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Salicrup discusses his departure from Marvel after 20 years to become Editor-in-Chief of the newly formed Topps Comics, explaining how Len Brown recruited him and why Topps' stability made the move attractive. He details the strategy behind the prestige-format Dracula adaptation (pencilled by Mike Mignola, scripted by Roy Thomas), the upcoming Jurassic Park comic, and his philosophy that well-promoted quality comics across all genres can succeed.

Salicrup contributes a signed editorial preface recounting his long friendship with Byrne dating back to early Marvel days, confessing he blathered more than usual during the interview due to nerves, and crediting the conversation's structure to his inspiration from Lennon/McCartney song-by-song retrospective interviews.

David Anthony Kraft explains the genesis of Comics Interview — how a lunch conversation with Jim Salicrup led to the "all interview" concept, the department structure modeled on comic book credits (Writer, Artist, Inker, Letterer, Colorist, Editor), and the philosophy of letting comics people speak for themselves. "Interviews are more honest... you don't have to read between the lines."

(int. Jim Salicrup) — A young circus roustabout and electrician discusses her lifelong love of comics, from childhood DC fandom through discovering Barry Windsor-Smith's Conan. Shares how comic-book heroism motivates her real life, critiques the narrow depiction of women in comics ("this little ninety-year-old man hobbles from studio to studio, filling in his style women"), and argues comics should preserve their innocence and sense of wonder rather than chasing shallow realism.

(int. Jim Salicrup) — Part one of a two-part interview with a legendary Marvel collector whose 8,000-book collection includes a copy of Marvel Comics #1 signed by three original artists. Reece recounts his childhood in Brooklyn, his lonely teenage years collecting comics at English flea markets while attending school near Manchester, and his return to America in 1967 with his comics as virtually his only possessions. Describes the awe of attending his first Phil Seuling convention in 1968, where he acquired Captain America #1 for a fraction of its later value, and his brief, unhappy stint in Marvel's reproduction department — where he believes an editor sabotaged his hiring for a better position out of fear that Stan Lee would rely on Reece's encyclopedic knowledge over the editorial staff.

(int. Jim Salicrup) — Continuation of the interview with the veteran Marvel collector, focusing on the economics and ethics of comic collecting. Reece analyzes the parallels between early Sub-Mariner stories and King Kong, then turns to the comic-collecting market: he argues that price guides and dealer manipulation have created artificially inflated valuations, describes the "Howard the Duck caper" where shipments were hoarded to create artificial scarcity, and advises collectors to buy comics for enjoyment rather than investment.

DAK's editorial pays tribute to editorial consultant Jim Salicrup, describing their decade-long friendship since meeting at Marvel in 1974, Salicrup's instrumental role in creating Comics Interview, and the value DAK places on his judgment and companionship.

Part one of a wide-ranging interview with the young creator of ZOT!, conducted by Jim Salicrup with Kurt Busiek (a childhood friend of McCloud's) present. McCloud argues passionately that comics are a medium, not a genre, capable of far more than super-heroes, and discusses the influence of Japanese and European comics — particularly Osamu Tezuka — on his approach to visual storytelling and reader participation. He recounts how he developed ZOT! while working in DC's production department, shopped it to six publishers simultaneously (nearly landing at WaRP Graphics before settling on Eclipse), and describes the book's central theme as "hope — making hope work, making it practical." The interview is labeled Part One, with Part Two to follow in a later issue.

Brief note announcing DAK's return to writing editorials after a period of deliberate absence, prompted by reader demand and the encouragement of peers including Gary Groth and Jim Salicrup.

Ramos talks about being tapped by editor Jim Salicrup to pencil Marvel's new Toxic Avenger series, his enthusiasm for the character's outrageous gore and black humor, and his working relationship with writer Doug Moench. He describes the challenge of finding the right exaggerated visual style for the book and mentions prior work on What If? X-Men, Conan, and Valiant titles.

Petrucha describes how Jim Salicrup recruited him for Topps' Duckman comic just as he'd resolved to quit comics, and how he pitched satirical springboards that won approval from creator Everett Peck and the Klasky-Csupo TV team. He discusses the show's sophistication, the Underground-comics aesthetic of artist Craig Yoe, and reflects on earlier series META-4 and Squalor for First Comics and his work on Topps' X-Files.

Part three of a multi-issue career interview, covering McGregor's Warren Comics work (the David Turner trilogy, vampire anthology plans), his arrival at Marvel and long runs on Killraven and Black Panther, and the genesis of Sabre at Eclipse — conceived first for a Jim Salicrup/DAK newspaper project — and McGregor's insistence on retaining copyrights and choosing an oversized format.

In what Salicrup describes as the longest John Byrne interview ever published, Byrne walks through his entire run on Fantastic Four issue by issue, from his early penciling stints under Marv Wolfman's plots through his current tenure as writer/artist, discussing his approach to character (making The Thing a tragic hero, reinvigorating Sue Richards, introducing Frankie Raye as a Herald of Galactus, and the Alicia–Human Torch storyline). He speaks at length about Marvel's sliding-scale continuity and the "seven-year Marvel Universe," his deliberate effort to keep the FF's history internally consistent while avoiding characters aging into obsolescence, and his philosophy of plotting spontaneously rather than from rigid outlines. Byrne recounts the disastrous experience developing an Indiana Jones ongoing series—killed by what he describes as impossible demands from Lucas licensing representatives who didn't understand the comics medium—and explains why he has refused all licensing work since. He offers sharp opinions on the distinction between "readers" (the 250,000 who buy the book) and capital-F "Fans" (hardcore convention-goers), arguing that listening too closely to the latter led him astray on Alpha Flight; he announces he is swapping that title for The Incredible Hulk with Bill Mantlo and outlines plans to return the Hulk to his roots as a creature of the night, marry Betty Ross to Bruce Banner, and strip away accumulated continuity. On creator's rights, Byrne defends his "company man" reputation, arguing that working within the system and doing one's best work—rather than public agitation—is what actually improved conditions at Marvel, pointing to the royalty incentive program as proof; he credits Jim Shooter specifically for quietly fighting for creators' rights from inside editorial.