Essential Official Handbook Of The Marvel Universe: Volume 1 4 out of 5 starsFairly comprehensive, but with many inaccuracies ,
13 10 2011 - By
Phillip
Here are two different reviews. The first's brief, for those with a casual interest. The second's very long, for comic book anoraks (like myself!)
First Review
Here goes. 'The Essential Official Handbook Of the Marvel Universe Vol # 1' is pretty good. If you were a Marvel reader in the 70s & very early 80s, it covers all the major characters. Some very interesting minor characters, however, are left out (for example, Bushman, Deathgrip, Firefly, Grotesk, Lupinar, Megaman, Mogol, Mongu, Ms.Marvel, Slaymaster, Torgo and Warhawk). Nevertheless, this book has many detailed and interesting essays on the major characters, even if these are sometimes very inaccurate. However, the fun of Marvel Universe partly lies in spotting the errors - happy reading!
Detailed Review
In Marvel Universe, the strengths, weights, and heights of some Marvel characters are described incorrectly. Sasquatch and the Thing are a prime example. Marvel Universe claims the Thing is stronger than Sasquatch, stating that the Thing can lift 85 tons, whereas Sasquatch can only lift 70 tons.
This is blatantly wrong. When the Thing battled Sasquatch in Marvel Two-in-one # 83, both characters said that Sasquatch was stronger. Sasquatch said:"AMAZING! I HAVE THE ADVANTAGE IN STRENGTH! HE SHOULD BE OUT OF IT BY NOW--BUT HE'S STILL MANAGING TO AVOID MY BLOWS!" The Thing agrees with Sasquatch, saying: "SHEESH! YER BIGGER, STRONGER, TALK BETTER'N ME AND PLAYED PRO BALL! THERE MUST BE SOMETHING I CAN BEAT YA AT!"
Also, in comparing Sasquatch with Colossus, Marvel Universe gets it wrong, too. Marvel Universe puts Sasquatch and Colossus as equal in strength, rating them both at 70 tons. In fact, when Colossus battled Sasquatch (Classic X-Men # 27), Sasquatch was clearly stronger. When Colossus hit Sasquatch, the Canadian was completely unfazed, saying: "THAT YOUR BEST SHOT, RUSTY? I'VE TAKEN WORSE FROM THE GIANTS' FRONT LINE!" Colossus has to resort to Judo to compensate for Sasquatch's superior strength.
In fact, giving Sasquatch's strength as 70 tons is wrong for other reasons, too. In Classic X-Men # 26, Sasquatch lifts a 250 ton airliner with ease: '--THE PLANE DOESN'T MOVE AN INCH, UNTIL MUSCLES THE SIZE OF BRIDGE CABLES SUDDENLY FLEX, HEFTING THE 250 TON AIRCRAFT A FEW FEET OFF THE GROUND AS IF IT WEIGHED NOTHING."
Also, prior to Sasquatch's battle with the Hulk, agent Farnum's video showed him lifting the front of a naval destroyer out of the water. This would weigh far more than 70 tons.
The entry in Marvel Universe for the Thing's strength(85 tons)is also wrong in comparison to its entry on Thundra (60 tons). In two stories in which Thundra fought the Thing - 'THUNDRA AT DAWN!'(The Complete Fantastic Four # 1) and 'ENTER: THUNDRA' (Super Spider-man and Captain Britain # 236)- Thundra was clearly stronger than the Thing. So how come she's 60 tons, whilst he's 85?
The strength of Rom the Space knight is also wrong. When Rom was relating his origin to Brandy Clark, he was attacked by the army, and lifted a battle tank over his head. Yet Marvel Universe only rates Rom's strength at 15 tons. In fact, his strength should be more comparable to the Thing's.
Marvel Universe rates the strength of Ikaris as 1.5 tons, and Thor's as 95 tons. This cannot be correct. In Thor # 287, when Ikaris supports the Eternals' entire arena, as it's collapsing, he says to Thor: "BOTH YOU AND THE FORGOTTEN ONE MAY BE STRONGER THAN I, THOR--BUT IF SO, IT IS THE VARIANCE BETWEEN TWO MIGHTY MASTODONS, NOT THAT BETWEEN A MAMMOTH AND A MINNOW!" If Marvel Universe is correct, and Ikaris's strength really is 1.5 tons, whilst Thor's is 95 tons, it really would be the difference between a mammoth & a minnow!
