Editing Marvel Spotlight

{{Short description|Comic book anthology series}}
{{for|the Marvel Studios brand|Marvel Spotlight (Marvel Cinematic Universe)}}
{{Infobox comic book title  <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics-->
| image = Marvel Spotlight 1971 01 cover.jpg
| caption = ''Marvel Spotlight'' #1 (November 1971) featuring Red Wolf.  Cover art by [[Neal Adams]].<!-- Credit per the GCD -->
| schedule = 
| format = [[Anthology]]
|ongoing= y
|Superhero   = y
| publisher = [[Marvel Comics]]
| date = '''Volume 1'''<br> November 1971 – April 1977<br>'''Volume 2'''<br> July 1979 – March 1981
| issues = '''Volume 1''' 33<br>'''Volume 2''' 11
| main_char_team = 
| writers = [[Gardner Fox]], [[Gary Friedrich]], [[Archie Goodwin (comics)|Archie Goodwin]], [[Marv Wolfman]]
| artists = 
| editors =
| pencillers = [[Sal Buscema]], [[Steve Ditko]], [[Mike Ploog]], [[Syd Shores]]
| inkers =
| colorists =
| creative_team_month =
| creative_team_year =
| creators = 
|subcat=Marvel Comics
|sort=Marvel Spotlight
}}

'''''Marvel Spotlight''''' is a [[comic book]] [[comics anthology|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.<ref name="back71">{{cite journal|last=Buttery|first=Jarrod|title=Ready for the Spotlight|journal=[[Back Issue!]]|issue=71|pages=6–13 |publisher=[[TwoMorrows Publishing]] |date=April 2014|location=Raleigh, North Carolina}}</ref> The series originally ran for 33 issues from November 1971 to April 1977.<ref>{{gcdb series|id= 1992|title= ''Marvel Spotlight''}}</ref> A second volume ran for 11 issues from July 1979 to March 1981.<ref>{{gcdb series|id= 2512|title= ''Marvel Spotlight'' vol. 2}}</ref>

== 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]]''.<ref name="backFeature">{{cite journal |last=Cassell|first=Dewey|title=Marvel Feature|journal=[[Back Issue!]]|issue=71|pages=14–18|publisher=[[TwoMorrows Publishing]]|date=April 2014|location=Raleigh, North Carolina}}</ref> 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.<ref name="backFeature"/>

The series began with a [[Red Wolf (comics)|Red Wolf]] story.<ref name="Sanderson150">{{cite book|last1=Sanderson|first1=Peter|author-link =Peter Sanderson|last2=Gilbert|first2=Laura, ed.|chapter=1970s|title=Marvel Chronicle A Year by Year History|publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]]|year=2008|location=London, United Kingdom|page=150|isbn=978-0756641238|quote=Writer Gardner Fox and artist Syd Shores created the Red Wolf of the nineteenth-century American West in this new series.}}</ref> 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 (genre)|Western]] to sell, because everybody in the field wanted to write or draw a Western".<ref name="back71"/> Following this successful try-out, Red Wolf was given his own series, as were [[Werewolf by Night]],<ref name="Sanderson154">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'".</ref> [[Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze)|Ghost Rider]],<ref name="Sanderson156">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".</ref> the [[Daimon Hellstrom|Son of Satan]],<ref name="Sanderson160">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'".</ref> and [[Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew)|Spider-Woman]].<ref name="Manning92">{{cite book|last1=Manning|first1=Matthew K.|last2=Gilbert|first2=Laura, ed.|chapter= 1970s|title=Spider-Man Chronicle Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging|publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]]|year=2012|location=London, United Kingdom|page=92|isbn = 978-0756692360|quote=Spider-Man's female counterpart debuted in this story written by Archie Goodwin and penciled by Sal Buscema.}}</ref>

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.<ref name="back71"/> 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 (Mar-Vell)|Captain Marvel]]''.<ref name="back71"/> 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.<ref>[[Tom DeFalco|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".</ref> The creature that Tako battled was intended to be [[Godzilla (comics)|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2009/12/24/comic-book-legends-revealed-239/ |title=Comic Book Legends Revealed #239 |first=Brian |last=Cronin |date=December 24, 2009 |publisher=[[Comic Book Resources]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130731190736/http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2009/12/24/comic-book-legends-revealed-239/ |archive-date=July 31, 2013 |url-status=live|df=mdy-all|access-date=January 13, 2013 |quote=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.}}</ref> Issue #8 featured the final Captain Marvel solo story before the character's death.<ref name="back71"/>

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".<ref name="back71"/>

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 ''[[The Dark Tower (comics)|Stephen King's The Dark Tower]]''.

