The Evolution of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe

Note: Most or all of the following info previously appeared in my blog in separate parts.I'm creating this all-in-1 post so it's handy while Comixfan mergers with CX Pulp. I've fallen a bit behind but do plan to eventually bring this to the 2010s


The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (first series) 1983-1984

Number of Issues: 15 (32 pages plus covers)

Covers: Front and back covers in a single image, first 12 issues combine to form a poster that is three issues across and four down. #13-14 for a poster that is two issues across. #15 is by itself. Every solo character with an entry depicted (for #15, every wielder of a device depicted). Colour backgrounds for all.

Formatting: The inside front covers for all list the contents and credits.

#1-12: The body usually covered all but the last two non-cover pages. Most entries were 1 page, though quite a few were ½, with two ½ page entries in a row filed alphabetically. On rare occasions entries took up 2 pages The last two non-cover pages were usually for Alien Races (all but Human Races ¼-page each). #12 had only 6 instead of 8 races, and they were slightly earlier in the book due to the Appendix. The Appendix, usually in the inside back cover was usually a full page of capsule entries. In #1 it was only a ½-page at the bottom due to a ½-page Editorial at the top of the inside back cover. In #12, aside from the inside back cover (other than a small Special Announcements Section at the bottom of that page), there was an addition 1 ½ pages of Appendix entries.

#13-14 (Book of the Dead & Inactive): The main section covered all but the last four non-cover pages (#13) and all the non-cover pages (#14). Page counts remained typically ½-1 page. There was a four page section on defunct teams in #13. The inside back covers were basically a full-page discussion on an aspect of death (the top of #13’s inside back cover has an editor’s note)

#15 (Book of Weapons, Hardware, and Paraphernalia): Non-cover pages were typically about ½-page each (a few 1-pages). Inside back cover had entries on Adamantium and Vibranium that were close to ½-page, though instead of illos of these there was an Editor’s Note with ID card drawings for Avengers and SHIELD.

Interior Art: New main illos. Some entries have a secondary illo taken from another series (none in #13-14). Team entries are usually headshots with no other illustrations. Locations typically have maps. Some maps and diagrams have captions that are typeset while others are hand lettered. Colour backgrounds (this would not be used again until 2004).

Text Categories (*= not for all entries; categories only used once or twice not noted):

Main Entries (Solo)(#1-14)
ENTRY NAME IN CAPS
Real Name
Occupation
Identity
Legal status
Former aliases*
Other current aliases*
Code-name in own language*
Place of birth
Place of death (#13-14)
Marital status
Known relatives
Group affiliation
Base of operations
First appearance (First modern appearance for characters who first appeared prior to Fantastic Four#1)
Final appearance (#13-14)
Origin (#1-12)/History (#13-14)
Height
Weight
Eyes
Hair
Unusual features*
Powers
Weapons*

Legal status covers both location and criminal record. Identity refers to if secret or not. Early issues in the Origin section would cover how they got their powers and in some cases key early activities after becoming active. Later issues were more likely to go into more in depth into the careers of characters covered but that was not a hard and fast rule.

#12-13 focussed on deceased characters and therefore the Origin category was replaced by History and gave a snapshot of their entire career up to their deaths or time inactive. Subsequent Handbooks have for the most part stuck with the term History to cover back stories (Master Edition is a notable exception).

In cases where characters first appeared prior to Fantastic Four #1, only their first modern (i.e. post Fantastic Four#1) appearance is noted, not their true first appearance.

See the Appendix notes below for a discussion of the Roman numerals that appear in some #13-14 entries.

Main Entries (Teams/Groups)(#1-14)
ENTRY NAME IN CAPS
First appearance* (later issues only)

It was very uncommon in the early issues to note the First appearance of teams. With rare exceptions, issue 9 appears to be the starting point and even then this was done inconsistently at first.