Starhawk is another character whom Marvel Universe under-rates. In Thor Annual # 6, in one panel, Starhawk was going toe-to-toe with Thor. Yet Marvel Universe rates Starhawk at 5 tons, whereas Thor is 95 tons. Moreover, during Jim Shooter's Korvac Saga, the reader got the impression that Starhawk was in the same league as Thor & the Silver Surfer - 5 tons is way too little.
Marvel Universe says that the original Captain Britain could lift 1,800 pounds. This could be about right, as Nova also had the strength of ten men. However, straining his powers to their limits, Captain Britain lifted a loaded bathysphere out of Loch Ness (Super Spider-man and Captain Britain # 233). According to my reading, Charles Beeble's bathysphere weighed 2 tons, when empty. This suggests the original Captain Britain's maximum strength would be something over 2 tons, with the aid of the star sceptre.
The Beast's strength is also perhaps a little too low. Marvel Universe says the Beast can lift 2,000 pounds. However, when Dark Phoenix turned a tree trunk to solid gold, pinning Colossus, by transforming him back to Peter Rasputin, the Beast lifted the gold tree trunk off Peter. Gold is extremely heavy; and that tree trunk would weigh more than 2,000 pounds. Wolverine commented: "CRIPES! JEANNIE CHANGED THE TREE INTA (SIC) SOLID GOLD! IT MUST WEIGH TONS..." (X-MEN # 135).
Iron Man should also be stronger. Marvel Universe states that Iron Man's armour amplifies the wearer's strength 75 times, saying that James Rhodes can normally lift 295lbs, so the armour allows him to lift 11 tons, as Iron Man. This figure is insufficient. Under normal circumstances, Iron Man's strength is about equal to that of the Submariner, when he's out of the water - perhaps a little less. Iron Man's battles with Namor were usually quite evenly matched, with Iron Man normally winning (Tales to Astonish # 82, Iron Man #25, Iron Man #120). As Marvel Universe itself states that even when the Submariner has been deprived of water for as long as an hour, his strength is still at the level of 40 tons, Iron Man's strength cannot be 11 tons (less in the case of Tony Stark, as his original strength would be less than that of James Rhodes).
Marvel Universe is correct, however, in stating that Iron Man can increase his strength, by overriding his normal limits. Iron Man has been overriding the limits of his armour as far back as Tales to Astonish # 92, when he said, "BY SETTING MY TRANSISTORS TO THEIR HIGHEST INTENSITY, MY STRENGTH BECOMES VIRTUALLY LIMITLESS FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME." Iron Man has used this technique against very powerful opponents, such as Count Nefaria and the Hulk. In fact, it enabled Iron Man to momentarily exceed Nefaria's strength; and, most controversially of all, to knock out the Hulk. Admittedly, however, the latter feat did far worse damage to Iron Man than it did to the Hulk, as it almost resulted in the death of Tony Stark. Strangely, however, Marvel Universe says that by overriding his normal limits, Iron Man can only increase his strength to 91 tons, for 0.1 seconds. These figures are too low for Iron Man to have exceeded Nefaria's strength, or to have knocked out the Hulk! On other occasions, Iron Man has pushed a falling skyscraper back into its vertical position (Iron Man #135); and also, along with Thor, Wonderman, and the Vision, caught Graviton's sky-island; then, with his fellow Avengers, threw it a considerable distance into the ocean. Moreover, Jim Shooter famously said, "Iron Man's strength is only limited by the source of his power." This means that if Iron Man absorbs a lightning bolt, he can even exceed Thor's strength, momentarily (see 'War Against The Gods'- Avengers # 220). Under normal conditions, however, Iron Man admits that he can never match Thor (Avengers Annual # 8).
Speaking of Thor, Marvel Universe states he can lift 95 tons. Too low. In chapter 9 of the Avengers/Defenders clash, Thor fought the Hulk in a rage-enhanced state(100 tons+) , and the two were evenly matched. Gladiator(100+ tons), too, says of Thor: "HIS STRENGTH MAY BE THE EQUAL OF MINE..." (FF #339).
The strengths for the Man-thing, and Charlie-27, also seem too low. Marvel Universe says the Man-thing can lift over 1,000lbs. The Man-thing & the Golem once subdued the Hulk. If the Hulk lifts over 100 tons, a strength level of 1,000lbs wouldn't be enough for the Man-thing to do this. Likewise, Charlie-27's the strongman of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Only lifting 1,500 lbs, he hardly deserves that role. Nor is 50tons enough for Firelord, who's closer to Thor in strength.
