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Marvel Comics

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Marvel Comics[]

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about the comic book company using this name beginning mid-1961. For the earlier comic book series, see Marvel Mystery Comics.

Marvel Comics
[1]
Parent company Marvel Entertainment, LLC

(The Walt Disney Company)

Founded 1939 (as Timely Comics)
Founder Martin Goodman
Country of origin United States
Headquarters location 135 W. 50th Street, New York City
Key people

Axel Alonso, EIC Dan Buckley, publisher, COO

Stan Lee, former EIC, publisher

Publication types Comics/See List of Marvel Comics publications
Fiction genres Crime, horror, mystery, romance, science fiction, war, Western, superheroes
Imprints imprint list
Revenue US$125.7 million(2007)
Official website www.marvel.com

Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American publisher of comic books and related media. In 2009, The Walt Disney Company acquired Marvel Entertainment, Marvel Worldwide's parent company, for $4.2 billion.[1]

Marvel started in 1939 as Timely Publications, and by the early 1950s had generally become known as Atlas Comics. Marvel's modern incarnation dates from 1961, the year that the company launched The Fantastic Four and other superhero titles created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and many others.

Marvel counts among its characters such well-known properties as Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, Captain America, and the Silver Surfer, and antagonists such as the Green Goblin, Magneto, Doctor Doom, Loki, Galactus, Thanos, and the Red Skull. Most of Marvel's fictional characters operate in a single reality known as the Marvel Universe, with locations that mirror real-life cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

Marvel Comics and its major, longtime competitor DC Comics shared over 80% of the American comic-book market in 2008.

Contents[]

  [hide] *1 History

History[edit][]

Timely Publications[edit][]

Main article: Timely Comics

[2][3]Marvel Comics #1 (Oct. 1939), the first comic from Marvel precursor Timely Comics. Cover art by Frank R. Paul.

Martin Goodman founded the company later known as Marvel Comics under the name Timely Publications in 1939,[2] publishing comic books under theimprint Timely Comics.[3] Goodman, a pulp magazine publisher who had started with a Western pulp in 1933, was expanding into the emerging—and by then already highly popular—new medium of comic books. Launching his new line from his existing company's offices at 330 West 42nd Street, New York City, he officially held the titles of editor, managing editor, and business manager, with Abraham Goodman officially listed as publisher.[2]

Timely's first publication, Marvel Comics #1 (cover dated Oct. 1939), included the first appearance of Carl Burgos' android superhero the Human Torch, and the first generally available appearance of Bill Everett's anti-hero Namor the Sub-Mariner, among other features. The issue was a great success, with it and a second printing the following month selling, combined, nearly 900,000 copies.[4] While its contents came from an outside packager,Funnies, Inc., Timely by the following year had its own staff in place.

The company's first true editor, writer-artist Joe Simon, teamed with eminent industry legend Jack Kirby to create one of the first[citation needed]patriotically themed superheroes, Captain America, in Captain America Comics #1. (March 1941) It, too, proved a major sales hit, with sales of nearly one million.[4]

While no other Timely character would achieve the success of these "big three", some notable heroes—many of which continue to appear in modern-day retcon appearances and flashbacks—include the Whizzer, Miss America, the Destroyer, the original Vision, and the Angel. Timely also published one of humor cartoonist Basil Wolverton's best-known features, "Powerhouse Pepper",[5][6] as well as a line of children's funny-animal comics featuring popular characters like Super Rabbit and the duo Ziggy Pig and Silly Seal.

Goodman hired his wife's cousin,[7] Stanley Lieber, as a general office assistant in 1939.[8] When editor Simon left the company in late 1941,[9]Goodman made Lieber—by then writing pseudonymously as "Stan Lee"—interim editor of the comics line, a position Lee kept for decades except for three years during his military service in World War II. Lee wrote extensively for Timely, contributing to a number of different titles.

Goodman's business strategy involved having his various magazines and comic books published by a number of corporations all operating out of the same office and with the same staff.[3] One of these shell companies through which Timely Comics was published was named Marvel Comics by at least Marvel Mystery Comics #55 (May 1944). As well, some comics' covers, such as All Surprise Comics #12 (Winter 1946–47), were labeled "A Marvel Magazine" many years before Goodman would formally adopt the name in 1961.[10]

Atlas Comics[edit][]

Main article: Atlas Comics (1950s)

The post-war American comic market saw superheroes falling out of fashion.[11] Goodman's comic book line dropped them for the most part and expanded into a wider variety of genres than even Timely had published, featuring horror, Westerns, humor, funny animal, men's adventure-drama, giant monster, crime, and war comics, and later adding jungle books, romance titles, espionage, and even medieval adventure, Bible stories and sports.

Goodman began using the globe logo of the Atlas News Company, the newsstand-distribution company he owned,[12] on comics cover-dated November 1951 even though another company, Kable News, continued to distribute his comics through the August 1952 issues.[13] This globe branding united a line put out by the same publisher, staff and freelancers through 59 shell companies, from Animirth Comics to Zenith Publications.[14]

Atlas, rather than innovate, took a proven route of following popular trends in television and movies—Westerns and war dramas prevailing for a time, drive-in movie monsters another time—and even other comic books, particularly the EC horror line.[15] Atlas also published a plethora of children's and teen humor titles, including Dan DeCarlo's Homer the Happy Ghost (à la Casper the Friendly Ghost) and Homer Hooper (à la Archie Andrews). Atlas unsuccessfully attempted to revive superheroes from late 1953 to mid-1954, with the Human Torch (art by Syd Shores and Dick Ayers, variously), the Sub-Mariner (drawn and most stories written by Bill Everett), and Captain America (writer Stan Lee, artist John Romita Sr.).

