The long-running Dreadstar series, one of the most memorable titles from the Epic comics line, is the cover feature on Marvel Age #13, as illustrated by writer/artist Jim Starlin, creator of the series. Dreadstar proved to be popular and long-running, and would go on to be published by Marvel, First, and Malibu, with collected editions from Slave Labor, Dynamite, and Ominous Press. It's all the more impressive considering the series' long runway before it began, with a serialized story that ran in Epic Illustrated, a Marvel Graphic Novel, and the companion graphic novel The Price, published by Eclipse.
This issue of Marvel Age also features the debut of the long-running series of articles recapping Marvel history, starting in 1961 before the launch of the Fantastic Four, with series like Millie the Model, Kid Colt, and the Rawhide Kid, plus monsters like Goom, son of Googam, and Fin Fang Foom. First written by Warren Reece, the series would have several writers in future installments.
There's also a four-page article on Conan that's a primer on everyone's favorite barbarian hero as he appeared in Conan the Barbarian, Conan the King, and Savage Sword of Conan. (This article ran between the two Arnold Schwarzenegger Conan movies, btw.)
The centerpiece of this issue is a long (eight pages!) article called "How to Color Comics the Marvel Way," that explains the arcane craft of coloring projects in the pre-computer era, with Dr. Martin's Synchromatic Watercolor Dyes, percentage tones, and coding. There's a two-page spread that shows all the available color combinations at the time, when all colorists had to work with were zero, 25, 50, or 100 percentages of red, yellow, and blue -- and that was it! The article also includes the various color schemes suggested for a new version of Red Wolf, and, best of all, short bios of the Marvel colorists with caricatures probably drawn by Ron Zalme.
Frequent Marvel Age contributor John Byrne pops up with a subscription ad starring Black Bold, Medusa, and Lockjaw playing Santa Claus. Not sure if this ad was exclusive to Marvel Age. Also, this is the second issue in a row with no New Talent Department, with no explanation.
And the back cover highlights the Marada the She-Wolf story then running in Epic Illustrated. Marada was poised to be a breakout character, but after several appearances in Epic written by Chris Claremont and illustrated by John Bolton, there doesn't seem to have been more new material.
Marvel Age #13
Price: $0.25 US
Pages: 36 (32 interior plus four covers)
On sale: January 10, 1984
Cover date: April, 1984
Copyright © 1983 Marvel Comics Group, a division of Cadence Industries Corporation.
• Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter
• Editor and Design Director: Jim Salicrup
• Editorial Assistant: Mark Lerer
• Designer: Bob Kessel
• Art/Production Coordinator: Dan Crespi
• Assistant Art/Production Coordinator: Ron Zalme
• Production: Joe Albelo, Harry Candelario, Rob Carosella, Don Hudson, Morrie Kuramoto,
Ken Lopez, John Morelli, and Barry Shapiro
• Typesetters: Brenda Mings and Jay Zilber
• Colorists: Paul Becton and George Roussos
• Friendly Assistance: Lynn Cohen and Craig Anderson
• Cover Artist: Jim Starlin
• Direct Sales Manager: Carol Kalish
• Assistant Direct Sales Managers: Peter David, Steve Saffel, and Marsha Rosenberg
• Cosmic Defender: Irving Forbush
Front cover
• Character: Vanth Dreadstar
Inside front cover
• Subscription ad for Marvel Age
Page 1
• Contents
• Masthead
• Indicia
Editorial: by Jim Salicrup:
Pages 2 – 5
Marvel Comics Coming Attractions
Comics on sale March 27:
• The Thing #13
• Daredevil #208
• New Mutants #17
• Dazzler #33
• Conan the King #23
• Kitty Pryde and Wolverine #2
• Six from Sirius #4
Comics on sale April 3:
• Amazing Spider-Man #254
• Captain America #295
• Thor #345
• Indiana Jones #19
• Savage Sword of Conan #101
• Moon Knight #38
• Micronauts #49
• Crystar #8
Comics on sale April 10:
• Incredible Hulk #297
• Avengers #245
• Conan #160
• Marvel Tales #165
• X-Men #183
• Rom #56
• Power Man and Iron Fist #107
• G.I. Joe #25
• Marvel Age Magazine #16
• Marvel Fanfare #15
• Epic Illustrated #24
Comics on sale April 17:
• Fantastic Four #268
• Marvel Team-Up #143
• Iron Man #184
• Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #92
• The New Defenders #133
• Star Wars #85
• Alpha Flight #12
• Dreadstar #10
• Beauty and the Beast #3
Page 6
Newswatch
Item: Louise Jones leaves staff to write full time; Ann Nocenti takes over as editor on her titles.
Item: Epic Comics line adds new titles for summer 1984, including Crash Ryan, Sisterhood of Steel, Time Spirits, and Void Indigo.
Page 7
Behind the Lines
"Big and Green Dept," by Carl Potts
Potts writes about changes in The Incredible Hulk.
Page 8
Coming Retractions
• Update on shipping schedules for Dreadstar, which will now ship every six weeks
• Marvel limited series will be printed on Mando paper with a cover price of $0.75 US.
• Both the Kull the Conqueror and Red Sonja miniseries will as bimonthly series.
• The Beauty and the Beast limited series and the Dazzler graphic novel have been delayed.
• Captain America #300, Avengers #250, and Alpha Flight #12 all will be 48 pages with a cover price of $1.00 US.
Page 8
Marvel's Top Ten, by Jim Salicrup
Best-selling titles cover date April 1983:
1 - New Mutants #2
2 - X-Men #168
3 - Amazing Spider-Man #239
4 - Fantastic Four #253
5 - Avengers #230
6 - Daredevil #193
7 - Marvel Universe Handbook (sic) #4
8 - Conan the Barbarian #145
9 - Peter Parker (sic) #77
10 - Incredible Hulk #282
Pages 9 - 12
Article: "Marvel Age Looks at Jim Starlin," by Mark Lerer
Pages 13 - 15
Article: "Marvel Age 1961," by Warren Reece
Pages 16 - 19
Article: "Conan the Barbarian," by Bob Sodaro and Mark Lerer
Pages 20 - 27
Article: "How to Color Comics the Marvel Way," by Mark Lerer
Page 28
Ad for Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars
Page 29
Subscription ad for Marvel titles, with new art by John Byrne
Pages 30 - 32
Letters page: "Comments on Da Comics," suggested by Jerome P. Anello
Inside back cover
Ad for Alpha Flight #12
Back cover
Subscription ad for Epic Illustrated
