Thursday, May 13, 2021


Just two issues after a Dreadstar cover, Marvel Age is back on the Epic Comics bandwagon with this cover featuring legendary writer/editor Archie Goodwin surrounded by a host of characters from that line, including several that only appeared in the pages of Epic Illustrated. This cover also marks the first major contribution to Marvel Age by cartoonist and letterer Rick Parker, who would soon make his mark as the artist of the hit Beavis and Butt-head series. 

In his interview, Archie talks about the entire Epic line, which causes him to lose his head. 


This issue's editorial takes on a subject you rarely hear about: tipping your favorite comics creators for a job well done. Fortunately, a note laid over the editorial says that the pressure of editing a monthly magazine is clearly getting to Jim Salicrup, and that we should ignore him. 

This issue also credits the writer of the "Coming Attractions" column for the first time, as well as shining a spotlight on the unforgettable demon bear of New Mutants fame. 


The "Behind the Lines" column is dedicated to an open letter from EIC Jim Shooter to DC VP and Executive Editor Dick Giordano, in which he writes (in the most polite terms possible) that DC was mistaken when a staffer wrote on a letters page that Marvel was about to raise its prices, and that DC owed Marvel a retraction. Whether that
 appeared I have no idea. 


 In Fred Hembeck's second Marvel Age comic, he refers to himself as "the Sage of Marvel Age," a title I thought I had invented! Well, since Fred isn't using it these days, I see no reason to give it up... 

The "New Talent Department" takes on the difficult task of looking at the work of a would-be comics writer -- in this case, it's Marvel Age assistant editor Mark Lerer, whose plot for a story involving a new character is critiqued by Jim Shooter. 


Marvel Age #15
Price: $0.35 US 
Pages: 36 (32 interior plus four covers)
On sale: March 3, 1984
Cover date: June, 1984
Copyright © 1984 Marvel Comics Group, a division of Cadence Industries Corporation. 

• Jim Shooter: Editor in Chief
• Jim Salicrup: Editor and Design Director
• Mark Lerer: Assistant Editor
• Jim Massara: Coming Attractions
• Bob Kessel: Designer
• Dan Crespi: Art/Production Coordinator
• Ron Zalme: Assistant Art/Production Coordinator
• Joe Albelo, Harry Candelario, Rob Carosella, Donald Hudson, Morrie Kuramoto, 
    Ken Lopez, John Morelli, and Barry Shapiro: Production
• Brenda Mings: Typesetter
• Paul Becton and George Roussos: Colorists
• Craig Anderson and Lynn Cohen: Friendly Assistance
• Rick Parker: Cover 
• Carol Kalish: Direct Sales Representative
• Peter David, Marsha Rosenberg, and Steve Saffel: Assistant Direct Sales Managers
• Irving Forbush: Back in the Saddle Again

Front cover 
• Characters: Archie Goodwin and various characters from Epic Comics titles 

 Inside front cover
• Subscription ad for Power Pack #1
 
Page 1
• Marvel Agenda (contents) 
• Masthead 
• Indicia 

Editorial: "Money Talks!" by Jim Salicrup

Pages 2 – 5
Marvel Comics Coming Attractions 

Comics on sale May 22
The Thing #15
Daredevil #210
New Mutants #19
Marvel Super Heroes: Secret Wars #5
Conan the King #24

Comics on sale May 29
Amazing Spider-Man #256
Captain America #297
Thor #347
Indiana Jones #21
Power Pack #2
Crystar #9
Savage Sword of Conan #103

Comics on sale June 5
Incredible Hulk #299
Avengers #247
Conan the Barbarian #162
Marvel Tales #167
X-Men #185
Rom #58
Power Man and Iron Fist #109
G.I. Joe #27
Marvel Fanfare #16
Dreadstar #12
Epic Illustrated #25

Comics on sale June 12
Fantastic Four #270
Marvel Team-Up #145
Iron Man #186
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #94
The New Defenders #135
Star Wars #87
Alpha Flight #14 

Page 6 
Newswatch
• Item: Mike Carlin takes over as writer of The Thing
• Item: Marvel will publish a series of Marvel index books
• Item: Daredevil #108 and 109 will be co-written by science fiction authors Harlan Ellison and Arthur Byron Cover
• Item: Shipping changes for Elektra Saga #4, Coyote #5, and Micronauts #59
• Item: Ka-Zar will end with issue #34, Moon Knight with issue #38, and Micronauts with issue #59
• Item: Moon Knight and Micronauts will relaunch with new #1 issues
• Item: There will be a Hulk Annual this year (#13), and Power Pack #1 will be a 48-page issue with a $1.00 cover price. 

Note on the passing of cartoonist Lennie Herman, writer of Richie Rich and contributor to Crazy magazine. 

Marvel's Top Ten
Top sellers for June 1983:
1 - X-Men #170
2 - New Mutants #4
3 - Fantastic Four #255
4 - Amazing Spider-Man #241
5 - Avengers #231
6 - X-Men Classics #2
7 - Daredevil #195
8 - Dark Crystal #2
9 - Incredible Hulk #284
10 - Super-Villain Classics #1

Page 7
Behind the Lines 

Pages 8 - 11
Article: "The G.I. Joe File," by Dwight Jon Zimmerman

Pages 12 - 15
Article: "Marvel Age - 1963," by Warren Reece

Pages 16 - 17
"The Sage of Marvel Age," by Fred Hembeck

Pages 18 - 22
Article: "Marvel Age Talks to Archie Goodwin," by Mark Lerer 

Pages 23 - 26
Article: "Spotlight on Marvel Fanfare," by Sandy Hausler and Mark Lerer 

Pages 27 - 28 
The New Talent Department 

Page 29
Bullpen Bulletins 

Pages 30 - 32
Letters page: "The Marvel Age Rage Page!"


Inside back cover
Ad for The Official Marvel Comics Try-Out Book

Back cover 
Subscription ad for Epic Illustrated 

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  Three hundred issues of the Man without Fear, and Marvel Age jumps in with a big retrospective including interviews with Ann Nocenti, Lee ...