Wednesday, October 6, 2021


Steelgrip Starkey (and his all-purpose power tool!) landed on the cover of Marvel Age #42. Written and created by artist Alan Weiss, with art by Weiss and Jim Sherman, this mostly forgotten Epic miniseries starred a globe-hopping all-around fix-it man who travelled from crisis to crisis. 


This issue also featured a Mutant Report article on The Incredible Hulk and Wolverine #1, the first-ever reprinting of Hulk #180 and 181 -- a comic I worked on as assistant editor, as well as coming up with the wraparound cover concept that John Byrne drew. 

Stan's Soapbox focused on both the soon to be disliked Howard the Duck movie, as well as Stan's take on "the role of the super-hero in America, yesterday and today," as suggested by editor Jim Salicrup. 


The New Talent Department reared its head with a new column that shined a spotlight on artist Jim Sanders III, who here was trying out as an inker, with samples inked over several artists. Interestingly, the column highlights what inking can do for finished artwork in terms of line weight, shadows, and perspective -- aspects that an inker can accentuate whether the penciller has indicated them or not. 


And Marvel Age once again kicked off the summer annuals season with a roundup of all the titles getting their own annuals, including debut annuals for Alpha Flight, West Coast Avengers, and X-Factor. This issue includes the polling results from the 1985 annuals, plus a report card for fans to fill out about the 1986 annuals 


Marvel Age #42

Price: $0.50 US 
Pages: 36 (32 interior plus four covers)
On sale: June 10, 1986
Cover date: February, 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, 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
• Alan Weiss and Jim Sherman: Cover art
• Paul Becton, 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 
• 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: Purposeless Tool 


Front cover 
• Character: Steelgrip Starkey

 Inside front cover
• Salicrup's Section 
• Marvel Age 1985 Summer Annuals Report Card (continued on inside back cover) 
• Marvel Agenda (contents) 
• Masthead 
• Indicia 

Pages 1 - 6
Marvel Coming Attractions

Titles on sale June 24
  • The Incredible Hulk Annual #15
  • Dakota North #3
  • Marvel Age Annual #2
  • Daredevil #235
  • G.I. Joe Special Missions #1
  • Labyrinth #1
  • The New Mutants #44
  • Meet Misty #6
  • Web of Spider-Man #19
  • Thundercats #6
  • Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham #11
  • Iron Man Annual #8
  • Moonshadow #9
  • The Incredible Hulk and Wolverine #1
Titles on sale July 1
  • The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #11
  • Savage Sword of Conan #128
  • Alpha Flight #39
  • Heathcliff #11
  • Captain America #322
  • Groo the Wanderer #20
  • The Amazing Spider-Man #281
  • Doctor Strange #79
  • Power Pack #26
  • The Official Marvel Comics Index to the Fantastic Four #11
Titles on sale July 8
  • Marvel Age Magazine #43
  • The Avengers #272
  • Conan the Barbarian #187
  • G.I. Joe #52
  • The Incredible Hulk #324
  • The Nam #1
  • X-Men #210
  • The Marvel Saga #11
  • The Avengers Annual #15
  • Marvel Tales #192
  • Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #6
  • Dreadstar #26
Titles on sale July 15
  • Droids #4
  • Elfquest #15
  • Fantastic Four #295
  • Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #119
  • Top Dog #10
  • Thor #372
  • Classic X-Men #2
  • The New Mutants Annual 32
  • West Coast Avengers Annual #1
  • Alien Legion #15
  • The Transformers #21
  • Iron Man #211
  • Steelgrip Starkey #2
  • Popples #1
  • X-Factor #9
  • Hugga Bunch #2
Page 7
More Coming Attractions

Titles shipping July 
  • Cloak and Dagger #9
  • Daredevil #236
  • Masters of the Universe #4
  • Labyrinth #2
  • 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
  • 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 of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #12
  • Savage Sword of Conan #129
  • 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 #1
  • Marvel Fanfare #29
  • Care Bears #7
  • Elfquest #16
  • Iron Man #212
  • Madballs #3
  • Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #120
  • Thor #373
  • The Transformers #22
  • X-Factor #20
  • Classic X-Me #3
  • The Official Marvel Comics Index to Marvel Team-Up #6
  • Fantastic Four #296
  • Savage Tales #7
  • Steelgrip Starkey #3
Titles shipping August
  • Dakota North #4
  • Daredevil #237
  • G.I. Joe Special Missions #2
  • Labyrinth #3
  • The New Mutants #46
  • Thundercats #7
  • Web of Spider-Man #21
  • West Coast Avengers #15
  • Moonshadow #10
  • Alpha Flight #41
  • Captain America #324
  • Doctor Strange #80
  • Groo the Wanderer #2
  • 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
  • Fraggle Rock #11
  • G.I. Joe #54
  • The Incredible Hulk #326
  • Marvel Tales #194
  • The Nam #3
  • X-Men #212
  • The Marvel Saga #13
  • Elektra #2
  • 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
  • The Classic X-Men #4
  • Alien Legion #16
  • Steelgrip Starkey #4
Page 8 
Newswatch 

Item: New posters from Marvel Press 

The Top Ten 
  • X-Men #207
  • X-Factor #6
  • Marvel Universe #8
  • Alpha Flight #36
  • Fantastic Four #292
  • New Mutants #41
  • West Coast Avengers #10
  • Web of Spider-Man #16
  • Daredevil #232
  • Amazing Spider-Man #278
Bullpen Birthdays 

Pages 9 - 10
The Mutant Report

"The Very First Wolverine Story"
"Mutant Watch" 
"Mutant Annuals" 

"It's Genetic," by Kyle Baker 


Pages 11 - 14
Article: Steelgrip Starkey and His All-Purpose Power Tool: The Making of a Modern Myth," by Bill Slavicsek

Page 15
Stan's Soapbox

Pages 16 - 17
Hembeck's Page in Marvel Age

Pages 18 - 21
Article: "An Annual Tradition," by Sholly Fisch

Pages 22 - 23
"Star Spotlight: Hugga Bunch," by Sandy Hausler

Pages 24 - 26
The Marvel Age: 1972 (Part II), by Sholly Fisch

Page 25
Marvel Comics Price Guide

Pages 27 - 30
New Talent Department, by Sholly Fisch and Bill Slaviscek

Pages 31 - 32
Letters column: "Please Mr. Postman, Look and See, If There's a Letter in the Bag for Me," suggested by Jeff Runyan


Inside back cover
Ballot for the Marvel Age 1986 Summer Annuals Report Card

Back cover
Ad for The New Universe




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