 page fun filled guide to trivia, facts and assorted knowledge about all things Marvel published by DK Books. Written for ages 8 to 12, the book is actually a lot of fun for anyone big enough to read and loves comics.

This book is just a great big printed smile, to be frank. The pages are crammed full of noted events, characters, alternate timelines and more. Ever wonder just want law firm She-Hulk worked for? The answer is in there. Curious what Dr. Strange’s top 5 most useful spells are and what they do? You can look it up!

The entire book is littered with fun little bits of information. Everything is broken down into sections and if that isn’t enough there is a complete index to be found in the back. This index will not only allow you to locate the listed character’s entry but also virtually any time they are mentioned.

The only aspect I can ding the book on is a pair of minor issues that are mainly pet peeves. The first is the fact that there are a few entries in the index that unfortunately do not direct you to the correct page. Not a big problem as I didn’t find this to occur all too often. And the other issue is directly connected to the name itself.

With a name like ‘Marvel Absolutely Everything You Need To Know’ you can anticipate a massive amount of information. And this book does deliver that in spades. However, there are some well known figures that don’t receive their own entries or are merely relegated to brief mentions. High profile characters like The Punisher or Wolverine for example are mentioned but are never detailed quite like Namor the Sub-Mariner. I know there is only so many pages to go around but with such a title you kind of expect to hear a little bit about both the well known and the less well known, ya know?

Overall, the art is wonderful. The facts and trivia are broad in range and scope. And to ice the cake they even included behind the scenes details regarding the making of Marvel comics as well. The book is a gem and if you don’t believe me – let the Hulk’s textured face on the cover bring it home for you. Touch the cover and you may not want to let go… Lest you be smashed.

This one ranks in at about a 4/5 but only because I am neurotic.