Big changes continue with Marvel Age #6, the last issue at the skinny 16 interior page size. Veteran Marvel editor Jim Salicrup took over as the new boss, and would remain on Marvel Age for nearly 100 issues (more if you count annuals). 

Content changes begin on page one: First, the masthead that lists folks who worked on Marvel Age, was expanded and now listed everyone in Marvel's production department. The masthead would continue to grow over time, giving many Marvel staffers their only in-print credits. 

Another change? In Jim's debut editorial, he repeatedly calls Marvel Age "Marvel Age Magazine," a choice that reflected Jim's sensibilities and the inspiration he drew from other publications, especially Andy Warhol's Interview Magazine, then a sensation in New York City and elsewhere. 

Of course, this was the first issue by a new editorial team (Jim was joined by assistant Mark Lerer), and things were just getting off the ground. The article titles and the design of those titles was very basic, and in what seems to be an effort to cram more material into a mere 16 pages, some of those articles only sport one piece of art. 

Marvel Age #6

Price: $0.25 US 

Pages: 20 (16 interior plus four covers)

On sale: September 1983 

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

• Production: Danny Crespi, Harry Candelario, Rob Carosella, Stu Schwarzberg, Joe Albelo, John Morelli, Barry Shapiro, and Ron Zalme 

• Typesetters: Nancy Dodaro and Wendy Cooper Fitzgerald

• Colorists: Paul Becton and George Roussos

• Logo: John Morelli

• Friendly Assistance: Lynn Cohen and Margaret Clark

• Direct Sales Manager: Carol Kalish

• Assistant Direct Sales Managers: Peter David and Lea Sapp

Front cover 

• Pencils/inks: Rick Leonardi

• Characters: Cloak and Dagger

 Inside front cover

• Ad for Power Man and Iron Fist 

 

Page 1

• Contents

• Masthead 

• Indicia 

Column: "Changes" 

Pages 2 – 5

• Marvel Comics Coming Attactions (no writing credits) 

Comics on sale August 23, 1983 

    • The Thing #6

    • Ka-Zar #29

    • Daredevil #201

    • Red Sonja #3

    • The Falcon #2

    • Return of the Jedi #3

    • Moon Knight Special #2

Comics on sale August 30, 1983

    • Spider-Man #247

    • Captain America #288

    • Thor #338

    • Indiana Jones #12

    • Star Wars Annual #2

    • Doctor Strange #62

    • Hawkeye #4

    • Illyana and Storm #3

    • S.H.I.E.L.D. #1

    • Savage Sword of Conan #94

Comics on sale September 6

    • Hulk #290

    • Conan the Barbarian #153

    • Marvel Tails #158

    • X-Men #176

    • Rom #49

    • Power Man/Iron Fist #100

    • G.I. Joe #18

    • Marvel Age #9 

    • Blip #9 (I don't think this issue published)

Comics on sale September 13

    • Fantastic Four #261

    • Marvel Team-Up #136

    • Iron Man #177

    • Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #85

    • Defenders #126

    • Star Wars #78

    • Krull #2

    • Alpha Flight #5

    • What If #42

    • Fantastic Four Annual #6

    • Spider-Man Annual #17

    • Coyote #4

Page 6

Newswatch

Items on: 

    • The Defenders #125 will be a double-sized issue and will introduced a more stable roster of heroes

    • New projects to be announced soon from Tom DeFalco and Bob Budiansky

Marvel Coming Retractions

    • Schedule changes for Illyana and Storm and Kull the Conqueror

    • Half page ad for retailers to be listed in the Marvel Comics Super Mart 

Pages 7 - 9

Article: "The Creation of a New Limited Series: Cloak and Dagger," by Bill Mantlo

Pages 10-12

Article: "The Creation of a New Limited Series: Hawkeye," by Mark Gruenwald

(I would love to know for sure who drew the kid in the Hawkeye article!) 

Pages 13-14

Article: "Walt Simonson Tackles The Mighty Thor," by Patrick Daniel O'Neil

Page 15

Article: "The Creation of a New Limited Series: Illyana and Storm," by Mark Lerer

Page 16

Unnamed letters page...well, sort of unnamed. 

Inside back cover

House ad for Red Sonja...cool design, but it doesn't mention the full name of the comic. 

Back cover 

Marvel Tails Starring the Spectacular Spider-Ham (a take off on DC's ads for Ronin...and I can't be the only person to think it was confusing to publisher Marvel Tales with Spider-Man reprints and Marvel Tails with a Spider-Man parody at the same time!) 

 

With this issue, new staff member Lea Sapp becomes the editor of Marvel Age, while previous editor Carol Kalish takes on the role of "advisor." This issue has a few more articles than earlier ones, with a special focus on Daredevil, including an interview with writer Denny O'Neil, and a cover by then-current artist William Johnson, who would only draw a handful of issues of the series before David Mazzucchelli comes on board. 

