Marvel Age #48

Name: Marvel Age #48
Brand: Marvel
Availability: InStock

Mar 1987 · Marvel · 0.50 USD

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“The 1st F.F. X-Men Battle!!”

★ 1st appearance — Gomi★ 1st appearance — Ariel

About this Issue

Marvel Age #48 served as the official 'New Universe Part II' promotional feature in Marvel's own house magazine, giving readers their first curated behind-the-scenes look at the design and creative thinking behind Nightmask and Mark Hazzard: Merc — two of the eight titles that formed Marvel's first pre-conceived shared universe. Because Marvel Age reached newsstands at a fraction of the price of a regular Marvel comic, it functioned as a wide-net recruitment tool for the New Universe experiment at a moment when the line desperately needed audience buy-in. The issue is a direct primary document of Marvel's ambitious — and ultimately troubled — attempt to build a grounded, realistic alternative universe from scratch for its 25th anniversary. For historians of the Copper Age, it captures the editorial voice and promotional apparatus around the New Universe almost in real time.

writer, artist, inker Fred Hembeck · cover Kerry Gammill

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CGC 9.2 · 2 in census $21*

CGC 9.0 · 1 in census $20*

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History

Marvel Age was a comic-book-format promotional magazine launched by Marvel in 1983 and edited, at the time of this issue, by Jim Salicrup; it combined previews of upcoming titles, creator interviews, and inside-baseball features at a below-standard cover price designed to pull in casual readers. Issue #48 was the second installment in a multi-part Marvel Age series dedicated to the New Universe, following Part I in #47 and continuing in #50, a sequencing confirmed across multiple New Universe bibliographic sources. Archie Goodwin — who conceived four of the eight New Universe launch titles, including both Nightmask and Mark Hazzard: Merc — contributed original art to this issue's design showcase, while Rick Leonardi's Nightmask costume exploration and Walt Simonson's Psi-Hawk headshots were also published here, making the issue a rare collaborative design gallery featuring some of the most respected artists of the era.

Trivia · 8 facts

Marvel Age #48 carries a March 1987 cover date and was released to newsstands on December 9, 1986.
The issue's main editorial feature is titled 'New Universe Part II,' edited by Jim Salicrup — the second installment in a multi-part Marvel Age series spotlighting the New Universe line (Part I was #47; Part III appeared in #50).
The issue contains three pages of Nightmask costume design sketches by Rick Leonardi, offering readers an unprecedented look at early character development for Keith Remsen / Nightmask.
Archie Goodwin contributed a one-page illustration detailing Mark Hazzard's weapons loadout and where he carries them — a production design piece that contextualized the mercenary's gritty, grounded aesthetic.
A page of Psi-Hawk character headshots by Walt Simonson was also published in this issue as part of the same New Universe design showcase.
Nightmask (Keith Remsen) — one of the characters featured — was created by Archie Goodwin with artist Tony Salmons and first appeared in Nightmask #1 (November 1986), published under Marvel's New Universe imprint; Remsen is a teenager who awakens from a coma during the White Event with the power to enter others' dreams.
Mark Hazzard: Merc was also created by Archie Goodwin and launched with writer Peter David and artist Gray Morrow in Mark Hazzard: Merc #1 (November 1986); the series ran for 12 issues before being cancelled at the end of the New Universe's first year.
Both Nightmask and Mark Hazzard: Merc were among the four New Universe titles cancelled after year one (along with Kickers, Inc. and Codename: Spitfire), a contraction driven by flagging sales and the departure of Jim Shooter from Marvel in 1987.