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FOOM
FOOM was Marvel Comics' self-produced fan magazine of the mid-1970s, following the canceled Marvelmania and preceding Marvel Age. Running 22 quarterly issues (February 1973 – Fall 1978), it was initially designed and edited by comic book writer-artist Jim Steranko.
FOOM, though spelled without periods in both indicia and cover treatments, is an acronym for "Friends of Ol' Marvel".
It was relaunched in September 2017.
Steranko, in his first-issue introduction, wrote that he had "dropped in at the Marvel bullpen to rap with publisher, Stan Lee about the current comic scene" and that Lee told him about plans to start an in-house fan club. EC Comics had had its "EC Fan-Addict" club in the 1950s, and Marvel the Merry Marvel Marching Society beginning 1964. After the MMMS had run its course by 1969, Marvel licensed a small company in Culver City, California to produce the fanzine/product catalog Marvelmania, which lasted a year. Steranko, writing that he nostalgically "recalled the days of radio with all the clubs and super-premiums that were perpetually offered over the air", volunteered as a designer, writer and comic historian. Ken Bruzenak served as associate editor, with Marvel editor-in-chief Roy Thomas as consulting editor and Ed Noonchester, Joel Thingvall, and Gary Brown as staff.
A four-issue subscription cost US$3. An additional dollar bought a club membership I.D. card, six decals, and a poster. The membership kit was also available separately for US$2.50.
The premiere contained a foreword by Lee (on cover = p. 1); an introduction by Steranko (pp. 2/3) announcing a contest to design a superhero or supervillain; short biographies (pp. 4/5) of Lee, Thomas, artists John Buscema and Joe Sinnott, and writer Gerry Conway; a crossword puzzle (pp. 6/7); a four-page feature (pp. 8–11) on the superhero team the Fantastic Four, accompanied by a two-page title and credits checklist (pp. 12/13); a word-search game (p. 14); an in-house ad for the record album The Amazing Spider-Man: A Rockomic! (p. 15); a two-page board game, "Moving Target" (pp. 16/17); a six-page "Far-Out Fanfare and Infoomation!" section (pp. 18–23) previewing upcoming Marvel comics; a pinup (p. 24) reprinting superheroes from the Jack Kirby-drawn cover of Fantastic Four #73 (April 1968); a Dr Doom decoder puzzle (p. 25); a one-page "Recommended Reading" page that featured The Steranko History of Comics' and Steranko's Comixscene for two-thirds of the page; a page of sketches of superspy Nick Fury (p. 27), on which fans were encouraged to draw disguises; an in-house ad for b&w mag, "Tales of the Zombie" (p. 28); a one-page humor strip (p. 29), "Fantastic Fear", written by Thomas and Len Brown and drawn by Gil Kane and Wally Wood; an in-house ad for T-shirts (p. 30); puzzle solutions and in-house coupons (p. 31); back cover (p. 32) [a mailing address label/pin-up page]. Similar fare appeared in subsequent issues.
Steranko, who additionally drew the back cover of issue #1 (Spider-Man), the cover of #2 (the Hulk), and incidental interior art during his tenure, was succeeded as editor by Tony Isabella with issue #5 (Spring 1974). Ed Hannigan was by now credited for production, with Mark Evanier, Jim Salicrup, and Duffy Vohland as contributing editors. Scott Edelman took over as editor with #8 (Winter 1974), Vohland with #12 (Dec. 1975), Chris Claremont with #13 (March 1976), and finally Dave Kraft with #15 (Sept. 1976). While previous issues had listed the company's overall editor-in-chief on the masthead, FOOM, also with issue #15, was given its own editor-in-chief, beginning with Ralph Macchio, followed two issues later by Salicrup.
The back cover of #7 (Fall 1974) featured one of Ghost Rider co-creator Mike Ploog's earliest sketches of that supernatural motorcyclist, introduced two years earlier. Issue #11 (Sept. 1975) was a Jack Kirby tribute commemorating the legendary comic-book artist's prodigal return to Marvel after a four-year sojourn at rival DC Comics.
