The Mighty Marvel Dictionary

My thanks to both NetGalley and BenBella Books for an advanced copy of this new guide to the pronunciation of many names, code names, places and even sound effects, the words that along with the art have crafted a comic universe many of have loved for a long time.

I loved comics as a kid and my interest in this medium is all because of my Grandmother, my Nan. Nan used to go to the newsstand everytime she knew I was coming to visit, leaving a Reese Peanut Butter cup and a comic book or two in my special drawer in her house. Nan was not a fan of comics, so I never had two issues in a row. Spider-Man might have eight arms in one issue, a couple months later May Parker joined the Grey Panthers and was protesting for elder rights. So I read DC, Marvel, Disney, even the Sad Sack Harvey comics. Though I didn't know it, I was a Marvel Zombie. I liked the fact that Marvel happened in New York, I could see the battles from just looking out my window in the Bronx. And I really liked Stan Lee. Much has changed as I grew older, but the letter pages and Stan's Soapbox were something I read as close as I read the stories. Stan was a complicated man, but a man who wrote about the perils of racism. About doing the right thing even when one was scared. And language. Stan loved big words. And hyphens. I remember clearly looking up words that Stan used, and even more wondering if I was saying the names of characters right. This is when I needed a book like this. I would have broken the binding by the age of seven if I had. The Mighty Marvel Dictionary: An Illustrated Glossary from Avengers to X-Men by Robb Pearlman is a guide to the word, the characters organizations, titles and more that have made the Marvel Universe what it has become.

Growing up I never knew if I was saying the names of characters right, as well we had a few tv shows, and cartoons, but the cool characters never showed up there. Especially when it came to a team of heroes as cosmopolitan as the X-Men. The code names were easy Storm, Colossus but their real names, Ororo Munro?, Piotr Rasputin?, those were much harder. Hence, why this guide is so helpful. The book is of course alphabetical, with a pronunciation key that helps people sound out the words. If there are two uses for the same word in the Marvel Universe, there are two definitions. Being such a large universe there are a few missing people, but most of the majors are here, and is a nice introduction also to what has happened over almost seventy years.

This is a unique book in that it is helpful for comic readers, and is also a nice way to introduce words and language to precocious little ones in a fun way. Though I don't know if annihilation is a good word for kids. The perfect gift to give children whose parents are leery about comics, but being the cool Aunt, Uncle, Parent Grandparent, and one that wants to educate a child in both grammar and culture, a great gift choice. Excelsior.