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A bombshell "First Look" about the stalled JLA/Avengers crossover. Perez gives a detailed, anguished account of the project's collapse — Gerry Conway's original plot was rejected by Jim Shooter, DC prematurely greenlit Perez to pencil 21 pages before Marvel approved, and Shooter then spent months neither approving nor rejecting Roy Thomas's revised plot. Perez announces he is leaving the project, calling the experience "the most heartbreaking decision I've ever had to make" and accusing Shooter of deliberate procrastination. Thomas corroborates Perez's account, describing Shooter's failure to read or respond to a 17-page plot as inexplicable and unprofessional, and vows not to let the blame be shifted onto DC. Both express deep frustration that a project they loved — one Perez had dreamed of since before turning pro — has been reduced to a political meatgrinder between the two companies.

In a brief colloquy appended to the Conway interview, Thomas shares his measured views on Conan the Destroyer: the final film drifted far from what he and Conway originally intended, and he regrets key scenes — including essential plot exposition about the character Darkwolf — that were cut from Fire and Ice. He reflects that leaving Marvel's editor-in-chief role in 1974 freed him creatively, and he is now happily working at DC with the Justice Society and Captain Marvel. He sees the growth of multiple comics companies as vital to the field's maturity.

Part one of a wide-ranging career retrospective, Thomas recounts his origins as a fanzine editor (ALTER EGO), his brief unhappy stint under Mort Weisinger at DC, and his hiring by Stan Lee at Marvel in 1965. He discusses the early Marvel Bullpen, his work on X-Men, Avengers (including the Kree-Skrull War with Neal Adams and the creation of the Vision), Doctor Strange, Sub-Mariner, and The Invaders, offering detailed anecdotes about working relationships with Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Neal Adams, Gene Colan, and Bill Everett. Thomas reflects on his love of historical fiction and Golden Age characters, and his ongoing interest in World War II settings.

Part two of a wide-ranging discussion covering Thomas's decade-long run on Conan the Barbarian at Marvel: acquiring the Howard license, working with Barry Smith and John Buscema, adapting Red Sonja and Elric, and the difficulties of the Fire and Ice animated film with Ralph Bakshi and Frazetta. Thomas details his new licensing deal with Glenn Lord for the Robert E. Howard estate and forthcoming adaptations for Hero Comics' The World of Robert E. Howard anthology, including "Marchers of Valhalla" (art by Nestor Redondo) and "The Gods of the North" (art by Mark Beachum). Note: the tape of the interview's conclusion was lost; a follow-up installment was promised.

Part three of an extended interview covering Roy's views on Golden Age and Silver Age continuity, his frustrations with DC's post-*Crisis* inconsistencies, and the challenge of depicting 1940s social attitudes authentically in Young All-Stars. Roy and Dann discuss their collaborative writing partnership and upcoming projects including Shazam, Helix, and plans to bring back Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr., as well as ongoing work with Captain Thunder and Blue Bolt for Hero Comics and a new Doctor Strange series with Jackson Guice.

The former comics writer, publisher, and Marvel direct sales manager discusses his new career as the comics industry's first professional agent, representing creators like Steve Gerber, Roy Thomas, Craig Russell, Mark Evanier, and Will Meugniot in negotiations with publishers. Explains the value he provides — top-level connections, knowledge of the deal landscape across all publishers, and time savings that let artists earn more by working instead of spending months negotiating contracts. Offers a bullish forecast for the direct sales market, predicting that specialty outlets will eventually match the reach of traditional magazine distributors and that the first million-selling comic is only two years away. Delivers a provocative long-term prediction: as creator ownership becomes the norm, company-owned characters will become "entry-level jobs" and established properties may wither — "It is possible that in thirty years no one will want to write Superman." Reflects on his own career trajectory driven by the pursuit of control — from writer to editor to publisher to distributor to agent — and notes his creative writing impulse has simply been replaced by the creativity of deal-making.

DAK's first-anniversary editorial reflecting on Comics Interview's first year: the titles and creators it covered first (Omega Men, Ronin, American Flagg, Dreadstar, George Perez/Roy Thomas), reader frustration at finding copies in stores, and an appeal for fans to request the magazine at their local shops.

Marx discusses her two new creator-owned series: Sisterhood of Steel (a sword-and-sorcery saga about an island society of warrior women, published by Marvel's Epic line, illustrated by Mike Vosburg) and Carlos McLlyr (a "historical fantasy" set in Old California of the 1820s, not a Western, developed with artist-husband Peter Ledger for Eclipse). She traces her path into comics through work for Tom Laughlin and Charles Fries Productions, her first comics work via Roy Thomas at Marvel on Savage Sword of Conan, and her strong views on creator ownership — she won't do work-for-hire. She also discusses the frustration of Red Sonja's chastity-belt origin as the inspiration for creating the Sisterhood, and advocates for stronger female characters and more women readers in comics.

