How well d you know the Marvel Universe? Do you know your Kree from your Skrulls? How about the original line up for the Guardians of the Galaxy? Do you know about the Secret Wars? Secret Invasion? Who’s Ironheart? How many iterations of the Avengers are there?

While we sit and ruminate over what Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going to bring us, we can turn to DK Canada’s new coffee-table tome, the Marvel Encyclopedia and seek inspiration.

With entry after entry of characters, important events, and essential storylines, the encyclopedia is not only informative (and it is – there are so many things in the Marvel Universe!!) but it’s brilliantly illustrated as well. Each character has earned at least one image, while some, like Spider-Man, Iron Man, or Captain America have multi-page spreads with tons of information packed in to beautiful artwork.

Easy to thumb through and come across amazing revelations and facts, the Encyclopedia is a handy resource that will please the neophyte, and delight the old Marvel hand. Marvel has a long history, and there have been countless stories told within the pages of their magazines, each one adding to, and shaping what would come after, forming a completely realized universe that could be a little difficult to navigate without the right material as your guide.

Sure you may like Spidey, but where does he fit in with the rest of the universe? what teams is he a member of? and who are the other team members?… the Encyclopedia just guides you right down the rabbit hole of Marvel knowledge. You start in New York and end up on the other side of reality visiting with a sentient planet, or a mad titan.

It’s all here, held in the pages of this gorgeous book. The work of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and countless others is celebrated by letting us examine in detail the characters, the worlds they created, and the events that shaped them.

Coming in at a hefty four hundred forty-eight pages, the book makes the most of its space by filling it with artwork, trivia, and tons of knowledge that has been culled from decades of Marvel history, all of it coming together to form the tapestry that is the colorful realm of the Marvel Universe.

DK Books has pulled out all the stops to make sure each of their volumes the best product they can offer. The Marvel Encyclopedia is massive undertaking, but the work of the authors, sifting and compiling the information into a readable, and enjoyable resource make this book a prize for every comic book fan, and pays nice homage to the creators behind some of the most iconic (and sadly some forgettable) characters created.

The Marvel Encyclopedia New Edition is available now…

‘Nuff Said.