Pizzazz #15

History

Pizzazz was conceived as Marvel's answer to Dynamite, the popular Scholastic youth-culture magazine, and launched in October 1977 with regional distribution before eventually going national. The 'Kingdom of Ice' serial running through #15 was scripted by Archie Goodwin with art by Dave Cockrum and inker John Tartaglione, with coloring credited to Marie Severin — a roster of Bronze Age A-listers assembled to serve a Star Wars license Marvel was actively exploiting across multiple formats. The magazine's editorial formula mixed serialized comics with pop-culture articles, reader puzzles, and reprinted Harvey Kurtzman 'Hey Look!' strips from the 1940s Timely Comics era, giving each issue an unusual cross-generational texture unusual for a publication aimed at children. Pizzazz was canceled after issue #16 (January 1979), leaving the 'Kingdom of Ice' story unfinished in the US; Marvel UK completed and printed the conclusion in Star Wars Weekly #60.

Trivia · 8 facts

• Cover date: December 1978; published by Marvel Comics as issue #15 of a 16-issue run (1977–1979).
• The Star Wars comic segment in this issue — 'The Ice Worm Cometh!' — is the sixth installment of the second Pizzazz Star Wars serial, 'The Kingdom of Ice,' written by Archie Goodwin with pencils by Dave Cockrum, inks by John Tartaglione, and colors by Marie Severin.
• The plot follows Luke Skywalker, R2-D2, C-3PO, and companions Odan and Fafnir as they tunnel through ice-worm burrows in pursuit of Imperials who have kidnapped Princess Leia.
• The entire 'Kingdom of Ice' arc was part of the broader Pizzazz Star Wars serial — recognized as among the first original (non-film-adaptation) Star Wars comics stories ever published, preceding the original stories in Marvel's main Star Wars title.
• The issue also contains a Tarzan adventure by John Buscema and a behind-the-scenes feature on the television series The Man from Atlantis, alongside puzzles, games, and pop-culture content.
• The 'Kingdom of Ice' arc running through this issue was reprinted in the UK in Star Wars Weekly #57–60 (1979); because Pizzazz was canceled after #16, the arc's conclusion was only completed and published in Star Wars Weekly #60.
• The Star Wars content from this issue was later collected in Star Wars: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus Vol. 3 and Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Original Marvel Years Vol. 1.
• Pizzazz was structured as a full-color, 56-page (some issues 48-page) youth magazine and carried recurring features including reprinted Harvey Kurtzman 'Hey Look!' strips from the Timely Comics era of the 1940s alongside original editorial content.

Full credits

Key issues in Pizzazz

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#14 1st appearance — Martha Washington