Conway discusses his move from comics to screenwriting, focusing heavily on his and Roy Thomas's tumultuous experience co-writing the screenplay for Conan the Destroyer: five drafts for Dino de Laurentiis, three directors, and ultimately being denied co-screenplay credit by the Writers Guild despite receiving sole story credit. He also reflects on his comics work at DC, including frustration over DC's failure to promote Atari Force and Sun Devils, his burnout on Firestorm (which he is handing to his wife Carla), his revamp of the Justice League of America (streamlining the roster around Aquaman and new members), and the collapse of the JLA/Avengers crossover. He is enthusiastic about the current creative renaissance at both the major publishers and the new independent companies.

In his wide-ranging debut interview for the magazine, Hoberg covers his years working alongside Russ Manning on the Tarzan and Star Wars newspaper strips, his extensive animation career (storyboarding Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, G.I. Joe, Thundarr, and others at Marvel Productions and Hanna-Barbera, including a stint directing in Korea), and his recent move to Batman at DC. He is blunt about declining art quality at Marvel, the economics of Saturday morning animation versus comics work, and his belief that storytelling fundamentals — learned from Manning, Roy Thomas, and Doug Wildey — matter more than artistic showiness.

Gilbert discusses his dual career working on Elric: Sailor on the Seas of Fate (layouts with George Freeman finishing art and coloring, Roy Thomas scripting) and his own creation Mr. Monster for Eclipse, explaining how the somber tone of Elric led him to create the deliberately over-the-top Mr. Monster as a counterbalance. He describes the chaotic coloring problems on the original Pacific Comics Elric series, the collapse of Pacific Comics (which he learned about the night before a cross-country move), and how First Comics picked up Elric. He also reveals that Alan Moore wrote a 16-page Mr. Monster story with a 40-page single-spaced script, and that he and Moore have had serious discussions about a Swamp Thing vs. Mr. Monster crossover — pending approval from DC's Paul Levitz. Gilbert praises the storytelling-first philosophy he shares with Will Eisner and Harvey Kurtzman, and is critical of the "Marvel method" for undercompensating artists like Steve Ditko who were effectively writing the stories they drew.

Liebowitz, a former CPA who opened the Golden Apple stores in Los Angeles as a weekend hobby, describes his philosophy of making comic shops welcoming, informative meeting places for fans and creators alike. He discusses promotional events (Jack Kirby at the DC 50th Anniversary, Roy Thomas, George Perez, and over a hundred other creator appearances), his policy of discounting independents 20% to build readership early, and his views on the professionalization of comic retailing and the likely emergence of national chain stores.

Reis, a computer systems analyst by day, describes his craft of creating 3-dimensional shadowbox artworks from comic-book covers, cutting multiple copies into layered scenes separated by balsa wood. He has been doing the work for over ten years and is approaching his 500th piece, with clients including Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway, David Anthony Kraft, Jenette Kahn, and Harlan Ellison. Reis describes a PLAYBOY centerfold collage he gifted to Hugh Hefner and discusses his parallel collection of original Batman art traded from professionals in exchange for his 3-D work.

Richardson and Stradley explain how Dark Horse grew out of shared frustrations with mainstream comics and the connections forged in APA-5, with Concrete as the cornerstone title that defined their editorial philosophy of creator ownership and minimal interference. They discuss the origins of Boris the Bear as a parody of the b&w glut, their move to better paper stock without a price increase, and their anger at being excluded from the Overstreet Price Guide solely because their books were black-and-white. Upcoming projects include the four-issue color Predator series, a Roy Thomas/Robert E. Howard adaptation, the Concrete Color Special, and Outlanders (Japanese manga by Johji Manabe).

In a broad career retrospective, Wein recounts the creation of Wolverine (a name supplied by Roy Thomas, with a costume designed by John Romita Sr.) and the new X-Men lineup with Dave Cockrum, including the origin of Storm from two merged character concepts. He shares opinions on what subsequent writers did with his creations — disliking the move toward Wolverine killing — and discusses his fondness for The Incredible Hulk, favorite Batman stories, working with Alan Moore on Swamp Thing, and early career breaks through fanzines and Joe Orlando at DC.

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.

Part one of a three-part interview with the principals of Star*Reach Productions, the comics industry's only dedicated talent agency. Friedrich traces the agency's founding in 1982, its growth to over 50 clients (including P. Craig Russell, Paul Chadwick, Roy Thomas, Steve Englehart, and Mark Wheatley), and its philosophy of building cooperative creator–publisher relationships rather than adversarial ones.

Schelly discusses his book The Golden Age of Comic Fandom, covering comicdom's formative decade from 1961 to 1972 — from the first fanzines and Alley Awards through the rise of comicons and the eventual crossover of fan talent into professional comics. The interview is conducted by Roy Thomas, who participated in many of the events Schelly describes and contributes his own recollections, making it a genuine two-way conversation rather than a standard Q&A.