Remember Marvel Age, the comic size promo publication that Peter David used to edit for Marvel Comics?  Well Marvel has a new stand-alone promotional publication that will be included with every copy of the Diamond Previews catalog.  Marvel's comic listings will still appear in the 'Premier' section of Previews (and in the Previews Retailer and Consumer Order Forms), but retailers, who have been complaining about a lack of information about Marvel releases (see 'Jerry Ringi On Marvel Information In Previews') will now have a 96-page, full color comic-book-size guide '...to all of Marvel's upcoming releases, which will included everything from more multiple-page previews of upcoming books, to full 22-page advance previews of new projects, to special reprints of sold-out, jumping-on point issues from some of Marvel's leading titles.'                                

The first issue of the new publication, which has been dubbed Marvel Previews, will be listed in the July Previews for shipping in September.  Marvel Previews will be distributed to retailers free of charge in quantities equal to their orders of Previews.  Retailers can order additional copies for a net cost of sixty cents.  The retail cover price of Marvel Previews will read '99 cents -- or free with the purchase of Previews.' 

However, some retailers may feel that the new publication does not come without cost, since Diamond is adjusting the price of Previews from a $3.95 retail and a $2.25 net wholesale to a $4.50 retail and a sliding net cost based on the number of copies ordered.  Retailers who order 100 or more will pay $2.39, those who order between 50 and 100 will pay $2.48, those who order 24-49 will be charged $2.59, and those who order fewer than 24 will pay $2.70 per copy.  If sales remain the same retailers should do all right since they will net more off each Previews sale, and those dealers who order large quantities of Previews will benefit the most thanks to the sliding scale (unless of course they are giving away copies to key customers, in which case their costs are going up).