Marvel Comics of the 1980s: April 2016

Captain America: The Ultimate Guide to the First Avenger
by Matthew Forbeck (with Alan Cowsill and Daniel Wallace)
Hardcover
200 pages
Release Date – Out now!

The good folks at DK Canada were kind enough to send me a review copy of their latest Marvel book… Captain America The Ultimate Guide to the First Avenger! The 200-page hardcover has a nice solid feel to it and the first thing that struck me as I flipped through its pages was the comic book art. The colours and arrangement, especially the two-page spreads, really jump out at you.

The book does a solid job at introducing Marvel’s first Avenger from his inception in 1941 and explores his legacy, equipment, partners, allies, and enemies. The timeline feature did an impressive job breaking down Cap’s history, especially in the last few years as it’s been a tumultuous time for our star-spangled hero. The guide then shifts into a study of each of Captain America’s decades, highlighting storylines and characters. I really enjoyed the Key Issue feature that spotlighted a single issue in each of the decades.

While it’s incredibly difficult to do an indepth look at all of Cap’s 75 years history, I was surprised by the lack of inclusion of two key storylines of the 1980s, the Roger Stern/John Byrne run (although there was a brief mention of Cap running for President) as well as the J.M. DeMatteis/Mike Zeck run. The 1980s section focused on more of the late 80s, while glossing over the much stronger early 1980s content (in my humble opinion, of course). But, to be fair, the book probably cut out a lot of content to fit into the modest 200 pages. DK should investigate doing a guide solely focused on the 1980s (I’ll admit that's a bias request). There’s probably enough history for this character as well as the other Marvel characters to do multiple series of these hardcovers. I’d buy a series of books that focused solely on those key storylines!

Captain America: The Ultimate Guide to the First Avenger is a museum in a box: painstakingly researched, thoughtfully organized, and lavishly decorated with a colourful assortment of comic book art. If you’re getting excited about Captain America: Civil War and want to catch up on the character’s rich history, look no further, this is the guide you need.