Make Mine Marvel Age

Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars was, of course, a comics industry sensation in 1984 -- and Marvel lost no time in hyping their success! This issue of Marvel Age puts the spotlight squarely on Secret Wars, with Marvel Editor in Chief Jim Shooter appearing on the cover for the second time in a year -- with no Stan Lee this time. 

The issue gets started on what could have been a sad note, as editor Jim Salicrup writes in his editorial that assistant editor Mark Lerer is leaving his role at Marvel Age -- but Jim celebrates Mark's part in Marvel Age's popularity, complete with the ever-popular Salicrup sketch. 

Back to Secret Wars, which has two articles in this issue: first, one that gathers some of the best letters to Secret Wars, printed here because S.W. does not have a letters column of its own. The three pages of letters include one from comics writer/artist Henry Kujawa, as well as one from letterhack Rick S. Jones, who also provides the title for this month's regular letters column. 

The second Secret Wars article takes readers behind the scenes to writer Jim Shooter's office, where he is quoted at length praising his collaborators, including not just the artists on the series but also the support team behind the series. Naturally, Jim also drops some hints at what's to come in Secret Wars, with sneak peek art. 

In the Behind the Lines column, editor Carl Potts offers tips to would-be comics artist on how to improve their skills and accept criticism from comics professionals. And Fred Hembeck shines a spotlight on two of Marvel's goofier characters -- Brother Voodoo and the Hulk's long-haired therapist, Doc Samson. 

Marvel Age #20

Price: $0.35 US 

Pages: 36 (32 interior plus four covers)

On sale: August 7, 1984

Cover date: November, 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 and 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, Ken Lopez, John Morelli, 

  and Barry Shapiro: Production

• Brenda Mings: Typesetter

• Paul Becton, Ken Feduniewicz, and George Roussos: Colorists

• Craig Anderson and Lynn Cohen: Friendly Assistance 

• Mike Zeck and John Beatty: Cover 

• Carol Kalish: Direct Sales Manager

• Peter David: Assistant Direct Sales Manager

• Steve Saffel: Assistant Promotions Manager for Direct Sales

• Irving Forbush: Secret Mailman

Front cover 

• Characters: Jim Shooter and various Marvel heroes

 Inside front cover

• Ad for Epic Illustrated #26 featuring "The Last Galactus Story" 

 

Page 1

• Marvel Agenda (contents) 

• Masthead 

• Indicia 

Editorial: "What's an Editor to Do? ," by Jim Salicrup

Pages 2 – 5

Marvel Comics Coming Attractions

Titles on sale August 28

• The Thing #18

• Daredevil #213

• New Mutants #20

• Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #8

• West Coast Avengers #4

• Machine Man #3

• Iceman #1

• Beauty and the Beast #1

• Spider-Man Annual #18

• Dreadstar #14

• Crash Ryan #1

Titles on sale September 4

• Amazing Spider-Man #259

• Indiana Jones #24

• Power Pack #5

• Micronauts #3

• Alpha Flight #17

• Doctor Strange #68

• Kull #7

• Sub-Mariner #4

• Captain America #300

• Rom Annual #3

• Savage Sword of Conan #106

• Alien Legion #4

• Marvel Super Special #35: Conan II (sic)

Titles on sale September 11

• Incredible Hulk #302

• Conan (sic) #165

• Marvel Tales #170

• X-Men #188

• Rom #61

• Power Man and Iron Fist #112

• G.I. Joe #30

• Avengers #250

• Marvel Graphic Novel #13: Starstruck

Titles on sale September 18

• Fantastic Four #273

• Marvel Team-Up #148

• Iron Man #189

• Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #97

• Defenders #138

• Star Wars #90

• Thor #350

• Starriors #2

• Kitty Pryde and Wolverine #2

• Conan Annual #9

• What If #48

• X-Men Annual #8

• Dr. Who #3

• Six from Sirius #4

• Time Spirits #1

Page 6 - 7

More Coming Attractions

Shipping in September

• The Thing #197 (sic)

• Daredevil #214

• New Mutants #23

• Dazzler #35

• Red Sonja #5

• Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #9

• Machine Man #4

• Iceman #2

• Beauty and the Beast #2

• Conan the King #26

• Crash Ryan #2

Shipping in October

• Amazing Spider-Man #260

• Captain America #301

• Indiana Jones #25

• Power Pack #6

• Micronauts #4

• Planet Terry #1

• Fraggle Rock #1

• Heathcliff #1

• Transformers #3

• New Mutants Annual #1

• Savage Sword of Conan #107

• Sisterhood of Steel #1

• Incredible Hulk #303

• Avengers #251

• Conan #166

• X-Men #189

• Rom #62

• Power Man and Iron Fist #113

• G.I. Joe #31

• Marvel Age Magazine #22

• Marvel Fanfare #18

• Dreadstar #15

• Void Indigo #1

• Fantastic Four #274

• Iron Man #190

• Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #98

• Star Wars #91

• Wally the Wizard #1

• Top Dog #1

• Strawberry Shortcake #1

• Starriors #1

• Kitty Pryde and Wolverine #3

• Coyote #9

• Beauty and the Beast #3

• Marvel Graphic Novel #14: Swashbucklers (sic)

• New Mutants #24

• Captain America #302

• Alien Legion #5

• Crash Ryan #3

Page 8 

Newswatch

Item: Announcing the new series, The Web of Spider-Man

Item: Fallout from the Dazzler graphic novel will spill over into the Beauty and the Beast miniseries

Item: The "Dire Wraith War" will end in Rom #65; Black Knight will join the Avengers; Bob Hall will pencil Avengers #251-253; Mike Carlin will take over writing Captain America with issue #301; the "Casket of Ancient Winters" story in Thor will affect other Marvel titles; David Mazzucchelli will continue pencilling Daredevil and will take over inking as well; Questprobe #2 will feature a Spider-Man story written and drawn by Al Milgrom. 

Special note on the passing of longtime Marvel staff Sol Brodsky. 

Page 9 

Behind the Lines: "A Few Quick Random Thoughts to Would-Be Comic Artists," by Carl Potts

Pages 10 - 12

Article: "Letters to Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars" 

Pages 13 - 15

Article: "Postscript: A Visit with Jim Shooter" 

Pages 16 - 17 

Hembeck's Page in Marvel Age

Pages 18 - 20

Article: "A Special Hero -- Black Panther," by Peter B. Gillis

Pages 21 - 23

Article: "G.I. Joe Update," by Dwight Jon Zimmerman

Pages 25 - 28

Article: "The Marvel Age -- 1966 (Part III)," by Warren Reece

Page 29

Bullpen Bulletins

Pages 30 - 32

Letters page: "I Was a Teenage Letter Column!," suggested by Rick S. Jones

Inside back cover

Ad for The Official Marvel Comics Try-Out Book

Back cover

Ad for Time Spirits