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Marvel Universe Map By Map Book Review

“Marvel Universe Map By Map” is a fun trip through the Marvel Universe locations.

Written by James Hill and Nick Jones, “Marvel Universe Map By Map” kicks off with a foreword by Marvel Senior VP of Publishing Tom Brevoort before diving into the main content. The book contains 5 sections- Prime Earth (Manhattan, Atlantis, Wakanda and Central Europe), Lost Lands (Savage Land, Monster Island and Krakoa), The Cosmos (Cosmic Civilizations, Blue Area Of The Moon, Intergalactic Empire Of Wakanda, Sakaar and Ego), Ethereal Realms (Otherworld, 7 Capital Cities Of Heaven, Olympus, and 10 Realms Of Asgard) and Other Dimensions (Mystic Realms, Infernal Domains, Alternative Earths and Battleworld). The book contains 16 commissioned illustrations from Adam Simpson, Matt Taylor, and Andrew DeGraff. They may not be the most detailed maps, but they provide context for where Spider-Man resides in Manhattan, what’s in the Andromeda Galaxy, where the Hall of Zeus in Olympus is and so forth for readers of all ages. Alongside the maps, there are written pieces about each location, comic art, specific locations within each place, and a wide variety of characters that live within these places. The book concludes with the obligatory index. 

It’s no secret that Marvel movies continue to soar in popularity and, as such, companies like DK are putting out more Marvel centric titles. With “Marvel Universe Map By Map,” readers get the lay of the land (so to speak) of the Marvel Comics Universe. Some of these spots will obviously look familiar as they have appeared in MCU films (ala Sanctum Sanctorum), but others haven’t made their way there just yet (maybe we’ll see the Savage Lands someday?). Although the in-depth pieces about landmarks like Castle Doomstadt in Latveria are involving themselves, there’s much more to read about here as the authors showcase heroes (Namor!), villains and criminals, comic history and key story arcs/events, politics, and wars. It’s not comprehensive by any means, but the basics are covered to be sure.

This is the type of book that really has something for everyone. I am by no means a Marvel Comics expert so there was plenty to learn about within these pages such as transport gateways of Krakoa, Elder Gods like Oshtur, the Cancerverse, Kid Kaiju, the history of Mephisto, Ego dueling Thor, and the story of Battleworld. Even if you have a deep knowledge of Marvel Comics I’d wager you’d find some details you didn’t know about.

With the MCU opening up more and more with the Multiverse, now is as good of a time as any to read up on the vast Marvel Comics Universe with “Marvel Universe Map By Map.”

December 27, 2021 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Book review | Marvel Comics, Marvel Locations, Marvel Universe Map By Map Book Review, MCU, Spider-Man, Wakanda