LAST ONE OF THESE FOR A WHILE

I’ve been on a huge ESSENTIALS kick both here and at The Shoot over the last few weeks, but that will be curtailing now that I’ve reached the end of my huge pile of the things for now. Guess I’ll be back to floppies, etc, eh?

ESSENTIAL OHOTMU VOL.1
Written and Drawn by Various
Published by Marvel Comics

THE OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE was no less than a revelation from the comics gods when presented to a twelve-year old when it hit the scene in 1982. As an avid Marvel kid, to have all these characters, all this information in one place… it was mind-boggling. My friends and I devoured each and every issue like they were made of chocolate-covered crack.

Blueprints of the Baxter Building? Check. Schematic of the Avengers’ Quinjet? Check. An explanation for how Colossus’ metal body worked? You betcha. An explanation of where Wolverine really came from?

Well, the book didn’t have quite everything. But it was enough.

Reading this material sent me back in time, and seeing the classic portraits and poses that so many great artists put together… what a priceless experience for me. John Byrne doing the entries for all the Fantastic Four and Alpha Flight characters. Mike Zeck doing the pieces related to Captain America. Walt Simonson tackling Thor and the rest of the Asgardians. Gorgeous. A reminder of my favorite era for comics, the one that sticks out the most in my mind.

I think most of us identify our love of the medium as stemming from the books that captivated us most, and it was here, this time, when the much-missed Mark Gruenwald was putting together this book and guiding a significant chunk of the Marvel universe that will always define how I feel comics should be. Whether that’s right or wrong is irrelevant; it’s mine, and nothing can take it from me. I know we can never really return to a simpler time, but thanks to series like the ESSENTIALS, I don’t have to.

Eventually those times return to me.

/Mason