Marvel Eat the Universe: The Official Cookbook Review

I have been cooking professionally for over 20 years and for some big corporations as well. Although food is my full-time gig, I have an equal passion for games, music, movies, and comics. This means every time there is a fusion of these things… WHAM, I appear. I am super excited to review what I’m hoping is a fantastic cookbook, so let’s dive in. Welcome to Chef Mike’s first legitimate review of a thing! Today I am reviewing the ‘Marvel Eat the Universe: The Official Cookbook’ by Justin Warner.  And so it begins…

After a quick skim through the book, I first noticed that it is super colorful and visually interesting. The book incorporates images from the Marvel Universe in a way that does exactly what it’s supposed to do, kind of look like a comic book.  Even the pictures from the recipes are sometimes put in a comic format that keeps the melding between a Marvel comic and a cookbook exciting and consistent. Even the recipes themselves are colorful by using specific ingredients to make the pictures pop. Specific to the food photography, there are some fantastic pictures like Ironheart’s Savory Oatmeal (p. 103) and Nova Space-Cop Galaxy Doughnuts (p. 135), as well as pictures not as aesthetically pleasing like Fancy Street Kugel (p. 107).

The visual presentation of the book is something I really enjoyed throughout. With the entire book being based on Marvel characters there wasn’t one character that didn’t catch my eye.

The book is written in a way that makes more difficult recipes as easy as possible, especially for an amateur in the kitchen. The tone of the writing makes the process a bit more approachable but there certainly are ingredients and equipment that are for more advanced folks in the kitchen. A silicone baking mat, a smoke gun, and edible silver leaf are just a few examples that I have access to but an average person might not. Also, some of the flavors used in the book could be a bit polarizing for the average reader, like using hondashi, aonori, and katsuobushi in Runaways Okonomiyaki (p. 12).  It is a great recipe for me, but once again depending on who the target demographic for this book is, there may be a little bit of a disconnect between a Marvel fan who wants to cook and an experienced cook who happens to like Marvel. This book is for the latter, or of course the fan who wants ALL THE MARVEL THINGS, making it a great addition to collections.

I personally would think that a cookbook that is a little less pro-level and is a bit more approachable could be a better fit for the consumer who would be interested in this, but for me personally, these are recipes I would love to try and have the kitchen ability to do so. Having videos for these recipes via the Marvel Digital Series ‘Eat The Universe’ which this book is based on is a big help to aid noobs in the kitchen to get these recipes correct.

The instructional content of this book reads easily and has a tone that was written by someone who clearly has a lot of knowledge and experience. This book accomplishes simplifying directions to help the less experienced.  The author also incorporated some comic and goofy references in the actual recipes which is an awesome punchline to read.

The Marvel incorporation in Marvel Eat the Universe: The Official Cookbook is a 10/10 right out of the gate.  Each recipe has a direct connection to the Marvel Universe, a bit about the character or the setting it represents, and reasoning why it relates to the recipe.  Having Ryan Penagos involved makes me believe that a lot of TLC was put into making sure the Marvel incorporation was seamless and relevant to each recipe.  This is very much geared towards the Marvel comics fan as opposed to fans of the MCU films with examples like ‘Triathlon’s 90s Pulled Pork’ (p. 46), giving more credibility to Justin Warner being a totally awesome comic book nerd.

I personally love this book. It is absolutely made for someone like me who also loves all things Marvel and has skills in the kitchen. Some of these recipes may be a bit difficult for the average Marvel fan who wants to use this cookbook for the recipes, but if you are a Marvel comics fan in any capacity, and like food too, this book is a great addition to the collection.

Learn more about Marvel Eat the Universe: The Official Cookbook on the official listing. A physical copy of the book was provided for the purpose of review.