Marvel Spotlight

Last updated
Marvel Spotlight
Marvel Spotlight 1971 01 cover.jpg
Marvel Spotlight #1 (November 1971) featuring Red Wolf. Cover art by Neal Adams.
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
Format Anthology
Genre
Publication dateVolume 1
November 1971 – April 1977
Volume 2
July 1979 – March 1981
No. of issuesVolume 1 33
Volume 2 11
Creative team
Written by Gardner Fox, Gary Friedrich, Archie Goodwin, Marv Wolfman
Penciller(s) Sal Buscema, Steve Ditko, Mike Ploog, Syd Shores

Marvel Spotlight is a comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics as a try-out book. It stood out from Marvel's other try-out books in that most of the featured characters made their first appearance in the series. [1] The series originally ran for 33 issues from November 1971 to April 1977. [2] A second volume ran for 11 issues from July 1979 to March 1981. [3]

Contents

Publication history

Marvel Spotlight was one of three tryout books proposed by Stan Lee after he transitioned from being Marvel Comics' writer and editor to its president and publisher, the others being Marvel Feature and Marvel Premiere . [4] The advantage of such tryout books was that they allowed the publisher to assess a feature's popularity without the marketing investment required to launch a new series, and without the blow to the publisher's image with readers if the new series immediately failed. [4]

The series began with a Red Wolf story. [5] Editor Roy Thomas explained: "Stan [Lee] and I decided it'd be a good idea to have a book with an American Indian hero. ... Stan didn't want it as a modern-day character. I guess he was trying to see if he could find a way to get a Western to sell, because everybody in the field wanted to write or draw a Western". [1] Following this successful try-out, Red Wolf was given his own series, as were Werewolf by Night, [6] Ghost Rider, [7] the Son of Satan, [8] and Spider-Woman. [9]

In addition to launching new series, Marvel Spotlight hosted some significant stories with established characters. Issue #31 provided a retroactive explanation for why Nick Fury (inextricably associated with World War II due to his starring role in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos ) remained so youthful, in the form of an experimental longevity serum. [1] After a run of nearly six years, the series ended with Marvel Spotlight #33 (April 1977).

The series was revived in 1979, initially as simply a place to publish inventory stories from the recently cancelled Captain Marvel . [1] However, once these leftover tales were exhausted, the series went on to feature other characters. Tako Shamara first appeared in Marvel Spotlight vol. 2 #5 (March 1980), in a story by Marv Wolfman and Steve Ditko. In his first appearance the character battled a huge dragon from the past called a Wani, a monster that destroyed his ancestors' villages in 1582. [10] The creature that Tako battled was intended to be Godzilla but since Marvel no longer had the rights to the character, which lapsed the previous year, the creature was modified to a dragon called The Wani. [11] Issue #8 featured the final Captain Marvel solo story before the character's death. [1]

The second volume was cancelled after just 11 issues. In contrast to the original series, only one issue (#5) featured a new character, and none of them led to the featured character getting their own series. Jim Salicrup, who edited and/or did cover copy on most of the second volume, said that he was excited about reviving Marvel Spotlight, but that "it was probably a mistake to launch a new title with material from a recently canceled comic. I suspect that as an editor, I was hoping to give Captain Marvel another chance, but sometimes it's better to let things go. As a result, for the most part, the series seemed to exist just to burn off existing inventory". [1]

In December 2005, the Marvel Spotlight title was used for a series of comic book–sized magazines, usually featuring profiles of and interviews with Marvel creators (one writer and one artist each issue), or spotlighting special Marvel projects such as Stephen King's The Dark Tower .

Issues

Volume 1 (November 1971 – April 1977)

IssueFeaturingCollected In
#1 Red Wolf [5] (moved to own title)
#2–4 Werewolf by Night [6] (moved to own title)Werewolf by Night Omnibus; Werewolf by Night Complete Collection Vol 1; Marvel Masterworks Werewolf by Night Vol. 1
#5–11 Ghost Rider [7] (moved to own title)Ghost Rider Epic Collection Vol 1; Marvel Masterworks Ghost Rider Vol. 1
#12–23 Son of Satan [8] (moved to own title)
#24Marvel Horror Lives Again! Omnibus
#25 Sinbad
#26 Scarecrow Marvel Horror Omnibus
#27 Sub-Mariner Marvel Masterworks The Sub-Mariner Vol. 8
#28–29 Moon Knight Moon Knight Omnibus; Moon Knight Epic Collection Vol 1
#30 Warriors Three Thor: The Warriors Three; Thor Epic Collection Vol 8; Marvel Masterworks The Mighty Thor Vol. 15
#31 Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Marvel Masterworks Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Vol. 3; S.H.I.E.L.D.: The Complete Collection Omnibus
#32 Spider-Woman [9] (moved to own title)Marvel Masterworks
#33 Deathlok and Devil-Slayer Deathlok the Demolisher Complete Collection; Marvel Masterworks Deathlok Vol. 1

