Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
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The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications. The original 15 volume series was published in comic book format in 1982, followed by sporadic updates.
[edit] Origin
Jim Shooter, Marvel's then Editor in Chief, conceived of the idea, envisioning a guide detailing statistics much in the manner of those found upon the backs of baseball cards.[1] This initial project was to be called The Marvel Super-Specifications Handbook. He appointed Mark Gruenwald editor of the project, and Gruenwald developed the project to include all aspects of the Marvel Universe, although he noted it was not comprehensive.[citation needed]
Critics of the handbook have argued that the level of detail within the guide effectively limited the ability of writers to innovate, a charge Gruenwald dismissed, reputedly stating that the information presented was only the most recent data and was subject to change.[2] Peter Sanderson, one of the writers of the original guide, noted that "Mark sought to make the Marvel characters' super-powers as firm a basis in real science as possible. After the first version of the Handbook, Mark decided that some of the explanations had grown too complicated, and asked me to simplify them."[citation needed]
The OHOTMU detailed the more significant characters, items and locations in the Marvel Universe, itemizing them into individual entries. Individual entries usually consisted of:
- A frontal full-body view of the character.
- Prose text describing the character's origin, powers, and other abilities and unique traits, as well as 'statistics' such as place of birth, former aliases, height, weight, hair and eye color and so forth. The original edition opted only to describe the "Origins" of characters (how they acquired their powers), instead focusing heavily on detailed explanations for how those powers functioned. In the Book of the Dead supplement, however, the handbook provided entire "Histories" for the deceased characers, a trend which was then adopted for the main body of the Deluxe Edition, allowing the entire life and career of the characters to be covered. Major important pieces of equipment were also given technical illustrations with breakdowns of their functions and features.
- Example images of the character in action, taken directly from the comics themselves.
In the original Edition, characters were listed at one character to a page, although minor characters were sometimes listed at two to a page and major characters would occasionally receive more than one page. In the Deluxe Edition, however, every character received at least one page, with significant characters receiving up to 3-5 pages.
In the Master Edition (1990-1993) this changed and every character was allocated a double-sided loose leaf page. Later versions allocate characters different lengths of entry depending on their history and importance.
There have been several versions of the concept since first published in 1982:
- 1982-1984: a 15-issue series. Issues 13 - 14 are titled the Books of the Dead and Inactive, featuring characters and groups who were, at the time, believed dead or inactive. Issue 15 is titled the 'Book of Weapons, Hardware, and Paraphernalia', featuring technical drawings of equipment such as the shield of Captain America and the web-shooters of Spider-Man.
- 1985-1988: a 20-issue Deluxe Edition is published. Although numerous entries reference an Appendix, the Deluxe Edition Appendix is not published. The '85-'88 run (Deluxe Edition) was also been collected in trade paperback format, in a series of 10 128 page volumes. The trade edition also feature updates of many characters. Supplements for licensed properties are published, including Conan the Barbarian; G.I. Joe; and the Transformers.
- 1989: an 8-issue update is published. This series is notable for including numerous non-superhuman supporting characters.
- 1990-1993: A 36 issue Master Edition series is published, with each issue a shrink-wrapped pack of loose-leaf pages.
- 2004-2005: Themed one-shot supplements are published, such as Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe: X-Men 2004. Other entries in this themed, subtitled series include Spider-Man 2004; Avengers 2004; Hulk 2004; Daredevil 2004; Wolverine 2004; Golden Age 2004; Women of Marvel 2005 and Avengers 2005.
- 2006: A new 12-issue series was published featuring new characters. A series of themed one-shot issues was also published in the same style as the 2004-2005 books, including the Civil War Files which tied in with Marvel's Civil War crossover series. The original Handbook series, original 20-issue Deluxe Edition, and the Update '89 edition were also reprinted in five Essential volumes.
- 2007: 4 A-Z Update issues, six themed issues and the first half of the Marvel Atlas are published.
- 2008: All material from 2004 - 2007 is updated and printed in the "All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z Premiere HC" set, divided into 12 volumes (each containing 240 pages). The second half of the Marvel Atlas is published.