For those team/group entries to have headshots (a majority), they used the following format, which continues to this day:
HEADSHOT NAME IN CAPS
(Real name/alter ego in parentheses)
First appearance*
Active*

Main Entries (#15)
ENTRY NAME IN CAPS
Description (untitled)

Alien Races categories
ENTRY NAME IN CAPS
Origin Galaxy
Star System
Planet
Habitat
Gravity
Atmosphere
Population
Physical Characteristics (Type/Eyes/Fingers/Toes/Skin color/Average height)
Special adaptations
Type of government
Level of technology
Cultural traits
Names of representatives
First appearance

The more prominent alien races (Kree, Shi’ar, Skrulls) followed the team/group format (no headshots) and were in the main body rather than the Alien Races section.

Appendix entries
ENTRY NAME IN CAPS
Real name/aliases if known in parenthesis (untitled).
In same paragraph as above, History (untitled)
In same paragraph above: First appearance and where died.

In some cases there would be a mixing of different characters of the same name, in which case after the first character was covered, the next version of the character would be covered in the same paragraph.

In a few cases an entry was just a cross-reference.

In cases in the Appendix and in characters in #13-14, characters sharing the same name as another character would be noted by a Roman numeral, with the first published version of a character getting a I, the second a II, etc. (as opposed to the Deluxe and later versions, in which the chronological rather than published earlier version would get the earlier Roman numeral.

This is the only series to have a general Appendix, those appendices for specific purposes would appear in later volumes.

The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe – Deluxe Edition (second series) 1985-1988

Number of Issues: 20 (64 pages plus covers)

Covers: Front and back covers in a single image again; all solo characters included, plus those with sub-entries. #1-15 combine to form a single image, as do #16-20. Images continue to the right in subsequent issues, no poster style with one issue above another. have the characters facing right; white backgrounds. #16-20 (Book of the Dead issues) have ghostly versions of the characters facing forward; blue background.

Formatting: The inside front covers for all list the contents and credits, as well as an editorial section that frequently spills into the back cover. In some of the later issues the editorial section is in the form of a list of data corrections.

For the non-cover sections, the entirety of #1-14 is the regular entries, as is the first half of #15. Entries are typical 1-2 pages, often 3-4, a few higher. No ½-pagers; however, some team entries have ¼-page sub-entries (a few sub-entries ½-page). The second half of #15 is ¼-page Alien Races entries. #16-20 constitute the Book of the Dead, with entries in the same format as the regular entries except as noted below. No defunct teams/groups unless the entirety/majority of the team is deceased at time of publication. In #20, the editorial (Data Corrections) section spills over to the last non-cover page.

Due to colouring errors in #8, the middle section of #9 has the colour-corrected versions of those pages (4 pages).

Inside back covers: #1-4: Glossary. Appendix: Alternate Dimensions#5-15. #16 is devoted to Strength Levels in the Known Marvel Universe. #17-18 lists series set in the Marvel Universe, Editorial section from inside front cover spills over into back in issues #2-5, 7-9, 11-13, 15, 18-20. #15 has a second editorial at back plus 2 additional Alien Races as described above. #19-20 have no additional sections other than the editorial (Data Corrections) started on the inside front cover.

The editorial section is Data Corrections in #8-9, 11, 13, 18-20.

Interior Art: Main illos: Either new art or art taken directly from the original series; in the latter the art is sometimes modified somewhat to make it more current. Considerable use of secondary illos including action shots taken from various comics. If team members head an entry elsewhere they’re usual depicted with a headshot; if not, they are drawn full body in their ¼-page sub-entry. Some entries have weapons and paraphernalia specs embedded in the entry, some new, some adapted from #15 of the previous series. The Alien Races section has been completely redrawn. White backgrounds.

Text Categories (*= not for all entries; categories only used once or twice not noted):

Text in this series used cross-references, many to a non-existent but planned at the time Appendix. Roman numerals according to in universe chronology were common.

