| Marvel Comics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Private (subsidiary) |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Founded | 1939 as Timely Comics |
| Founder | Martin Goodman |
| Headquarters | 417 5th Avenue, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Key people | Joe Quesada, Editor-in-chief Dan Buckley, Publisher, C. The term privately held company refers to ownership of a business company in two different ways first referring to ownership by non-governmental organizations and second A genre (ˈʒɑːnrə also /ˈdʒɑːnrə/ from French "kind" or "sort" from Latin: genus (stem gener-) is a loose set Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Timely Comics is the 1940s Comic book Publishing company that would evolve into first Atlas Comics, and then Marvel Comics An entrepreneur is a person who has possession over a company enterprise, or Venture, and assumes significant accountability for the inherent risks and the outcome Martin Goodman (born January 18, 1908; died June 6, 1992, Palm Beach Florida) was an American Publisher of The City of New York New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Joseph "Joe" Quesada (born December 1 1962) is an American Comic book editor writer and artist Dan Buckley is the Publisher of Marvel Comics and the Chief operating officer of Marvel Entertainment 's publishing division O. O. |
| Industry | Publishing |
| Products | Comics |
| Revenue | US$125,700,000 (2007) ▲ |
| Operating income | US$53,500,000 (2007) ▲ [1] |
| Parent | Marvel Entertainment |
| Website | marvel.com |
Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing, Inc. For other uses of this term see Industry (disambiguation An industry (from Latin industrius, "diligent industrious" Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of Literature or Information &ndash the activity of making information available for public view In Marketing, a product is anything that can be offered to a Market that might satisfy a want or need Comics (via Latin from the Greek "" kōmikos, of or pertaining to "comedy" from kōmos "revel" In business revenue or revenues is Income that a company receives from its normal business activities usually from the sale of goods and services The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been In financial and business Accounting, earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT is a measure of a firm's profitability that excludes interest and income tax expenses The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been A holding company is a company that owns part all or a majority of other companies' outstanding Stock. Marvel Entertainment Inc ( is an American Entertainment company formed from the merger of Marvel Entertainment Group Inc A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages The United States of America —commonly referred to as the An American comic book is a small Magazine originating in the United States and containing a Narrative in the Comics form , a subsidary of Marvel Entertainment, Inc. Marvel Entertainment Inc ( is an American Entertainment company formed from the merger of Marvel Entertainment Group Inc
Marvel counts among its characters such well-known properties as Captain America, Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, The Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Blade, the Punisher, Daredevil, Iron Fist, Ghost Rider and many others. TalkList of Marvel Comics characters for formatting and stylistic guidelines for this page Spider-Man is a Fictional character appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. The X-Men is a team of fictional Superhero characters in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Fantastic Four is a fictional Superhero team appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. This article is about the comic book character and series For all other media appearances see Hulk in other media. Thor is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Iron Man is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Doctor Strange is a Fictional character, a Comic book sorcerer and Superhero in the. Blade ( Eric Brooks) is a Fictional character, a Superhero Vampire hunter in the Marvel Comics universe. The Punisher ( Frank Castle) is a fictional Antihero that appears in the Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Daredevil is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Iron Fist ( Daniel Rand) is a Fictional character, a Comic book Superhero in the Marvel Comics universe, and a practitioner Johnny Blaze is a Fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. Most of Marvel's fictional characters are depicted as inhabitants of a single shared reality; this continuity is known as the Marvel Universe. In Fiction, continuity (also called time-scheme) is consistency of the characteristics of persons plot, objects places and events seen by the reader or The Marvel Universe is the fictional Shared universe where most of the comic stories published by Marvel Comics take place
The comic book arm of the company was founded in 1939 as Timely Publications[2] and was generally known as Atlas Comics in the 1950s. Timely Comics is the 1940s Comic book Publishing company that would evolve into first Atlas Comics, and then Marvel Comics Atlas Comics is the 1950s Comic book Publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. Marvel's modern incarnation dates from the early 1960s, with the launching of Fantastic Four and other superhero titles created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and others. The Fantastic Four is a fictional Superhero team appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber; December 28, 1922) is an American Writer, editor, creator of comic book characters Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg, August 28, 1917 &ndash February 6, 1994) was an American Comic book Steve Ditko (born 2 November 1927) is an American Comic book Artist and Writer best known as the co-creator of the Marvel has since become one of the largest American comics companies, along with DC Comics. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company
Contents |
History
Timely
