Can you survive the Marvel Universe? Daniel Kibblesmith aims to help you do it. While you might not need to take So You’ve Been Bitten by a Radioactive Spider too seriously, the questions it poses (and answers) will prove valuable. You won’t wake up in the Marvel Universe, but you’ll need to quote it when someone challenges the believability of superhero comics.
Armed with this book, you can push your glasses up on your nose with the best of them. I kid because I’m pushing them up right now.
Illustrated in an infographic style by Kyle Hilton, the book tackles each major situation you might find yourself in. As noted by many, those situations sure seem to crop up a lot. The unspoken question that looms over it all is one I asked after Marvel’s “Blood Hunt” event. How do people on Earth-616 not wake up and just go insane? Then I read the news and understood.
Kibblesmith writes with a wit on a sliding scale of dryness. He also separates “Marvel” science from actual science. So a careful read might also help budding writers figure out how to leap from scientific fact to fantasy. Ground it! Also, no matter who you are, lift with your legs. Maybe do some stretches first.
Throughout the book, sidebar commentary arises from different levels of hero. Each one seems neutral, but Kibblesmith lets the characters start speaking directly. Veer from Fantastic Fact to Tony’s Tech Tips to Use Your Spider Sense. They underscore what a panoply of storytelling Marvel comics are, and reminded me why I like Spider-Man so much.
Yes, I have a license for the word “panoply.”
As holidays are coming up, this makes a perfect gift book for the comics fan in your life. Also for that person who hasn’t actually bought a Marvel comic in 30 years. Kibblesmith and Hilton have made those intervening years accessible, answering such questions as “what’s the deal with Venom?” Also, Flerkens are weird, right?
It will sit proudly on my bookshelf next to the sadly out of print How to be a Superhero by Mark Leigh, Mike Lepine, and Steve Dillon. Matching titles you can still buy: All of the Marvels by Douglas Wolk, which is what happens when one man reads every book, and the “Marvel Fitness Deck,” exercises also illustrated by Hilton.
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