Tuesday, June 22, 2021


The Epic Comics line added yet another new title with Starstruck, a miniseries by writer Elaine Lee and artist Michael Kaluta that made the cover of Marvel Age #26. The title spun out of Marvel Graphic Novel #13, and was inspire by a 1980 stage play of the same name. 


The success of The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe led to the one-shot Official Handbook of the Conan Universe, featured in this issue of Marvel Age in both an article and the Fred Hembeck comic. 


This is also the issue of Marvel Age in which I made my first contribution, writing the article "The World of the Sectaurs," about a miniseries based on the Sectaurs toy line from Coleco. I have to wonder if anyone remembers this particular project. 


Even more exciting than the Sectaurs, this issue of Marvel Age features the debut of a beloved feature -- the Marvel Age calendar, written by Jim Salicrup and illustrated by Ron Zalme. To play catch up, this issue features both the January and February 1985 calendar pages. 


Marvel Age #26

Price: $0.35 US 
Pages: 36 (32 interior plus four covers)
On sale: February 5, 1985
Cover date: May, 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
• Paul Becton, Ken Feduniewicz, and George Roussos: Colorists
• Lynn Cohen and Chantee Foster: Friendly Assistance 
• Michael Wm. Kaluta: Cover 
• Carol Kalish: Direct Sales Manager
• Peter David: Assistant Direct Sales Manager
• Steve Saffel: Assistant Promotions Manager for Direct Sales
• Irving Forbush: Awestruck, Stagestruck, and Dumbstruck 

Front cover 
• Characters: Starstruck

 Inside front cover
• Marvel Agenda (contents) 
• Masthead 
• Indicia 

Editorial by Jim Salicrup (continues on page 8)
 
Pages 1 - 5
Marvel Comics Coming Attractions

Titles on sale February 26
The Thing #24
Daredevil #219
New Mutants #28
Web of Spider-Man #3
Planet Terry #3
Fraggle Rock #2
Strawberry Shortcake #2
Gargoyle #1
Iceman #4
Sectaurs #1
Beauty and the Beast #4
Starstruck #2

Titles on sale March 
The Amazing Spider-Man #265
Captain America #306
Power Pack #11
Micronauts #9
Alpha Flight #23
Wally the Wizard #3
Top Dog #2
Heathcliff #2
Doctor Strange #71
Dune #3
Groo the Wanderer #4
Savage Sword of Conan #112
Sisterhood of Steel #3

Titles on sale March 12
Marvel Age Magazine #27
The Incredible Hulk #308
The Avengers #258
Conan #171
Marvel Tales #171
X-Men #194
Rom #67
Moon Knight #1
Kull the Conqueror #10
G.I. Joe #36
Alien Legion #7
Dreadstar #18

Titles on sale March 19 
Fantastic Four #279
Iron Man #195
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #103
The New Defenders #144
Star Wars #96
Thor #356
The Transformers #6
Rocket Raccoon #2
Spider-Man Index #3
Doctor Who #9

Pages 6 - 7
More Coming Attractions

Titles shipping in March
The Thing #25
The New Mutants #29
Daredevil #220
Web of Spider-Man #4
Planet Terry #4
Cloak and Dagger #2
Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham #2
Dreadstar and Company #1
Gargoyle #2
Conan the King #29
Moonshadow #2
The Amazing Spider-Man #260
Captain America #307
Power Pack #12
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
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
Get Along Gang #2
G.I. Joe #37
Marvel Fanfare #21
Fantastic Four #280
Iron Man #196
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #104
The New Defenders #145
Star Wars #97
Thor #357
Transformers #6
Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars II #1
Rocket Raccoon #3
Spider-Man Index #4
Doctor Who #10
Swords of the Swashbucklers #2
Epic Illustrated #30

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
Gargoyle #3
Rawhide Kid #1
Sectaurs #2
Starstruck #3
The 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 Doc #3
Heathcliff #3
Doctor Strange #72
Groo the Wanderer #6
Savage Sword of Conan #114
Black Dragon #2
Alien Legion #8
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 #98
Thor #358
Transformers #7
Elfquest #1
Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars II #2
Rocket Raccoon #4
Spider-Man Index #5
Doctor Who #11
Time Spirits #5

Pages 9 
Newswatch 
Item: Hulk writer Bill Mantlo and artist Mike Mignola will take over as the creative team on Alpha Flight with issue #29; John Byrne will leave Alpha Flight to become writer/artist on the Hulk with issue #314.
Item: Rick Buckler has returned to Marvel to pencil Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man and Iron Man. Al Milgrom will move from Spectacular Spider-Man to West Coast Avengers; Iron Man artist Luke McDonnell is drawing a three-part story for Spectacular Spider-Man
Item: Marvel Tales is about to move from the Lee/Ditko era of Amazing Spider-Man to the Lee/ Romita era. 
Item: Archie Goodwin and Paul Chadwick will be the new creative team on The Dazzler
Item: Secret Wars II, the sequel to the smash-hit Marvel Super Secret Wars, is coming soon from writer Jim Shooter and artists Sal Buscema and Steve Leialoha. (The comic would actually be pencilled by Al Milgrom, not Sal Buscema.) 

Pages 10 - 11
Article: "Starstruck by Starstruck," by Sandy Hausler

Pages 14 - 15 
Article: "The Official Handbook of the Conan Universe," by Dwight Jon Zimmerman 

Pages 16 - 17 
Hembeck's page in Marvel Age

Pages 18 - 20
Article: "Unfurling the Raven Banner," by Steve Ringgenberg

Pages 21 - 24 
Article: "The World of the Sectaurs," by Adam Philips

Page 25
Article: "Star Spotlight on Wally," by Sandy Hausler


Pages 26 - 28
Article: "The Marvel Age -- 1967 (Part 1)," by Kurt Busiek

Pages 29
Bullpen Bulletins

Pages 30 - 32
Letters column: "Call Me Age-Mail" or "A Whale of a Letters Page," suggested by designer Janet Jackson and inker Andy Mushynsky


Inside back cover
The Marvel Age Calendar for January 1985, written by Jim Salicrup with art by Ron Zalme

Back cover
The Marvel Age Calendar for February 1985, written by Jim Salicrup with art by Ron Zalme

 

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