The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe

I do not have this book, but it is ironically in the reference section of my local library. The sections on the heroes and villains are good and explanatory. Along with good text descriptions, various pictures abound in this book. The book covers both major and minor characters in the DC universe. Admittedly, the book is before Identity Crisis and other major DC comic events, but covers 1930's Golden Age up to early 2000's Zero Hour. A great book for those with the intense desire or money.

I really didn't know what to expect when I bought this book. It was just something to help me figure out who some of the characters were in the DC universe. What I found was a history of EVERY character DC has ever created! There were some really obscure characters in there dating back to the 1940s that I had never even heard of. If you're into DC comics, it's well worth the price. I know I've had hours of fun reading the different entries on not only the characters I knew but many I didn't.

As soon as I've laid my eyes on this encyclopedia, knowing more about it on the Internet, I decided to buy one copy for me. After all, you don't find such a book easily, not even at the best comic shops. This book doesn't intend to be a definitive guide, but a compreensive guide on DC Comics characters. Well, they surely did a very nice job. The illustrations are great and the information on each character is reasonable. Of course a few characters are missing, so what? This shouldn't be a problem. At least it's not a problem for me. Would you care for a piece of advice? Don't miss it. The DC Comics Encyclopedia will turn out to be a marvellous coffe-table book for the entire family.

Some people may gripe over that their favorite character got only a small entry in the book but I was surprised at how complete this book was. Lets face it, unless DC reprints Who's Who you are not going to get a complete guide to the DC characters, this book is made to represent as many of their characters as they could. I enjoyed the entries about the lesser known characters and being given updates on some of the heros and villians I had followed but lost touch with. The DC Comics Encylopedia makes a nice gift for any comics fan.