Did anyone else pick this up? I noticed it didn't turn up much in last week's list of hauls. I figured this would be an instant sell-out, but a week later, I see copies everywhere. Do yourself a favor and grab it! This is required reading for your Marvel Universe 101 class.
I'm very happy to have the classic Handbook of the Marvel Universe in one volume. Viewing it again, this series from 1984 had it all: heroes, villains, supporting characters, gadgetry, headquarters, vehicles, alien races, inactive characters, dead characters, detailed power descriptions, and even appendices containing the characters that didn't make the cut... what more did a kid need? This series did more to expand my Marvel Comics knowledge than any other, and seeing as it listed first appearances for all the characters, my spending on back-issues jumped substantially.
These comics were written before Marvel's major properties hit the big screen, so emphasis is not given to the X-Men, Daredevil, Spider-Man, et al. This series was not a marketing ploy for Marvel, but a helpful service to its fans. The articles are much more "fair & balanced" than in Marvel's current Handbooks and cover a wider range of subjects, and the 2nd- & 3rd-tier characters get a chance to shine. ROM, the Headmen, the Eternals, the Salem Seven... they're all here! Invaluable! Plus, the articles were researched/written and illustrated by just about everyone working at Marvel at the time, resulting in thorough descriptions that put the character's entire history in perspective. The talent list is overwhelming, and a big part of the fun for me was identifiying the artist for each entry, based on the greater comic knowledge I have now as opposed to 20 years ago.
Now, many will likely say that this book is useless for two reasons:
1. It's in black and white. What good is a handbook on gaudily-attired characters if it's in black and white? Well, I'll give you that one. This is the only case so far where I can say that a color Essential was warranted. Of course, then Marvel would have printed it on glossy stock and split it into several volumes of $29.99 each. My wife would have killed me. So my wallet is just fine with the B&W. Plus, it's obviously not as much of a problem on the entries for Moon Knight, Cloak and Dagger, Shroud, White Tiger, and Wendigo.
2. It was written in the mid-'80s, which severely dates the material in light of what has occurred in the MU since then - no mentions of Venom, Apocalypse, the Spider-Clone, Sentry, Cable... wait, that's a bad thing? Honestly, ever since I learned of the term "Krypto-revisionism" on this forum, I've been wearing it like a badge and maintain that the mid-'80s was the time when Marvel was at its best. I have no problem with downplaying the abovementioned characters and ignoring the chaotic stories that resulted from their presences. The time period captured in
The Essential Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is my preferred version.
Simply put, this is a balanced cataloguing of the big and little of the Marvel Universe, and comic historians, art afficionados, and even newcomers to the world of comics should find something to enjoy here. Definitely worth it!!!
