Marvel Fanfare #12

History

The lead story — 'The Web Tightens!' — is the third chapter of a four-part Black Widow serial running through Marvel Fanfare #10–13, written by Ralph Macchio with George Pérez as co-plotter and penciller and Al Milgrom on inks; Milgrom also served as the series' editor throughout its entire sixty-issue, ten-year run. Marvel Fanfare was conceived by Milgrom as a premium showcase — printed on magazine-style slick paper with no advertisements and a bonus payment rate for creators — and Wikipedia's sourced editor commentary confirms that the Black Widow arc was among the inventory-story serials that found a home in the title. Alongside the main story, the issue contains a whimsical backup strip, 'Marvel Annfare,' scripted by Roger Stern from a story idea by Ann Nocenti, in which Stern himself is depicted scrambling for editorial help, and five single-page pin-ups (signed 1983) featuring characters including Thor, Silver Surfer, and Storm.

Trivia · 8 facts

• First appearance of Snapdragon (Sheoke Sanada), a mercenary assassin hired by villain Damon Dran to capture the Black Widow; she later became a recurring antagonist in Captain America and a member of Superia's Femizons.
• First cover appearance of Iron Maiden (Melina Vostokoff), whose interior debut was in Marvel Fanfare #11; both characters were created by writer Ralph Macchio and artist George Pérez.
• The lead story, 'The Web Tightens!', is Part 3 of a four-part Black Widow serial (Marvel Fanfare #10–13) scripted by Ralph Macchio, co-plotted and pencilled by George Pérez, and inked by editor Al Milgrom.
• The action is set in Hong Kong, where Black Widow and S.H.I.E.L.D. agent James Woo pursue Iron Maiden into the sewers and are ambushed by Snapdragon.
• A humor backup, 'Marvel Annfare,' was scripted by Roger Stern from an idea by Ann Nocenti and features fictionalized versions of Stern, Nocenti, Captain America, and Bill Mantlo set in the Marvel offices; the strip's in-universe status is flagged as ambiguous in Marvel's own database.
• The issue includes five full-page pin-ups (each signed 1983) of characters including Thor, Silver Surfer, Storm, and others — the Thor and Silver Surfer pin-ups have since been reprinted in separate Marvel Masterworks and omnibus volumes.
• The Black Widow serial from issues #10–13 (including this issue) has been reprinted multiple times: in the 1999 one-shot Black Widow: Web of Intrigue, a 2010 reprint edition, a 2016 paperback, The Black Widow Strikes Omnibus (2019), and the Black Widow Epic Collection: The Coldest War (2020).
• Iron Maiden's MCU counterpart, portrayed by Rachel Weisz in Black Widow (2021), draws from the same Soviet-spy rivalry established in this story arc, bringing renewed attention to these early Macchio/Pérez issues.

Cast · 40 characters

Full credits

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