Deathbird's strength is underrated too, it being given as 6 tons. Every time Deathbird fought Ms.Marvel, the two were very evenly matched, with Deathbird, if anything, having the edge in strength. Ms.Marvel's strength reached its limit when she only just lifted a wooden water tower, containing 10,000 gallons (10,000 gallons weighing 50 U.S. tons, plus there would be the weight of the wooden water tower, in addition to the water), in Ms. Marvel # 9. Yet Ms. Marvel clearly states that she's not as strong as Tiger Shark (70 tons, in water, according to Marvel Universe),or Grotesk, who's not quite as strong as the Thing (85 tons). This means that Deathbird's strength, like Ms.Marvel's, should be somewhere between 50 and 70 tons - not 6 tons. In a later story (Ms.Marvel # 24), Carol Danvers says she can lift a 70 ton battle tank; but perhaps she's speaking loosely, as she only deflected a tank hull (minus the turret)that was thrown at her (Ms.Marvel #20).
But it's not just strengths Marvel Universe gets wrong. It gets weights wrong, too. Marvel Universe gives Deathlok's weight as 395lbs. This is totally inaccurate. When Deathlok jumped on an old fire escape in Astonishing Tales # 32, his computer gave him a clear warning:"WARNING: FIRE-ESCAPE WILL NOT SUPPORT THE WEIGHT OF----SIX HUNDRED POUNDS----OF METAL----AND STEEL RE-ENFORCED--FLESH."
This figure of 600lbs is confirmed by Luther Manning's former best friend, Mike Travers: "IT'D BE HARD TO COVER THE TRAIL OF HIS 600LB CYBORG BODY--EVEN IF HE WANTED TO!"(AST T # 32, P.10)
Marvel Universe also gives the wrong figure for the Thing's weight, citing 500lbs. The Thing himself says he weighs 700lbs, in Marvel Two-in-One # 83: "I'M COLLECTING QUITE A CROWD! I GUESS THESE CANADIANS AIN'T USED TO EYEBALLIN' A 700 POUND, ORANGE CELEBRITY."
Likewise, Daredevil's weight is wrong, with Marvel Universe stating 200lbs. Whilst fighting the Silver Samurai, Daredevil gave his own weight as 187lbs: "HOW 'BOUT THAT! ALL MY 187 POUNDS FLAT IN THE FACE ACTUALLY DAZED HIM -- A LITTLE." (MWOM # 323).
Wolverine's weight & height are also wrong. Marvel Universe says Wolverine is 5 ft 3" tall and weights 195 lbs. Stories give two different figures for Wolverine's height, neither of which match that. Incredible Hulk # 181 says Wolverine is 5ft 5": "--AND THOUGH YOU MIGHT THINK A BATTLE BETWEEN AND EIGHT FOOT MONSTER AND A FIVE FOOT, FIVE INCH MAN WOULD BE A TRIFLE ONE-SIDED----WE ASSURE YOU IT IS NOT!" In contrast, in X-MEN # 108, when Jahf, the guardian of the M'Kraan crystal knocked Wolverine into orbit, the Starjammers' computer registered Wolverine's height as 1.6m (5ft 2"+) and 70kg in weight (that's less than 195 lbs).
Some Marvel Universe entries on paraphernalia are wrong, too. Marvel Universe comments on Nova: “It is not known how much oxygen the (Nova’s) suit contained.” Again, someone hasn’t checked this. In the story entitled ‘POWER PLAY’, Nova himself explained that his helmet supplied 15minutes’ worth of oxygen: “MY SELF-BREATHER IS IN OPERATION--BUT IT LASTS ONLY FIFTEEN MINUTES, SO THIS CRAZY IDEA BETTER WORK BEFORE THEN.” (RAMPAGE # 24).
Wonderman’s belt-jets is another inaccuracy. On the Wonderman entry, Marvel Universe states that Wonderman “can lift aloft up to 300lbs before he exceeds the design limits of the jet engines.” (MU, No.12, Dec ‘83, p.18). In paraphernalia, Wonderman’s belt jets’ maximum cargo is 400lbs. Neither figure can be correct, as when the Avengers fought Tyrac (‘HOLOCAUST IN NEW YORK HARBOR!), Wonderman lifted the Vision, at maximum density, out of the water, pushing his belt jets to their limits.
Finally, (I imagine you’ve dozed off by now) Marvel Universe claims that the Whizzer is slower than Quicksilver. In reality, the Whizzer is faster than Quicksilver. In Giant Size Avengers # 1, Iron Man comments to Thor: “MY ARMOUR SPEEDS UP MY REFLEXES--BUT THAT GUY’S EVEN FASTER THAN PIETRO WAS.”
