Make Mine Marvel Age

 

Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars may be over -- but Secret Wars II is on the way! So promises the cover to Marvel Age #27, in which Editori-Al Milgrom is surrounded by Marvel's greatest heroes. The cover goes with an interview with writer and editor in chief Jim Shooter, who reveals that Al took the place of the earlier announced artist Sal Buscema -- only because Sal lives in Virginia, while Al was in the New York Area.

Irving Forbush has the month off, as this is a rare Marvel Age cover with no Irv in the corner box. In his place is a mysterious lad called Billy, who appears in this issue's Hembeck's Page in Marvel Age claiming to be the Beyonder. His mom might have something to say about that. 

Legendary artist Kelley Jones is the subject of this month's New Talent Department, back when he was just getting fans' attentions for the first time as a penciller and inker on Micronauts. Kelley started out as an inker over Butch Guice's pencils, among others, but quickly moved on to pencilling. 

Also in this issue, my own contributions to Marvel Age expanded as I started to do some coloring as well as co-writing an article on Planet Terry. 

Marvel Age #27

Price: $0.35 US 

Pages: 36 (32 interior plus four covers)

On sale: March 12, 1985

Cover date: June, 1985

Copyright © 1985 Marvel Comics Group, a division of Cadence Industries Corporation. 

• Jim Shooter: Editor in Chief

• Jim Salicrup: Editor and Design Director

• Kurt Busiek: Assistant Editor

• Janet Jackson: Designer

• Dwight Jon Zimmerman: Coming Attractions

• Dan Crespi: Art/Production Coordinator

• Ron Zalme: Assistant Art/Production Coordinator

• Harry Candelario, Rob Carosella, Phil Felix, Morrie Kuramoto, John Morelli, Miriam Larsson, and Barry Shapiro: Production

• Brenda Mings: Typesetter

• Adam Philips and George Roussos: Colorists

• Lynn Cohen and Chantee Foster: Friendly Assistance 

• Al Milgrom: Cover 

• Carol Kalish: Director of Specialty Sales

• Peter David: Direct Sales Manager Administrative

• Steve Saffel: Assistant Promotions Manager for Direct Sales

• Irving Forbush: Marvel Super Heroes Secret Mascot II 

Front cover 

• Characters: Al Milgrom and the heroes of Secret Wars II 

 Inside front cover

• Marvel Agenda (contents) 

• Masthead 

• Indicia 

Editorial by Jim Salicrup 

 

