Assistant Editor's Month 1984

Synopsis

Assistant Editor's Month is a one-off event that happened at Marvel Comics wherein the editors of Marvel Comics surrendered full creative control over to their assistants, the end result usually resulting in something humorous or offbeat. The genesis of the Assistant Editor's Month was that all the regular Marvel editors were off at the 1983 San Diego Comic-Con, giving the assistant editors free rein over all of Marvel's titles that month. All these issues had the cover date January 1984.

Checklist[]

Issues[]

Issue	Assistant Editor	Notes
Alpha Flight #6	Linda Grant	Used white panels on cover and fighting scenes.
Amazing Spider-Man #248	Bob DeNatale	The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man!
Avengers #239	Mike Carlin	The team made an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman and saves the show from an attack by Fabian Stankowicz, who was jealous of the Avengers notoriety. The issues cover also featured a parody of old DC Comic books from the 1960s, including a check board pattern along the top and the Marvel Comics logo redesigned in a parody of the old DC Comics emblem of that era.
Captain America #289	Mike Carlin	Involved a back-up story, where Captain America is captured by an amalgamation of M.O.D.O.K. and the Red Skull (Moskull) and had to be rescued by Bernie America (really Cap's girlfriend Bernie Rosenthal). The issue's cover is also a parody of old DC Comic books from the 1960s, including a checkerboard pattern along the top and the Marvel Comics logo redesigned in a parody of the old DC Comics emblem of that era.
Conan the Barbarian #154	Jim Owsley	Features a story where Conan's body is drastically altered in the middle of a daring quest. This issue features a cover in parody of DC Comics old cover style. The title name 'The Man-Bats of Ur-Xanarrh!' is also in parody of DC Comics 'Batman of Zur-En-Arrh'.
Conan the King #20	Jim Owsley	Jim states "I felt that is this landmark issue of CONAN THE KING. I'd take the theme of Assistant Editor's month just a bit further."
Daredevil #202	Mike Higgins	Issue featured a Marvel logo reading "Marvel Pop Art Productions" much in the fashion a number of Marvel comic books had on the covers in the early '60s before they were dropped. This issue also has Foggy Nelson as the featured character on the cover.
Dazzler #30	Bob Harras	Dazzler ends up defending the San Diego Comic-Con from a rampaging mutant and encounters Ralph Macchio. Macchio's face is drawn on Dazzler's body in the Marvel logo box on the cover. Also the last page is one-pager 'The Ralph Macchio Gallery'. All Hail Ralph!
Defenders #127	Ann Nocenti	Featured a cover alteration, the assistant editor's self-portrait is superimposed on Angel's body in the Marvel Comics logo box.
Fantastic Four #262	Mike Higgins	Has a written note from John Byrne in the Marvel logo acknowledging that it's Assistant Editor's Month but asking the staff not to do anything too ridiculous with the cover. John Byrne and Mike Higgins also appear as characters in this issue's story.
Further Adventures of Indiana Jones #13	Eliot Brown	The Beware stamp in the UPC box on the cover. The assistant editor one-page story is at the end, called 'Massachusetts Brown:Raiders Of The Late Book'.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #19	Linda Grant	Snake Eyes fact file, without editor's permission. Also has an altered Marvel logo box featuring the assistant editor of this book.
Incredible Hulk #291	Ann Nocenti	Has an altered Marvel logo box featuring the assistant editor of this book on the Hulk's face.
Iron Man #178	Mike Carlin	Features a parody of the old DC Comics cover format. Also has a back up story of a group of kids who pretend they're Avengers, firing their version of "Iron Man." But then they realize that he is an asset to their group when he beats up a local bully.
Marvel Retread Funnies #1		Scheduled to publish in this month but cancelled. Only a cover released before, features a parody of the old DC Comics cover format, and the line 'She's Dead' is around the MC logo .
Marvel Tales (Vol. 2) #159	Bob DeNatale
Marvel Team-Up #137	Bob DeNatale	Instead of featuring a Spider-Man team-up like usual, this issue of Marvel Team-Up has Aunt May and Franklin Richards teaming up to stop Galactus.
Micronauts #56	Bob Harras	Two Assistant Editor's Month stories
Moon Knight #35	Linda Grant	'Flying Solo, Flying Blind?'
New Mutants #11	Elliot Brown	A slightly altered cover. In the Marvel Comics logo which usually features head shots of the various New Mutants, has the inclusion of the assistant editor of that book with purple antlers drawn on, one of which obscures Cannonball's face.
Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #86	Bob DeNatale	This issue features artwork mostly done by Fred Hembeck.
Power Man and Iron Fist #101	Linda Grant
Rom #50	Bob Harras	Featured an altered Marvel logo box featuring Rom in a house coat and pipe (a la Playboy owner Hugh Hefner) and Starshine dressed in a pink apron and oven mitts.
Saga of Crystar, Crystal Warrior #5	Bob Harras	Features a parody of the assistant editor dressed as Crystar. He is wearing Crystar's helmet however is wielding a tennis racket instead of Crystar's trademark sword.
Star Wars #79	Eliot Brown	Eliot Brown had a Darth Vader costume himself, Lando dressing up as Captain Harlock from Space Battleship Yamato.
Thing #7	Ann Nocenti	Has an altered logo box. In this story Thing reads his own comic, is not impressed, and pays a visit to the Marvel Comics office.
Thor #339	Mike Carlin	Mike Carlin and Walt Simonson dancing.
Uncanny X-Men #177	Elliot Brown	Here is a one-page story for this showing Eliot Brown measuring up the Blackbird for the Marvel Handbook released that month. He is kicked out of the X-Mansion by Professor X since he has taken too long to get the correct measurements and the X-Men need to use the jet.
X-Men Annual #7	Elliot Brown	X-Men go to the Marvel offices.
Marvel Age #10
Marvel Fanfare #12	Ann Nocenti	'Editori-Al' is changed to 'Editori-Gal', then Ann faced a writer crisis, Roger Stern cannot find any editors to discuss story plot of next month. So Ann made him wear Captain America's suit to inspire his idea, which prove to be a disaster. There is also a 'Robbie's Page' instead of 'Shooter's Page' in the end, written by Robbie Carosella.