The quality continues to improve during Jim Shooter's reign. Daredevil probably overshoots X-Men as the number one book, due as much to the superb writing and art by Frank Miller in Daredevil as the X-Men's loss of John Byrne. Byrne moves on to write and draw the Fantastic Four, and the title becomes one of Marvel's best for the first time in a long time. A hidden gem among Marvel's output this year is Ka-Zar the Savage, which is just an incredibly mature and well written and well drawn book by Bruce Jones and Brent Anderson. Amazing Spider-Man continues to be good under Denny O'Neil and Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man is at least well written if not always well drawn during Roger Stern's time as a writer.

Shooter's own writing unfortunately isn't that great. His Avengers issues have some momentous events, including a line-up change and the notorious 'Hank Pym beats his wife and gets kicked off the team' story, but they're not well written.

There's a few more books that don't quite live up to their potential. Despite its reputation, Dazzler almost works as a more soap opera oriented title, but it doesn't quite want to let go of the super-hero aspects and actually goes overboard, having her fight everyone from the Hulk to Dr. Doom to Galactus. Under J.M. DeMatteis, the Defenders becomes more consistent, but it loses the wildness that caused it to occasionally be great in the past. Still, the overall quality of the line has vastly improved over the past few years.

The shift to the selling to the specialty shops (aka "the direct market") begins this year, and will have major implications for Marvel and the comic industry more generally. Comic sales have been declining since the 70s. The specialty shops became a way for the comics industry realign itself as a market for fans & collectors. Marvel (Shooter) lead the way by embracing the direct market. Dazzler is the first of many books to be direct market only. There's a flip side to this, of course. By turning the comic industry into a fan & collector industry it was effectively giving up its footprint in the mass market, turning comics into a niche industry. In the early 1980s, the move probably saved the comics industry, but in the long run it may have contributed to the annual decline in comics readership.

The Bullpen Bulletins, which had been discontinued for a few years, return in the July issues, written in a personable style by Jim Shooter.

Marvel begins printing the contestants from last year's essay contest in the October issues of this year.

Over the past few years we've seen a new wave of inkers, including: P. Craig Russell, Terry Austin, Bob McLeod, and Bob Wiacek. For years, even as artists changed from the original Silver Age crew to the popular 70s artists, it seemed as though Marvel was still using the same five or so inkers (the notable 70s exception being Klaus Janson, who continues to be a major artist).

We continue to meet a lot of significant new characters including: Pyro, Blob, Rachel Summers, Maelstorm, Death Urge, Sabra, Arabian Knight, Gargoyle, Siryn, Ursa Major, Caliban, Firebird, Elektra, Rogue, Flying Tiger, Belasco

Moon Knight #3  
Uncanny X-Men #141-142 Days of Future Past. New Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. 1st Rachel Summers. 
Spider-Woman #34-35  
ROM #14  
Marvel Two-In-One #71-72 1st Maelstrom. 1st Death Urge. 
Captain America #253-254  
Iron Man #142-144  
Defenders #92  
Moon Knight #4  
Marvel Fanfare #5  
Marvel Fanfare #8  
Defenders #93  
Fantastic Four #227  
Avengers #204-205  
Hulk #255  
Amazing Spider-Man #213-215  
Power Man & Iron Fist #67-68  
Hulk #256 1st Sabra 
Marvel Team-Up #103  
Spider-Woman #36  
Dazzler #1  
Moon Knight #5  
Captain America #255  
Dazzler #2  
Uncanny X-Men #143  
Hulk #257 1st Arabian Knight 
Uncanny X-Men #144  
Defenders #94 1st Gargoyle 
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #53  
Moon Knight #6  
Spider-Woman #37-38 1st Siryn 
Spider-Woman Origin #1-5  
Hulk #258-259 1st Ursa Major 
Iron Man #145  
ROM #17-18  
Hulk #260 Death of Glenn Talbot 
Defenders #95  
Power Man & Iron Fist #69  
Marvel Two-In-One #75  
Uncanny X-Men #145-147  
Amazing Spider-Man #216-218  
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #54  
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #55  
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #56  
Dr. Strange #46  
Hulk #261  
Iron Man #146-147  
Fantastic Four #230  
Hulk #262  
Moon Knight #7-8  
Defenders #96  
Marvel Team-Up #104  
Dazzler #3-5  
Power Man & Iron Fist #70  
Captain America #258  
Dazzler #6-7  
ROM #19  
Hulk annual #10  
Uncanny X-Men #148 1st Caliban 
Defenders #97  
Avengers annual #10 1st Rogue, 1st Madelyne Pryor. Ms. Marvel loses her powers. 
Hulk #263  
Power Man & Iron Fist #71  
Avengers #209  
Moon Knight #9-10  
Hulk #264-265 1st Firebird, Shooting Star 
Iron Man #148  
Marvel Fanfare #1-2  
Elektra: Assassin #1-8 1st John Garrett 
Defenders #98-100  
Marvel Two-In-One #77  
Amazing Spider-Man annual #15  
Daredevil #168-182 1st Elektra, 1st Hand 
Amazing Spider-Man #219  
Ka-Zar the Savage #1  
Spider-Woman #39  
Defenders #101  
Defenders #102  
Dr. Strange #47  
Ka-Zar the Savage #2  
Hulk annual #11  
Dr. Strange #48  
Iron Man #149-150  
Ka-Zar the Savage #3-4  
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #57  
Fantastic Four #232  
Marvel Team-Up annual #4  
Fantastic Four #233  
Power Man & Iron Fist #72  
Ka-Zar the Savage #5  
Marvel Two-In-One #80  
Moon Knight #11  
Ka-Zar the Savage #6  
Power Man & Iron Fist #73  
ROM #23  
Avengers #211 New Avengers lineup: Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Wasp, Yellowjacket, Tigra. 
Uncanny X-Men #149  
Fantastic Four #234-235  
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #58  
Power Man & Iron Fist #74-75  
Master of Kung Fu #105-106  
Moon Knight #12  
Spider-Woman #40 1st Flying Tiger 
Ka-Zar the Savage #7  
Uncanny X-Men #150  
Death of Captain Marvel (Marvel Graphic Novel #1)  
Iron Man #151  
Uncanny X-Men annual #5  
Marvel Team-Up #108-109  
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #59-60 Beetle gets a new costume 
Marvel Two-In-One #81-85  
Moon Knight #13  
Ka-Zar the Savage #8  
ROM #24  
Marvel Two-In-One #86  
Iron Man #152-153  
Fantastic Four #236  
Avengers #212  
Uncanny X-Men #151-152  
Captain America #263  
Avengers #213 Henry Pym hits Janet, is kicked off of the Avengers 
Uncanny X-Men #153 Kitty's fairy tale 
Dazzler #8-11  
Power Man & Iron Fist #76  
Avengers #214  
Uncanny X-Men #154-157 1st Brood 
Spider-Woman #41  
Avengers #215-216 Q: Tigra 
Fantastic Four #237-238 Frankie Raye gets powers. The Thing reverted to early Silver Age form. 
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #61  
Hulk #266  
Ka-Zar the Savage #9-12 1st Belasco