Written by Jonathan Couper-Smith; Syd Barney-Hawke; & Seth Blederman
Art by (See Below); & John Romita, Jr. (first page)
Cover Art by (Uncredited)
SUMMARY:
Published as a 2004 Target exclusive, this 96-page compilation is similar to an Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe. Materials are duplicated from a separate Spider-Man encyclopedia. The applicable characters have a power grid (on a scale of 1-7) specifying: intelligence, strength, speed, durability, energy projection, and fighting skills. Including archival artwork, the detailed character profiles and artists are the following:
Note: Including the same cover image, the 240-page hardcover version is 2003’s Marvel Encyclopedia, Vol. 4: Spider-Man.
Black Cat (Terry Dodson)
Betty Brant (Steve Ditko)
Burglar (Steve Ditko)
Carnage (Mark Bagley & Lee Weeks)
Chameleon (Luke Ross & Steve Ditko)
Spider-Man’s Costumes (Uncredited)
The Daily Bugle (Tim Sale)
Daredevil (Joe Quesada)
Disruptor (Uncredited)
Doctor Doom (Uncredited)
Doctor Strange (Unicredited)
Doctor Octopus (Steve Skroce & John Romita, Jr.)
Electro (Steve Ditko)
Ezekiel (John Romita, Jr.)
Green Goblin (Humberto Ramos; Tim Sale, & John Romita, Jr.)
Hobgoblin (John Romita, Jr. & Brett Breeding)
Crusher Hogan (Uncredited)
Hulk (Uncredited)
Human Torch II/Johnny Storm (Skottie Young)
Hydro-Man (Francisco Herrera)
J. Jonah Jameson (Joe Madureira)
John Jameson (Dean Haspiel & John Romita)
Kingpin (Alex Maleev)
Kraven the Hunter (John Romita, Jr.)
Ned Leeds (Ron Frenz)
Lizard (Tim Sale & Todd McFarlane)
Morbius (John Romita, Jr.)
Mysterio (Joe Quesada)
Harry Osborn (Todd McFarlane & Tim Sale)
Liz Allan Osborn (Luke Ross)
Ollie Osnick (Uncredited)
Outlaws (Uncredited)
Ben Parker (Paul Ryan)
May Parker (Francisco Herrera & John Romita, Jr.)
Richard & Mary Parker (John Romita)
Punisher (Leinil Francis Yu)
Rhino (Staz Johnson)
Robbie Robertson (Michael Gaydos)
Sandman (John Romita, Jr. & Mark Bagley)
Scorpion (Darick Robertson)
Shocker (Francisco Herrera)
Sinister Six/Seven (John Romita, Jr.)
Spidercide (Uncredited)
Spider-Hulk (Uncredited)
Spider-Lizard (Uncredited)
Spider-Man (John Romita, Jr.; J.G. Jones; Terry Dodson; John Romita; & J. Scott Campbell)
Spider-Man 2099 (Chris Batista)
Spider-Girl/May Parker (Casey Jones)
Mangaverse Spider-Man (Skottie Young)
Ultimate Spider-Man (Mark Bagley)
Spider-Mobile (Ross Andru)
Spider-Morphosis (Uncredited)
Spider-Phoenix (Uncredited)
Spider-Signal (Uncredited)
Spider-Slayers I-XIX (Uncredited)
Spider-Tracers (Steve Ditko)
Spider-Woman I/Jessica Drew (Art Adams)
Spider-Woman II/Arachne/Julia Carpenter (Uncredited)
Spider-Woman III/Martha “Mattie” Franklin (Uncredited)
Spider-Woman IV/Charlotte Witter (Uncredited)
George Stacy (Gil Kane)
Gwen Stacy (Tim Sale)
Mendel Stromm (Mike Wieringo)
Symbiote (John Romita, Jr.)
Flash Thompson (Tim Sale)
Tinkerer (Steve Ditko)
Tombstone (Gregg Schigiel)
Venom (John Romita, Jr.)
Vulture (Mike Wieringo)
Wasp I/Janet Van Dyne (Uncredited)
Anna May Watson (Uncredited)
Kristy Watson (Uncredited)
Mary Jane Watson (J. Scott Campbell; Humberto Ramos; Tim Sale; & John Romita)
Web-Shooters (John Romita, Jr.)
REVIEW:
For Spider-aficionados, no matter how outdated it seems, this compilation is high-caliber. Both the writing and accompanying artwork deliver the necessary goods and then some. Age-appropriate for kids, it’s a handy resource for fans seeking a quick reference on various Spider-Man-related characters from that era.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Spider-Man’s profile has a timeline of historic limits, including thumbnail cover images of specific issues. The last page has a power grid explanation defining specific limits.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8½ Stars
