Macchio is not related to the actor and namesake Ralph Macchio, but is nicknamed "Karate Kid" after that actor's famous role.[3]
Early life
As a young man, Macchio was a comics fan and "letterhack," and had many letters printed in Marvel comic books. His background, however, was in English literature, and he considered teaching as a career. In no hurry to get such a job, Macchio happened to meet Killraven writer Don 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 writer Chris Claremont to interview editor-in-chief Roy Thomas for FOOM (Marvel's self-produced fanzine). During the course of doing the interview, Macchio met many more Marvel employees, and eventually was asked by writer/editor John 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]
After working as an assistant editor for Warner on Marvel's black-and-white magazine line, Macchio became Dennis O'Neil's assistant editor. Promoted to full editor in 1981, Macchio's first major editing work was Master of Kung Fu, which he helmed from 1982 to 1983. His first line of books included The Saga of Crystar (which he co-created with John Romita, Jr. and Mark Gruenwald), Dazzler, ROM, U.S. 1, and Micronauts.[4][7] During this early period, Macchio's assistant editor was Bob Harras,[8] later to become Marvel editor-in-chief.
In 1996, Macchio became editor of the Spider-Man line, which he helmed into the early 2000s. Starting in 2000, he edited the Marvel Ultimates line. In 2007, Macchio oversaw the adaptation of Stephen King's Dark Tower novels into a comic-book series.[3][7]
