Make Mine Marvel Age

 

Another season, another big crossover event — and this one, "Acts of Vengeance," was the brainchild of writer/artist John Byrne, still one of the busiest men in comics as writer/penciller on Avengers West Coast, penciller on Wolverine, and writer on the Avengers. The key to the story? Lots of villains, lots of heroes, and lots of mayhem! 

Also this made me think there should have been a big bad in this event who wielded the deadly Axe of Vengeance! 

This issue of also spotlights Damage Control, the fondly remembered miniseries written by Dwayne McDuffie starring the crew that cleans up after Marvel's biggest messes, as well as Open Space, the science fiction anthology co-edited by Kurt Busiek and Carol Kalish. In its four issues, Open Space featured art and stories by Frank Kelly Freas, F. Paul Wilson, Lawrence Watt-Evans, John Ridgway, Will Shetterly, Don Simpson, Charles DeLint, and many others. 

Marvel Age #81

Price: $0.75 US 

Pages: 36 (32 interior plus four covers)

On sale: August 15, 1989

Cover date: Mid November 1989

Copyright © 1989 Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. 

• Tom DeFalco: Editor in Chief

• Mark Gruenwald: Executive Editor

• Ralph Macchio: Senior Editor 

• Jim Salicrup: Supreme Marvel Zombie

• Dwight Jon Zimmerman: Managing Editor

• Cindy Emmert: Designer / Assistant Production Manager

• Sholly Fisch: Contributing Editor

• Fred Hembeck: Sage of Marvel Age

• Craig Anderson, Bob Budiansky, Bobbie Chase, Daniel Chichester, Margaret Clark, Kelly Corvese, Don Daley, James DiGiovanna, Daryl Edelman, Danny Fingeroth, Larry Hama, Bob Harras, Glenn Herdling, Sid Jacobson, Marie Javins, Terry Kavanagh, Howard Mackie, Dwayne McDuffie, Marc McLaurin, Al Milgrom, Carl Potts, Mike Rockwitz, Evan Skolnick, Rob Tokar, Lisa Trusiani, Sara Tuchinsky, Renée Witterstaeter, David Wohl, and Gregory Wright: Consulting Editors

• John Romita: Art Director

• Don Perlin: Managing Art Director

• James Brock Jr., Gavin Curtis, and Vince Mielcarek: The Raiders

• Virginia Romita: Traffic/Production Manager

• Len Kaminski: Assistant Traffic/Production Manager

• Dawn Geiger: Assistant Production Manager 

• Lynda Strunk: Typesetter

• Jack Abel: World's Toughest Proofreader

• Joe Albelo, Steve Alexandrov, Paul Becton, Harry Candelario, Rob Carosella, Harry Eisenstein, Vince Evans, Jesus Gonzalez, Brad K. Joyce, Ed Lazellari, Ken Lopez, Jade Moede, Edward Murr, Joyce Phus, and George Roberts: Production

• John Byrne: Cover

• Gregory Wright: Colorist

• Adam Blaustein: Manufacturing Coordinator 

• Don Alcindor, Christine Aurilia, Dwight Coye, Dan Cuddy, Suzanne Gaffney, Arthur Parris Jackson, John Lewandowski, George Roussos, Stu Schwartzberg, and Mark Silverman: Friendly Assistance 

• Carol Kalish: Vice President Direct Sales

• Kurt Busiek: Direct Sales Project Manager

• Lou Bank: Assistant Direct Sales Manager Customer Service

• Mike Ruffino: Administrative Assistant

• Steve Saffel: Promotion Manager 

• Fabian Nicieza: Advertising Manager

• Irving Forbush: Willing to take on all the Marvel super-villains with one hand tied behind his back

Front cover 

• Characters: Marvel villains 

 Inside front cover

• Salicrup's Section 

• Marvel Agenda (contents) 

• Masthead 

• Indicia 

Pages 1 - 7

Marvel Coming Attractions

Titles on sale September 26

• Avengers West Coast #52
• Captain America #364
• Daredevil #274
• Web of Spider-Man #58
• The Uncanny X-Men #255
• Marvel Comics Presents #36
• Power Pack #51
• The Sensational She-Hulk #9
• The Punisher Magazine #4
• Nightmare on Elm Street #3
• Wolverine Saga #4
• Conan graphic novel: The Skull of Set

