| Ralph Macchio | |
|---|---|
_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg) Macchio in 2025 | |
| Born | (1951-12-28)December 28, 1951 (age 74) |
| Area | Writer, Editor |
Notable works | Daredevil Thor Captain America Spider-Man Ultimate Marvel |
Ralph Macchio (/ˈmɑːkioʊ/MAH-kee-oh;[1] born December 28,[2] 1950) is an Americancomic bookeditor andwriter who has held many positions atMarvel Comics, including executive editor. Macchio is commonly associated withDaredevil,Thor, theSpider-Man line of comics, and theUltimate Marvel line.
Macchio is not related to the actor and namesakeRalph Macchio, but is nicknamed "Karate Kid" after that actor's famous role.[3]
As a young man, Macchio was a comics fan and "letterhack," and had manyletters printed in Marvel comic books. His background, however, was inEnglish literature, and he considered teaching as a career. In no hurry to get such a job, Macchio happened to meetKillraven writerDon McGregor at a comic book convention.[4]
Knowing Macchio from his many letters, McGregor asked Macchio if he wanted a tour of the Marvel offices. During the tour, Macchio was asked by writerChris Claremont to interview editor-in-chiefRoy Thomas forFOOM (Marvel's self-producedfanzine). During the course of doing the interview, Macchio met many more Marvel employees, and eventually was asked by writer/editorJohn Warner to join the staff and assist Warner with Marvel's black-and-white magazine line. Macchio, having "nothing else to do after graduate school,"[5] agreed.[6]
Macchio's most consistent early credits were as writer ofMarvel Two-in-One, which he co-scripted withMark Gruenwald from 1978 to 1981, andThor, which he wrote (also with Gruenwald) from 1980 to 1981. Macchio shifted to mostly editing in 1982, though he wrote the scripts for the 1985–1986The Sword of Solomon Kaneminiseries, based onRobert E. Howard'sPuritan swordsman, and wroteThe Avengers from 1987 to 1988 and part of 1989. He has also written forMarvel Fanfare,X-Men Adventures, and the premiere issue ofTransformers, among others.[7]
After working as an assistant editor for Warner on Marvel's black-and-white magazine line, Macchio becameDennis O'Neil's assistant editor. Promoted to full editor in 1981, Macchio's first major editing work wasMaster of Kung Fu, which he helmed from 1982 to 1983. His first line of books includedThe Saga of Crystar (which he co-created withJohn Romita, Jr. andMark Gruenwald),Dazzler,ROM,U.S. 1, andMicronauts.[4][7] During this early period, Macchio's assistant editor wasBob Harras,[8] later to become Marvel editor-in-chief.
From 1984 through 1995, Macchio wasDaredevil editor. He spent nearly decade-long editing stints onThor andCaptain America with shorter periods onAvengers andFantastic Four. He also edited movie adaptations,Star-Lord, andKull the Conqueror.[7]
In 1996, Macchio became editor of theSpider-Man line, which he helmed into the early 2000s. Starting in 2000, he edited theMarvel Ultimates line. In 2007, Macchio oversaw the adaptation ofStephen King'sDark Tower novels into a comic-book series.[3][7]
Macchio retired from Marvel in 2011.[9]
| Preceded by | Marvel Two-in-One writer (withMark Gruenwald) 1978–1981 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Thor writer (withMark Gruenwald) 1980–1981 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Avengers writer 1987–1988 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Avengers writer 1989 | Succeeded by |
