Marvel Age #50
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeMarvel Age #50 marks a genuine editorial milestone: the halfway point (in round numbers) of a series that functioned as Marvel's primary public-facing communication channel throughout the Copper Age. As the 50th issue of what the masthead called 'The Official Marvel News Magazine,' it served as Marvel's direct line to readers at a moment when the New Universe initiative was still being tested and the publisher was actively cultivating the next generation of talent through programs like the Try-Out Book contest. The series as a whole holds a special place in comics history for debuting concepts — including early previews of Spider-Man's symbiote costume — before they reached regular continuity, and issue #50 sits squarely in that tradition. It also represents a snapshot of the Jim Shooter editorial era at its most organized promotional peak, just before major internal upheaval would reshape the company.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
Marvel Age launched in 1983 as a promotional, comic-book-sized expansion of the beloved Bullpen Bulletins pages that had long run as filler in Marvel's regular titles. By issue #50, the series was a well-oiled machine edited under Jim Salicrup with Jim Shooter holding the Editor-in-Chief credit; it ran rotating departments including 'Coming Attractions,' 'News Watch,' and 'Behind the Line,' alongside Fred Hembeck's recurring humor strip. The 50th issue was produced and released on February 10, 1987, carrying a May 1987 cover date, and was promoted as a special milestone number — Amazon's listing identifies it specifically as the 'Special 50th Issue.' The writing roster for this issue, which included early Marvel assignments for both Len Kaminski and Kurt Busiek, reflects the series' documented function as a training ground for writers who would later become significant figures at the publisher.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Released February 10, 1987 with a May 1987 cover date; designated by Marvel as a 'Special 50th Issue' milestone number.
- Cover art by Rod Whigham and Bob McLeod — McLeod being best known as co-creator of The New Mutants with Chris Claremont.
- Edited by Jim Salicrup under Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter, consistent with the editorial structure of Marvel Age throughout its run.
- Writing contributors include Len Kaminski and Kurt Busiek, both in early Marvel career roles; Wikipedia notes the series is 'notable for early work by Marvel writers such as Peter David and Kurt Busiek.'
- Features an article on the New Universe — Marvel's then-ongoing line of titles launched in 1986 as a separate shared universe — placing the issue in the middle of that initiative's first year.
- Includes a report on the Official Marvel Comics Try-Out Book contest winners visiting Marvel's offices, functioning as a behind-the-scenes look at the publisher's talent-scouting efforts.
- Also contains a Fred Hembeck humor strip and contributions from Kyle Baker, both regulars in the magazine's recurring features, as well as a Stan Lee column and a 'Coming Attractions' release schedule section.
- Part of a series that ran 140 issues plus four annuals, two preview issues, and two specials from 1983 to 1994, functioning throughout as Marvel's principal promotional and news vehicle.
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Reprinted in House of Hem #[nn] (2015), Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man #23 (2021)
Key issues in Marvel Age
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