Titles on sale October 3

• Alf #23
• Avengers Spotlight #26
• Groo the Wanderer #59
• Heathcliff #41
• The New Mutants #83
• Day of Future Past
• Wolverine #18
• Alpha Flight #78
• Marvel Universe Update #7
• The Nth Man #6
• Quasar #4
• Sleeze Brothers #3
• Savage Sword of Conan #167
• Electric Undertow #1
• The Amazing Spider-Man #326
• Groo Chronicles #5
• Longshot trade paperback

Titles on sale October 10

• Marvel Age Magazine #82
• What If--? #7
• Excalibur #16
• Nick Fury Agent of Shield #5
• The Punisher #27
• Silver Surfer #31
• Avengers #311
• Conan the Barbarian #226
• G.I. Joe #94
• The Incredible Hulk #363
• Marvel Tales #231
• Police Academy #3
• Marvel Comics Presents #37
• Shadowmasters #3
• Roger Rabbit graphic novel #2
• Blueberry: Ballad for a Coffin graphic novel

Titles on sale October 17

• The Punisher War Journal #12
• Count Duckula #8
• Damage Control II #1
• Doctor Strange #11
• The 'Nam #38
• Fantastic Four #334
• Iron Man #250
• Marvel Masterworks #9: The Avengers
• The Spectacular Spider-Man #158
• Thor #411
• The Transformers #60
• X-Factor #48
• Moon Knight #8
• Conan Saga #32
• Akira #19
• Classic X-Men #41

Page 8

Newswatch 

Item: Executive Editor Archie Goodwin has moved to DC Comics; Carl Potts will take over as Epic Editor 

Item: Don McGregor's son, Rob Roy McGregor, won the Artistic Merit Award in New York's 35th Annual All-City Student Art Expo. 

Item: Marvel letters columns have the results of the favorite assistant editor contest, which are: 

1. Sara Tuchinsky
2. James DiGiovanna
3. Glenn Herdling 
4. Marc Siry
5. Daryl Edelman
6. Dwayne McDuffie
7. Marc McLaurin
8. Dave Wohl
9. Irving Forbush
10. Mike Rockwitz
11. Lisa Trusiani
12. Gregory Wright
13. Renée Witterstaetter
14. Steve Buccellato
15. Kelly Corvese
16. Dan Raspler
17. Dwight Jon Zimmerman

Item: Jean-Michel Charlier, writer of the Lt. Blueberry graphic novels, has passed away. 

Marvel Top Ten 

April 1988

1. The Uncanny X-Men #247
2. The Uncanny X-Men Annual #13
3. Excalibur #11
4. X-Factor #43
5. Wolverine #10
6. Amazing Spider-Man #318
7. The Sensational She-Hulk #4
8. The Punisher #22
9. Silver Surfer Annual #2
10. Iron Man Annual #10 

Page 9

Mark's Remarks 

Pages 10 - 11

The Mutant Report: "Rob Liefeld's New Mutants Sketchbook," by Dwight Jon Zimmerman 

Pages 12 - 14

Article: "Acts of Vengeance," by Peter Sanderson

Page 15

Article: "Damage Control," by Sandy Hausler 

Pages 16 - 17 

Hembeck's Page in Marvel Age

Page 18 

Stan's Soapbox

Willie Lumpkin by Stan Lee and Dan DeCarlo

Pages 19 - 20

Article: "Open Space," by Renée Witterstkaetter

Pages 21 - 25

Open Space preview

Page 26

Article: "Conan the Barbarian: The Skull of Set," by John Anthony Wilcox

Page 27

Marvel Trivia Quiz

Pages 28 - 29

The Marvel Age of Comics: 1980 (Part I), by Brian Nelson

Pages 30 - 32

Letters column: "The Non-Mutant Letter Column," suggested by Steve Sawyer

Inside back cover

Marvel Age Super Shopper Gallery 

Back cover

Ad for "Acts of Vengeance"