[4][5]The Fantastic Four #1 (Nov. 1961). Cover art by Jack Kirby (penciler) and unconfirmed inker.===Marvel Comics[edit]===

The first modern comic books under the Marvel Comics brand were the science-fiction anthology Journey into Mystery #69 and the teen-humor titlePatsy Walker #95 (both cover dated June 1961), which each displayed an "MC" box on its cover.[16] Then, in the wake of DC Comics' success in reviving superheroes in the late 1950s and early 1960s, particularly with the Flash, Green Lantern, and other members of the team the Justice League of America, Marvel followed suit.[17] The introduction of modern Marvel's first superhero team, in The Fantastic Four #1, (Nov. 1961),[18] began establishing the company's reputation. The majority of its superhero stories were written by editor-in-chief Stan Lee. The company continued to publish a smattering of Western comics such as Rawhide Kid, humor comics such as Millie the Model, and romance comics such as Love Romances, and added the war comic Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos.

Editor-writer Lee and freelance artist Jack Kirby's Fantastic Four, reminiscent of the non-superpowered adventuring quartet the Challengers of the Unknown that Kirby had created for DC in 1957, originated in a Cold War culture that led their creators to revise the superhero conventions of previous eras to better reflect the psychological spirit of their age.[19] Eschewing such comic book tropes as secret identities and even costumes at first, having a monster as one of the heroes, and having its characters bicker and complain in what was later called a "superheroes in the real world" approach, the series represented a change that proved to be a great success.[20] Marvel began publishing further superhero titles featuring such heroes and antiheroes as the Hulk, Spider-Man, Thor, Ant-Man, Iron Man, the X-Men, and Daredevil, and such memorable antagonists as Doctor Doom, Magneto, Galactus,Loki, the Green Goblin, and Doctor Octopus, all existing in a shared reality known as the Marvel Universe, with locations that mirror real-life cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.[21]

Lee and Steve Ditko generated the most successful new series in The Amazing Spider-Man. Marvel even lampooned itself and other comics companies in a parody comic, Not Brand Echh (a play on Marvel's dubbing of other companies as "Brand Echh", à la the then-common phrase "Brand X").[22]

Marvel's comics had a reputation for focusing on characterization to a greater extent than most superhero comics before them.[23] This applied to The Amazing Spider-Man in particular. Its young hero suffered from self-doubt and mundane problems like any other teenager. Marvel often presents flawed superheroes, freaks, and misfits—unlike the perfect, handsome, athletic heroes found in previous traditional comic books. Some Marvel heroes looked like villains and monsters. In time, this non-traditional approach would revolutionize comic books. This naturalistic approach even extended into topical politics. Wrote comics historian Mike Benton,

In the world of [rival DC Comics'] Superman comic books, communism did not exist. Superman rarely crossed national borders or involved himself in political disputes.[24] From 1962 to 1965, there were more communists [in Marvel Comics] than on the subscription list of Pravda. Communist agents attack Ant-Man in his laboratory, red henchmen jump the Fantastic Four on the moon, and Viet Cong guerrillas take potshots at Iron Man.[25]

Writer Geoff Boucher in 2009 reflected that, "Superman and DC Comics instantly seemed like boring old Pat Boone; Marvel felt like The Beatles and the British Invasion. It was Kirby's artwork with its tension and psychedelia that made it perfect for the times—or was it Lee's bravado and melodrama, which was somehow insecure and brash at the same time?"[26]

[6][7]The Avengers #4 (March 1964), with (from left to right), the Wasp, Giant-Man,Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and (inset) the Sub-Mariner. Cover art by Jack Kirbyand George Roussos.===Cadence Industries ownership[edit]===

In 1968, while selling 50 million comic books a year, company founder Goodman revised the constraining distribution arrangement with Independent News he had reached under duress during the Atlas years, allowing him now to release as many titles as demand warranted.[12] In the fall of that year he sold Marvel Comics and his other publishing businesses to the Perfect Film and Chemical Corporation, which grouped them as the subsidiaryMagazine Management Company, with Goodman remaining as publisher.[27] In 1969, Goodman finally ended his distribution deal with Independent by signing with Curtis Circulation Company.[12]

In 1971, the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare approached Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Stan Lee to do a comic book story about drug abuse. Lee agreed and wrote a three-part Spider-Man story portraying drug use as dangerous and unglamorous. However, the industry's self-censorship board, the Comics Code Authority, refused to approve the story because of the presence of narcotics, deeming the context of the story irrelevant. Lee, with Goodman's approval, published the story regardless in The Amazing Spider-Man #96–98 (May–July 1971), without the Comics Code seal. The market reacted well to the storyline, and the CCA subsequently revised the Code the same year.[28]

[8][9]Howard the Duck #8 (January 1977). Cover art by Gene Colan and Steve Leialoha

