Shooter intended it to be an answer to frequent readers' post mail asking for technical questions.
Jim Shooter, Marvel's then Editor in Chief, initially came up with the idea for the project, envisioning a guide detailing statistics much in the manner of those found upon the backs of baseball cards. The abbreviation ' Ohotmu' was used as the name of a Watcher in What The-?! #16.
It is also the inspiration for the Marvel Database Project. The original 15 volume series was published in comic book format in 1982. The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, also known as OHOTMU, is a guide which attempts to detail the Marvel Universe.
