Look, this book is a beast, but it’s a 2009 beast. In Marvel years, that’s basically the Stone Age. If you find this at a used bookstore for ten bucks, grab it—the art alone is worth it, and it’s a fantastic way to get a kid off a tablet and into a physical book.

However, don’t buy this expecting it to be a guide to the current Marvel landscape. It’s missing the last 15+ years of character evolution, diversity, and movie tie-ins. It’s a great 'history of comics' piece, but if your kid is looking for the modern heroes they see on Disney+, they’re going to be very confused why Star-Lord looks like a 70s disco astronaut.