More changes are coming for Marvel Age, with this issue telling readers not once but twice that with issue #7, the series will expand from 16 to 32 pages. A lengthy item in this issue's News Watch (it takes up about three-fifths of the page) explains that much of that expansion will dedicated to "how to" articles with the goal of helping ambitious fans become professional comics artists. This is in response to the many unsolicited submissions received by Jim Shooter's office, but it also signals a turn for Marvel Age from being purely a promotional vehicle to being a way for the Marvel staff to connect with the fans. Not sure I've ever seen anyone say "Yeah, I learned so much from those articles in Marvel Age," though. 

Also in this issue, readers learned about the origins of the Hobgoblin as a not-quite Green Goblin, and a two-page feature on (drum roll, please!) cover trade dress. 

Marvel Age #5

Price: $0.25 US 

Pages: 20 (16 interior plus four covers)

On sale: August 1983 

Copyright © 1983 Marvel Comics Group, a division of Cadence Industries Corporation. 

• Editor and Designer: Lea Sapp

• Assistant Editor: Peter David 

• Production: Danny Crespi and Ron Zalme 

• Typesetters: Nancy Dodaro and Wendy Cooper Fitzgerald

• Photostats: Rob Carosella and Harry Candelario

• Colorists: Stan Goldberg, Paul Becton and George Roussos

• Logo: Rick Parker and John Morelli

• Advisor: Carol Kalish 

• Editor in Chief: Jim Shooter

Front cover 

• Pencils/inks: William Johnson

• Characters: Daredevil and Elektra

 Inside front cover

• Ad for Captain America #286

 

Page 1

• Contents

• Masthead 

• Indicia 

Pages 2 – 5

• Marvel Comics Coming Attactions (no writing credits) 

Comics on sale July 5, 1983 - July 26, 1983

    Summaries of: 

    • The Thing #5

    • Dazzler #29

    • The Falcon #1    

    • The New Mutants #9

    • Daredevil #200

    • King Conan #19

    • Moon Knight Special Edition #1

    • Spider-Man #246

    • Captain America #287

    • Indiana Jones #11

    • Hawkeye #3

    • Return of the Jedi #2

    • Crystar #4

    • Moon Knight #34 (Direct only)

    • Illyana & Storm #2

    • Thor #337

    • Micronauts #55 (Direct only) 

    • Kull #4

    • Iron Man Annual #6

    • Incredible Hulk #289

    • Avengers #237

    • Conan the Barbarian #152

    • Marvel Tales #157

    • Rom #48

    • Power Man/Iron Fist #99

    • G.I. Joe #17

    • Cloak & Dagger #2 

    • Marvel Tails #1

    • X-Men #175

    • Fantastic Four #260

    • Marvel Team-Up #135

    • Iron Man #176

    • Peter Parker #84 (sic...still)

    • Defenders #125

    • Star Wars #77

    • Krull #1

    • Alpha Flight #4 ("A John Byrne production")

    • Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #11

    • Thor Annual #11

    • Epic Illustrated #20

    • Dreadstar #6 (Direct only) 

    • Savage Sword of Conan #93

    • Marvel Fanfare #11

    • Blip #8 (pretty sure this did not publish)

    • Marvel Age #8

Page 5

• Less than one-third page ad for retailers to be listed in the Marvel Comics Super Mart 

• Disclaimer in tiny type: "While we never knowingly print inaccurate information in these pages, Marvel Comics reserves the right to make any changes that become necessary. We're sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. -- The Bullpen"  

Page 6

• Newswatch

    Items on:

    • Starting with issue #7, Marvel Age will run 32 pages per issue, with a focus on how to draw comics, how to submit your samples, and how to break into the business. This is due to the large amount of mail on these topics received by Jim Shooter's office. 

    • Marvel Animation has started creating a series of animated TV ads for the monthly G.I. Joe comics. This seems to have gone on for some time -- you can see the add for issue #14 here. 

    • Marvel editors are traveling to comics conventions this year

    • From the pages of the Avengers, the "Kree-Skrull War" storyline will be reprinted in a two-issue miniseries. 

Pages 7-8

• Article: "An Interview with Klaus Janson," by Mark Lerer and Steve Ringgenberg

Pages 9-10

• Article: "The Future of Daredevil," by Mark Lerer and Pat O'Neill

Pages 11-12

• Article: "A New Look at Marvel Comics," by Mark Lerer

Pages 13-15

• Article: "The Making of Hobgoblin," by Steve Ringgenberg

Pages 16

    • Untitled letters page - includes a note that Marvel Age will be expanding to 32 pages monthly with issue #7. 

Inside back cover: 

    • Ad for What If #40

Back cover 

    • Ad for the Hawkeye miniseries with art by Mark Gruenwald.