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Marvel: The Expanding Universe Wall Chart
Part decorative poster, part insightful history, part reference work, and all interactive fun--draws upon the collective contributions of many of the finest comic book artists of the 20th and 21st centuries to create a pictorial tapestry of more than 300 Marvel Comics characters. At this new and improved size, the wall chart is easier to handle and manage. Both sides of the chart are easier to navigate
Through its atomic design pattern, which reflects the effects of radio activity on the denizens of the Marvel Universe, this chart also demonstrates how the character sets and their stories interconnect and relate to each other.
What’s more, flip the chart over and it reads like a book. There are pages of fun facts and trivia, including listings of different characters who have shared the same name; characters who have changed names or identities over the years; characters who have wed each other; and characters who have seemingly died only to return. There is even a Marvel Universe brain-busting quiz! With an interior that expands to nearly 8 feet to diagram different connections, The Expanding Universe Time Chart will not only be cherished for its content, but will also be a visually stunning addition to every comic fan’s collection.
Although the Marvel Universe is ever expanding and constantly adding new faces for old characters, what makes this wall chart unique is that it shows the roots of the many different earth multiverses and the characters that inhabit them.
Through its atomic design pattern, which reflects the effects of radio activity on the denizens of the Marvel Universe, this chart also demonstrates how the character sets and their stories interconnect and relate to each other.
What’s more, flip the chart over and it reads like a book. There are pages of fun facts and trivia, including listings of different characters who have shared the same name; characters who have changed names or identities over the years; characters who have wed each other; and characters who have seemingly died only to return. There is even a Marvel Universe brain-busting quiz! With an interior that expands to nearly 8 feet to diagram different connections, The Expanding Universe Time Chart will not only be cherished for its content, but will also be a visually stunning addition to every comic fan’s collection.
Although the Marvel Universe is ever expanding and constantly adding new faces for old characters, what makes this wall chart unique is that it shows the roots of the many different earth multiverses and the characters that inhabit them.
- GenresComics
30 pages, Hardcover
First published September 29, 2009
About the author
Michael Mallory
93 books18 followersMichael Mallory is an internationally-recognized authority on the subjects of film, animation and 20th century pop-culture, and the author of sixteen nonfiction books, which include The Art of Krampus, Essential Horror Movies, and Marvel: The Characters and their Universe. With the legendary American animation artist Iwao Takamoto he co-authored the memoirs Iwao Takamoto: My Life With a Thousand Characters, and has written more than 600 magazine and newspaper articles that have been published worldwide. A former newscaster, occasional actor, and frequent public speaker, Mike lives and works in the greater Los Angeles area.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
November 24, 2020
I received this for Christmas from my in-laws years ago, and finally decided to have a look after rediscovering it when straightening out a corner of the back room. It's an impressively large volume with a sort of plastic plaque attached to the front cover that gives a nice 3D effect. It's also a rare example of a book that opens fan fold style, rather than having a binding along one edge. Not only can the book be unfolded into a long, continuous chart, but the pages themselves can be unfolded, making the chart even wider than the book itself. It looks most impressive spread out on the living room floor. My cats thought so too.
That said, I find myself wondering just who this is for. In addition to the chart itself, there's text on the back giving capsule biographies of all of the characters depicted on it. There's also a bit of an overview of the history of the Marvel Universe. But it's certainly not comprehensive. I’d say that anyone who's been a Marvel fan for at least a few years could rattle off at least a dozen characters not on the chart. And the hardcore fans already know much more about the history and the characters than any book could hope to contain.
The chart is also poorly organized. Each character is marked with a letter/number combo so that their biographical data can be looked up. But the numbering scheme doesn’t appear to follow any logical sequence. I had a difficult time finding some people, because apparently having “A10” somewhere next to “A11” never occurred to the makers of the chart.
About the only comics fans I can see buying this are the ones who have to have *everything*. It looks pretty, but is unlikely to teach the serious fan anything they didn't already know. I suspect that a fair portion of sales of this book were purchased as gifts by non-fans and given to the fans in their lives. It's very much a gift book.
While I can't recommend it for its content, it's certainly an impressive object. And, goodness knows, there aren't many fanfold books floating around out there. Recommended as a curiosity, at least!
That said, I find myself wondering just who this is for. In addition to the chart itself, there's text on the back giving capsule biographies of all of the characters depicted on it. There's also a bit of an overview of the history of the Marvel Universe. But it's certainly not comprehensive. I’d say that anyone who's been a Marvel fan for at least a few years could rattle off at least a dozen characters not on the chart. And the hardcore fans already know much more about the history and the characters than any book could hope to contain.
The chart is also poorly organized. Each character is marked with a letter/number combo so that their biographical data can be looked up. But the numbering scheme doesn’t appear to follow any logical sequence. I had a difficult time finding some people, because apparently having “A10” somewhere next to “A11” never occurred to the makers of the chart.
About the only comics fans I can see buying this are the ones who have to have *everything*. It looks pretty, but is unlikely to teach the serious fan anything they didn't already know. I suspect that a fair portion of sales of this book were purchased as gifts by non-fans and given to the fans in their lives. It's very much a gift book.
While I can't recommend it for its content, it's certainly an impressive object. And, goodness knows, there aren't many fanfold books floating around out there. Recommended as a curiosity, at least!
Displaying 1 of 1 review