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1980

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The January Bullpen Bulletin talks about how comic book specialty shops are starting to pop up around the country. Fans looking for back issues have been imploring Marvel to open its own chain of stores, but the Bullpen note suggests that fans check out these new outlets instead. This is the beginning of the direct market, which result in some major changes in the industry.

We also start seeing the two page ads from Mile High Comics. There's an interesting history behind those ads; it's the first time that ads for comics featured actual prices, which gave readers a sense of how much their comics were worth, and shifted perceptions a bit to make comics more of a collectible. Owner Chuck Rozanski was also a major force in the drive to the direct market, as the history makes clear.

The quality continues to improve. Roger Stern begins to write the Spectacular Spider-Man, sort of a precursor to his definitive Amazing Spider-Man a few years later. And Frank Miller writes and draws Daredevil, to critical acclaim (but due to the way my Daredevil issues are bundled, you'll actually find the entries in the 1979 and 1981 categories). Even on books where there isn't a hot writer or artist, the general level of professionalism is up quite a bit from the mid-70s. There's still a decent amount of junk in the line, but even the not-so-good stuff doesn't approach the sloppy nonsense that was put out in 70s. Things are definitely looking up.

Marvel runs an essay contest, offering cash for the best essay in three age groups. For the month that this contest is announced, there are messages on the covers that say "This Marvel Comic could be worth $2,500 to you!". They also promise to run the names of everyone who enters the contest in future issues. Fulfilling that promise takes many months due to the number of entries. Later in the year, Marvel runs ads for a Toys R Us shopping spree contest on the covers.

Notable events:
  • The historic Dark Phoenix saga runs this year in X-Men.
  • The notorious "Ms. Marvel kidnapped and raped by Marcus, the son of Immortus" issue.
  • Moon Knight gets his own book.
  • Bobbi Morse, former SHIELD agent and Ka-Zar supporting character, becomes Mockingbird.
New characters: A lot of significant new ones: Kitty Pryde, Dazzler, White Queen, She-Hulk, Taskmaster, Sidewinder, Anaconda, Black Mamba, Death Adder, Roderick Kingsley (eventually revealed to be the Hobgoblin), Calypso, Marcus Immortus, the U-Foes, Madame Web, Karma, Hydroman

Doctor Strange #42-44 
Captain America #246 
Uncanny X-Men #129-131 1st Kitty Pryde, Dazzler, White Queen
Defenders #78-83 
Marvel Fanfare #22-23 
Iron Man #130 
Captain America #247 
Defenders #84-85 
Captain America #248-249 
Shogun Warriors #12-14 
ROM #2 
Spider-Woman #22 
Marvel Spotlight #4 
Hulk annual #9 
Marvel Two-In-One #59 
Power Man & Iron Fist #61-62 
Marvel Two-In-One #60 
Defenders #86 
Iron Man #131-133 
Marvel Two-In-One #61-63 
Avengers #192-193 Q: Scarlet Witch
Fantastic Four #215-216 
She-Hulk #1 1st She-Hulk
Hulk #244 
Fantastic Four annual #14 
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #38-40 
Amazing Spider-Man #201-202 
ROM #3-4 
Machine Man #13 
Tomb of Dracula Magazine #3 
Ghost Rider #41-42 
Hulk #245-248 
Marvel Two-In-One #64-66 1st Sidewinder, Anaconda, Black Mamba, Death Adder
Marvel Two-In-One #67 
She-Hulk #2-5 
ROM #5 
Marvel Spotlight #5 
Hulk Magazine #20
Marvel Preview #21 (Moon Knight)
 
Fantastic Four #217 
Spider-Woman #23-25 
ROM #6-9 
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #41 
Uncanny X-Men #132-135 1st Dark Phoenix. J: Angel
Machine Man #14 
Amazing Spider-Man #203 
Tomb of Dracula Magazine #4 
Ghost Rider #43-44 
Shogun Warriors #16 
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #42 
Fantastic Four #218 
Uncanny X-Men #136-137 Death of Phoenix
Iron Man #134-135 
Micronauts #14-17 
Amazing Spider-Man #204-205 
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #43 1st Roderick Kingsley (Hobgoblin)
Power Man & Iron Fist #63-64 
Uncanny X-Men #138 Q: Cyclops. J: Kitty Pryde.
Amazing Spider-Man #206 
Hulk #249 
Spider-Woman #26 
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #44-45 
Machine Man #15 
Tomb of Dracula Magazine #5 
Ghost Rider #45-46 
Marvel Treasury Edition #25 
She-Hulk #6 
Amazing Spider-Man #207 
Avengers #194-196 1st Taskmaster. Q: Falcon. J: Wonder Man.
Avengers #197 
Captain America #250 
Avengers #198-199 J: Scarlet Witch
Avengers #200 1st Marcus
Marvel Two-In-One #68 
Marvel Two-In-One #69 
Marvel Two-In-One #70 
Marvel Two-In-One #71-72 1st Maelstrom. 1st Deathurge.
Marvel Two-In-One #73 
Fantastic Four #219 
Spider-Woman #27-29 
Fantastic Four #220-221 
Iron Man #136 
Marvel Super Heroes #14 (Iron Man) 
She-Hulk #7-8 
Shogun Warriors #19-20 
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #46 
Spider-Woman #30 
Amazing Spider-Man #208 
Iron Man #137 
Hulk #250 
Marvel Premiere #55 
Marvel Team-Up #96 
Howard the Duck Magazine #5 
Ghost Rider #47 
Defenders #87 
Marvel Team-Up #97 
Marvel Team-Up annual #3 
Marvel Fanfare #10-13 
Marvel Fanfare #60 (Rogue) 
Marvel Spotlight #8 
Iron Man #138-139 
Hulk #251 
Marvel Super Heroes #3 (Captain Marvel) 
ROM #10-12 
Ghost Rider #48 
Hulk #252-253 
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #47-48 
Marvel Team-Up #98 
Amazing Spider-Man #209 1st Calypso
The Incredible Hulk and the Thing: The Big Change (Marvel Graphic Novel #29) 
Spider-Woman #31-32 
Fantastic Four #222-223 
Hulk Magazine #23 
Fantastic Four annual #15 
Amazing Spider-Man annual #14 
She-Hulk #9-12 
Machine Man #16-17 
Ghost Rider #49-50 
Marvel Team-Up #126 (Spider-Man / Hulk) 
Hulk #254 1st U-Foes
Moon Knight #1 
Marvel Two-In-One annual #5 
Uncanny X-Men annual #4 
Avengers #201 
Power Man & Iron Fist #65 
Marvel Team-Up #99 
Micronauts #23 
Marvel Team-Up #100 1st Karma
Defenders #88 
Uncanny X-Men #139-140 
Machine Man #18 
Doctor Strange #45 
Avengers #202 
Avengers #203 
Captain America #251-252 
Micronauts #24-28 
Iron Man #140-141 
Marvel Spotlight #9 
Defenders #89-91 
Marvel Team-Up #101 
Amazing Spider-Man #210 1st Madame Web
Power Man & Iron Fist #66 
Amazing Spider-Man #211-212 1st Hydroman
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #49-52 
Moon Knight #2 
Alpha Flight #1 1st Marrina & Puck
ROM #13 
Spider-Woman #33 
Fantastic Four #224-225 
Micronauts #29 
Ghost Rider #51 
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man annual #2 

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