Goodman retired as publisher in 1972 and installed his son, Chip, as publisher,[29] Shortly thereafter, Lee succeeded him as publisher and also became Marvel's president[29] for a brief time.[30] During his time as president, he appointed as editor-in-chief Roy Thomas, who added "Stan Lee Presents" to the opening page of each comic book.[29]

A series of new editors-in-chief oversaw the company during another slow time for the industry. Once again, Marvel attempted to diversify, and with the updating of the Comics Code achieved moderate to strong success with titles themed to horror (The Tomb of Dracula), martial arts, (Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu),sword-and-sorcery (Conan the Barbarian, Red Sonja), satire (Howard the Duck) and science fiction (2001: A Space Odyssey, "Killraven" in Amazing Adventures, Star Trek, and, late in the decade, the long-running Star Wars series). Some of these were published in larger-format black and white magazines, under its Curtis Magazines imprint. Marvel was able to capitalize on its successful superhero comics of the previous decade by acquiring a new newsstand distributor and greatly expanding its comics line. Marvel pulled ahead of rival DC Comics in 1972, during a time when the price and format of the standard newsstand comic were in flux.[31] Goodman increased the price and size of Marvel's November 1971 cover-dated comics from 15 cents for 36 pages total to 25 cents for 52 pages. DC followed suit, but Marvel the following month dropped its comics to 20 cents for 36 pages, offering a lower-priced product with a higher distributor discount.[32]

Goodman, now disconnected from Marvel, set up a new company called Seaboard Periodicals in 1974, reviving Marvel's old Atlas name for a new Atlas Comics line, but this lasted only a year-and-a-half.[33] In the mid-1970s a decline of the newsstand distribution network affected Marvel. Cult hits such as Howard the Duck fell victim to the distribution problems, with some titles reporting low sales when in fact the first specialty comic book stores resold them at a later date.[citation needed] But by the end of the decade, Marvel's fortunes were reviving, thanks to the rise of direct market distribution—selling through those same comics-specialty stores instead of newsstands.

Marvel held its own comic book convention, Marvelcon '75, in spring 1975, and promised a Marvelcon '76. At the 1975 event, Stan Lee used a Fantastic Four panel discussion to announce that Jack Kirby, the artist co-creator of most of Marvel's signature characters, was returning to Marvel after having left in 1970 to work for rival DC Comics.[34] In October 1976, Marvel, which already licensed reprints in different countries, including the UK, created a superhero specifically for the British market. Captain Britain debuted exclusively in the UK, and later appeared in American comics.[35]

[10][11]Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1 (May 1984). Cover art by Mike Zeck.[36]

In 1978, Jim Shooter became Marvel's editor-in-chief. Although a controversial personality, Shooter cured many of the procedural ills at Marvel, including repeatedly missed deadlines. During Shooter's nine-year tenure as editor-in-chief, Chris Claremont and John Byrne's run on the Uncanny X-Men and Frank Miller's run on Daredevil became critical and commercial successes.[citation needed] Shooter brought Marvel into the rapidly evolving direct market,[37] institutionalized creator royalties, starting with the Epic Comics imprint for creator-owned material in 1982; introduced company-wide crossover story arcs with Contest of Champions and Secret Wars; and in 1986 launched the ultimately unsuccessful New Universe line to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Marvel Comics imprint. Star Comics, a children-oriented line differing from the regular Marvel titles, was briefly successful during this period.

Despite Marvel's successes in the early 1980s, it lost ground to rival DC in the latter half of the decade as many former Marvel stars defected to the competitor. DC scored critical and sales victories[38] with titles and limited series such as Watchmen, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Crisis on Infinite Earths, Byrne's revamp of Superman, and Alan Moore's Swamp Thing.

Marvel Entertainment Group ownership[edit][]

In 1986, Marvel's parent, Marvel Entertainment Group, was sold to New World Entertainment, which within three years sold it to MacAndrews and Forbes, owned by Revlon executive Ronald Perelman.

[12][13]Spider-Man #1, later renamed "Peter Parker: Spider-Man" (August 1990; second printing). Cover art by Todd McFarlane.

Marvel earned a great deal of money and recognition during the comic book boom of the early 1990s, launching the successful 2099 line of comics set in the future (Spider-Man 2099, etc.) and the creatively daring though commercially unsuccessful Razorline imprint of superhero comics created by novelist and filmmaker Clive Barker.[39][40] In 1991 Marvel began selling Marvel Universe Cards with trading card makerSkyBox International. These were collectible trading cards that featured the characters and events of the Marvel Universe. The 1990s saw the rise of variant covers, cover enhancements, and swimsuit issues.

Another common practice of this period was company-wide crossovers that affected the overall continuity of the fictional Marvel Universe. In 1996, Marvel had almost all its titles participate in the "Onslaught Saga", a crossover that allowed Marvel to relaunch some of its flagship, albeit flagging, characters such as the Avengers and the Fantastic Four, and outsource them to the studios of former Marvel artists turned Image Comics founders, Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld. After an initial sales bump, sales quickly declined below expected levels,[citation needed] and Marvel discontinued the experiment after a one-year run; the characters soon returned to the Marvel Universe proper. In 1998, the company launched the imprint Marvel Knights, taking place within Marvel continuity; helmed by soon-to-become editor-in-chief Joe Quesada, it featured tough, gritty stories showcasing such characters as the Inhumans, Black Panther and Daredevil.