Pages 1 - 5

Marvel Comics Coming Attractions

Titles on sale March 26

• The Thing #25

• New Mutants #29

• Daredevil #220

• Web of Spider-Man #4

• Planet Terry #4

• Cloak and Dagger #1

• Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham #2

• Dreadstar and Company #1

• The Gargoyle #2

• Conan the King #29

• Swords of the Swashbucklers #1

• Moonshadow #2

Titles on sale April 2

• The Amazing Spider-Man #266

• Captain America #307

• Power Pack #12

• The Micronauts #10

• Wally the Wizard #4

• The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones #30

• Dazzler #38

• Ewoks #2

• Groo the Wanderer #5

• Alpha Flight #24

• Savage Sword of Conan #113

• Black Dragon #1

• Time Spirits #4

Titles on sale April 9

• Marvel Age Magazine #28

• The Incredible Hulk #309

• The Avengers #257

• Conan #172

• Marvel Tales #177

• X-Men #195

• Rom #68

• Moon Knight #2

• Power Man and Iron Fist #118

• Royal Roy #2

• Muppet Babies #2

• The Get Along Gang #2

• G.I. Joe #37

• Marvel Fanfare #21

Titles on April 16

• Fantastic Four #280

• Iron Man #196

• Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #104

• The New Defenders #145

• Star Wars #97

• Thor #357

• Transformers #6

• Secret Wars II #1

• Rocket Raccoon #3

• Spider-Man Index #4

• Fred Hembeck Destroys the Marvel Universe #1

• Doctor Who #10

• Coyote #12

• Epic Illustrated #30

Pages 6 - 7

More Coming Attractions 

Titles shipping in April

• The Thing #26

• Daredevil #221

• New Mutants #30

• Web of Spider-Man #5

• Planet Terry #5

• Fraggle Rock #3

• Strawberry Shortcake #3

• Red Sonja #10

• Dreadstar and Company #2

• The Gargoyle #3

• Rawhide Kid #1

• Sectaurs #1

• Starstruck #3

• Life of Captain Marvel #1

• The Amazing Spider-Man #267

• Captain America #308

• Power Pack #13

• Micronauts #11

• Alpha Flight #25

• Wally the Wizard #5

• Top Dog #3

• Heathcliff #3

• Doctor Strange #3

• Groo (sic) #6

• Savage Sword of Conan #114

• Black Dragon #2

• Sisterhood of Steel #4

• Marvel Age #29

• The Incredible Hulk #310

• The Avengers #258

• Conan #173

• Marvel Tales #178

• X-Men #196

• Rom #69

• Moon Knight #3

• G.I. Joe #38

• Dreadstar #19

• Fantastic Four #281

• Iron Man #197

• Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #105

• The New Defenders #146

• Star Wars #96

• Thor #358

• Transformers #7

• Elfquest #1

• Secret Wars II #2

• Rocket Raccoon #4

• The Spider-Man Index #5

• Doctor Who #11

• Alien Legion #8

Titles shipping in May

• The Thing #27

• Daredevil #222

• New Mutants #31

• Web of Spider-Man #6

• Planet Terry #6

• Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham #3

• Ewoks #3

• Cloak and Dagger #3

• The Gargoyle #4

• Rawhide Kid #2

• The Revenge of the Living Monolith #1

• The Squadron Supreme #1

• Conan the King #30

• Moonshadow #3

• The Life of Captain Marvel #2

• The Amazing Spider-Man #268

• Captain America #309

• Power Pack #14

• Micronauts #12

• Alpha Flight #26

• Wally the Wizard #6

• The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones #31

• Dazzler #39

• Groo the Wanderer #7

• Longshot #1

• Savage Sword of Conan #115

• Black Dragon #3

• The One #1

• Timespirits #5

• Marvel Age #30

• The Incredible Hulk #311

• The Avengers #259

• Conan #174

• Marvel Tales #179

• X-Men #197

• Rom #70

• Moon Knight #4

• Power Man and Iron Fist #119

• Royal Roy #3

• Muppet Babies #3

• Get Along Gang #3

• Solomon Kane #1

• G.I. Joe #39

• Web of Spider-Man Annual #1

• Marvel Fanfare #22

• Fantastic Four #282

• Iron Man #196

• Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #106

• The New Defenders #147

• Star Wars #99

• Thor #359

• Elfquest #2

• Secret Wars II #3

• Transformers #8

• Spider-Man Index #6

• Doctor Who #12

• Swords of the Swashbucklers #2

• Coyote #13

• Epic Illustrated #31

Page 8 

Newswatch

Item: New series Dreadstar and Company will reprint Dreadstar from the beginning but will be available on newsstands as well as in comics shops. 

Item: John Byrne will draw covers for Power Man and Iron Fist #119, Iron Man #197, Captain America #308, and Secret Wars II #1. 

Item: A team of motorcycle stunt riders will appear in The Thing #27. (Spoiler: It's the Thunderriders.) 

Item: Scarlet Witch gets an updated costume in the Vision and Scarlet Witch #1, as does a returning villainess. (Spoiler: It's the Enchantress.)

Item: Assistant editor Bob Harras is moving from editor Ralph Macchio's office to editor Bob Budiansky's office. Former Traffic Department assistant Craig Anderson will become Macchio's new assistant editor. 

Page 9 

Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards for 1984 ballot

Pages 10 - 13

Article: "The Marvel Age Interview: Jim Shooter," by Dwight Jon Zimmerman 

Pages 14 - 15

Article: "Cynthia Martin, the New Star of Star Wars," by Dwight Jon Zimmerman 

Page 16 - 17

"Hembeck's Page in Marvel Age"

Page 18 

Article: "Star Spotlight on Planet Terry," by Sandy Hausler and Adam Philips

Pages 19 - 21

Article: "The Black Dragon," by Dwight Jon Zimmerman

Page 22

Ad for Secret Wars II

Page 23 - 25

Article: "The Marvel Age -- 1967 (Part II)," by Kurt Busiek

Pages 26 - 28

Article: "The New Talent Department: The Kelley Jones Story," by Peter Quinones

Page 29

Bullpen Bulletins

Pages 30 - 32

Letter column: "Does Anybody Really Have a Favorite Letter Column?", suggested by Randy Drexler 

Inside back cover

Ad for The Black Dragon

Back cover

The Marvel Age 1985 Calendar: March

Jim Salicrup, writer

Ron Zalme, artist

George Roussos, colorist