Wow! I usually don’t start my reviews with an exclamation, but I am just very impressed by the incredible paper engineering constructed by Matthew Reinhart in the latest edition of DC Super Heroes: The Ultimate Pop-Up Book! As a 32-year old man with no children, I have not had a lot of time spent around pop-up books in recent years… and now I think I’ve really been missing out?!?! This incredible pop-up book is a delight to people of any age, from an excitable six year-old to, as I said, a regular 32 year-old comic nerd.
However, I must give a HUGE warning to any parents (or really just anybody…) who are planning on shelling out $50 USD – yes, it is definitely a bit pricey – for this fabulous book… it is delicate. Again, I haven’t spent a lot of time around pop-up books lately, but from my memories none of them are as detailed, intricate, and complex as the ones Reinhart designed for this experience. Obviously this is user error on my part, but when I opened the book to the final page, an incredible battle between the heroes and villains of DC, the pop-up immediately ripped in several pages down the center, preventing the pop-up from popping properly! I was able to tape it back and it seems to be working 90% fine but… this book is 1000% not appropriate for unsupervised young children (or me apparently) because it definitely fragile!
DC Comics
Honestly though… I barely even mind? The fragility of the book, mixed with the fact that it didn’t come with a “please be gentle” warning, definitely knocks the review down by at least one full point. But my GOD, it is just so beautiful and detailed, thanks to Reinhart’s engineering and the inks and colors from Brad Walker, Marco Santucci, Tom Derenick, and Paul Mounts! I simply cannot stop opening the pages to explore how the heck this paper engineering works, and to appreciate details I missed the first time. Plus, the cover of the (massive) book is filled with illustrations by the acclaimed artist Dan Mora, one of DC’s best artists currently working, making the book a real pleasure to look at.
DC Super Heroes: The Ultimate Pop-Up Book is comprised of six main double-spread pages, and while that may not sound like a lot, I promise just those few pages make the book nearly 2.5 inches wide, as wide as my X-Men: Inferno omnibus which is literally 1,240 pages long. The six pages focus on the following: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman/Flash/Green Lantern, Villains, and the Final Battle. In addition to the large main pop-up art on each page, each section includes at least one reading panel you can open, revealing a smaller pop-up, like the Super Family on the Superman page or a terrifying Joker face alongside the Villains.
DC Comics
This book is just so super fun! I am going to give it to my 6 year-old cousin for Christmas and he is going to absolutely lose his mind over it. I am wildly impressed by Reinhart’s engineering skills, and if they ever make one of these for the X-Men… I will be purchasing. Once again, this is a delicate book filled with carefully constructed pop-up art, so if you are getting this for a younger child, try your best to supervise their time with the book, unless you don’t care about the pop-ups being ruined! If you, your kiddo, or another comic nerd in your life love DC Comics, and crave new comic book experiences, I would highly recommend checking out the DC Super Heroes: The Ultimate Pop-Up Book.
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