Synopsis:
News from comic book publishers with detailed information and a multitude of cover reproductions for the May 1978 cover-dated comics.
MARV WOLFMAN contributes a Writer's Side essay titled "May I Present... Spider-Woman" detailing the origin of the title and his plans for it.
Notes:
On the front cover "LARRY HOUSTON presents a panoply of Marvel and DC Jack Kirby creations, apparently a bit peeved at each other." The Spectre haunts the back cover, illustrated by AL MILGROM.
The TCR Mailboat opens with a letter from ROY THOMAS.
Under Marvel News is a brief obituary of artist and Marvel Production Manager "Jumbo" JOHN VERPOORTEN, who died at age 36 on December 17, 1977.
Synopsis: Rona Blabbit reports that Gene Roddenberry is rewriting his screenplay for STAR TREK, now scheduled to begin production in March 1978. A project we should be grateful never caught fire was the proposed HUMAN TORCH pilot, which, reports Rona, "will make no mention of the Fantastic Four, and Johnny Storm (if they keep that name) will be a race car driver who crashes." The cancelation of MAN FROM ATLANTIS has caused Universal to scratch its plans for a SUB-MARINER series (which Blabbit says would have bore only a nominal resemblance to the Subby of the comics-"They even got rid of his pointed ears!"). There are casting updates for the SPIDER-MAN and HULK television series and an unusually lengthy discussion of Monty Python.
Blabbit closes the column with this interesting item: "George Lucas arranged for his favorite cartoon, "Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century" (starring Daffy Duck and Porky Pig) to be shown in conjunction with STAR WARS showings in San Francisco. And you wonder what his film's inspiration was."
Synopsis: This is a "special one-time-only thing" inserted after this issue went to press and marked as pages 26 and 27. it seems to have been printed to report late-breaking news from Hollywood when, on January 10, 1978, "Warner Brothers stunned movie exhibitors with the news the SUPERMAN film won't be released until Christmas. ... The theatres were shocked because the film was expected to be 1978's big summer attraction, and they will now have to scramble for replacements." [GREASE and ANIMAL HOUSE turned out to be that summer's blockbusters.] Hildebrand goes on to discuss the ripple effect the announcement had on the many comic book and merchandising tie-ins.
Richard Burton contributes a review of the THE NEW AVENGERS television series.