“Marvel Comics For Dummies” is a really easy-to-follow guide by Troy Brownfield on the history of the Marvel Universe, its many characters and super-teams, an exploration of the multiverse, and tips on getting started reading comics.
WARNING: If you already read Marvel Comics and are a fan, neither this book or this review is for you. Go read another comic book, nerd.
If you’ve read any of my previous work on this site, you’re aware I am a DC Comics fan girl and critical reviewer through and through. But ever since I saw X-Men ‘97 last year, my Marvel curiosity became an itch.
Guide for the uninitiated
I’m no stranger to comics, but I’m admittedly a novice when it comes to non-MCU Marvel-related lore. This book is a fantastic road map for people like me, who’ve only really seen the movies and shows, or people like you, who may have only heard of a few characters. It’s also structured really well, so the reader can skip around if they want to learn about the teams first or how to start collecting before anything else.
I spoke with Brownfield briefly about his experience stepping into this universe and getting started. “I would say I’ve been training my whole life for this,” he said, mentioning he originally got started reading Marvel Star Wars comics.
You can tell the book was written with a positive outlook, passion and deep knowledge. There’s a handy little key that helps the reader keep track of important Marvel facts and “technical stuff,” which are small plot or character details, bits of trivia, or in-universe jokes. Ahead of every new chapter, there are ‘In this part…’ and ‘In this chapter…’ boxes that summarize what the reader is about to get into. No shocks or twists, but plenty of available knowledge.
Brownfield dives a bit into the beginnings of Marvel Comics and does a great job explaining what sets them apart from other publishers, namely DC Comics. Marvel is rooted in our universe (mainly in New York apparently), while DC has a breadth of fictional cities like Metropolis and Gotham. Marvel reflects “the world outside your window,” which is a neat way to frame it, while also setting up the rest of this guide. This is punctuated with breakdowns of how the heroes deal with very real problems like anger issues (hey, Hulk), unique family dynamics (Fantastic Four), dealing with oppression on a global scale (X-Men), and learning hard lessons that come with having super-powers (Spider-Man and also, literally any young superhero).
Flipping through the physical copy, it’s familiar to anyone that’s picked up a “For Dummies” book in the past, but structured perfectly for this Marvel focus. (My first job ever was as a page at the Cuyahoga County Public Library and half my time was spent putting these “Dummies” books back on their shelves.) The layout is clean, easy to read, with comic panels and cover artwork (ranging from Jim Lee to Jack Kirby to Alex Ross) selected perfectly by Brownfield. Although I would’ve preferred a few more images, I understand not wanting to sacrifice any necessary copy. “If we put everything we wanted in, this would be three or four volumes or over 400 hundred pages,” Brownfield said.
Marvel teams and characters
Among the incredibly helpful and enlightening information is a breakdown of Marvel character archetypes, from gods to mutants to highly skilled fighters. Brownfield provides a great background on Marvel’s characters and teams in the very beginning, but the meat (the part many readers will care the most about) is in chapters four and five.
In chapter four, Brownfield “assembles some of the key Marvel teams” with very clear and concise examination, in alphabetical order. Of course I knew about the most famous ones like Avengers, X-Men, FF, and others, but now I know how each team got its start, their notable battles, and multiple roster changes. Teams that were completely new to me include Alpha Flight (O Canada!), The Invaders, and Midnight Sons.
Chapter five drills even deeper into the teams mentioned in the previous chapter, giving a brief background on each member. This is another super fun and valuable chapter that actually got a few laughs out of me. Most notable were the She-Hulk, Deadpool (duh), and Groot (“I am Groot”) sections. With She-Hulk, Brownfield breaks the fourth wall here, which delightfully threw me off for a second. Speaking in first person and addressing the reader directly, Jen Walters tells her own story, with an awesome John Byrne panel accompanying it. Deadpool’s section also breaks the fourth wall, he begrudgingly acknowledges that Shulkie did it first. Just a really hilarious way to introduce someone in a book.
Some of these characters are simply too large and have too much history to be contained in this one chapter. (You can educate yourself on all things Captain America with the “Captain America For Dummies” book by Stuart Moore, which was released earlier in February.) Marvel’s array of villains also get their spotlight in chapter six. Eventually, Brownfield bravely attempts to explain Marvel’s insanely complex multiverse and he does a great job. I didn’t come away from it more confused than I was before, and that’s a win for me.
The book also doesn’t shy away from some of Marvel’s political past, emphasis on military stories, and tussles with the Comics Code Authority. I very much enjoyed learning about how the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was involved in the creation of Stan Lee’s anti-drug storyline that ultimately led to the Comics Code Authority relaxing its strict rules. Not only is this great Marvel lore, but it’s important American history. It highlights the long relationship Marvel has had with the U.S. government. This story, among others like ‘Secret Wars,’ were featured because they “helped shape Marvel as a company,” according Brownfield.
Brownfield ends the book on a chapter filled entirely with advice and tips on collecting comics, how to get started, and connecting with the vast comics fandom. I wondered about the decision to end the book here and asked him. According to Brownfield, Marvel already had a rough outline of what they wanted to include, he then came to them with ideas and edits, “the book was always going to end on this chapter. It’s important to find community as you get into comics.”
And I can’t help but agree. As a newcomer it’s a beast to try and get into comics that have an extensive history like Marvel. Where do you start? Do you have to read every crossover? Who are these people? “Marvel Comics For Dummies” is a really fantastic avenue to get a newbie started, by answering these questions.
Book grade: A+
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Troy Brownfield is an Executive Editor of The Saturday Evening Post and kid’s magazines: Jack & Jill and Humpty Dumpty. As a comic book expert and fan, Troy has written and created content for DC Comics, Comiccon.com, Fangoria Comics/Graphix, comics for Zenescope Entertainment, and has written trading cards for Topps Trading Cards, including HALO series content and Star Wars 2018-present.
ABOUT THE SERIES: Dummies, a Wiley brand known for crafting easy-to-understand guides that aim to help readers master a wide variety of subjects. These full-color, action-packed guides will provide everything super fans and fans-to-be need to dive deeper into the legendary Marvel Universe.