DC Comics: The Ultimate Character Guide

when you're like me and need to know your dc characters to your marvel ones this book is pretty sweet to start of as a basic. i means its not the end all and you're gonna need some more background info but i recommend to your beginner

Different front cover from the photo but I'm not too fussed. Enjoy reading all the different characters in the DC world

This was a great Christmas present for my man!! He loves his comics and all the TV series and films that are in at the mo.

My friend’s going to love this for his birthday. The book came in damage free despite that it didn’t have its own protective wrapping. Love the character details and art, such a fun book, I’m so tempted to keep it for myself. I photographed this book on standard sized letter printing paper and with a travel facial tissue package for a familiar sense of scale sizing.

Le gustó mucho a mi hijo de 8 años

Heel knap boek, must have voor Batmanfans.

Indispensavel para quem gosta da DC, informaçoes e imagem de mais de 200 herois e super vilões, muito legal

DC Comics has had a vast publishing history since its humble beginnings in 1938, with the 'übermensch' Superman character being the company's first successful superhero to enjoy worldwide media attention for nearly seventy-five years now. Initially, characters from their respective comics didn't particularly interact with each other; only on title pages, and even then it was rare. That all changed with the concept of the superhero team in the form of the Justice Society of America (the JSA), and later with the Justice League (the JLA) and various off-shoots such as the Seven Soldiers of Victory, for example. This introduced a shared universe in which characters published by DC Comics (National Periodical Comics at the time) were able to interact, establishing a shared continuity that inevitably formed what is now regarded as the modern-era DC Universe . Additionally, DC has had great success with their use of the multiverse system, with different versions of established characters and subsequent acquired heroes and villains from rival companies (Captain Marvel, Blue Beetle etc.) residing on an infinite number of parallel Earths. This concept has gradually changed over the years in order for the company to reboot their characters and continuity for modern audiences, primarily via the various 'crises' that result in the DC universe being born anew.'DC Comics: The Ultimate Character Guide' was first published in 2011 by the Dorling Kindersley Company (DK) and again in 2012 (the edition on which this review is based). Compiled and written by Brandon T. Snider, this hardback reference guide to some of the many characters that inhabit the DC universe, consists of more than two hundred pages that are given to specific heroes and villains; displayed in alphabetical order from Adam Strange to (Professor) Zoom. Each entry features a full-page visual profile of the character in question, with a (very) brief introduction to their origin and background, along with vital statistics, such as height, weight etc., notings on their physical attributes and costume, a small summary of their powers and an additional look at their most noteworthy storylines.With regards to this brief overview, I wouldn't necessarily consider this to be the 'ultimate' character guide to the many diverse characters within the DC Universe/Multiverse. There are many individuals that have taken up the mantle of a superhero's namesake that have not been touched upon to a great extent and, apparently, do not warrant an individual entry (such as Al Pratt, the original Atom, or the Superman of Earth-Two, for instance). Bearing this in mind, I would suggest that this publication is handy for a brief peek into what DC Comics have deemed their most important and popular characters for the general reader. For a more thorough look into the expanse of DC's shared continuity, I would recommend seeking out the 'DC Comics Encyclopoedia', also published by DK, which is a far greater compendium of characters across the DC Multiverse. Having said this, however, I would also say that 'DC Comics: The Ultimate Character Guide' is a worthwhile addition to any comic/superhero fan's collection, especially within DK's range of company tomes (including Marvel's Avengers and Star Trek, amongst others).Following DC's latest 'New 52' reboot in order to access readership from the more general fan without them having to delve too deep into decades of convoluted history, it can be said that a lot of the characters and material presented within this publication have now been made redundant. This has been done primarily via the re-imagining of certain characters and/or their backgrounds, especially considering that certain individuals don't seem to exist in this new reality (as yet), such as Jade, Obsidian, Liberty Belle and Donna Troy, amongst many others. Also, considering that no crises have occurred either, the Monitors and Anti-Monitor no longer hold any major standing. However, I wouldn't go so far to say that this material has, as yet, become invalid, as the characters and continuity presented here still exist for the readers (general and avid alike) looking back over more than seventy years of publication history.All in all, I would conclude that 'DC Comics: The Ultimate Character Guide' provides a satisfying exploration of some of the most important characters and storylines in the remit of the post-Infinite Crisis/52 DC universe, though with definite room to expand upon in the wake of the New 52 reboot.