zuckyd1 wrote:

Very cool!
So I wonder who wrote them?

Not sure. It's not the regular team, though we did get asked to proof them a little while back (after they were first mentioned here - I wasn't lying back then when I said I didn't know what they would be).

RVcousin wrote:

The third handbook variant cover (Amazing Spider-Man #71) has been released on Twitter :
https://mobile.twitter.com/IsraelSilvaArt/status/1409980461158383616

I love that it's the classic style with the small type.

To anyone who worked on the Civil War Battle Damage Report:

First off, loved the "appendix" page with brief updates on ridiculously minor superhumans not seen in years to decades; you guys really do know everybody! One character in particular caught my obscure-mutant-fan eye: Obituary of O-Force, given the real name Milton Peterson. Did this name come from Milligan or just you? And in either case, are there real names for the other O-Force members on record somewhere?

Relatedly, coming up with bit character names seems like a blast; is there any "method" you use for it? I mean where do you get names like "Jonadab Megyscol?"

RVcousin wrote:

The third handbook variant cover (Amazing Spider-Man #71) has been released on Twitter :
https://mobile.twitter.com/IsraelSilvaArt/status/1409980461158383616

Here is the fourth.
https://previewsworld.com/SiteImage/MainImage/STL192476.jpg

Are the Handbook people consulting on the What If show at all? To head off universe number goofs and such?

Here is the 8th Sinister War Handbook variant cover : https://twitter.com/david_baldeon/status/1426609795298074632?s=19

Further to a previous discussion, it appears that Marvel made some sort of deal with Hasbro and as a result, Hasbro, not Marvel now owns the trademark to the Dire Wraiths, which is how they were able to appear in the IDW series.
https://www.cbr.com/marvel-rom-spaceknight-dire-wraiths-hasbro-trademark-lawsuit/

Why are the two Martin Burns Marvel Boys considered separate characters? Reading about them was so odd to me as they not only have the same code name, but nearly identical real names and origins too; wouldn't it be easier to assume they're two alternate tellings of the same character?

Pinball_Lizard wrote:

Why are the two Martin Burns Marvel Boys considered separate characters? Reading about them was so odd to me as they not only have the same code name, but nearly identical real names and origins too; wouldn't it be easier to assume they're two alternate tellings of the same character?

We did discuss this back in the day, but that was when their first handbook entries were being written which is (eek) over 15 years ago now I believe, so I can't find the original e-mail exchange. However, I can recall enough to roughly recount the reasoning:

First, while we can and do have to try and make conflicting accounts make sense, we also avoid retconning stuff as "never having happened" unless we've been explicitly told that was the case. So ruling that one Marvel Boy or the other wasn't 616 without evidence of same was not something we would rush to do - and if we had, which one should be 616 and which should be another reality? So the Marvel Boys entries simply confirmed the details, as far
as we knew them, of BOTH stories to be correct. Having only one Marvel Boy would have been retconning out one or other origin. Yes, they've got similar origins, and similar names, but that's not impossible. Heck, for all we
know, Origin was bored, and amused itself by empowering every American boy called Martin Burns to become a hero called Marvel Boy while believing their powers in some way came from Hercules. Or maybe it was the Eternal Sprite doing it, or some other entity using the mysterious "Shadow" form.

Is it unlikely that two boys both called Martin Burns got superpowers in some way (allegedly) related to Hercules? 

Absolutely.

But it's also unlikely that being bitten by a radioactive spider gives someone spider powers rather than blood poisoning. Or being caught in a nuclear bomb blast allows you to transform into a superstrong monster rather than killing you slowly from radiation poisoning. This is the Marvel Universe. Ziggy Pig exists in the same reality as the Punisher. There's no such thing as too unlikely.
 

Lonewolf36 wrote:

I have a question about Vanguard/Red Guardian's real name. Which is the official name?
Incredible Hulk #258 - Nicolai Krylenko
Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions #1 - Nicolai Krylenko
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #12 - Nicolai Krylenko
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #14 - Nicolai Krylenko
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition #11 - Nikolai Krylenko
X-Men: The 198 Files #1 - Nicolai Mikhail Krylenko
All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #3 (Darkstar entry) - Nicolai Mikhail Krylenko
All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #1 8 (Presence Entry entry) - Nicolai Krylenko
Captain America: America's Avenger V#1 - Nikolai Krylenko

Sorry for the slow response. I had to take it to the team to discuss, and since everyone has their own lives and commitments to deal with it sometimes takes time to get to the conclusion of such discussions.So, as far as we can see:
Nicolai and Nikolai are both valid. That's because his actual name would normally be spelled using Russian cyrillic - though that has both a K and a C, the C in cyrillic is pronounced more like an S in the alphabet we use. His Russian cyrillic name would thus presumably be spelled with a K, but might be transliterated into either a K or a hard C when switched into our alphabet. In terms of the middle name, since his father was Sergei Krylov, by normal Russian naming standards you'd expect Vanguard's middle name to normally be Sergeiovitch (and his surname to be Krylov). However, though that would normally be the case for most Russians, here Mikhail is correct, as it is apparently his official middle name on Russian legal documents. He and his sister were raised without knowing their parents or even that they were siblings, so their names were modified to hide those relationships - same reason they have different (official) surnames from each other.

It seems likely that his full documented middle name would be Mikhailovitch, to match the norm for patronymic Russian middle names. However, and I have to emphasize this, that's strictly our speculation at this point. Unless and until an appropriate profile gives us reason to check with editorial and get their feedback and approval for modifying his middle name, the possibility that the full version is Mikhailovitch is only an unofficial hypothesis.

Pinball_Lizard wrote:

Since you guys love this subject, in your professional opinion how many alternate universes are seen in Deadpool 2, counting the mid-credits-scene rewinds?

We usually assume each time travel trip created a new timeline. But that's not a guarantee. Between that sequence and the uncounted number of retcons Blink created each time she saved her teammates from Sentinels in DoFP, the Fox X-Men series seemingly has a pretty large multiverse.

Hey guys, was wondering if anything Handbook-y is in the pipeline for Reckoning War? A story that's been delayed fifteen years is bound to have some fascinating background lore...

Andy E. Nystrom wrote:

Pinball_Lizard wrote:

Hey guys, was wondering if anything Handbook-y is in the pipeline for Reckoning War? A story that's been delayed fifteen years is bound to have some fascinating background lore...

Unfortunately the Handbook writers can't answer questions like these unless Marvel puts out an official announcement somewhere. I'm certainly hoping they've been working on a Handbook but unfortunately we have to wait and see until Marvel formally announces something as per their current marketing strategy.
 

Ah, of course, thank you. Fingers crossed!

Sidney Osinga wrote:

Does anyone know if Pat Broderick did any work in the Handbooks? He's going to be at a con this weekend.

Based on the info I found online I don't think so, though he did have some of his artwork reprinted in handbook entries. He also seems to have done work for DC's Who's Who.

[url=https://comicvine.gamespot.com/pat-broderick/4040-14037/issues-cover/[/url][url=http://www.maelmill-insi.de/UHBMCC/namb40.htm#N58[/url]

Last edited by zuckyd1 (3/15/2022 12:15 pm)

Thanks both of you for responding. He also did Lords of the Ultrarealm in Who's Who Update 87 #4 and the Hal Jordan profile in the Looseleaf Who's Who. Unfortunately, he cancelled so I guess it doesn't matter.