DC Cinematic Universe By Nick Jones and Stephen Wiacek Review
DISCLOSURE – THIS ITEM WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER’S OWN.
Reviewed by Mel Randle
I was delighted with the opportunity to review Nick Jones and Stephen Wiacek’s ‘DC Cinematic Universe’ hardcover book. Both authors are well-established in areas of science-fiction and comic book respectively, which is clearly reflected in the quality of the read.
The book arrived in a slim cardboard box, and upon opening in pristine condition. I was pleasantly surprised by how sturdy the cover was- clearly in mind with how much detail is hidden within! The cover is shiny and attractive, depicting a variety of DC’s characters throughout history. With 256 pages, my initial impression was very positive- something I think would reflect if I was unwrapping this on Christmas Day.
The actual layout of the book is handy and easy to navigate. It’s split into different sections, such as ‘Modernising the Mythology’ and ‘Expanding the Universe’, which is great for jumping around to whatever you fancy reading. I found that the balance of text to images was perfect. Sometimes a wall of text can feel intimidating, but here, they were split into bitesize chunks that you can flit around as you please. The cover pages for each section are grand and feel important, giving a brief overview of the next section. When reading, I noticed that pictures would often have little annotations underneath that added that extra level of clarity and detail. This was great alongside quotes on plenty of pages. Telling me that Wonder Woman’s marketing tagline was ‘Power. Grace. Wisdom. Wonder.’ in big bold letters (instead of a long-winded paragraph) shows me that the information is thoughtful and considerate to the modern-day reader. Reading around Constantine, I found the flow of the page to be nice and logical.
The bottom line – each page is extremely accessible and easy to read.
I also appreciate the range of which it covers DC in the movies, from Captain Marvel (1941), all the way up to Blue Beetle, which was released just last year. With its full coverage, it’s easy to describe each page as knowledgeable with facts to appease even the most familiar of fans.
The variety of content covered kept the reading fresh; it was interesting to read all about the characterisation of Catwoman, to the costumes used in Suicide Squad and how they were formed in the behind the scenes.
I’d say my knowledge of the DC Universe is reasonable, and even dipping slightly into the pages gave me so much more insight than I expected. I would recommend to any gift-lookers that the person in mind does have some interest already in the DC films, as the narrative style definitely appeals to someone who is already a fan.
This would make a great Christmas present for over 12s and adult fans- definitely worth the price tag! It’s hard to find all this content in the same place elsewhere, which makes this book such a great score for major fans of both film and DC.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £30.00
This product can be purchased at https://www.dk.com/uk/book/9780241650035-dc-cinematic-universe/