Main Entries
ENTRY NAME IN CAPS
Real Name
Occupation
Identity
Legal status
Former aliases*
Other current aliases*
Code-name in own language*
Place of birth
Place of death (#16-20)
Marital status
Known relatives
Group affiliation
Base of operations
First appearance (First modern appearance for characters who first appeared prior to Fantastic Four#1)
Origin
Final appearance (#16-20)
History
Height
Weight
Eyes
Hair
Unusual features*
Strength level
Known superhuman powers*
Former superhuman powers*
Other abilities*
Abilities*
Limitations*
Weapons*

Origin has a different meaning than in the first series. Here it refers to which issues have a character’s Origin stories. First appearance and Origin sometimes merged together as First appearance and origin. History now covers characters’ careers in greater depth.

As should be evident above, the specific combat related categories are determined by the nature of the character.

Main Entries (Teams/Groups)
ENTRY NAME IN CAPS
First appearance

The First appearance category was now standard.

For those team/group entries to have headshots, they used the following format as per the original series:
HEADSHOT NAME IN CAPS
(Real name/alter ego in parentheses)
First appearance*
Active*

Some entries, where the members are too minor to have their own entries and where this wouldn’t result in too large an entry, ¼ page sub-entries are used. Sub-entries work similar to main entries; however, categories are further abridged for space reasons.

Alien Races categories
ENTRY NAME IN CAPS
Origin Galaxy
Star System
Planet
Estimated population
Physical Characteristics (Type/Eyes/Fingers/Toes/Skin color/Average height)
Special adaptations
Type of government
Level of technology
Names of representatives
First appearance

So Habitat, Gravity, Atmosphere, and Cultural traits have been dropped from the first series, and Note added. This the final series to have ¼-entries on Alien Races as separate sections, though larger such entries do appear in later volumes with very different categories.

Once again, certain key alien races received full group entries in the body of the text, following the group format. No headshots except for the Kree.

Appendix: Other Dimensions categories
ENTRY NAME IN CAPS
Type
Environment
Usual means of access
Dominant lifeform
Prominent inhabitants*
Comments
First appearance

This is the only series to have this section, though some dimensions later get full entries.

There was also a 10-volume trade paperback series based on the Deluxe Edition with a few new entries and some removed (including all the Alien Races and inside cover material). The new entries follow the same pattern as the rest of the Deluxe Edition. In addition some of the existing entries were modified either cosmetically (e.g. a different costume) or extensively.

The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe – Update ‘89 (third series) 1989

Number of Issues: 8 (48 pages plus covers)

Covers: Front and back covers in a single image again; select characters only, facing forward; colour background.

Formatting: The inside front covers for all list the contents and credits, plus a humour cartoon. #1-14 have an editorial section called From the Doghouse in #1-3 and In the Doghouse in #4.

Non-cover pages are the main entries, all 1-4 pages. A single-entry Deceased section appears at the end of #8; the final non-cover page of #8 has the start of the Data Corrections section (this series; continues in inside back cover).

Inside back covers: Data Corrections: #1-6, Data Updates #6-7 (all for the Deluxe Edition), Data Corrections: #8 (this series); #2 also has Marvel Assistant Editor Awards for 1988 and Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards for 1988 forms. #3 also has an amended Chameleon entry (instead of illos of the Chameleon, there’s a cartoon Peter Sanderson figure explaining what happened). #4 also has a discussion on the Atlanteans. #5 also has another cartoon. #8 also has a poster merging the covers of first series #1-12 with some modifications as per an actual poster sold at the time, being the art to the then-present day.

Interior Art: Main illos: new art. Considerable use of secondary illos including action shots, all also new art, making this the only series to be entirely composed of new art. If team members head an entry elsewhere they’re usual depicted with a headshot; if not, they are drawn full body in their ¼-page sub-entry. Some entries had a full-page colour background, some had a colour square background, some had a white background.

Text Categories (*= not for all entries; categories only used once or twice not noted):

Once again, text in this series used cross-references, many to a non-existent but planned at the time Appendix; this was the final volume to make use of cross-references. Roman numerals according to in universe chronology were common.

Main Entries

As per Deluxe Edition with two key exceptions: All entries now have a Known superhuman powers category (often the answer is “None”) and pre-Fantastic Four #1 characters now have both a First appearance category and a First modern appearance category, the modern covering their true first appearance and the latter covering their first post-Fantastic Four#1 appearance. Starting here the “modern” appearances would fall more and more out of favour, probably due to a combination of more Golden Age stories being seen as in continuity and due to the 1960s becoming too far into the past to be considered modern. Indeed, Fantastic Four#1 is now further in the past in the present than Motion Picture Funnies Weekly#1 was at the time of the first Handbook.

