Make Mine Marvel Age

 

Long before the dawn of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, movies featuring Marvel characters were few and far between. So when it was announced that there was going to be a Howard movie, and that George Lucas was involved, well, I was as excited as anyone. 

Marvel took advantage of the upcoming movie with a new Howard issue and a movie adaptation, plus this cover to Marvel Age by Kyle Baker, who also illustrated the movie adaptation. I had the opportunity to write the cover article about Howard's comics career and the movie (which Marvel reprinted in the Howard the Duck: The Complete Collection Vol. 4 trade paperback), and Fred Hembeck contributed a comic strip from the mouth of Howard himself. 

Meanwhile, the New Talent Department looked at the art of penciller Louis Williams, who would go on to draw several comics for Marvel and DC. 

Marvel Age #43

Price: $0.50 US 

Pages: 36 (32 interior plus four covers)

On sale: July 8, 1986

Cover date: October, 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

• Barbara Johnston: Designer

• Dwight Jon Zimmerman: Coming Attractions

• 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, Terry Kavanagh, Ralph Macchio, Howard Mackie, Rosemary McCormick-Lowy, Al Milgrom, John Morelli, Ann Nocenti, Jim Owsley, Carl Potts, Pat Redding, and Joanne Spaldo: Consulting Editors

• John Romita: Art Director

• Tom Morgan: Assistant Art Director

• Mark Alexander, Jose Marzan and Mark McKenna: Romita's Raiders

• Anita Duncan: Art/Production Coordinator

• Doreen Frederick: Assistant Production Coordinator 

• Brenda Mings: Typesetter

• Jack Abel: Proofreader

• George Roussos and Adam Philips: Colorists

• Kyle Baker: Cover art

• Jim Salicrup: Cover concept

• Paul Becton, Pat Brosseau, Harry Candelario, Rob Carosella, Dawn Geiger, Veronica Lawlor, Ken Lopez, Michael Maier, Bill Oakley, and Bill Vallely: Production

• Virginia Romita: Traffic Manager

• Christine Aurilia and Lynn Cohen: Friendly Assistance 

• Steve Sheffler: 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: Asks "Why a duck?" 

Front cover 

• Characters: Howard the Duck and Beverly Switzler 

 Inside front cover

• Salicrup's Section 

• Marvel Agenda (contents) 

• Masthead 

• Indicia 

Pages 1 - 5

Marvel Coming Attractions

Titles on sale July 22

• Cloak and Dagger #9
• Daredevil #236
• Masters of the Universe #4
• Labyrinth #1
• The New Mutants #45
• Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham #12
• Web of Spider-Man #20
• West Coast Avengers #14
• Conan the King #37
• Swords of the Swashbucklers #9

Titles on sale July 29

• Alpha Flight #40
• Captain America #323
• Ewoks #10
• Groo the Wanderer #21
• Heathcliff #12
• The Amazing Spider-Man #282
• The Official Marvel Comics Index to the Fantastic Four #12
• Bozz Chronicles #5
• The Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #12
• Savage Sword of Conan #129 

Titles on sale August 5

• Marvel Age Magazine #44
• The Avengers #273
• Conan the Barbarian #188
• G.I. Joe #53
• The Incredible Hulk #325
• Marvel Tales #193
• Muppet Babies #10
• The Nam #2
• X-Men #211
• The Marvel Saga #12
• The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #20
• Elektra #2
• Marvel Fanfare #29 

Titles on sale August 12

• Care Bears #7
• Elfquest #16
• Iron Man #212
• Madballs #3
• Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #120
• X-Factor #10
• Classic X-Men #3
• Thor #373
• The Transformers #22
• Fantastic Four #296
• Savage Tales #7
• Steelgrip Starkey #3
• Marvel Super Special #41

