Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (Vol. 3)

    (Marvel, 1989)
Marvel

This 1989 series is “merely” an update, in contrast to the two previous volumes of The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe. Those volumes attempted to list the biographies of each and every major character in the Marvel Universe. This series, on the other hand, lists only the changes that have happened since the last major series in 1987. Even then, it took eight giant-sized issues to do the job, with the last containing information on characters who had recently died.

Each entry in the ’89 update lists the character’s name, real name, first appearance and origin issues, history, and more. As before, a significant amount of the inside cover space is dedicated to corrections from early versions of the handbook. This may be the last series where Marvel devoted quite so much space to its characters. Its looseleaf “Marvel Universe Master Edition” that followed a few years later was positively terse in comparison
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  • 1
    #1
    Jul 1989
    Cover: $1.50
    W: Peter Sanderson  ·  A: Marc Silvestri, James Brock, Sal Velluto, John Romita Jr., Bret Blevins, Walt Simonson, Rob Liefeld, Paul Ryan, Gavin Curtis, Colleen Doran, Ron Wilson, Ron Lim, Jeff Purves, Kieron Dwyer, Todd McFarlane, Tom Palmer, Bob Layton, Al Milgrom, Jon Bogdanove, Jim Lee, Rick Leonardi, Rich Buckler, Mark D. Bright, Alan Davis, Mike Manley, Rodney Ramos
    Adversary to Chameleon; Update ‘89
    6 copies from $0.55
  • 2
    #2
    Aug 1989
    Cover: $1.50
    W: Peter Sanderson
    Champion of the Universe to Ecstasy
    8 copies from $0.56
  • 3
    #3
    Sep 1989
    Cover: $1.50
    W: Peter Sanderson  ·  A: Mark Gruenwald, Alan Davis, Colleen Doran, Keith Pollard, Walt Simonson, Bob Layton, Sal Buscema, Don Heck, Eliot Brown, Kevin Maguire, Marc Silvestri, Javier Saltares, Jim Lee, Bret Blevins, Rodney Ramos, Geoff Senior, Ron Frenz, Rich Buckler, Scott Williams, Alex Saviuk, Joe Jusko, John Byrne, Todd McFarlane, Tom Morgan, Steve Geiger
    Eon to Hulk
    8 copies from $1.00
  • 4
    #4
    Oct 1989
    Cover: $1.50
    W: Peter Sanderson  ·  A: Jack Abel, Paul Ryan, Walt Simonson, Dave Cockrum, Dave Clayton, Vince Mielcarek, Marc McLaurin, Keith Pollard, Jim Fern, Marc Siry, Jackson “Butch” Guice, P. Craig Russell, Gavin Curtis, Mike Harris, Eliot Brown, Rob Liefeld, Sal Buscema, Kieron Dwyer, Ron Frenz, Kerry Gammill, Richard Howell, Rodney Ramos, Paul Neary, John Romita Jr., James Brock
    Human Torch I to Manikin; Update ‘89
    7 copies from $1.00
  • 5
    #5
    Nov 1989
    Cover: $1.50
    W: Peter Sanderson  ·  A: Marc Silvestri, John Byrne, Paul Ryan, Walt Simonson, Kelly Corvese, Alan Davis, Bret Blevins, Erik Larsen, Ron Frenz, Colleen Doran, Mark Bagley, Ron Wilson, Gregory Wood, Keith Pollard, Mike Harris, Marc McLaurin, Jon Bogdanove, Don Heck, Ron Lim, Rich Buckler
    Marauders to Power Princess; Update ‘89
    10 copies from $0.60
  • 6
    #6
    Nov 1989
    Cover: $1.50
    W: Peter Sanderson  ·  A: Erik Larsen, Mike Harris, Paul Ryan, Ron Frenz, John Byrne, Marc Silvestri, Javier Saltares, Bret Blevins, Kieron Dwyer, Jackson “Butch” Guice, Sal Buscema, Alan Davis, John Buscema, Marshall Rogers, Eliot Brown, June Brigman
    Prowler to Serpent Society; Update ‘89
    10 copies from $0.60
  • 6/NS
    #6 Newsstand Edition
    Newsstand Edition with cover by Ron Frenz
    Nov 1989
    Cover: $1.50
    W: Peter Sanderson  ·  A: Erik Larsen, Mike Harris, Paul Ryan, Ron Frenz, John Byrne, Marc Silvestri, Javier Saltares, Bret Blevins, Kieron Dwyer, Jackson “Butch” Guice, Sal Buscema, Alan Davis, John Buscema, Marshall Rogers, Eliot Brown, June Brigman
    Prowler to Serpent Society; Update ‘89
    1 copy for $4.00
  • 7
    #7
    Dec 1989
    Cover: $1.50
    W: Peter Sanderson  ·  A: Mark Bagley, Ron Frenz, Dan Lawlis, Ron Lim, Keith Pollard, John Calimee, Al Milgrom, Jon Bogdanove, Erik Larsen, Steve Ditko, Marc Siry, Bret Blevins, Paul Ryan, James Brock, Jackson “Butch” Guice, Kieron Dwyer, John Byrne, David Day, Alan Davis, Sal Buscema, Marc McLaurin, John Romita Jr.
    Set to Tyrak; Update ‘89
    8 copies from $1.00
  • 8
    #8
    Dec 1989
    Cover: $1.50
    W: Peter Sanderson, Marc McLaurin, Glenn Herdling, David Wohl, Lucient Soulban, Len Kaminski  ·  A: Rich Buckler, John Romita Jr., Kieron Dwyer, Sal Buscema, Gavin Curtis, Erik Larsen, Marc Silvestri, Mike Mignola, John Byrne, Alan Davis, Paul Ryan, Jon Bogdanove, Ron Wilson, Paul Smith, Al Milgrom, Tom Sutton
    U-Man to Deceased: Madelyne Pryor; U-Man to Madelyne Pryor; Update ‘89
    5 copies from $1.00