Marvelmania Monthly Magazine #2
Marvelmania Monthly Magazine #2 (October 1970) holds a distinct place in Marvel history as the first print venue to preview Barry Windsor-Smith's cover art for Conan the Barbarian #1 — appearing in black and white in the very same month the debut issue hit stands — giving subscribers an advance look at what would become one of the defining sword-and-sorcery series of the Bronze Age. Roy Thomas's 'Roy's Rostrum' column in this issue also gave readers their first formal editorial discussion of the forthcoming Conan series, framing the ambitions behind Marvel's leap into licensed fantasy. Simultaneously, the back cover reprinted the cover of Amazing Fantasy #15 — specifically described by Key Collector Comics as the rejected Steve Ditko cover art that was later published as a variant of The Amazing Spider-Man #700 — making this issue a rare document that bridges Spider-Man's origin moment and the dawn of Conan at Marvel in a single package.
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Marvelmania International was an independently operated, California-based fan club that had been licensed by Marvel to absorb the Merry Marvel Marching Society beginning in 1969, with publisher Don Wallace and editor Mark Evanier — a fanzine veteran still in his teens — overseeing the magazine through issue #3. The magazine was copyrighted by Dimensional Industries, Inc., with issues #2–6 noting that Marvelmania was 'a division of' that corporation, placing it at arm's length from Marvel proper. Issue #2 arrived as the club's enterprise was at its operational height, distributed to subscribers and bundled with membership kits, though the organization would collapse by the end of 1971 amid widespread unfulfilled orders.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published October 1970 by Marvelmania International; the magazine ran its covers under the title Marvelmania Magazine while the copyright indicia used Marvelmania Monthly Magazine.
- Front cover art is by Barry Windsor-Smith (then credited as Barry Smith) — the same artwork used for the cover of Conan the Barbarian #1, published that same month, here printed in black and white without inker John Verpoorten's signature.
- Roy Thomas's ongoing 'Roy's Rostrum' column in this issue discusses the upcoming Conan the Barbarian comic book series, making it a primary-source record of the editorial thinking behind Marvel's landmark sword-and-sorcery launch.
- The back cover reproduces the cover of Amazing Fantasy #15 — described by Key Collector Comics as the rejected Steve Ditko cover art for Spider-Man's first appearance, an image later published as a variant of The Amazing Spider-Man #700.
- Issue contents include a feature titled 'The Amazing Spider-Man Visits Citrus College,' a profile of artist Mike Royer, a four-page advertisement insert for a Jack Kirby portfolio, and 'The Coming of the Avengers' Part 3 by Tony Isabella.
- Mark Evanier served as editor of this issue; he edited the magazine through issue #3 before departing Marvelmania International.
- The magazine was produced as a black-and-white, 8.5 × 11-inch, 32-page publication — a fanzine-style format rather than a standard comic book.
- Conan the Barbarian #1 and Marvelmania Monthly Magazine #2 share the same October 1970 cover date, making this issue a rare same-month companion piece to one of Marvel's most significant Bronze Age debuts.