Aquaman to Wonder Woman: The DC Comics Encyclopedia

I received this item at no cost in order to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. 

Are you a fan of the DC Universe comics? If you (or your kids) are into Batman, SuperMan, Wonder Woman, or the Green Lantern, then you my friend are a fan of the DC Universe! Honestly, what’s not to love? You might be really familiar with the big stars of the DC Universe, but what about the lesser known heroes and villains? Though there’s so much to learn about the Super Heroes and Super Villains in the DC Universe, there’s something really fascinating about the obscure and forgotten characters. That’s why we’ve been thoroughly enjoying The DC Comics Encyclopedia. My knowledge of the Super Hero realm is fairly limited, but the same cannot be said for King Dad and The Heir. Super Heroes are all the rage for The Heir right now, and when he’s not running around pretending to be Batman, he’s playing with his Batman and Superman lego sets, or flipping through the latest Super Hero books courtesy of DK Books Canada. The DC Comics Encyclopedia is probably not what you might consider a children’s book, but I think it makes a great family book! Here’s why! 

What exactly do I mean by a “family book”? That’s what I call a reference volume that’s fun for the family to enjoy together. The Heir’s not reading yet, but that doesn’t mean books aren’t one of his absolute favourite things. It doesn’t take much to get him interested in learning, but combine a new book with his love of Super Heroes and Super Villains, and I’ve got a recipe for a quiet afternoon spent one on one with The Heir. One of the great things about The DC Comics Encyclopedia is that all The Heir’s favourite characters are featured. When I say they’re featured, I really mean it! All the big names have full page spreads, and the biggest stars get two or even four pages dedicated to their character. Take Batman, for example. There are four pages dedicated just to him. It’s just what the Batman obsessed preschooler dreams of! Everything you could possibly need to know about Batman is there. From his debut in 1939 to his latest rebirth with the Dark Knight Disciples, these pages are packed with fun facts about Batman’s history and key points in his storyline. I love that some of the earliest comic renderings of Batman are included right alongside more contemporary drawings of the character. Wonder Woman and Superman are also featured with a similar four page spread, while other major characters like Lex Luther, The Joker, Catwoman, Cyborg, Lois Lane, and others are featured on fact filled two page spreads. It’s a lot of fun to sit down with The Heir and read all about these major characters. Some that I’ve never heard of he can identify right away (Darkseid, for example), and I always enjoy learning about these characters from The Heir. When he points out someone in the book or on the cover that he knows and I don’t, it’s the perfect opportunity for me to read to him and get myself caught up on his favourites.

Half the fun of The DC Encyclopedia is discovering the lesser known characters from the DC Universe. When this encyclopedia calls itself “the definitive guide to the characters of the DC Universe”, it’s not kidding. Some of the characters included are pretty obscure. Genius Jones, who debuted in 1942, burned 734 books while stranded on a desert island and absorbed every bit of knowledge in each of those books. Once he finally made it home, he would answer questions for a fee. Then there’s Lump. He debuted in 1972, and molds his body into any shape he desires. Bouncing Boy is pretty neat too. Debuting in 1961, he inflates himself into the shape of a large, bouncing ball. I especially enjoyed finding the Legion of Super-Pets. These time-traveling animal companions of Superboy and Supergirl include Krypto the Superdog, Beppo the Super-Monkey, Streaky the Super-Cat, and Comet the Super-Horse.

The DC Comics Encyclopedia has totally upped my parenting game too. Case in point, I had no idea the Teen Titans had been around since the 1960s. I just assumed “Teen Titans Go!” was some new age junior super heroes club. After doing a little reading about the Teen Titans on my own, I was able to surprise The Heir with what I knew about his new favourite show on Netflix. It was so much fun to sit down together and show The Heir some fun facts about the Teen Titans characters!

The DC Comics Encyclopedia has virtually everything there is to know about the DC Universe packed into it. It’s really easy to follow along as everything is listed alphabetically. If the description of a character mentions a new character you’ve never heard of before, just flip to their name in the book and you can get right up to speed. There’s so much to discover in this book that you could spend hours flipping through and following the details of each new character you find. It makes a great reference too. Curious about Talia Al Ghul? You can find everything you need to know about her in The DC Comics Encyclopedia. Can’t remember who’s all in The Justice League? The DC Comics Encyclopedia has the answer!

The DC Comics Encyclopedia is perfect for the comic book lover in your life. Whether that’s your partner, your kids, or even you, there’s sure to be something new in this book for even the most avid DC Universe fan! The DC Comics Encyclopedia was published in 2016, so you know it’s going to be the most up to date resource available for all things DC! Want to find out what other DC Universe titles DK Books has to offer? Check out DK Books’ full collection of DC Universe titles!

The DC Comics Encyclopedia is available to purchase at your favourite bookstore, or online in Canada through Amazon or online in the USA through Amazon.