[1] Jim Shooter, Marvel's then editor-in-chief, conceived of the idea,[2] envisioning a guide detailing statistics much in the manner of those found on the backs of baseball cards.
[citation needed] The project was named The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (OHOTMU) and was published in its first volume from 1983 to 1984 in comic book format in 15 issues.
To cover these kind of characters connected to the Hyborian Age and world, a one-shot guide with the name The Official Handbook of the Conan Universe was made in the style of the first volume of the OHOTMU and published with the start of the second volume of the OHOTMU.
The Official Handbook of the Conan Universe detailed the more significant characters, locations and races of the Hyborian age, itemizing them into individual entries.
In 1993 it was reprinted in black and white (with a different cover and a cover-inside-poster) and then released in June in a polybagged issue with Conan Saga #75 and again in August as a freebie included in Wizard magazine.