Page 6

More Coming Attractions

Titles shipping August

• Dakota North #4
• Daredevil #237
• G.I. Joe Special Missions #2
• Labyrinth #2
• The New Mutants #46
• Thundercats #7
• Web of Spider-Man #21
• West Coast Avengers #15
• Moonshadow #10
• Alpha Flight 341
• Captain America #324
• Doctor Strange #80
• Groo the Wanderer #22
• Heathcliff #13
• The Amazing Spider-Man #283
• The Transformers Movie #1
• Power Pack #27
• Savage Sword of Conan #130
• Marvel Age Magazine #45
• The Avengers #274
• Conan the Barbarian #189
• G.I. Joe #54
• The Incredible Hulk #326
• Marvel Tales #194
• The Nam #3
• X-Men #212
• Marvel Saga #13
• Elektra #3
• Droids #5
• Elfquest #17
• Fantastic Four #297
• Iron Man #213
• Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #121
• Thor #374
• Top Dog #11
• The Transformers #23
• X-Factor #11
• Classic X-Men #4
• Alien Legion #15
• Steelgrip Starkey #4
• Howard the Duck #1

Titles Shipping September

• Cloak and Dagger #10
• Daredevil #233
• Defenders of the Earth #1
• Masters of the Universe #5
• The New Mutants #47
• Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham #13
• Web of Spider-Man #22
• West Coast Avengers #16
• Conan the King #38
• X-Men Annual #10
• Swords of the Swashbucklers #10
• Alpha Flight #42
• Captain America #325
• Ewoks #11
• Groo the Wanderer #23
• The Amazing Spider-Man #284
• The Transformers Movie #2
• The Official Marvel Comics Index to the X-Men #1
• The Bozz Chronicles #6
• Savage Sword of Conan #131
• Dracula graphic novel 
• Marvel Age Magazine #46
• The Avengers #275
• Conan the Barbarian #190
• G.I. Joe #55
• The Incredible Hulk #327
• Labyrinth #3
• Howard the Duck #2
• Marvel Tales #195
• Muppet Babies #11
• The Nam #4
• X-Men #213
• The Marvel Saga #14
• Elektra #4
• Marvel Fanfare #30
• Care Bears #8
• Elfquest #18
• Fantastic Four #298
• Iron Man #214
• Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #122
• Thor #375
• The Transformers #24
• X-Factor #12
• Classic X-Men #12
• Savage Tales #8
• Steelgrip Starkey #5

Page 7

Ad for Meet Misty #6

Page 8

Newswatch

Item: New teams on the following titles --

• Daredevil will be written by Steve Englehart with issue #237 (Englehart would only end up writing one issue, under his pen name, John Harkness) 
• Iron Man will be written by David Michelinie with issue #215
• Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man will be written by J. Marc DeMatteis with issue #125 (DeMatteis's run on the series did not begin till #131) 
• Fantastic Four will be pencilled and inked by John Buscema with issue #297 (these issues would be inked by Sal Buscema and others) 
• X-Factor will continue to be written by Louise Simonson, who will be joined by Walter Simonson as artist with issue #12

Item: Beginning with issue #26, Power Pack will be available exclusively in comics shops with a cover price of $1.00, increased from its previous cover price of $0.75. 

Bullpen Birthdays

The Top Ten

April 1986

• X-Men #208
• X-Factor #7
• Marvel Universe #9
• G.I. Joe #50
• Alpha Flight #293
• Fantastic Four #293
• New Mutants #42
• Daredevil #233
• Amazing Spider-Man #279
• Web of Spider-Man #17 

Pages 9 - 11

The Mutant Report, by Bill Slavicsek

Article: "Half the X-Men to Be Replaced After Mutant Massacre!" 

Article: "Simonsons to Take Over X-Factor" 

Article: "Coming Soon: Phoenix Limited Series" 

Sidebar: "Colossus Artist Treks to Russia" 

Pages 12 - 15

Article: "Howard the Duck: Living It Up — in a World He Never Made!" by Adam Philips 

Pages 16 - 17 

Hembeck's Page in Marvel Age 

Page 18 

Stan's Soapbox 

Pages 19 - 21

Article: "Enter the A-Maze-ing World of Labyrinth," by Sholly Fisch 

Pages 22 - 23 

Star Spotlight: "Madballs," by Sandy Hausler

Pages 24 - 26

New Talent Department, by Bill Slavicsek

Pages 27 - 29

The Marvel Age: 1972 (Part III), by Sholly Fisch

Page 28 

A Marvel Comics Price Guide 

Pages 30 - 32 

Letters page: "Dum Dee Dum Dumm," suggested by Eric Marino 

Inside back cover

Ad for the New Universe

Back cover 

Howard the Duck's star on the Hollywood walk of fame by Kyle Baker