Make Mine Marvel Age

 

Void Indigo, one of the most controversial comics of its day, is the cover feature on Marvel Age #21. Writer and series creator Steve Gerber explains the title in the feature article -- that it refers to the ambience of the series rather than a specific character, since none of the cast's survival was necessarily guaranteed from one issue to the next. Of course, the series would only run two issues before being pulled from Marvel's publishing schedule due to outcry from critics over its violent contents. While the comic was published through the Epic Comics line, this was before the advent of the mature readers label, which probably would have helped. 

Void Indigo wasn't the only new Epic Comics title covered in this issue. There was also Sisterhood of Steel, by writer Christy Marx with artist Mike Vosburg, as well as Moonshadow, written by J.M. DeMatteis and illustrated by Jon J Muth (here spelled John Jay Muth). While the Sisterhood of Steel art looks fun and engaging, the Moonshadow art is presented in black and white, and really doesn't capture the beauty of the final publication. DeMatteis interviews himself for the article, and he almost comes off as a hostile witness, sometimes refusing to explain his oblique answers. 

Other odd moments in this issue include the use of a great piece of style-guide Hulk art in the Coming Attractions section, and a full page for a current Thor cover by Walter Simonson. 

Marvel Age #21

Price: $0.35 US 

Pages: 36 (32 interior plus four covers)

On sale: September 11, 1984

Cover date: December, 1984

Copyright © 1984 Marvel Comics Group, a division of Cadence Industries Corporation. 

• Jim Shooter: Editor in Chief

• Jim Salicrup: Editor and Design Director

• Norman Gosney: 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 

• Val Mayerik: Cover 

• Carol Kalish: Direct Sales Manager

• Peter David: Assistant Direct Sales Manager

• Steve Saffel: Assistant Promotions Manager for Direct Sales

• Irving Forbush: Lost in the Void

Front cover 

• Character: Ath'Agaar 

 Inside front cover

• Ad for Marvel Graphic Novel #13: Starstruck

 

Page 1

• Marvel Agenda (contents) 

• Masthead 

• Indicia 

Editorial: "A Big Hand for the Big Guy," by Jim Salicrup

Pages 2 – 5

Marvel Comics Coming Attractions

Titles on sale September 25

• The Thing #19

• Daredevil #214

• New Mutants #23

• Dazzler #35

• Muppets Take Manhattan (sic) #3

• Red Sonja #5

• Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #9

• Machine Man #4

• Conan the King #26

• Crash Ryan #2

Titles on sale October 2

• Spider-Man #260

• Captain America #301

• Indiana Jones #25

• Power Pack #6

• Micronauts #4

• Alpha Flight #18 

• Transformers #3

• Conan the Destroyer #1

• New Mutants Annual #1

• Savage Sword of Conan #107

Titles on sale October 9

• Incredible Hulk #303

• Avengers #251

• Conan #166

• X-Men #189

• Rom #62

• Power Man and Iron Fist #113

• Marvel Tales #171

• G.I. Joe #31

• Dreadstar #15

• Void Indigo #1

• Marvel Age Magazine #22

Titles on sale October 16

• Fantastic Four #274

• Iron Man #190

• Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #98

• Defenders #139 

• Marvel Team-Up #149

• Star Wars #91

• Thor #351

• Starriors #3

• Kitty and Wolverine (sic) #3

• Coyote #9

• Epic Illustrated #27

Page 6

More Coming Attractions

Titles shipping in October

• The Thing #20

• Daredevil #215

• New Mutants #24

• Red Sonja #24

• Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #10

• Crash Ryan #3

• Spider-Man #261

• Captain America #302

• Questprobe (no issue number listed)

• Indiana Jones #26

• Power Pack #7

• Micronauts #5

• Alpha Flight #19

• Dr. Strange #69

• Crystar #11

• Savage Sword of Conan #108

• Alien Legion #5

• Incredible Hulk #304

• Avengers #252

• Conan #167

• Marvel Tales #172

• X-Men #190

• Rom #63

• Power Man and Iron Fist #114

• G.I. Joe #32

• Kull the Conqueror #8

• Sheena of the Jungle (sic) #2

• Marvel Age #23

• Swashbucklers (Marvel Graphic Novel) (sic) #14

• Fantastic Four #275

• Iron Man #191

• Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #99

• Defenders #140

• Thor #352

• Starriors #4

• Kitty and Wolverine (sic) #4

• Marvel Team-Up #150

• Star Wars #92

• Doctor Who #5

• Dreadstar #16

• Time Spirits #2

Page 7

Thor #351 cover art by Walter Simonson

Page 8

Newswatch

• Item: Details on release schedule and creative teams on the Star Comics line

• Item: Groo the Wanderer will be a new title from the Epic Comics line

• Item: Marvel will adapt the upcoming movies Dune and 2010

• Item: Marvel will publish the G.I. Joe Yearbook, a "who's who" style title

• Item: Editorial offices are being shuffled -- Jim Owsley has been promoted to editor, and has hired Keith Williams as his assistant. Larry Hama's new assistant editor is Pat Redding. Dan Daley will be Denny O'Neil's new assistant, replacing Linda Grant, who leaves staff to pursue her writing career. 

Page 9 

Star Comics subscription ad

Pages 10 - 15

Article: "Void Indigo," by Dwight Jon Zimmerman

Pages 16 - 17

Hembeck's Page in Marvel Age

Pages 18 - 21

Article: "The Sisterhood of Steel," by Dwight Jon Zimmerman

Pages 22 - 24

Article: "J.M. DeMatteis Interviews Himself about his new Epic Comics Series Moonshadow" 

Pages 25 - 27

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

Page 28

Ad for The Official Marvel Comics Try-Out Book

Page 29

Bullpen Bulletins 

Pages 30 - 32

Letters column: "Marvel Page" 

Inside back cover 

Ad for The Official Marvel Comics Try-Out Book (yes, again) 

Back cover

Ad for Time Spirits