Main Entries (Teams/Groups)

Again, this follows a pattern similar to Deluxe. However, entries with no sub-entries are more likely to depict full body shots rather than headshots, with or without First appearance. This is the final series to use ¼-page sub-entries.

The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe – Master Edition (fourth series) 1991-1993

Curiously this series claimed to be the third series again. It was actually the fourth.

Number of Issues: 36 (48 pages plus cover)

Covers: The front cover had a colour image of a key character plus headshots of the other characters, on a colour background, with contents. In #1-12 the contents were on the bottom, in #13-36 they were on the left, which non-solo entries noted in a blurb in the artwork.

There were no back covers.

Formatting: The inside front cover have either an editorial with credits (sometimes with additional entry info for those characters who needed more than two pages), an explanation of the special ability categories, or a glossary.

All entries are exactly two pages. Loofleaf format. Unlike previous titles, where the alphabetizing spanned the entire run, each issue has its own alphabetizing.

Interior Art: For solo entries, the front side of each entry have three illos each with the character facing front, left, and back; these were all pencilled by Keith Pollard and inked by Josef Rubenstein. If there is room, some entries have reprinted illos on the back of the character in action. For team entries, the front side have new art from other artists showing the team in action; there is rarely art in the back for those entries unless the team’s supporting cast is depicted (see below). Some sheets show a hero in action on the front (new art). Usually but not always the back side show headshots of the character’s supporting cast (new art).

Text Categories (*=not all entries)

Roman numerals according to in universe chronology were common.

Main Entries
ENTRY NAME IN CAPS (both sides; sometimes the front side entry name different from the back side entry name)

Rest of the categories back side only, divided into sections in caps, with bars around the sections. There were slight differences in the biographical section if the character was deceased at the time.

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA
Real name
Other current aliases / Alias at time of death
Former aliases
Dual Identity
Current occupation / Occupation at time of death
Former occupation
Citizenship
Legal status
Place of birth
Place of death *(deceased characters only)
Marital status
Known relatives
Known confidents
Known allies
Major enemies
Usual base of operations / Base of operations at time of death
Former bases of operations
Current group membership / Group membership at time of death
Former group membership
Extent of education

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Height
Weight
Eyes
Hair
Other distinguishing features

POWERS AND ABILITIES
Intelligence
Strength
Flight speed*
Stamina
Durability
Agility
Reflexes
Fighting skills
Special skills and abilities
Superhuman physical powers
Superhuman mental powers
Special limitations
Source of superhuman powers

PARAPHERNALIA
Costume specifications
Personal weaponry
Special weaponry
Other accessories
Transportation
Design and manufacture of paraphernalia

BIBLIOGRAPHY
First appearance
Origin issue
Significant issues

So this series breaks things down further than most series do, separating out similar categories that are normally lumped together. Citizenship refers to country while Legal status refers to criminal records. Education is the main new carry-over into future editions, though some of the Ability categories may have inspired the Power Grid and may in turn have been inspired by the Marvel Superheroes Role-Playing Game being published at the time. Allies and Enemies, while interesting categories, have not proven to have longevity, probably because the History normally covers that. This is the only volume to not have a History section as is normally perceived, though the Significant issues section covers key events with issues noted; unfortunately being the last section of the sheet and being limited to one sheet of text it tends to get cut off a lot.

Team Entries
ENTRY NAME IN CAPS (both sides; the front side usually refers to a specific line-up but that is not the case with the back sides).