Marvel Comics was founded as Timely Publications in 1939, and is now the largest comic company in the world. Frank Rudolph Paul ( April 18 1884 - June 29 1963) was an illustrator of US Pulp magazines in the Science fiction field It was founded by Martin Goodman, a pulp-magazine publisher whose first publication was a Western pulp in 1933. Martin Goodman (born January 18, 1908; died June 6, 1992, Palm Beach Florida) was an American Publisher of Pulp magazines (or pulp fiction; often referred to as "the pulps" were inexpensive Fiction magazines Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of Literature or Information &ndash the activity of making information available for public view Western fiction is a genre of literature set in the American Old West between the years of 1860 and 1900 Expanding into the emerging and by then already highly popular new medium of comic books, Goodman began his new line at his existing company at 330 West 42nd Street, New York City, New York. The City of New York New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous His official titles were editor, managing editor, and business manager, with Abraham Goodman officially listed as publisher. Editing Language, Images or Sound through correction condensation organization and other modifications in various media In a general context a business manager is a person who manages the work of others in order to run a business efficiently [2]
Timely's first publication was Marvel Comics #1 (Oct. Marvel Mystery Comics (first issue titled simply Marvel Comics) is an American Comic book series published during the 1930s-1940s period known 1939), containing 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. Carl Burgos (né Max Finkelstein, April 18, 1916, New York City, New York; died 1984 He took a job with the Franklin Engraving Company An android is a Robot designed to resemble a human usually both in appearance and behavior A superhero (sometimes rendered super-hero or super hero) is a Fictional character "of unprecedented physical prowess dedicated to acts of derring-do The Human Torch is a Fictional character, a Marvel Comics -owned Superhero. William Blake "Bill" Everett, also known as William Blake and Everett Blake ( May 18, 1917, Cambridge Massachusetts – The contents of that sales blockbuster[3] were supplied by an outside packager, Funnies, Inc., but by the following year Timely had a staff in place. Funnies Inc is an influential American Comic book packager of the 1930s-1940s Golden Age of comic books. With the second issue the series title changed to Marvel Mystery Comics. Marvel Mystery Comics (first issue titled simply Marvel Comics) is an American Comic book series published during the 1930s-1940s period known
The company's first true editor, writer-artist Joe Simon, teamed with soon-to-be industry legend Jack Kirby to create one of the first patriotically themed superheroes, Captain America, in Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941). A writer is anyone who creates a written work although the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally as well as those who have written in many different forms The definition of an artist is wide-ranging and covers a broad spectrum of Activities to do with creating Art, practicing the Arts and/or demonstrating Joseph H Simon (born October 11, 1913) is a Jewish-American Comic book Writer, Artist, editor, and publisher Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg, August 28, 1917 &ndash February 6, 1994) was an American Comic book It, too, proved a major sales hit, with a circulation of nearly one million. [3]
While no other Timely character would be as successful as these "big three", some notable heroes — many continuing to appear in modern-day retcon appearances and flashbacks — include the Whizzer, Miss America, the Destroyer, the original Vision, and Paul Gustavson's Angel. Retroactive continuity is the deliberate changing of previously established facts in a work of serial fiction The Whizzer is a fictional Comic-book character in the Marvel Comics multiverse. Miss America ( Madeline Joyce Frank) is a fictional Golden Age Superheroine from the Marvel Comics The Destroyer ( Kevin "Keen" Marlow) is a fictional Superhero in the Marvel Comics universe, who First appeared This article is on the original 1940s Vision For the modern-day comic-book character see Vision (Marvel Comics The Vision ( Aarkus Paul Gustavson née Karl Paul Gustafson (born August 16, 1916, Åland, Finland; died 1977 was an American - Immigrant The Angel ( Thomas Halloway) is a fictional Superhero in the Marvel Comics universe, created by writer-artist Paul Gustavson Timely also published one of humor cartoonist Basil Wolverton's best-known features, "Powerhouse Pepper",[4][5] as well as a children's funny animal line whose most popular characters were Super Rabbit and the duo Ziggy Pig and Silly Seal. Basil Wolverton (July 9 1909 &ndash December 31 1978 was an American Cartoonist, comic book writer-artist, Illustrator and professed "Producer Powerhouse Pepper is a fictional, Comic-book Humor character who appeared in comics published in the 1940s by Timely Comics, a predecessor of Funny animal is a Cartooning term for the Genre of Comics and Animated cartoons in which the main characters are Humanoid or Super Rabbit is a fictional, Funny-animal Superhero in Comic books published by Timely Comics, a predecessor of Marvel Comics Ziggy Pig and Silly Seal are fictional, Funny-animal Comic-book characters created by Cartoonist Al Jaffee for Marvel Comics
Goodman hired a teenaged relative, Stanley Lieber, as a general office assistant in 1939. When editor Simon left the company in late 1941, 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 World War II military service. A pseudonym is a fictitious alternative to a person's legal name (see Alias) World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including
Atlas
Sales of all comic books declined drastically in the post-war era as the superheroic übermensch archetype popular during the Depression and the war years went out of fashion. Like other comics companies, Timely — generally known as Atlas Comics in the 1950s — followed pop-cultural trends with a variety of genres, including funny animals, Western, horror, war, crime, humor, romance, spy fiction and fantasy, all with varying degrees of success. Atlas Comics is the 1950s Comic book Publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. Funny animal is a Cartooning term for the Genre of Comics and Animated cartoons in which the main characters are Humanoid or The Western is a fiction Genre seen in Film, Television, Radio, Literature, Painting and other Visual arts. Horror fiction is broadly Fiction in any medium intended to scare unsettle or horrify the audience War comics is a genre of Comic books that gained popularity in English-speaking countries following Crime fiction is the Genre of Fiction that deals with Crimes their detection criminals and their motives It is usually distinguished from Humour or humor (see spelling differences) is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke Laughter and provide Amusement Romance comics are a Genre of US Comic books that were most popular during the Golden Age of Comics. The Genre of spy fiction —sometimes called political thriller or spy thriller or sometimes shortened simply to Spy-fi —arose before A number of Fantasy themed Comic books exist For example Elfquest Monster allergy W An attempted superhero revival with the Human Torch, the Sub-Mariner and Captain America lasted only from late 1953 to mid-1954.
