''Marvel Fanfare'' was an anthology

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

series published by American company

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

. It was a

showcase Showcase or vitrine may refer to: *Cabinet (furniture) *Display case Music * ''Showcase'' (Bill Anderson album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Patsy Cline album), 1961 * ''Showcase'' (Buddy Holly album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Philly Joe Jones album), 1959 ...

title featuring a variety of characters from the Marvel universe.

Volume one

''Marvel Fanfare'' featured characters and settings from throughout the Marvel Universe, and included stories of varying lengths by a vast array of different creators. The title was published every two months and ran for 60 issues, cover dated from March 1982 to December 1991. It was edited throughout its run by

Al Milgrom Allen L. Milgrom (born March 6, 1950) is an American comic book writer, penciller, inker and editor, primarily for Marvel Comics. He is known for his 10-year run as editor of ''Marvel Fanfare''; his long involvement as writer, penciler, and inker ...

, who also wrote and drew an illustrated column in most issues, entitled "Editori-Al". ''Marvel Fanfare''s original working title was ''Marvel Universe'', which was later appropriated by Marvel editor-in-chief

Jim Shooter James Shooter (born September 27, 1951) is an American writer, editor and publisher for various comic books. He started professionally in the medium at the age of 14, and he is most notable for his successful and controversial run as Marvel Comic ...

for the encyclopedia series ''

The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe The ''Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe'' is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications. The original 15-volume series was published in comic book format in 1982, followed by sporadic u ...

''. The series began with a Spider-Man/

Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...

team-up story by Chris Claremont and Michael Golden. Other Spider-Man appearances in the title included team-ups with the

Scarlet Witch Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. Her first appearance was in ''The X-Men'' #4 (March 1964 ...

in issue #6 (Jan. 1983) and the Hulk in issue #47 (Nov. 1989). Several characters appeared in multiple issues including Doctor Strange,

Weirdworld ''Weirdworld'' was a fantasy series created by Doug Moench and Mike Ploog for American company Marvel Comics, set in a dimension of magic. A comic book series titled ''Weirdworld'' debuted in 2015 as a tie-in to the ''Secret Wars'' storyline, fol ...

, the

Warriors Three The Warriors Three are a group of fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters served as supporting cast members in ''Thor''. The Warriors Three are the Asgardians Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg ...

, the

Black Knight The black knight is a literary stock character who masks his identity and that of his liege by not displaying heraldry. Black knights are usually portrayed as villainous figures who use this anonymity for misdeeds. They are often contrasted with t ...

, and Shanna the She-Devil. Writer Roger McKenzie wrote several stories for ''Marvel Fanfare'' including a two-part Iron Man vs.

Doctor Octopus Doctor Octopus (Dr. Otto Gunther Octavius), also known as Doc Ock for short, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appeared in ''Th ...

tale drawn by

Ken Steacy Ken Steacy (born January 8, 1955) is a Canadian comics artist and writer best known for his work on the NOW Comics comic book series of ''Astro Boy'' and of the Comico comic series of '' Jonny Quest'', as well as his graphic novel collaborations ...

. A Captain America backup story in issue #29 (Nov. 1986) featured early work by artist

Norm Breyfogle Norman Keith Breyfogle (; February 27, 1960 – September 24, 2018) was an American artist, best known for his comic book art on DC Comics' Batman franchise from 1987 to 1995. During this time, he co-created the villains Ventriloquist and Ratca ...

. ''Marvel Fanfare'' was envisioned as a showcase of the comics industry's best talent. Each issue featured 36 pages of material with no advertisements and it was printed on magazine-style slick paper. It was more than twice as expensive as standard comic books ($1.25 in 1982 when most titles were 60 cents and $2.25 in 1991 when most were $1). Editor Milgrom wrote of his experience with the series: Inventory stories which saw publication in ''Marvel Fanfare'' include a comics adaptation of ''

The Jungle Book ''The Jungle Book'' (1894) is a collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, w ...

'' in issues #8–11, the Black Widow serial in #10–13, the Hulk story in #29, and the

Silver Surfer The Silver Surfer is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character also appears in a number of movies, television, and video game adaptations. The character was created by Jack Kirby and first a ...

story by

Steve Englehart Steve Englehart (; born April 22, 1947) is an American writer of comic books and novels. He is best known for his work at Marvel Comics and DC Comics in the 1970s and 1980s. His pseudonyms have included John Harkness and Cliff Garnett. Early lif ...

and John Buscema in #51.

Stories in Volume 1

Volume two

''Marvel Fanfare'' volume two was published monthly for six issues, dated September 1996 to February 1997. This version of the title was edited by

James Felder James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

. Like the first volume, the title featured different creative teams in each issue and starred different characters from around the Marvel universe. However, the talent were mostly newcomers, the paper was cheap and it cost half the price of most other comics (99 cents when most comics cost $1.95). The title features the early work of writer Joe Kelly and penciller

Scott Kolins Scott Kolins is an American illustrator, writer, and creator of multiple different superhero and science fiction comic books. His main credits are as a penciler but he is an established inker as well as colorist and has some credits as a writer. ...

Stories in Volume 2

Collected editions

* ''

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in 1970 due to lo ...

: In the

Savage Land The Savage Land is a hidden prehistoric land appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is a tropical preserve hidden in Antarctica. It has appeared in many story arcs in ''Uncanny X-Men'' as well as other related books. ...

'' collects ''Marvel Fanfare'' #1–4, 96 pages, June 1988, * ''Marvel Fanfare: Strange Tales'' collects ''Marvel Fanfare'' #1–7, 244 pages, April 2008, * ''

'' includes material from ''Marvel Fanfare'' #8–11, 64 pages, April 2007 * '' Black Widow: Web of Intrigue'' collects ''Marvel Fanfare'' #10–13, 176 pages, April 2010, * ''Thor: The

'' collects Warriors Three stories from ''Marvel Fanfare'' #13 and #34–37, 136 pages, September 2010, * '' Doctor Strange & Doctor Doom: Triumph & Torment'' includes

Namor the Sub-Mariner Namor (), also known as the Sub-Mariner, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in early 1939, the character was created by writer-artist Bill Everett for comic book packager Funnies Inc ...

stories from ''Marvel Fanfare'' #16 and #43, 160 pages, 2013, * '' Cloak & Dagger: Crime and Punishment'' includes ''Marvel Fanfare'' #19, 264 pages, June 2012, * ''

'' includes ''Marvel Fanfare'' #24–26, 312 pages, April 2015, * ''

The Incredible Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book a ...

Visionaries — John Byrne'' includes the Hulk story from ''Marvel Fanfare'' #29, 208 pages, June 2008, * '' Essential Moon Knight'' vol. 3 includes Moon Knight stories from ''Marvel Fanfare'' #30 and 38–39, 528 pages, November 2009, * ''Essential Silver Surfer'' vol. 2 includes ''Marvel Fanfare'' #51, 600 pages, June 2007, * ''Women of Marvel: Celebrating Seven Decades'' includes Hellcat story from ''Marvel Fanfare'' #59, 1,160 pages, January 2011, * ''Uncanny X-Men Omnibus Volume 2'' includes the

story from ''Marvel Fanfare'' #1–4, 912 pages, April 2014,

References

External links

* * {{Jim Starlin 1982 comics debuts 1991 comics endings 1996 comics debuts 1997 comics endings Comics anthologies Comics by Chris Claremont Comics by Doug Moench Comics by George Pérez Comics by Jim Starlin Comics by John Byrne (comics) Comics by Marv Wolfman Comics by Steve Englehart Defunct American comics Marvel Comics titles