Volume 2 (July 1979 – March 1981)

IssueFeaturingCollected In
#1–2 Captain Marvel Marvel Premiere: The Death of Captain Marvel; Marvel Masterworks Captain Marvel Vol. 6; Guardians of the Galaxy Solo Classic Omnibus
#3–4Marvel Masterworks Captain Marvel Vol. 6
#5 Dragon Lord
#6–7 Star-Lord (origin)Guardians of the Galaxy Solo Classic Omnibus
#8Captain MarvelMarvel Universe by Frank Miller Omnibus
#9–11 Captain Universe Captain Universe: Power Unimaginable

Collected editions

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The Amazing Spider-Man</i> Comic book series

The Amazing Spider-Man is an ongoing American superhero comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its title character and main protagonist. Being in the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it was the character's first title, launching seven months after his introduction in the final issue of Amazing Fantasy. The series began publication with a March 1963 cover date and has been published nearly continuously to date over six volumes with only one significant interruption. Issues of the title currently feature an issue number within its sixth volume, as well as a "legacy" number reflecting the issue's overall number across all Amazing Spider-Man volumes. The title reached 900 issues in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fantastic Four</span> Comic book superhero team

The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in The Fantastic Four #1, helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first superhero team created by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and editor/co-scripter Stan Lee, and through this title that the "Marvel method" style of production came into prominence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spider-Man</span> Marvel Comics superhero

Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book Amazing Fantasy #15 in the Silver Age of Comic Books. He has been featured in comic books, television shows, films, video games, novels, and plays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Ditko</span> American comics artist (1927–2018)

Stephen John Ditko was an American comics artist and writer best known for being the co-creator of Marvel superhero Spider-Man and creator of Doctor Strange. He also made notable contributions to the character of Iron Man, revolutionizing the character's red and yellow design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marv Wolfman</span> American comic book writer

Marvin Arthur Wolfman is an American comic book and novelization writer. He worked on Marvel Comics's The Tomb of Dracula, for which he and artist Gene Colan created the vampire-slayer Blade, and DC Comics's The New Teen Titans and the Crisis on Infinite Earths limited series with George Pérez.

<i>The Tomb of Dracula</i> American comic book series by Marvel Comics

The Tomb of Dracula is an American horror comic book series published by Marvel Comics from April 1972 to August 1979. The 70-issue series featured a group of vampire hunters who fought Count Dracula and other supernatural menaces. On rare occasions, Dracula would work with these vampire hunters against a common threat or battle other supernatural threats on his own, but more often than not, he was the antagonist rather than protagonist. In addition to his supernatural battles in this series, Marvel's Dracula often served as a supervillain to other characters in the Marvel Universe, battling the likes of Blade the Vampire Slayer, Spider-Man, the Werewolf, the X-Men, Howard the Duck, and the licensed Robert E. Howard character Solomon Kane.

Keith Pollard is an American comic book artist. Originally from the Detroit area, Pollard is best known for his simultaneous work on the Marvel Comics titles The Amazing Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, and Thor in the late 1970s–early 1980s.

<i>Tales to Astonish</i> Science-fiction and superhero comic book series

Tales to Astonish is the name of two American comic book series, and a one-shot comic, all published by Marvel Comics.

Strange Tales is a Marvel Comics anthology series. The title was revived in different forms on multiple occasions. Doctor Strange and Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. made their debuts in Strange Tales. It was a showcase for the science fiction/suspense stories of artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, and for the groundbreaking work of writer-artist Jim Steranko. Two previous, unrelated magazines also bore that title.

Amazing Adventures is the name of several anthology comic book series, all but one published by Marvel Comics.

Douglas Moench is an American comic book writer notable for his Batman work and as the creator of Moon Knight, Deathlok, Black Mask, Harvey Bullock, Electric Warrior, and Six from Sirius. He is also known for his critically acclaimed eight-year run on Master of Kung Fu.

<i>Marvel Two-in-One</i>

Marvel Two-in-One is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics featuring Fantastic Four member the Thing in a different team-up each issue.

