Thursday, June 10, 2021


Looking back at the 1980s, the popularity of toy-based comics series like Micronauts, G.I. Joe, Transformers, and Rom is amazing. This issue of Marvel Age focuses on Rom, with a creepy Dire Wraith cover by Bill Sienkiewicz. And an article touting the series' new direction features some terrific art by Steve Ditko and P. Craig Russell, but at this point it was only months away from its conclusion in issue #75. 

Mike Carlin, editor of Rom at the time, talks about his work on Crazy Magazine, writing series like Ka-Zar, The Thing, and Captain America, and his approach to editing. 


This month's Newswatch mentions a new Frank Miller project called Elektra: Act of Love, which may have morphed into another project like Electra: Assassin -- or it may have disappeared entirely. 

Marvel Age itself underwent a big change with this issue and the arrival of Kurt Busiek as assistant editor. This was long before Kurt's breakthroughs on Marvels and Astro City, when he had only written some issues of Power Man and Iron Fist, backup stories in Green Lantern, and a few other odds and ends. At the time, Kurt and I were sharing an apartment in Cliffside Park, NJ, so I had a ringside seat to what was happening at Marvel Age and Marvel in general. 


The New Talent Department shined a spotlight on penciller Mike Clark, someone I got to know at the time. Mike was a talented artist who went on to draw for Marvel and DC, on series like All-Star Squadron, Infinity Inc., and The Last Days of the Justice League

Marvel Age #23

Price: $0.35 US 
Pages: 36 (32 interior plus four covers)
On sale: November 6, 1984
Cover date: February, 1985
Copyright © 1984 Marvel Comics Group, a division of Cadence Industries Corporation. 

• Jim Shooter: Editor in Chief
• Jim Salicrup: Editor and Design Director
• Kurt Busiek: Assistant Editor
• Dwight Jon Zimmerman: Coming Attractions
• Dan Crespi: Art/Production Coordinator
• Ron Zalme: Assistant Art/Production Coordinator
• Joe Albelo, Harry Candelario, Rob Carosella, Morrie Kuramoto, John Morelli, and Barry
   Shapiro: Production
• Brenda Mings: Typesetter
• Paul Becton, Ken Feduniewicz, and George Roussos: Colorists
• Lynn Cohen and Chantee Foster: Friendly Assistance 
• Bill Sienkiewicz: Cover 
• Carol Kalish: Direct Sales Manager
• Peter David: Assistant Direct Sales Manager
• Steve Saffel: Assistant Promotions Manager for Direct Sales
• Irving Forbush: Resident Spaceknight

Front cover 
• Character: A Dire Wraith from Rom 

 Inside front cover
• Photo of Rom
 
Page 1
• Marvel Agenda (contents) 
• Masthead 
• Indicia 

Editorial: "Cutting Through the Hype," by Jim Salicrup 

Pages 2 – 5
Marvel Comics Coming Attractions

Titles on sale November 27
The Thing #21
Daredevil #216
New Mutants #25
Red Sonja #7
Dazzler #36
Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #11
Conan the King #27
G.I. Joe Yearbook #1
Crash Ryan #4
Starstruck #1

Titles on sale December 4
The Amazing Spider-Man #262
Captain America #303
Indiana Jones #27
Power Pack #8
Micronauts #6
Alpha Flight #20
Transformers #4
Conan the Destroyer #2
Groo (sic) #1
Savage Sword of Conan #108
Swashbucklers (sic) #1
Marvel Super Special #36: Dune

Titles on sale December 11
Marvel Age Magazine #24
Incredible Hulk #305
The Avengers #253
Conan #168
Marvel Tales #173
X-Men #191
Rom #64
Power Man and Iron Fist #115
G.I. Joe #33
Marvel Fanfare #19
Void Indigo #2

