Wednesday, September 15, 2021


The secret of who was the fifth member of X-Factor was still a hot topic in 1986, and with the new series at the top of the sales charts, a follow-up to the launch made sense. This issue of Marvel Age featured letters from readers with their guesses as to who that fifth member would be, including Madelyne Summers, Rachel Summers, Mantis, Franklin Richards, Wolverine, Dazzler, and more -- including the correct name, Phoenix. 


This issue also included on the current series about Marvel characters and history -- indices, sagas, handbooks, and more. For some reason, the mid-1980s became the era of comics about comics, complete with character profiles and schematic drawings. 


Penciller Tom Lyle popped up again in the New Talent Department, with critiques on the pages featured last month added, thanks to the input of editor Mike Carlin and art director John Romita. 

"Salicrup's Section" focuses on the 1985 Marvel Halloween party, hosted at the Cat Club by Marvel Age editor Jim Salicrup, see below in a tuxedo with secret Spider-Man Ken Lopez. 


Marvel Age #39

Price: $0.35 US 
Pages: 36 (32 interior plus four covers)
On sale: March 11, 1986
Cover date: June, 1986
Copyright © 1986 Marvel Comics Group, a division of Cadence Industries Corporation. 

• Jim Shooter: Editor in Chief
• Jim Salicrup: Editor and Design Director
• Adam Philips: Assistant Editor
• Janet Jackson: Design
• Dwight Jon Zimmerman: Coming Attractions
• Kurt Busiek and Bill Slaviscek: Mutant Reporter
• Fred Hembeck: Sage of Marvel Age
• Craig Anderson, Adam Blaustein, Eliot Brown, Nancy Brown, Bob Budiansky, Mike Carlin, Bobbie Chase, Daniel Chichester, Margaret Clark, Don Daley, Tom DeFalco, Jo Duffy, Danny Fingeroth, Archie Goodwin, Mark Gruenwald, Bob Harras, Larry Hama, Mike Higgins, Sid Jacobson, Hillary Joseph, Terry Kavanagh, Ralph Macchio, Howard Mackie, Rosemary McCormick-Lowy, Al Milgrom, Margie Neville, Ann Nocenti, Jim Owsley, Carl Potts, Pat Redding, and Louise Simonson: Consulting Editors
 John Romita: Art Director
• Tom Morgan: Assistant Art Director
• Kevin Maguire, Jose Marzan and Mark McKenna: Romita's Raiders
• Anita Duncan: Art/Production Coordinator
• Phil Felix: Assistant Production Coordinator 
• Brenda Mings: Typesetter
• Jack Abel: Proofreader
• George Roussos and Adam Philips: Colorists
• Larry Hama: Cover concept
• Bob Layton: Cover art
• Paul Becton, Harry Candelario, Rob Carosella, Dawn Geiger, Barbara Johnston, Ken Lopez, Michael Maier, Bill Oakley, and Bill Vallely: Production
• Virginia Romita: Traffic Manager
• Christine Aurilia, Lynn Cohen, and Shoshana Mallet: Friendly Assistance 
• Sally Pomeroy: Rights and Permissions Editor
• Carol Kalish: Director of Specialty Sales
• Peter David: Direct Sales Manager Administrative
• Steve Saffel: Assistant Promotions Manager for Direct Sales
• Irving Forbush: The Undeciding Factor


Front cover 
• Characters: X-Factor

 Inside front cover
• Salicrup's Section (continued on inside back cover) 
• Marvel Agenda (contents) 
• Masthead 
• Indicia 

Pages 1 - 5
Marvel Coming Attractions

Titles on sale March 25
  • Cloak and Dagger #7
  • Daredevil #232
  • He-Man #2
  • The New Mutants #41
  • Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham #8
  • Squadron Supreme #11
  • Web of Spider-Man #16
  • West Coast Avengers #10
  • Conan the King #35
  • Swords of the Swashbucklers #7
Titles on sale April 1
  • Alpha Flight #36
  • Captain America #319
  • Ewoks #8
  • Groo the Wanderer #17
  • Power Pack #24
  • The Amazing Spider-Man #278
  • The Vision and Scarlet Witch #10
  • The Official Marvel Comics Index to the Fantastic Four #8
  • The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #8
  • Savage Sword of Conan #125
  • The One #6
Titles on sale April 8 
  • Marvel Age Magazine #40 
  • The Avengers #269
  • Conan the Barbarian #184
  • The Eternals #10
  • G.I. Joe #49
  • The Incredible Hulk #321
  • Marvel Tales #189
  • Muppet Babies #8
  • Power Man and Iron Fist #124
  • Solomon Kane #6
  • X-Men #207
  • Marvel Saga #8 
  • Marvel Fanfare #27
Titles on sale April 15
  • Care Bears #5
  • Elfquest #12
  • Fantastic Four #292
  • Iron Man #208
  • Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #116
  • Sectaurs #7
  • Star Wars #106
  • Thor #369
  • Transformers #18
  • X-Factor #6
  • The Official Marvel Comics Index to Marvel Team-Up #4
  • Doctor Who #22
  • Savage Tales #5 
Pages 6 - 7
More Coming Attractions