<i>Marvel Team-Up</i> Marvel Comics team-up series

Marvel Team-Up is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series featured two or more Marvel characters in one story. The series was originally published from March 1972 through February 1985, and featured Spider-Man as the lead "team-up" character in all but ten of its 150 issues, and in six of its seven Annuals. It was the first major ongoing spin-off series for Spider-Man, being preceded only by the short-lived The Spectacular Spider-Man magazine. Of the issues that did not star Spider-Man, the Human Torch headlines six issues ; the Hulk, four ; and Aunt May, one (#137). Publication of most of the issues starring the Human Torch coincided with that of Giant-Size Spider-Man, an alternate Spider-Man "team-up"-themed series by the regular Marvel Team-Up creative team. When cancelled with #150 in 1985, the title was replaced by Web of Spider-Man.

<i>Marvel Premiere</i> American comic book anthology series

Marvel Premiere is an American comic book anthology series that was published by Marvel Comics. In concept it was a tryout book, intended to determine if a character or concept could attract enough readers to justify launching their own series, though in its later years it was also often used as a dumping ground for stories which could not be published elsewhere. It ran for 61 issues from April 1972 to August 1981. Contrary to the title, the majority of the characters and concepts featured in Marvel Premiere had previously appeared in other comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gene Colan</span> American comic artist (1926–2011)

Eugene Jules Colan was an American comic book artist best known for his work for Marvel Comics, where his signature titles include the superhero series Daredevil, the cult-hit satiric series Howard the Duck, and The Tomb of Dracula, considered one of comics' classic horror series. He co-created the Falcon, the first African-American superhero in mainstream comics; Carol Danvers, who would become Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel; and the non-costumed, supernatural vampire hunter Blade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Werewolf by Night</span> Comics character

The Werewolf by Night is the name of two werewolves appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first incarnation of Werewolf by Night, Jack Russell, first appeared in Marvel Spotlight #2. The second incarnation, Jake Gomez, first appeared in Werewolf by Night #1.

Dragon Lord is the name of several unrelated fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

<i>Daredevil</i> (Marvel Comics series) Multiple comic book series

Daredevil is the name of several comic book titles featuring the character Daredevil and published by Marvel Comics, beginning with the original Daredevil comic book series which debuted in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">If This Be My Destiny...!</span> Story arc featuring Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man

"If This Be My Destiny...!" is a story arc featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man. It spans the issues The Amazing Spider-Man #31–33 (1965-1966), and was written by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the latter of whom also did the art. The story introduces supporting characters Harry Osborn and Gwen Stacy, Spider-Man's nemesis Doctor Octopus temporarily assuming the Master Planner alias, and Spider-Man being pinned under heavy machinery, which he lifts after gathering enough will power through thoughts of his family.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Buttery, Jarrod (April 2014). "Ready for the Spotlight". Back Issue! . Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing (71): 6–13.
  2. ↑ Marvel Spotlight at the Grand Comics Database
  3. ↑ Marvel Spotlight vol. 2 at the Grand Comics Database
  4. 1 2 Cassell, Dewey (April 2014). "Marvel Feature". Back Issue! . Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing (71): 14–18.
  5. 1 2 Sanderson, Peter; Gilbert, Laura, ed. (2008). "1970s". Marvel Chronicle A Year by Year History. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 150. ISBN   978-0756641238. Writer Gardner Fox and artist Syd Shores created the Red Wolf of the nineteenth-century American West in this new series.{{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. 1 2 Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 154: "With the changes to the Comics Code in place, Roy Thomas came up with the idea for a series called 'I, Werewolf'...Stan Lee liked the concept but decided to rename it 'Werewolf by Night'".
  7. 1 2 Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 156: "Co-created by editor Roy Thomas, writer Gary Friedrich, and artist Mike Ploog, the new Ghost Rider was Johnny Blaze, a motorcycle stunt performer".
  8. 1 2 Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 160: "Stan Lee suggested doing a series called Mark of Satan, and Roy Thomas amended the idea to 'The Son of Satan'".
  9. 1 2 Manning, Matthew K.; Gilbert, Laura, ed. (2012). "1970s". Spider-Man Chronicle Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 92. ISBN   978-0756692360. Spider-Man's female counterpart debuted in this story written by Archie Goodwin and penciled by Sal Buscema.{{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ DeFalco, Tom "1980s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 197: "Tako Shamara became the Dragon Lord in Marvel Spotlight #5 by writer/editor Marv Wolfman and artist Steve Ditko".
  11. ↑ Cronin, Brian (December 24, 2009). "Comic Book Legends Revealed #239". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on July 31, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2013. The Godzilla fill-in by Marv Wolfman and Steve Ditko, ended up appearing in the pages of the re-launched Marvel Spotlight in 1980 as Dragon Lord, about a fellow who can control dragons.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.