[edit] Bibliography of Official Handbook series
[edit] The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Vol. I
- Original Series #1 - #15 (Marvel Comics, January 1983 - May 1984)
| # | Title | Month of Publ. | Pages | Orig. Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A from Abomination to Avengers Quinjet | January 1983 | 34 | $ 1.00 |
| 2 | B - C from Baron Mordo to Collective Man | February 1983 | 34 | $ 1.00 |
| 3 | C - D from Collector to Dracula | March 1983 | 34 | $ 1.00 |
| 4 | D - G from Dragon Man to Gypsy Moth | April 1983 | 34 | $ 1.00 |
| 5 | H - J from Hangman to Juggernaut | May 1983 | 34 | $ 1.00 |
| 6 | K - M from Kang to Man-Bull | June 1983 | 34 | $ 1.00 |
| 7 | M from Mandarin to Mystique | July 1983 | 34 | $ 1.00 |
| 8 | N - P from Namorita to Pyro | August 1983 | 34 | $ 1.00 |
| 9 | Q - S from Quasar to She-Hulk | September 1983 | 34 | $ 1.00 |
| 10 | S from Shi'ar to Sub-Mariner | October 1983 | 34 | $ 1.00 |
| 11 | S - U from Subterraneans to Ursa Major | November 1983 | 34 | $ 1.00 |
| 12 | V - Z from Valkyrie to Zzzax | December 1983 | 34 | $ 1.00 |
| 13 | Book of the Dead and Inactive I: Air-Walker to Man-Wolf | February 1984 | 34 | $ 1.00 |
| 14 | Book of the Dead and Inactive II: Marvel Boy to Zuras | March 1984 | 34 | $ 1.00 |
| 15 | Book of Weapons, Hardware, and Paraphernalia | April 1984 | 34 | $ 1.00 |
- Essential (Trade Paperback) #1 (Marvel Comics, January 2006)
[edit] The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Vol. II (Deluxe Edition)
- Original Series #1 - #20 (Marvel Comics, December 1985 - February 1988)
| # | Info | Month of Publ. | Pages | Orig. Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abomination to Batroc's Brigade | December 1985 | 64 | $ 1.50 |
| 2 | Beast to Clea | January 1986 | 64 | $ 1.50 |
| 3 | Cloak to Doctor Octopus | February 1986 | 64 | $ 1.50 |
| 4 | Doctor Strange to Galactus | March 1986 | 64 | $ 1.50 |
| 5 | Gardener to The Hulk | April 1986 | 64 | $ 1.50 |
| 6 | Human Torch to Ka-Zar | May 1986 | 64 | $ 1.50 |
| 7 | Khoryphos to Magneto | June 1986 | 64 | $ 1.50 |
| 8 | Magus to Mole Man | July 1986 | 64 | $ 1.50 |
| 9 | Molecule Man to Owl | August 1986 | 64 | $ 1.50 |
| 10 | Paladin to The Rhino | September 1986 | 64 | $ 1.50 |
| 11 | Richard Rider to Sidewinder | October 1986 | 64 | $ 1.50 |
| 12 | Sif to Sunspot | November 1986 | 64 | $ 1.50 |
| 13 | Super-Adaptoid to Umar | December 1986 | 64 | $ 1.50 |
| 14 | Unicorn to Wolverine | January 1987 | 64 | $ 1.50 |
| 15 | Wonder Man to Zzzax plus Alien Races | March 1987 | 64 | $ 1.50 |
| 16 | Book of the Dead: Air-Walker to Death-Stalker | June 1987 | 64 | $ 1.50 |
| 17 | Book of the Dead: Destiny to Hobgoblin | August 1987 | 64 | $ 1.50 |
| 18 | Book of the Dead: Hyperion to Nighthawk | October 1987 | 64 | $ 1.50 |
| 19 | Book of the Dead: Nuke to Obadiah Stane | December 1987 | 64 | $ 1.50 |
| 20 | Book of the Dead: Stick to Zuras | February 1988 | 64 | $ 1.50 |
- Reprints (Trade Paperback) #1 - #10 (Marvel Comics, 1986 - 1987)
| # | Info | ISBN | Month of Publ. | Pages | Orig. Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abomination to Circus of Crime | ISBN 0-87135-208-7 | ? | 128 | $ 6.95 |
| 2 | Clea to Gaea | ISBN 0-87135-209-5 | ? | 128 | $ 6.95 |
| 3 | Galactus to Kang | ISBN 0-87135-210-9 | ? | 128 | $ 6.95 |
| 4 | Karkas to Mister Fantastic | ISBN 0-87135-211-7 | ? | 128 | $ 6.95 |
| 5 | Mister Fear to Quicksilver | ISBN 0-87135-212-5 | ? | 128 | $ 6.95 |
| 6 | Radioactive Man to Stilt-Man | ISBN 0-87135-213-3 | ? | 128 | $ 6.95 |
| 7 | Stingray to Wendigo | ISBN 0-87135-214-1 | ? | 128 | $ 6.95 |
| 8 | Werewolf to Zzzax Book of the Dead: Air-Walker to Dorcas, Dr. Lemuel |
ISBN 0-87135-215-X | ? | 128 | $ 6.95 |
| 9 | Book of the Dead: Dorma to Patriot | ISBN 0-87135-353-9 | ? | 128 | $ 6.95 |
| 10 | Book of the Dead: Phantom Eagle to Zuras | ISBN 0-87135-366-0 | ? | 128 | $ 6.95 |
- Essential (Trade Paperback) #1 - #3 (Marvel Comics, March 2006 - July 2006)
- Update '89 #1 - #8 (Marvel Comics, July 1989 - December 1989)
| # | Info | Month of Publ. | Pages | Orig. Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adversary to Chameleon | July 1989 | 48 | $ 1.50 |
| 2 | Champion of the Universe to Ecstasy | August 1989 | 48 | $ 1.50 |
| 3 | Eon to Hulk | September 1989 | 48 | $ 1.50 |
| 4 | Human Torch to Manikin | October 1989 | 48 | $ 1.50 |
| 5 | Marauders to Power Princess | November 1989 | 48 | $ 1.50 |
| 6 | Prowler to Serpent Society | Late November 1989 | 48 | $ 1.50 |
| 7 | Set to Tyrak | December 1989 | 48 | $ 1.50 |
| 8 | U-Man to Madelyne Pryor | Late December 1989 | 48 | $ 1.50 |
- Essential Update (Trade Paperback) #1 (Marvel Comics, December 2006)
[edit] The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Vol. III (Master Edition)
- Original Series #1 - #36 (Marvel Comics, December 1990 - ?)