Marvel suffered a blow in early 1992, when seven of its most prized artists—Todd McFarlane (known for his work on Spider-Man), Jim Lee (X-Men), Rob Liefeld (X-Force), Marc Silvestri (Wolverine), Erik Larsen (The Amazing Spider-Man), Jim Valentino (Guardians of the Galaxy), and Whilce Portacio—left to form Image Comics.[41]

[14][15]Marvel's logo, circa 1990s

In late 1994, Marvel acquired the comic book distributor Heroes World Distribution to use as its own exclusive distributor.[42] As the industry's other major publishers made exclusive distribution deals with other companies, the ripple effect resulted in the survival of only one other major distributor in North America, Diamond Comic Distributors Inc.[43][44] In early 1997, when Marvel's Heroes World endeavor failed, Diamond also forged an exclusive deal with Marvel[45]—giving the company its own section of its comics catalog Previews.[46]

In 1991 Ronald Perelman, whose company, Andrews Group, had purchased Marvel Comic's Parent corporation, Marvel Entertainment Group (MEG) in 1989, took the company public. Following the rapid rise of this stock, Perelman issued a series of junk bonds that he used to acquire other entertainment companies, secured by MEG stock. Then, by the middle of the decade, the industry had slumped, and in December 1996 Marvel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.[47]

Marvel Enterprises[edit][]

In 1997, Toy Biz and MEG merged to end the bankruptcy, forming a new corporation, Marvel Enterprises.[47] With his business partner Avi Arad, publisher Bill Jemas, and editor-in-chief Bob Harras, Toy Biz co-owner Isaac Perlmutter helped stabilize the comics line.[48]

With the new millennium, Marvel Comics emerged from bankruptcy and again began diversifying its offerings. In 2001, Marvel withdrew from the Comics Code Authority and established its ownMarvel Rating System for comics. The first title from this era to not have the code was X-Force #119 (October 2001). Marvel also created new imprints, such as MAX (an explicit-content line) andMarvel Adventures (developed for child audiences). In addition, the company created an alternate universe imprint, Ultimate Marvel, that allowed the company to reboot its major titles by revising and updating its characters to introduce to a new generation.

Some of its characters have been turned into successful film franchises, such as the X-Men movie series, starting in 2000, and the highest grossing series Spider-Man, beginning in 2002.[49]

In a cross-promotion, the November 1, 2006, episode of the CBS soap opera The Guiding Light, titled "She's a Marvel", featured the character Harley Davidson Cooper (played by Beth Ehlers) as a superheroine named the Guiding Light.[50] The character's story continued in an eight-page backup feature, "A New Light", that appeared in several Marvel titles published November 1 and 8.[51]Also that year, Marvel created a wiki on its Web site.[52]

In late 2007 the company launched Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited, a digital archive of over 2,500 back issues available for viewing, for a monthly or annual subscription fee.[53]

In 2009 Marvel Comics closed its Open Submissions Policy, in which the company had accepted unsolicited samples from aspiring comic book artists, saying the time-consuming review process had produced no suitably professional work.[54] The same year, the company commemorated its 70th anniversary, dating to its inception as Timely Comics, by issuing the one-shot Marvel Mystery Comics 70th Anniversary Special #1 and a variety of other special issues.[55][56]

Disney conglomerate unit[edit][]

On August 31, 2009, The Walt Disney Company announced a deal to acquire Marvel Comics' parent corporation, Marvel Entertainment, for $4 billion, with Marvel shareholders to receive $30 and 0.745 Disney shares for each share of Marvel they own.[57] As of 2008, Marvel and its major, longtime competitor DC Comics shared over 80% of the American comic-book market.[58]

[16][17]Prominent writers of Marvel titles in the 2010s include (seated left to right) Ed Brubaker, Christos Gage, Matt Fraction andBrian Michael Bendis.

Marvel relaunched the CrossGen imprint, owned by Disney Publishing Worldwide, in March 2011.[59] Marvel and Disney Publishing began jointly publishing Disney/Pixar Presents magazine in May 2011.[60]

Marvel discontinued its Marvel Adventures imprint in March 2012,[61] and replaced them with a line of two titles connected to the Marvel Universe TV block.[62] Also in March 2012, Marvel announced its Marvel ReEvoultion initiative that included Infinite Comics,[63] a line of digital comics, Marvel AR, anapplication software that provides an augmented reality experience to readers and Marvel NOW!, a relaunch of most of the company's major titles with different creative teams.[64][65] Marvel NOW! also saw the debut of new flagship titles including Uncanny Avengers and All-New X-Men.[66]

A couple of joint comic projects were announced by Marvel and other Disney conglomerate components in 2013. With ABC, an "Once Upon a Time" graphic novel was announced in April to be published on September 4.[67] With Disney, the company announced in October 2013 that in January 2014 its first title under their joint "Disney Kingdoms" imprint "Seekers of the Weird", a five issue miniseries, would be released.[1]

Officers[edit][]

  • Michael Z. Hobson, Executive Vice President, Publishing[68] Group vice-president, publishing (1986)[69]
  • Stan Lee, executive vice president & publisher (1986)[69]
  • Joseph Calamari, executive vice president (1986)[69]
  • Jim Shooter, vice president and Editor-in-Chief (1986)[69]

Publishers[edit][]

Editors-in-chief[edit][]

Marvel's chief editor originally held the title of "editor". This head editor's title later became "editor-in-chief". Joe Simon was the company's first true chief-editor, with publisher Martin Goodman, who had served as titular editor only and outsourced editorial operations.

