Alex Irvine

The Vertigo Encyclopedia

Published by DK

Nov 01, 2008 Year End 2008 - Best of 2008 By Kyle Lemmon Bookmark and Share

Vertigo was founded in 1993 by Karen Berger. Taking a cue from the gritty superhero storylines of the ’80s, the new DC imprint prided itself in fashioning tales for mature readers. Edgy publications like Alan Moore’s historic run of Swamp Thing and V for Vendetta, Watt Wagner’s The Sandman, and most recently Brian K. Vaughan’s Y: The Last Man fill this charming coffee table book. The unavoidable broad overview (DK also has companion books for Marvel and DC) may disappoint hardcore fans of the trailblazing imprint, but it’s perfect for the greenhorn fan.

Fantasist and science fiction writer Alex Irvine (The Ultimates: Against All Enemies, Hellstorm: Son of Satan) tenderly examines Vertigo’s most popular 200 creations as literature, with distinct story arcs and motivated characters. The index retains an uncluttered layout and features over 120 additional titles in the Gazetteer section. The Creation Notes scattered throughout are particularly interesting. Reading that The Sandman’s Lucifer character was based on David Bowie and Brian Azzarello’s thoughts on the noir/Western genre tension in Loveless should garner any self-respecting geek’s notice. (www.alexanderirvine.net)

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