Everyone’s favourite rag-tag crew gets their own quintessential historical guide, masterfully put together, both in visual design and interesting content, by the reliable visual dictionary kings, Dorling Kindersley. Marvel Guardians Of The Galaxy: The Ultimate Guide To The Cosmic Outlaws by Nick Jones is an impressive publication that focuses on presenting the exciting world of the Guardians (that charts all incarnations of the group) in comprehensive clips, timelines, statistics, comic book covers and character bios. It goes without saying, this is a must-have for true fans.
I’ve come to realise that it’s impossible to find fault with Dorling Kindersley’s ultimate guides. I’m yet to find one that wasn’t interesting and inspiring. When it comes to creating these informational books, it’s clear that the company has worked out a winning formula. What’s more, they’ve learnt the importance of hiring researchers who are fans of the source material. In every presented page, which is full of colour and neatly laid out in traditional DK style, The Ultimate Guide To The Cosmic Outlaws feels like a special tribute to Marvel fans.
The book opens with a special foreword by comic scribe Dan Abnett, who is mostly responsible for reintroducing the Guardians of the Galaxy as Star-Lord, Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Adam Warlord and Phyla-Vell, the way they are presented today in the films and comic books. It then delves into the history of the characters (with full character fact files for not just the Star-Lord-led team but the original 31st-century Vance Astro-led team too) and even traces the wider Marvel cosmic events which affected the characters. It’s a great primer for new fans, but also a good way of reminding fans of the richness of these characters (covering their allies, enemies, locations, weaponry and more). Even after two hit blockbuster films, there is still so much to know about the anti-heroes.
Needless to say, The Ultimate Guide To The Cosmic Outlaws makes a great coffee table book. Its compelling structure, vivid imagery and sumptuous artwork will inspire even the laziest reader to scroll through the captions and information available. Whether you are a casual fan or an active follower of the iconic storylines, this is a fun galactic adventure!