In 1994 Marvel briefly abolished the position of editor-in-chief, replacing Tom DeFalco with five group editors-in-chief. As Carl Potts described the 1990s editorial arrangement:

In the early '90s, Marvel had so many titles that there were three Executive Editors, each overseeing approximately 1/3 of the line. Bob Budiansky was the third Executive Editor [following the previously appointed Mark Gruenwald and Potts]. We all answered to Editor-in-Chief Tom DeFalco and Publisher Mike Hobson. All three Executive Editors decided not to add our names to the already crowded credits on the Marvel titles. Therefore it wasn't easy for readers to tell which titles were produced by which Executive Editor ... In late '94, Marvel reorganized into a number of different publishing divisions, each with its own Editor-in-Chief.[71]

Marvel reinstated the overall editor-in-chief position in 1995 with Bob Harras.

Editor
Editor-in-chief

Executive Editor[edit][]

Originally called associate editor when Marvel's chief editor just carried the title of editor, the title of the next highest editorial position became executive editor under the chief editor title of editor-in-chief. The title of associate editor later was revived under the editor-in-chief as a editorial position in charge of few titles under the direction of an editor and without an assistant editor.

Associate Editor
Executive Editor

Ownership[edit][]

Parent Corporation

Offices[edit][]

Located in New York City, Marvel has been successively headquartered in the McGraw-Hill Building,[2][75] where it originated as Timely Comics in 1939; in suite 1401 of the Empire State Building;[75] at 635 Madison Avenue (the actual location, though the comic books' indicia listed the parent publishing-company's address of 625 Madison Ave.);[75] 575 Madison Avenue;[75] 387 Park Avenue South;[75] 10 East 40th Street;[75] 417 Fifth Avenue;[75] and a 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m2) space at 135 W. 50th Street.[76][77]

Marvel characters in other media[edit][]

Marvel characters and stories have been adapted to many other media. Some of these adaptations were produced by Marvel Comics and its sister company, Marvel Studios, while others were produced by companies licensing Marvel material.

Films[edit][]

Main article: List of films based on Marvel Comics

As of the start of the 2013 summer movie season, films based on Marvel's properties represent the highest-grossing U.S. franchise, having grossed over $5.4 billion as part of a worldwide gross of over $12 billion.[78]

Television programs[edit][]

Main article: List of television series based on Marvel Comics

Many television series, both live-action and animated, have based their productions on Marvel Comics characters. These include multiple series for popular characters such as Spider-Man and the X-Men. Additionally, a handful of television movies based on Marvel Comics characters have been made.

Video games[edit][]

Main article: List of video games based on Marvel Comics

Marvel has licensed a number of video games of various genres. Some entries have been popular arcade games like Captain America and The Avengers, Spider-Man: The Video Game and X-Men. Other installments have been the recent Marvel Ultimate Alliance strategy games, and the long-standing fighting game series Marvel vs. Capcom. Marvel also made a series of digital comics that serve as prequels to Disney Epic Mickey.[citation needed] The same game has been remodeled as an arcade game as well.[citation needed]

In June 2012, Club Penguin, an affiliate of Marvel through Disney, will being adding Marvel characters to the online game.[79]

Prose novels[edit][]

Main articles: Marvel Books and Marvel Press

Marvel first licensed two prose novels to Bantam Books, who printed The Avengers Battle the Earth Wrecker by Otto Binder (1967) and Captain America: The Great Gold Steal by Ted White(1968). Various publishers took up the licenses from 1978 to 2002. Also, with the various licensed films being released beginning in 1997, various publishers put out movie novelizations.[80] In 2003, following publication of the prose young adult novel Mary Jane, starring Mary Jane Watson from the Spider-Man mythos, Marvel announced the formation of the publishing imprint Marvel Press.[81] However, Marvel moved back to licensing with Pocket Books from 2005 to 2008.[80] With few books issued under the imprint, Marvel and Disney Books Group relaunched Marvel Press in 2011 with the Marvel Origin Storybooks line.[82]

Role-playing games[edit][]

TSR published the pen-and-paper role-playing game Marvel Super Heroes in 1984. TSR then released the Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game in 1998. In 2003 Marvel Publishing published its own role-playing game, the Marvel Universe Roleplaying Game.[83]

In August 2011 Margaret Weis Productions announced it was developing a tabletop role-playing game based on the Marvel universe, set for release in February 2012.[84][85]

Theme parks[edit][]

Marvel has licensed its characters for theme-parks and attractions, including at the Universal Orlando Resort's Islands of Adventure, in Orlando, Florida, which includes rides based on their iconic characters and costumed performers.[86] Universal theme parks in California and Japan also have Marvel rides.[87]

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts plans on creating original Marvel attractions at their theme parks,[88][89] with Hong Kong Disneyland becoming the first Disney theme park to feature a Marvel attraction.[90][91]

Imprints[edit][]

Defunct[edit][]

Former Marvel Comics line

See also[edit][]

