The first thing that you notice when you open Marvel: The Amazing 1000 Dot-To-Dot Book is that these are probably a lot more involved than the dot-to-dot drawings that you attempted as children. In the Introduction from illustrator Thomas Pavitte, he notes that each of these drawings take about an hour to complete, as the 1000 in the book’s title is no exaggeration, and the pictures each have 1000 dots for hobbyists to connect. There are so many dots in these drawings that the artist has color coded the dots in order to make it easier for the dot connector; additionally, the pages are perforated, in the event that you want to detach one and work it socially with friends.
If you’re a fan of Captain America, Captain Marvel, The Hulk, Wolverine, Iron Man, Storm, Deadpool, Spider-Man, Thor: Goddess of Thunder, Black Widow, Dr. Strange, Thor Odinson, Daredevil, Ms. Marvel, Ant-Man, Squirrel Girl, Groot, Jessica Jones, or the Black Panther, there’s a dot-to-dot picture here for you to complete and hang in your Sanctum Sanctorum. Alternatively, if you’d like to intimidate your friends with your Dr. Doom-like ability to weave the big picture from a tangled skein, you could work all the puzzles yourself and leave the completed volume on your coffee table. To some, it would be more of a conversation stopper than a conversation starter, but this just gives you a chance to winnow out those that are not worthy of Doom.
On top of the nineteen dot-to-dot portraits of Marvel’s characters, there is also a fold-out piece that depicts a battle between Iron Man and Captain America, no doubt capitalizing on the theme of the most recent offering in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain America: Civil War.
Thunder Bay Press’s first book of licensed character Dot-to-Dots is a lovely collectible with a timeless style of presentation that makes me think of all the products advertised by Heroes World in Marvel’s 70s comics, and it will shelve nicely next to the quirkiest collectors’ volumes for Marvel maniacs, such as The Mighty Marvel Strength and Fitness Book or The Mighty Marvel Superheroes’ Cookbook. Also, at only 14.99, this one is already a good value, and my thoughts are that, unlike pricier comic tie-in books, it will sell out quickly and never end up in the remaindered section at Barnes and Noble, so if you want this for your collection, you should try to buy it upon release.
Marvel: The Amazing 1000 Dot-To-Dot Book arrives in stores and on Amazon on October 6th, 2016. Review copy sent by Thunder Bay Press.