Titles shipping in April 
  • Daredevil #233
  • Meet Misty #5
  • The New Mutants #42
  • Thundercats #5
  • Web of Spider-Man #17
  • West Coast Avengers #11
  • Squadron Supreme #12
  • Moonshadow #8
  • Captain America #320
  • Doctor Strange #78
  • Groo the Wanderer #18
  • Heathcliff #9
  • The Amazing Spider-Man #279
  • The Vision and Scarlet Witch #11
  • The Official Marvel Comics Index to the Fantastic Four #9
  • Power Pack #25
  • The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #9
  • Bozz Chronicles #4
  • Savage Sword of Conan #126
  • Marvel Age Magazine #41
  • The Avengers #270
  • Conan the Barbarian #185
  • The Eternals #11
  • The Incredible Hulk #322
  • Marvel Tales #190
  • X-Men #208
  • Marvel Saga #9
  • G.I. Joe #50
  • Dreadstar #25
  • Droids #3
  • Elfquest #13
  • Fantastic Four #293
  • Iron Man #209
  • Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #117
  • Thor #370
  • Top Dog #9
  • The Transformers #19
  • X-Factor #7
  • Alien Legion #14
  • Doctor Who #23
Titles shipping in May 
  • Cloak and Dagger #8
  • Daredevil #234
  • Fraggle Rock #8
  • He-Man #3
  • The New Mutants #43
  • Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham #9
  • Web of Spider-Man #18
  • West Coast Avengers #12
  • Conan the King #36
  • Swords of the Swashbucklers #8
  • Alpha Flight #38
  • Captain America #321
  • Ewoks #9
  • Groo the Wanderer #19
  • The Amazing Spider-Man #280
  • The Vision and Scarlet Witch #12
  • The Official Marvel Comics Index to the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #10
  • Savage Sword of Conan #127 
  • Marvel Age Magazine #42
  • The Avengers #271
  • Conan the Barbarian #186
  • G.I. Joe #51
  • The Incredible Hulk #323
  • Marvel Tales #191
  • Muppet Babies #9
  • X-Men #209
  • Power Man and Iron Fist #125
  • Marvel Fanfare #28
  • Care Bears #6
  • Elfquest #14
  • Fantastic Four #294
  • Iron Man #210
  • Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #118
  • Sectaurs #8
  • Star Wars #107
  • Thor #371
  • The Transformers #20
  • X-Factor #8
  • Doctor Who #24
  • Savage Tales #6
Page 8 
Newswatch 
Item: Marvel is producing a new series of romance comics in paperback format. (Did these ever get published? I can't find any evidence that they did.) 
Item: Pro wrestler Sgt. Slaughter will show up in G.I. Joe #48.

Bullpen Birthdays

The Top Ten 
December 1985
  • X-Factor #3
  • X-Men #204
  • Alpha Flight #33
  • Marvel Universe #5
  • Fantastic Four #289
  • Avengers #266
  • Firestar #2
  • West Coast Avengers #7
  • Amazing Spider-Man #245
  • New Mutants #38
Pages 9 - 10
Newswatch Extra
Article: "Some Strange Art Changes," by Sholly Fisch 

Pages 11 - 15
The Mutant Report

Item: Villains from Longshot -- Spiral and Mojo -- will show up in the X-Men. Also, Longshot artist Arthur Adams will illustrate the next X-Men Annual. 
Item: Warlock's father, the Magus, will show up in X-Men. 
Item: Lots of updates on what's going on with X-Factor. 
Item: Colossus returns to the U.S.S.R. in his upcoming solo miniseries by writer Chris Claremont and artist Rick Leonardi. 

Article: "The Fifth Factor," by Kurt Busiek 

"It's Genetic," by Kyle Baker 


Pages 16 - 17 
Hembeck's Page in Marvel Age

Pages 18 - 21
Article: "The Marvel Reference Library: The Marvel Saga, The Official Marvel Index Series, and The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition," by Dwight Jon Zimmerman

Pages 22 - 23 
Star Spotlight: Heathcliff, by Sandy Hausler

Pages 24 - 26
New Talent Department, by Fabian Nicieza

Pages 27 - 29
The Marvel Age, by Sholly Fisch 

Pages 30 - 32
Letters column: "The Official Letters Page of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition," suggested by Ian Bresser 


Page 32
U.S. Postal Service Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation


Inside back cover
(continues from "Salicrup's Section" on the inside front cover)

Back cover 
Ad for Groo the Wanderer 

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