Slickly produced and highly informative books about comics such as DK Publishing’s The Marvel Encyclopedia have sold extremely well in both the bookstore and direct markets and, given the devoted following that DC’s Vertigo imprint has developed, DK’s The Vertigo Encyclopedia is likely to follow suit.  The 240-page, full color hardcover edition of The Vertigo Encyclopedia ($30) by Alex Irvine is due out in September and will clearly be one of the top holiday books of 2008.

The Vertigo Encyclopedia includes comprehensive entries for all the key Vertigo properties including The Sandman, Preacher, Hellblazer, 100 Bullets, DMZ, Swamp Thing—and the two series that are currently burning it up in both the comic shops and the bookstores, Bill Willingham’s Fables and Brian K. Vaughn’s Y: The Last Man--as well as 72 additional Vertigo delights that will all receive the in-depth treatment (120 other lesser-known Vertigo releases are covered in an “A to Z Gazetteer” section).  The in-depth entries include an overview of the series, profiles of the creators involved, storyline summaries, creation notes, illustrated profiles of all the major characters, collections of outstanding moments, plus lists of all trade paperbacks and spin-offs associated with the property.

The Vertigo Encyclopedia also features a striking cover by the ultimate Vertigo cover artist Dave McKean that is replete with symbols from the key Vertigo properties, images that will certainly resonate with readers of these masterful dark fantasy and science fiction sagas.