*[18]New York City portal

 *[19]Companies portal  *[20]Comics portal  *[21]Disney portal  *[22]United States portal

References[edit][]

  1. ^ Jump up to:a b c "Marvel, Disney unveil 1st comic under new imprint". Seattle PI. AP. October 8, 2013. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  2. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e Per statement of ownership, dated October 2, 1939, published in Marvel Mystery Comics #4 (Feb. 1940), p. 40; reprinted in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Marvel ComicsVolume 1 (Marvel Comics, 2004, ISBN 0-7851-1609-5), p. 239
  3. ^ Jump up to:a b Daniels, Les (1991). Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics. New York City: Harry N. Abrams. pp. 27, 32–33. ISBN 0-8109-3821-9. "Timely Publications became the name under which Goodman first published a comic book line. He eventually created a number of companies to publish comics ... but Timely was the name by which Goodman's Golden Age comics were known. . . . Marvel wasn't always Marvel; in the early 1940s the company was known as Timely Comics...."
  4. ^ Jump up to:a b Per researcher Keif Fromm, Alter Ego #49, p. 4 (caption), Marvel Comics #1, cover-dated October 1939, quickly sold out 80,000 copies, prompting Goodman to produce a second printing, cover-dated November 1939. The latter appears identical except for a black bar over the October date in the inside front-cover indicia, and the November date added at the end. That sold approximately 800,000 copies—a large figure in the market of that time. Also per Fromm, the first issue of Captain America Comics sold nearly one million copies.
  5. Jump up^ Powerhouse Pepper at the Grand Comics Database
  6. Jump up^ A Smithsonian Book of Comic-Book Comics. Smithsonian Institution/Harry N. Abrams. 1981.
  7. Jump up^ Lee, Stan; Mair, George (200). Excelsior!: The Amazing Life of Stan Lee'. Fireside Books. p. 22. ISBN 0-684-87305-2.
  8. Jump up^ Simon, Joe; with Simon, Jim (1990). The Comic Book Makers. Crestwood/II Publications. p. 208. ISBN 1-887591-35-4.
  9. Jump up^ Simon, Joe (2011). Joe Simon: My Life in Comics. London, UK: Titan Books. pp. 113–114.ISBN 978-1-84576-930-7.
  10. Jump up^ Cover, All Surprise Comics #12 at the Grand Comics Database
  11. Jump up^ Wright, Bradford W. (2001). Comic Book Nation: The Transformation of Youth Culture in America. The Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 57. ISBN 978-0-8018-6514-5.
  12. ^ Jump up to:a b c "Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc.". International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 10. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Gale / St. James Press, via FundingUniverse.com. 1995.Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  13. Jump up^ Marvel : Atlas [wireframe globe (Brand)] at the Grand Comics Database
  14. Jump up^ Marvel Indicia Publishers at the Grand Comics Database
  15. Jump up^ Per Les Daniels in Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics, pp. 67–68: "The success of EC had a definite influence on Marvel. As Stan Lee recalls, 'Martin Goodman would say, "Stan, let's do a different kind of book," and it was usually based on how the competition was doing. When we found that EC's horror books were doing well, for instance, we published a lot of horror books'".
  16. Jump up^ Marvel : MC (Brand) at the Grand Comics Database.
  17. Jump up^ Apocryphal legend has it that in 1961, during a game of golf, either Jack Liebowitz or Irwin Donenfeld of rival DC Comics (then known as National Periodical Publications) bragged to Timely and Atlas publisher Martin Goodman about DC's success with the Justice League, which had debuted in The Brave and the Bold #28 (Feb. 1960) before going on to its own title. However, film producer and comics historian Michael Uslan partly debunked the story in a letter published in Alter Ego #43 (December 2004), pp. 43–44:

    Irwin said he never played golf with Goodman, so the story is untrue. I heard this story more than a couple of times while sitting in the lunchroom at DC's 909 Third Avenue and 75 Rockefeller Plaza office as Sol Harrison and [production chief] Jack Adler were schmoozing with some of us ... who worked for DC during our college summers. ... [T]he way I heard the story from Sol was that Goodman was playing with one of the heads of Independent News, not DC Comics (though DC owned Independent News). ... As the distributor of DC Comics, this man certainly knew all the sales figures and was in the best position to tell this tidbit to Goodman. ... Of course, Goodman would want to be playing golf with this fellow and be in his good graces. ... Sol worked closely with Independent News' top management over the decades and would have gotten this story straight from the horse's mouth.

Goodman, a publishing trend-follower aware of the JLA's strong sales, did direct his comics editor, Stan Lee, to create a comic book series about a team of superheroes. According to Lee in Origins of Marvel Comics. Simon and Schuster/Fireside Books. 1974. p. 16. ISBN 0-7851-0579-4.

Martin mentioned that he had noticed one of the titles published by National Comics seemed to be selling better than most. It was a book called The [sic]Justice League of America and it was composed of a team of superheroes. ... ' If the Justice League is selling ', spoke he, 'why don't we put out a comic book that features a team of superheroes?'

