Last month we looked at a Spider-Man book that covered his history decade by decade. That's not the only Spider-Man book out there. Another book that compliments the other is Spider-Man: Inside the World of Your Friendly Neighborhood Hero from DK.

It doesn't seem fair to compare the two books but it can be said that this one is a little more affordable. The retail price is $24.99 for 200 full color pages. There are a lot of great pictures here.

The focus here is about the characters and events. It's a pretty comprehensive coverage without getting too in depth on any one time period. That makes this a great book for all ages. It has plenty of information but won't be intimidating for younger readers. Older readers will equally benefit in seeing explanations for all the characters and events.

It's almost odd to think of someone needing an introduction to Spider-Man but you also have to keep in mind that everyone has to start somewhere. But that isn't saying this is an absolute beginners book. As mentioned above, this book is good for everyone.

The book isn't just about characters and events.

Having a look at the costume reminds me of the occasional features we'd get in the old annuals. Something like Spider-Man's belt is rarely thought of. Of course our suspension of disbelief comes into play because there's no way he could actually be wearing one under his super-duper tight costume. The Spider-Signal is something that is rarely used but it's great to see.

What you'll notice is this book is pretty up to date. It may not include the current SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN stuff but what about his day job?

There is a section earlier looking at Peter Parker's friends and family but having this summary of Horizon Labs is cool to see. It's still a part of the comics and people reading the comics for the first time would have no idea he wasn't a photographer anymore.

Spider-Man's life wasn't just about about crimefighting. There's a look at Parker's problems. Spider-Man always had to deal with the Parker Luck. This is another area that's great to see emphasized here.

Good luck or bad luck, Peter has had a few ladies in his life.

The bad thing for Peter is his luck often got in the way of his relationships. All part of being a hero. You have to make sacrifices in order to protect the lives of the innocent.

Spider-Man's enemies get a brief summary but some of the bigger and more problematic villains get a more in depth look as well. Throughout all this, there are so many great visuals.

For those wanting more of the actual history of the character, there is a condensed timeline showing the major points in his career. A brief section covering the decades is also present. It's not along the same line of the other Spider-Man book but contains a different look at things.

There are spotlights on individual issues like McFarlane's SPIDER-MAN #1, the Clone Saga, One More Day and even turning point issues like AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #655.

This really is a book for anyone. Whether it's for someone just starting to get into Spider-Man or someone that's been reading for years or decades, it's a great package and presentation. This is the kind of book you can have on your coffee table. It's not a super-expensive high end book so you don't have to worry about it getting thrashed. But it's cool enough to have out when people come over.

Here's a few more pics to get more of a look at what's inside.

Gallery

Man, I have this old book called Spider-Man: The Ultimate Guide. And For X-Mas I received Spider-man Chronicle. Now I have to get this too. Man looks awesome.

@G-Man Which is better.

What was the point of the timeline?Continuity never mattered.

I long gave up on Spider-man. Yet this seems nice.

@moywar700
Yeah, the idea of a time line at this point is pretty silly. When has continuity started to matter? "Look at all these events. That wont matter in three years."

I almost got this, but i chose the Avengers and Batman ones instead.

@moywar700: it's always great to see an old story arc on a timeline and remembering back when THAT was the biggest twist in spider-man. Like the death of Gwen stacy, which i'm sure it's on the timeline. I wasn't around in those days but I'm sure there's some old schoolers out there that remember where they were when Gwen Stacy died. I'm sure the Clone Saga's on the timeline somewhere. I remember being sooooo mad at the fact that Peter Parker was revealed to be the clone and Ben Reily was the original. i thought that was so dumb that i dropped the title for a while. For the first time in my life, i had no interest in reading Spider-man. I'm glad that Peter was the real deal. I still stopped reading for a while cause it was ridiculous. Point is, time lines help bring back those memories we have of reading when they were new and you get to reflect on how much of an impact it was and wasn't. Arcs that might have enraged me doesn't seem all that bad compared to today's stories! haha.

A definite must for any Spidey fan. For $24.99 its not a bad deal at all really.

Just a word of warning/advice this is basically an update of the original Spider-Man: The Ultimate Guide done be DK a number of years ago, in fact some areas are taken straight from that book. But it is still a great book, Given the number of 50th Anniversaries out this year, I'm hoping for Avengers and X-men Chronicles

That other book is $25 on Amazon. Which one if it's the same price?

@RedheadedAtrocitus:

@Hostile:

I think this one is like $16 on amazon.

This is pretty neat look

Thanks for this review Tony! I seem to like this book. I will try to get it.

Will be getting this!