A Look at the 'Ultimate Guide' to Captain America

Pretend, for a moment, that your knowledge of Captain America was limited and tenuous in the same way that Steve Rogers was small and sickly. If you picked up and read the new Marvel’s Captain America: The Ultimate Guide to the First Avenger, you would be transformed in your knowledge (and coolness level) in the same way Rogers was altered into the pinnacle of physical perfection. There is so much information packed into this 200 page volume that you could very well become everyone’s go-to source for Cap info when Captain America: Civil War hits theaters in May.

The book starts with an intro from Stan Lee before opening into a page-turning joyride, very capably written by Matt Forbeck. Before delving into the storylines, Forbeck examines Cap’s origin, uniform, shield, allies, and enemies. By examining Captain America’s world, the reader is prepared for everything else in the book. An eight-page timeline, which hits the biggest highlights of Cap’s 75 year history, will remind even the biggest Captain America fan of the order of the most important events in his story.

Reading deeper, the book is broken into seven sections, each covering roughly a decade of Captain America’s heroic exploits. The most famous arcs are examined and punctuated by profiles of the most important enemies and allies, which help you understand the relationships between heroes and villains in Cap’s Avenger universe. Throughout the book, key comic book issues are detailed that played an important role in Captain America’s history. Plus, like all DK publications, the book is heavy on easily digestible call-out boxes of information and stories. The whole thing is wonderfully illustrated with images from 75 years of Captain America, and it’s really enjoyable to see the evolution of Cap, all the way from issue #1 to the modern hero of today’s comics, including huge, two-page spreads that make Captain America seem bigger than life. Thumbs up, soldier!