== Issues ==

===Volume 1 (November 1971 – April 1977)===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Issue !! Featuring
!Collected In
|-
|align="center"|#1 ||[[Red Wolf (comics)|Red Wolf]]<ref name="Sanderson150" /> (moved to own title)
|
|-
|align="center"|#2–4 ||[[Werewolf by Night]]<ref name="Sanderson154" /> (moved to own title)
|''Werewolf by Night Omnibus; Werewolf by Night Complete Collection Vol 1; Marvel Masterworks Werewolf by Night Vol. 1''
|-
|align="center"|#5–11 ||[[Ghost Rider]]<ref name="Sanderson156" /> (moved to own title)
|''Ghost Rider Epic Collection Vol 1; Marvel Masterworks Ghost Rider Vol. 1''
|-
|align="center"|#12–23 || rowspan="2" |[[Daimon Hellstrom|Son of Satan]]<ref name="Sanderson160" /> (moved to own title)
|
|-
|#24
|''Marvel Horror Lives Again! Omnibus''
|-
| align="center" |#25 ||[[The 7th Voyage of Sinbad|Sinbad]]
|
|-
| align="center" |#26 ||[[Straw Man (comics)|Scarecrow]]
|''Marvel Horror Omnibus''
|-
| align="center" |#27 ||[[Namor|Sub-Mariner]]
|''Marvel Masterworks The Sub-Mariner Vol. 8; Namor, the Sub-Mariner Epic Collection Vol 5: Invasion of New York''
|-
| align="center" |#28–29 ||[[Moon Knight]]
|''Moon Knight Omnibus; Moon Knight Epic Collection Vol 1''
|-
| align="center" |#30 ||[[Warriors Three]]
|''Thor: The Warriors Three; Thor Epic Collection Vol 8; Marvel Masterworks The Mighty Thor Vol. 15; Thor Omnibus Vol 5''
|-
| align="center" |#31 ||[[Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (comic book)|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''
|-
| align="center" |#32 ||[[Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew)|Spider-Woman]]<ref name="Manning92" /> (moved to own title)
|''Marvel Masterworks'' 
|-
| align="center" |#33 ||[[Deathlok]] and [[Devil-Slayer]]
|''[[Deathlok|Deathlok the Demolisher]] Complete Collection; Marvel Masterworks Deathlok Vol. 1''
|-
|}

===Volume 2 (July 1979 – March 1981)===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Issue !! Featuring
!Collected In
|-
|align="center"|#1–2 || rowspan="2" |[[Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell)|Captain Marvel]]
|''Marvel Premiere: The Death of Captain Marvel; Marvel Masterworks Captain Marvel Vol. 6; Guardians of the Galaxy Solo Classic Omnibus; The Death of Captain Marvel Omnibus''
|-
|#3–4
|''Marvel Masterworks Captain Marvel Vol. 6; The Death of Captain Marvel Omnibus''
|-
| align="center" |#5 ||[[Dragon Lord (comics)#Tako Shamara|Dragon Lord]]
|
|-
| align="center" |#6–7 ||[[Star-Lord]] (origin)
|''Guardians of the Galaxy Solo Classic Omnibus''
|-
| align="center" |#8 ||Captain Marvel 
|''Marvel Universe by [[Frank Miller (comics)|Frank Miller]] Omnibus; The Death of Captain Marvel Omnibus''
|-
| align="center" |#9–11 ||[[Captain Universe]]
|''Captain Universe: Power Unimaginable''
|-
|}

== Collected editions ==
* ''[[Essential Marvel|Essential Werewolf by Night]]'' Vol 1 includes ''Marvel Spotlight'' #2–4, 576 pages, October 2005, {{ISBN|978-0785118398}} 
* ''Essential Ghost Rider'' Vol. 1 includes ''Marvel Spotlight'' #5–12, 560 pages, December 2006, {{ISBN|978-0785118381}} 
* ''Essential Marvel Horror'' 
** Vol. 1 includes ''Marvel Spotlight'' #12–24, 648 pages, October 2006, {{ISBN|978-0785121961}} 
** Vol. 2 includes ''Marvel Spotlight'' #26, 616 pages, November 2008, {{ISBN|978-0785130673}} 
* ''Essential Moon Knight'' Vol. 1 includes ''Marvel Spotlight'' #28–29, 560 pages, February 2006, {{ISBN|978-0785120926}} 
* ''[[Siege (comics)|Siege Prelude]]'' includes ''Marvel Spotlight'' #30, 264 pages, January 2010, {{ISBN|978-0785143109}} 
* ''Essential Spider-Woman'' Vol. 1 includes ''Marvel Spotlight'' #32, 576 pages, December 2005, {{ISBN|978-0785117933}} 
* ''[[Marvel Masterworks]]: Deathlok'' Vol. 1 includes ''Marvel Spotlight'' #33, 368 pages, November 2009, {{ISBN|978-0785130505}}

== See also ==
* ''[[Marvel Premiere]]''

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{comicbookdb|type=title|id= 2325|title= ''Marvel Spotlight''}}
* {{comicbookdb|type=title|id= 3486|title= ''Marvel Spotlight'' vol. 2}}

{{Steve Ditko}}

[[Category:1971 comics debuts]]
[[Category:1977 comics endings]]
[[Category:1979 comics debuts]]
[[Category:1981 comics endings]]
[[Category:Comics anthologies]]
[[Category:Comics by Archie Goodwin (comics)]]
[[Category:Comics by Gerry Conway]]
[[Category:Comics by Marv Wolfman]]
[[Category:Comics by Steve Ditko]]
[[Category:Comics by Steve Gerber]]
[[Category:Defunct American comics]]