From 1952 to late 1956, Goodman distributed his comics to newsstands through his self-owned distributor, Atlas. He then switched to American News Company, the nation's largest distributor and a virtual monopoly — which shortly afterward lost a Justice Department lawsuit and discontinued the business. In Economics, a monopoly (from Greek monos, alone or single + polein, to sell exists when a specific individual or enterprise has sufficient For animal rights group see Justice Department (JD The United States Department of Justice ( DOJ) is a Cabinet department In law a lawsuit is a civil action brought before a Court in which the party commencing the action the Plaintiff, seeks a legal or equitable remedy As historian and author Gerard Jones explains, the company in 1956
| “ | . Gerard Jones (b July 10, 1957) is an award-winning American author and Comic book writer . . had been found guilty of restraint of trade and ordered to divest itself of the newsstands it owned. Its biggest client, George Delacorte, announced he would seek a new distributor for his Dell Comics and paperbacks. George T Delacorte Jr, (1894 &ndash 1991 founded the Dell Publishing Company in 1921 Dell Comics was the Comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in Pulp magazines. The owners of American News estimated the effect that would have on their income. Then they looked at the value of the New Jersey real estate where their headquarters sat. New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. They liquidated the company and sold the land. The company . . . vanished without a trace in the suburban growth of the 1950s. South San Jose (cropjpg||thumb|A suburban development in San Jose California. [6] | ” |
The final comic to bear the Atlas globe logo was Dippy Duck #1, one of the company's two releases with an October 1957 cover date. Cover date refers to the date displayed on the covers of Periodical publications such as Magazines and Comic books However this is not necessarily the true
Although Timely's titles occasionally used a cover treatment reading "A Marvel Magazine" as early as All Surprise Comics #12 (Winter 1946/47; see logo below), and though for several months in 1949 and 1950 the company's comics bore a circular logo labeled "Marvel Comic", the first comic book formally branded as "Marvel Comics" was the science-fiction anthology Amazing Adventures #3, which showed the "MC" box on its cover. Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc Amazing Adventures is the name of several Anthology Comic book series all but one published by Marvel Comics. Cover-dated August 1961, it was published May 9, 1961. [7]
At that point, Goodman attempted a new direction by following the current drive-in science fiction-movie trend, launching or revamping six titles to offer that genre of story: Strange Worlds #1; World of Fantasy #15; Strange Tales #67; Journey into Mystery #50; Tales of Suspense #1; and Tales to Astonish #1. A drive-in is a facility such as a Bank, Restaurant, Movie theater where one can literally Drive in with an Automobile for service A genre (ˈʒɑːnrə also /ˈdʒɑːnrə/ from French "kind" or "sort" from Latin: genus (stem gener-) is a loose set Strange Worlds was the name of two American, Science-fiction Anthology Comic book series of the 1950s the first published by World of Fantasy was a Science fiction / Fantasy Comic book Anthology series published by Marvel Comics ' 1950s predecessor Strange Tales was the name of several Comic book Anthology series that have been published by Marvel Comics. Journey into Mystery was an American Comic book series published by Atlas Comics, and later its successor Marvel Comics. Tales of Suspense is the name of an American Comic book series and two one-shot comics published by Marvel Comics. Tales to Astonish is the name of two American Comic book series and a one-shot comic published by Marvel Comics. Their space-fantasy tales proved unsuccessful, and by the end of 1959, most of these titles (Strange Worlds and World of Fantasy being canceled) were devoted to B-movie monsters. A B movie is a motion picture made on a low or modest budget Originally the term was used for films intended for distribution as the less-publicized second half of a Double A monster is any of a large number of Legendary creatures which usually appear in Mythology, Legend, or Horror fiction. Most featured a line-up of Jack Kirby-drawn stories (often inked by Dick Ayers) followed by Don Heck's atmospheric rendering of jungle/prison escapes and weird adventures, or stories by artists such as Paul Reinman or Joe Sinnott, followed by a Stan Lee-Steve Ditko twist-ending bagatelle, which were sometimes daringly self-reflexive. Richard Bache "Dick" Ayers (born April 28, 1924, Ossining New York, United States) is a Comic book artist and Cartoonist Don Heck ( January 2, 1929 – February 23, 1995) was an American Comic book Artist best known for co-creating Paul Reinman ( 2 September 1910, Germany — 27 September 1988) was an American Comic book Artist Joe Sinnott (born October 16, 1926, Saugerties New York, United States) is an American Comic book artist Steve Ditko (born 2 November 1927) is an American Comic book Artist and Writer best known as the co-creator of the [8]