Titles on sale December 18
Fantastic Four #276
Iron Man #192
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #100
The Defenders #141
Star Wars #93
Thor #353
Kitty and Wolverine (sic) #5
Doctor Who #6
Coyote #10
Epic Illustrated #28

Pages 6 - 8
More Coming Attractions 

Shipping in December
The Thing #22
Daredevil #217
New Mutants #26
The Web of Spider-Man #1
Red Sonja #8
Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #12
Iceman #3
Beauty and the Beast #3
Spider-Man #263
Captain America #304
Indiana Jones #28
Power Pack #9
Micronauts #7
Alpha Flight #21
Dr. Strange #70
Groo #2
Dune #1
Savage Sword of Conan #110
Dreadstar #17
Alien Legion #6
Sisterhood of Steel #2
Incredible Hulk #306
Avengers #254
Conan #169
Marvel Tales #174
X-Men #192
Rom #65
Power Man and Iron Fist #116
G.I. Joe #34
Kull the Conqueror #9
The New Defenders #142
Star Wars #94
Thor #354
Kitty and Wolverine (sic) #6
2010 #1
Spider-Man Index #1
Doctor Who #7
Time Spirits #3
Fantastic Four #277
Iron Man #193
Marvel Age #25
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #101
Wally the Wizard #1
Top Dog #1
Heathcliff #1
Planet Terry #1
Fraggle Rock #1
Strawberry Shortcake #1
Void Indigo #2

Shipping in January 
The Thing #23
Daredevil #218
New Mutants #27
Web of Spider-Man #2
Red Sonja #9
Dazzler #37
Cloak and Dagger #1
Conan the King #28
Spider-Man #264
Captain America #305
Indiana Jones #29
Power Pack #10
Micronauts #8
Alpha Flight #22
Wally the Wizard #2
Dune #2
Groo (sic) #3
Savage Sword of Conan #111
Marvel Age #26
Incredible Hulk #307
Avengers #255
Conan #170
Marvel Tales #175
X-Men #193
Rom #66
Power Man and Iron Fist #117
G.I. Joe #35
Royal Roy #1
Muppet Babies #1
Getalong Gang #1
Fantastic Four #278
Iron Man #194
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #102
The New Defenders #143
Star Wars #95
Thor #355
Ewoks #1
Peter Porker (sic) #1
Rocket Raccoon #1
2010 #2
Spider-Man Index #2
Doctor Who #8
Coyote #11
Dreadstar #18
Epic Illustrated #29
Solomon Kane #1
Marvel Fanfare #20
Void Indigo #3 
Swashbucklers (sic) #2
Starstruck #2

Page 9 
Newswatch 
Item: Prices on Marvel titles will increase in January by $0.05. 
Item: Frank Miller is returning to Marvel for the one-shot Elektra: Act of Love, as well as writing Daredevil #219 and 220. 
Item: Star Comics titles will debut in December

Page 10
The Top Ten by Jim Salicrup
Titles from April and May 1984
1 - Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #6
2 - X-Men #186
3 - Alpha Flight #15
4 - The Amazing Spider-Man #257
5 - The New Mutants #20
6 - The Fantastic Four #271
7 - G.I. Joe #28
8 - The Mighty Thor #348
9 - The Avengers #248
10 - Power Pack #1

Pages 11 - 15 
Article: "Rom: The New Direction," by Dwight Jon Zimmerman 

Pages 16 - 17
Hembeck's Page in Marvel Age

Pages 18 - 21
Article: "The Marvel Age Interview: Mike Carlin," by Nancy Leigh Brown

Pages 22 - 24
Article: "The Marvel Age -- 1966 (Part VI)," by Warren Reece

Pages 25 - 28
The New Talent Department, by Kurt Busiek

Page 29
Bullpen Bulletin

Pages 30 - 32
Letters page: "I <3 Marvel Age," suggested by Gary O'Neil 


Inside back cover
Ad for Swords of the Swashbucklers

Back cover 
Ad for Starstruck #1 


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