  1. Jump up^ Fantastic Four at the Grand Comics Database
  2. Jump up^ Genter, Robert. "'With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility': Cold War Culture and the Birth of Marvel Comics", The Journal of Popular Culture 40:6, 2007
  3. Jump up^ Comics historian Greg Theakston has suggested that the decision to include monsters and initially to distance the new breed of superheroes from costumes was a conscious one, and born of necessity. Since DC distributed Marvel's output at the time, Theakston theorizes that "Goodman and Lee decided to keep their superhero line looking as much like their horror line as they possibly could," downplaying "the fact that [Marvel] was now creating heroes" with the effect that they ventured "into deeper waters, where DC had never considered going". See Ro, pp. 87–88
  4. Jump up^ Ultimate Marvel Universe. Retrieved October 18, 2008.
  5. Jump up^ "The Real Brand X". Time. October 31, 1960. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
  6. Jump up^ Roberts, Randy, and James S. Olson. American Experiences: Readings in American History: Since 1865, 4th edition (American Experiences / Addison–Wesley, 1998), p. 317. ISBN 978-0-321-01031-5: "Marvel Comics employed a realism in both characterization and setting in its superhero titles that was unequaled in the comic book industry."
  7. Jump up^ Benton, Mike (1991). Superhero Comics of the Silver Age: The Illustrated History. Dallas, Texas: Taylor Publishing Company. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-87833-746-0.
  8. Jump up^ Benton, p. 38.
  9. Jump up^ Boucher, Geoff (September 25, 2009 (online); longer version of September 27, 2009 (print version)). "Jack Kirby, the abandoned hero of Marvel's grand Hollywood adventure, and his family's quest". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 25, 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  10. Jump up^ Daniels, Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics, p. 139.
  11. Jump up^ Nyberg, Amy Kiste. Seal of Approval: History of the Comics Code. University Press of Mississippi, Jackson, Miss., 1998
  12. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f Ro, Ronin (2004). Tales to Astonish: Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and the American Comic Book Revolution. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 179.
  13. ^ Jump up to:a b Lee, Mair, p. 5.
  14. Jump up^ Levitz, Paul (2010). 75 Years of DC Comics The Art of Modern Mythmaking. Taschen America. p. 451. ISBN 978-3-8365-1981-6. "Marvel took advantage of this moment to surpass DC in title production for the first time since 1957, and in sales for the first time ever."
  15. Jump up^ Daniels, Marvel, pp.154–155
  16. Jump up^ Cooke, Jon B. (December 2011). "Vengeance, Incorporated: A history of the short-lived comics publisher Atlas/Seaboard". Comic Book Artist (16). Archived from the original on December 1, 2010. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  17. Jump up^ Bullpen Bulletins: "The King is Back! 'Nuff Said!", in Marvel Comics cover dated October 1975, including Fantastic Four #163
  18. Jump up^ Specific series- and issue-dates in article are collectively per GCD and other databases given under References
  19. Jump up^ Both pencils and inks per UHBMCC; GCD remains uncertain on inker.
  20. Jump up^ "Marvel Focuses On Direct Sales". The Comics Journal (59): 11–12. October 1980.
  21. Jump up^ "DC Overcomes Marvel In Sales". The Comics Journal (118): 24. December 1987.
  22. Jump up^ "Clive Barker official site: Comics". Clivebarker.com. November 28, 1999. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  23. Jump up^ "Independent Heroes from the USA: Clive Barker's Razorline". Internationalhero.co.uk. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  24. Jump up^ "Bye Bye Marvel; Here Comes Image: Portacio, Claremont, Liefeld, Jim Lee Join McFarlane's New Imprint at Malibu". The Comics Journal (48): 11–12. February 1992.
  25. Jump up^ Duin, Steve and Richardson, Mike (ed.s) "Capital City" in Comics Between the Panels (Dark Horse Publishing, 1998) ISBN 1-56971-344-8, p. 69
  26. Jump up^ Rozanski, Chuck (Undated). "Diamond Ended Up With 50% of the Comics Market". MileHighComics.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
  27. Jump up^ "Diamond Comic Distributors acquires Capital City Distribution; Comic distribution industry stabilized by purchase". bNet: Business Wire via Findarticles.com. July 26, 1996. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
  28. Jump up^ "Hello Again: Marvel Goes with Diamond," The Comics Journal #193 (February 1997), pp. 9–10.
  29. Jump up^ Duin, Steve and Richardson, Mike (ed.s) "Diamond Comic Distributors" in Comics Between the Panels (Dark Horse Publishing, 1998) ISBN 1-56971-344-8, p. 125-126
  30. ^ Jump up to:a b "Marvel Reaches Agreement to Emerge from Bankruptcy". The New York Times. July 11, 1997. p. D3. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011.
  31. Jump up^ Raviv, Dan (2001). Comic War: Marvel's Battle for Survival. Heroes Books. ISBN 978-0-7851-1606-6. page number?
  32. Jump up^ "Franchises: Marvel Comics". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
  33. Jump up^ "Guiding Light Comes to Comics! | Marvel.com News". Marvel.com. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
  34. Jump up^ Gustines, George (October 31, 2006). "Pulpy TV and Soapy Comics Find a Lot to Agree On". The New York Times.
  35. Jump up^ "Marvel Universe wiki". Marvel.com. June 11, 2007. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
  36. Jump up^ Colton, David. "Marvel Comics Shows Its Marvelous Colors in Online Archive", USA Today, November 12, 2007