Rest of the categories back side only, divided into sections in caps, with bars around the sections. Most team entries spanned multiple issues. The first time a team entry appears, it follows the following format:

ORGANIZATION
Purpose
Modus operandi
Extent of operations
Relationship to conventional authorities
Base of operationsFormer bases of operations
Major funding
Known enemies
Known allies

MEMBERSHIP
Number of active members
Number of reserve members
Organizational structure
Known officers
Known current members
Known former members
Known special agents
Membership requirements
Note*

HISTORY
Founders
Other leaders
Previous purpose or goals*
Major campaigns or accomplishments
Major setbacks

TECHNOLOGY AND PARAPHERNALIA
Level of technology
Transportation
Standard uniforms
Standard weaponry
Standard accessories

BIBLIOGRAPHY
First appearance
Origin issue

So far more extensive in terms of categories than any other volume’s team entries, though at the extent of a typical History entry.

Most teams have additional pages with MEMBERSHIP ROSTER data on the back. These followed the following patterns per member

CHARACTER NAME IN CAPS
Real name
Current status
Membership record
Note

For those team entries that have a supporting cast section, see In Action sheets below

IN ACTION Sheets

Some of these have equipment instead. The front side is labelled as per what was being depicted, then for the same character the back has text, usually SUPPORTING CAST for the same character.

SUPPORTING CAST entries used the following categories
CHARACTER NAME IN CAPS
Current occupation
Relationship
First appearance

The PUNISHER IN ACTION sheet has PUNISHER’S ARSENAL on the back. This is a unique occurrence but it’s likely had the series continued, these categories would have eventually reappeared.

ARSENAL NAME IN CAPS
Caliber
Action
Capacity
Weight
Note

Marvel Encyclopedia 2002-2004

I debated whether or not to include these. Ultimately the deciding factor was a number of elements now in the Handbooks appeared here.

Number of Issues: 6 (240 pages plus covers and dust jacket), of which only five were actually encyclopedias. As such only v1-2, 4-6 covered below

Dust jacket: 2 colour images on colour backgrounds (1 front, 1 back); introductory text on flaps; only key characters depicted

Covers: Colour image with colour background spanning both sides; only key characters depicted

Formatting: Inside covers colour but blank. Credits and new art before chapters. Some Chapters introduction/history pieces, with reprinted art. Start of main body variable. Some volumes have separate sections for separate subject categories. For sections with entries, entries typically ranged from 1/3-page to 4 pages. Volumes 4-6 have an Appendix section.

Interior Art: Artwork is usually reprinted; I think some of the larger entries have a new main illo. Text is always in a white background. While this is not a hard and fast rule, generally, entries a page or more tend to have white backgrounds for the art while entries that are less than a page tend to have the colour backgrounds that the art was originally taken from.

Text Categories

In all instances where there’s a First Appearance category, a Roman numeral indicates which series it is (if unclear) and the date of the issue is given; the latter continues to present day Handbooks

Main Entries (Solo)
ENTRY NAME IN CAPS
Real Name
First Appearance
Height
Weight
Eye Color (if entry 1 page or more)
Hair Color (if entry 1 page or more)
Untitled history section
Powers/Weapons (bullet points)
Untitled power grid with:
• Intelligence
• Strength
• Speed
• Durability
• Energy Projection
• Fighting Skills

The Power Grid, introduced here, continues to the present day with the same categories, though here it’s a line with dots rather than its present format.

Main Entries (Groups/Teams)
ENTRY NAME IN CAPS
Membership (not all entries)
First Appearance
Untitled history section

Appendix entries

Note: No category names given in Appendix entries, just the actual data

In one row:
Entry name (bolded)
Real name if known (bolded)
First appearance (italicized)
Description/history (plain text)

Between the main entries and the Appendix, the Fantastic Four volume as two additional sections:

Alternate Earths
ENTRY NAME IN CAPS
Designation
First Appearance
Untitled history section

Alternate Earths Appendix
Note: No category names given in Appendix entries, just the actual data. Instead of being listed in order of entry name, this section is listed in order of First Appearance.

In one row:
First appearance (italicized)
Designation (bolded)
Description/history (plain text)

In the latter two sections, Designation refers to the Earth number. This was the first series to assign Earth numbers to the various realities. Of course the term is a bit of a misnomer because the Earth is only a small portion of the reality and in rare cases like the pre-Big Bang reality there isn’t even an Earth present.