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FOOM
FOOM was Marvel Comics' self-produced fan magazine of the mid-1970s, following the canceled Marvelmania and preceding Marvel Age. Running 22 quarterly issues (February 1973 – Fall 1978), it was initially designed and edited by comic book writer-artist Jim Steranko.
FOOM, though spelled without periods in both indicia and cover treatments, is an acronym for "Friends of Ol' Marvel".
It was relaunched in September 2017.
Steranko, in his first-issue introduction, wrote that he had "dropped in at the Marvel bullpen to rap with publisher, Stan Lee about the current comic scene" and that Lee told him about plans to start an in-house fan club. EC Comics had had its "EC Fan-Addict" club in the 1950s, and Marvel the Merry Marvel Marching Society beginning 1964. After the MMMS had run its course by 1969, Marvel licensed a small company in Culver City, California to produce the fanzine/product catalog Marvelmania, which lasted a year. Steranko, writing that he nostalgically "recalled the days of radio with all the clubs and super-premiums that were perpetually offered over the air", volunteered as a designer, writer and comic historian. Ken Bruzenak served as associate editor, with Marvel editor-in-chief Roy Thomas as consulting editor and Ed Noonchester, Joel Thingvall, and Gary Brown as staff.
A four-issue subscription cost US$3. An additional dollar bought a club membership I.D. card, six decals, and a poster. The membership kit was also available separately for US$2.50.
The premiere contained a foreword by Lee (on cover = p. 1); an introduction by Steranko (pp. 2/3) announcing a contest to design a superhero or supervillain; short biographies (pp. 4/5) of Lee, Thomas, artists John Buscema and Joe Sinnott, and writer Gerry Conway; a crossword puzzle (pp. 6/7); a four-page feature (pp. 8–11) on the superhero team the Fantastic Four, accompanied by a two-page title and credits checklist (pp. 12/13); a word-search game (p. 14); an in-house ad for the record album The Amazing Spider-Man: A Rockomic! (p. 15); a two-page board game, "Moving Target" (pp. 16/17); a six-page "Far-Out Fanfare and Infoomation!" section (pp. 18–23) previewing upcoming Marvel comics; a pinup (p. 24) reprinting superheroes from the Jack Kirby-drawn cover of Fantastic Four #73 (April 1968); a Dr Doom decoder puzzle (p. 25); a one-page "Recommended Reading" page that featured The Steranko History of Comics' and Steranko's Comixscene for two-thirds of the page; a page of sketches of superspy Nick Fury (p. 27), on which fans were encouraged to draw disguises; an in-house ad for b&w mag, "Tales of the Zombie" (p. 28); a one-page humor strip (p. 29), "Fantastic Fear", written by Thomas and Len Brown and drawn by Gil Kane and Wally Wood; an in-house ad for T-shirts (p. 30); puzzle solutions and in-house coupons (p. 31); back cover (p. 32) [a mailing address label/pin-up page]. Similar fare appeared in subsequent issues.
Steranko, who additionally drew the back cover of issue #1 (Spider-Man), the cover of #2 (the Hulk), and incidental interior art during his tenure, was succeeded as editor by Tony Isabella with issue #5 (Spring 1974). Ed Hannigan was by now credited for production, with Mark Evanier, Jim Salicrup, and Duffy Vohland as contributing editors. Scott Edelman took over as editor with #8 (Winter 1974), Vohland with #12 (Dec. 1975), Chris Claremont with #13 (March 1976), and finally Dave Kraft with #15 (Sept. 1976). While previous issues had listed the company's overall editor-in-chief on the masthead, FOOM, also with issue #15, was given its own editor-in-chief, beginning with Ralph Macchio, followed two issues later by Salicrup.
The back cover of #7 (Fall 1974) featured one of Ghost Rider co-creator Mike Ploog's earliest sketches of that supernatural motorcyclist, introduced two years earlier. Issue #11 (Sept. 1975) was a Jack Kirby tribute commemorating the legendary comic-book artist's prodigal return to Marvel after a four-year sojourn at rival DC Comics.