  37. Jump up^ Doran, Michael (April 3, 2009). "C.B. Cebulski on Marvel's Closed Open Submissions Policy". Newsarama. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
  38. Jump up^ Frisk, Andy. Marvel Mystery Comics 70th Anniversary Special #1 (review), ComicBookBin.com, June 6, 2009.
  39. Jump up^ "Celebrate Marvel's 70th Anniversary with Your Local Comic Shop". Marvel Comics press release via ComicBookResources.com. July 31, 2009. Archived from the original on October 19, 2010.
  40. Jump up^ Wilkerson, David B. (August 31, 2009). "Disney to Acquire Marvel Entertainment for $4B".MarketWatch.com. Archived from the original on June 8, 2011. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  41. Jump up^ Siklos, Richard (October 13, 2008). "Spoiler alert: Comic books are alive and kicking".CNN. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  42. Jump up^ Reid, Calvin (December 21, 2010). "Marvel Revives CrossGen with New Creators, New Stories". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
  43. Jump up^ "'Cars' Creative Team On Marvel's Pixar Move". Comic Book Resources. February 17, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
  44. Jump up^ "Marvel Ends Current Kids Line of Comics". Comic Book Resources. December 19, 2011.
  45. Jump up^ "Marvel Launches All-Ages "Avengers" & "Ultimate Spider-Man" Comics". Comic Book Resources]. January 24, 2012.
  46. Jump up^ "Marvel, circus company join forces for superhero arena show". Los Angeles Times. March 13, 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  47. Jump up^ "Marvel Wants You To Join The ReEvolution". Comic Book Resources. 12 March 2012.
  48. Jump up^ Alonso, Axel (17 August 2012). "Axel-In-Charge: "Avengers Vs. X-Men's" Final Phase". Comic Book Resources.
  49. Jump up^ Morse, Ben (5 July 2012). "Marvel NOW!". Marvel Comics. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  50. Jump up^ Sands, Rich. (April 12, 2013) First Look: The Once Upon a Time Graphic Novel. TV Guide.com. Accessed on November 4, 2013.
  51. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e Rhoades, Shirrel (2008). A complete history of American comic books. New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing. pp. X–XI. ISBN 978-1-4331-0107-6. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
  52. ^ Jump up to:a b c d Gilroy, Dan (September 17, 1986). "Marvel Now a $100 Million Hulk: Marvel Divisions and Top Execs" (jpeg). Variety. p. 81. Archived from the original on October 13, 2011. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  53. Jump up^ Weiland, Jonah (October 15, 2003). "Marvel confirms Buckley as new Publisher". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
  54. ^ Jump up to:a b c d "Interview: Carl Potts". PopImage.com. May 2000. Archived from the original on February 5, 2010.
  55. Jump up^ "1976-1979". DC Timeline. dccomicsartists.com. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  56. Jump up^ Frankenhoff, Brent (January 4, 2011). "Marvel editors Axel Alonso, Tom Brevoort promoted".Comics Buyer's Guide Extra. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
  57. Jump up^ Phegley, Kiel (January 4, 2011). "Alonso Named Marvel Editor-In-Chief". Comic Book Resources.
  58. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g Sanderson, Peter. The Marvel Comics Guide to New York City, (Pocket Books, 2007) p. 59. ISBN 978-1-4165-3141-8
  59. Jump up^ "Marvel to move to new, 60,000-square-foot offices in October". Comic Book Resources. September 21, 2010.
  60. Jump up^ Turner, Zake. "Where We Work", The New York Observer, December 21, 2010
  61. Jump up^ "Franchise Index". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  62. Jump up^ "Marvel comes to Club Penguin!". May 18, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
  63. ^ Jump up to:a b DeCandido, Keith R.A.. "Marvel Comics in Prose: An Unofficial Guide". SFF.net.Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  64. Jump up^ Weiland, Jonah (May 26, 2004). "Marvel Announces Creation of New Prose Imprint, Marvel Press". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on August 24, 2011. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
  65. Jump up^ Alverson, Brigid (July 15, 2011). "SDCC '11 | Disney to unveil Marvel Press imprint at San Diego". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on September 25, 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  66. Jump up^ Kim, John H. "RPG Encyclopedia: M". RPG Encyclopedia. darkshire.net. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
  67. Jump up^ "Margaret Weis Productions Teams Up with Marvel Entertainment to Unleash Marvel Heroes Roleplaying Games". Margaret Weis Productions press release. August 10, 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  68. Jump up^ Holochwost, George (August 5, 2011). "Gen Con: New Marvel Comics RPG Games Announced by Margaret Weis Productions". MTV.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  69. Jump up^ Universal's Islands of Adventures: Marvel Super Hero Island official site
  70. Jump up^ "Marvel Theme Park to Open in Dubai by 2011". Reuters. March 22, 2007. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  71. Jump up^ Dawn C. Chmielewski (March 14, 2012). "Walt Disney plans to deploy Marvel superheroes at its theme parks". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  72. Jump up^ "Disney Parks Might Soon Add Marvel Characters". Huffington Post. March 20, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  73. Jump up^ Chu, Karen (8 October 2013). "Hong Kong Disneyland to Open 'Iron Man' Experience in 2016". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  74. Jump up^ John Tsang (February 27, 2013). "The 2013–14 Budget – Promoting Tourism Industry". Hong Kong Government.

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