“In Marvel Monsters, Kelly Knox has created something that every Marvel fan needs to have in their collection”
Ok, here’s the thing. When we go and see the latest Marvel movie, we don’t go for the monsters we will see. We go for the big superhero characters. I have never heard someone say that they are there to see the monstrous Aquatic creatures. They don’t say they are there to see the monster teams that will appear. They are there to see Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and the rest kick some ass. But without these creatures, these monsters from our nightmares, the heroes we know and love would be redundant. That is where Kelly Knox’s book comes into play. You won’t find any heroes here (well, maybe Groot) but that doesn’t distract from the book. At all. Finally, these creatures are given their chance to shine. And boy, is it fun!
MARVEL MONSTERS: CREATURES OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE EXPLORED BY KELLY KNOX
Within the pages of this volume, we will encounter many various creatures we have seen on screen. And many that we only know from the comic books. But that is the point. This is where the monsters will come out to play. Every creature in the book gets its biography and accompanying illustrations. We discover the origins of these beings, when they first appeared in the colorful pages of a comic book, and so on. Take the first creature we find inside the pages of the book. Monstro. His first appearance was back in 1960 in the pages of ‘Tales Of Suspense #8.’ We are afforded a look at his anatomy and everything that makes us fear him.
Or how about Man-Thing? He first appeared in ‘Savage Tales #1’ back in 1971. Yet here he is, with everything you wanted to know about him. Don’t forget the 1963 debut of The Lizard in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ comic book. Devil Dinosaur makes an appearance, as does Tim Boo Ba himself. And a wet hello too as Manphibian decides to grace us with his appearance. Even the mighty Gorgilla decides to stand tall and allow us to see him.
MAMMALS
A look through the creatures of the Marvel Universe wouldn’t be complete without a look at the Mammal monsters that appeared throughout the pages. Deciding to announce himself by displaying his ripped clothing is Man-Wolf. He is here thanks to him making his bow in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man #124’ in 1973. Dracula and his daughter, Lilith also brave the daylight as they make themselves known to us. The evil-looking Werewolf By Night stops by for a quick bite. But no one can resist a meeting with the legendary Morbius, The Living Vampire. He arrives to take a drink from us ahead of a probable fight with Spider-Man.
AERIAL
It is time to take to the skies as we meet some of our familiar aerial foes for our heroes. Swarm buzzes about first, making us look for a can of bug spray, just in case. He is quickly followed by Sauron (No, not that one!) as the part-man, part-prehistoric creature flaps his leathery wings to land before us. Dragon Man decides to heat things a bit as he makes his bow. Not to be outdone, Lockheed crashes the party as does Grogg. All are here to take their glorious places inside the book’s pages.
ARTIFICIALLY CREATED
Not all creatures are natural, you know. Some have to be artificially created. Such as the genetically engineered Spore. Or It, The Living Colossus. We can’t leave out Zzutak either. A warning to us all comes in the form of Elektro. The smartest computer in existence is suddenly transformed into an all-powerful mechanical machine. And manages to seize control from its creator. Sound familiar? The Green Thing is also here, still looking like a walking head of Broccoli. Molten Man-Thing has once again emerged from a volcano on a Pacific island to join us. Even Golem decides to make an appearance, And let’s not forget Grottu, the fearsome Ant.
SPACE AND OTHER DIMENSIONS
Of course, many of the creatures we encounter come from space and other dimensions that exist out there. And many have come to visit us again. Xemnu The Titan has crossed the universe to say hello to us. Goom has traveled from Planet X to attempt world domination again. His son, Googam, left behind on Earth also pops up to say hello. The dreaded Chitauri have once again descended on us with evil intentions. Kaa, the shape-changing, two-dimensional alien from the Shadow Realm is, here again, to take over the world.
But of course, the best of the aliens and creatures we encounter is Groot. The tree-like alien from Planet X is the last of his kind. But he wishes to do good in the universe. He becomes a life-long friend to Rocket Raccoon and joins up with the Guardians Of The Galaxy. And in doing so, becomes one of our favorite characters.
MONSTER TEAMS
The creatures we encounter throughout the pages of the Marvel comic books also decide to team up on occasion. We have the Leviathans. Every thousand years, they decide to descend on a planet and lead to its total annihilation. These misshapen monsters are well equipped, with slashing claws and razor-sharp teeth. The Marvel Zombies are here too. Thanks to a zombified hero falling from the stars, the unstoppable virus spreads like wildfire through the superheroes, creating a zombified Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four. Earth-666 has its problems with the team of The Undead Avengers. These former heroes, who we pinned all our hopes on over the years now serve only death. And we mustn’t forget The Howling Commandos, who are here too.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This is but a handful of the creatures we will discover inside the book’s pages. But what we find inside the pages is sheer brilliance. The monsters that have leaped from the minds of the creators and onto the printed page can not help but be loved. And this book goes a long way in accomplishing that. From the descriptions of the creatures, the biography of every one of them, and their varied history, we discover everything we want to know. We cannot fail but be impressed with what is included here. What Kelly Knox has created is something that every Marvel fan needs to be in their collection. It is an enjoyable read, a very informative one, and one that I’ll be happy to read through again.
Marvel Monsters: Creatures Of The Marvel Universe Explored by Kelly Knox is published by DK Books and is available to buy NOW!
Author
Carl Roberts is the News Editor of The Future of the Force. Aside from being our horror genre aficionado, he is also passionate about Star Wars, Marvel, DC, and the Indiana Jones movies. Follow him on Twitter where he uses the force frequently!