Marvel also during this time continued publishing a handful of Western titles, including Kid Colt, Outlaw, and expanded its line of girl-humor titles, adding Kathy, "the teen-age tornado!" (Oct. Kid Colt is the name of two Fictional characters in the Marvel Comics ' universe. 1959) and the short-lived Linda Carter, Student Nurse (Sept. 1961) to its long-running Millie the Model series and spin-offs. Millie the Model was Marvel Comics ' longest-running Humor title first published by the company's 1940s predecessor Timely Comics, and continuing
1960s
In the wake of DC Comics' success reviving superheroes in the late 1950s and early 1960s, particularly with The Justice League of America, Marvel followed suit. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company The Justice League sometimes called the Justice League of America or JLA for short is a Fictional DC Comics superhero team. [9]
Editor/writer Stan Lee and freelance artist Jack Kirby created the Fantastic Four, reminiscent of the non-superpowered adventuring quartet the Challengers of the Unknown that Kirby had created for DC in 1957. The Fantastic Four is a fictional Superhero team appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Challengers of the Unknown is a group of Fictional characters in Comic books published by DC Comics. Living in a Cold War culture, the Marvel creators sought to deconstruct the superhero conventions of previous eras to better reflect the psychological spirit of their age. [10] 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. [11] 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, the Green Goblin, and Doctor Octopus. Spider-Man is a Fictional character appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Ant-Man is a Marvel Comics Superhero Comic book character that was originally created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1962 Iron Man is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. The X-Men is a team of fictional Superhero characters in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Dr Doom redirects here For other uses see Dr Doom (disambiguation. Magneto (alias Erik Magnus Lehnsherr, born Max Eisenhardt) is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Galactus is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Green Goblin is a name shared by several fictional Supervillains that appear in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Doctor Octopus is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. The most successful new series was The Amazing Spider-Man, by Lee and Ditko. The Amazing Spider-Man is the name of several media Presentations which feature the Marvel Comics Superhero 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", a la the then-common phrase "Brand X"). A parody (ˈpɛɹədiː US, [ˈpaɹədiː] UK) in contemporary usage is a work created to mock comment on or poke fun at an original work its subject Not Brand Echh was a satiric Comic-book series from Marvel Comics that parodied its own Superhero stories as well [12]
Marvel's comics were noted for focusing on characterization to a greater extent than most superhero comics before them. This was true of The Amazing Spider-Man, in particular. Its young hero suffered from self-doubt and mundane problems like any other teenager. Marvel superheroes are often flawed, 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.
Comics historian Peter Sanderson wrote that in the 1960s,
| “ | DC was the equivalent of the big Hollywood studios: After the brilliance of DC's reinvention of the superhero . . . in the late 1950s and early 1960s, it had run into a creative drought by the decade's end. There was a new audience for comics now, and it wasn't just the little kids that traditionally had read the books. The Marvel of the 1960s was in its own way the counterpart of the French New Wave. "Nouvelle Vague" redirects here For the music group of the same name see Nouvelle Vague (band. . . . Marvel was pioneering new methods of comics storytelling and characterization, addressing more serious themes, and in the process keeping and attracting readers in their teens and beyond. Moreover, among this new generation of readers were people who wanted to write or draw comics themselves, within the new style that Marvel had pioneered, and push the creative envelope still further. [13] | ” |
Lee became one of the best-known names in comics, with his charming personality and relentless salesmanship of the company. His sense of humor and generally lighthearted manner became the "voice" that permeated the stories, the letters and news pages, and the hyperbolic house ads of that era's Marvel Comics, and fostered a clubby fan-following with Lee's exaggerated depiction of the Bullpen (Lee's name for the staff) as one big, happy family. This included printed kudos to the artists, who eventually co-plotted the stories based on the busy Lee's rough synopses or even simple spoken concepts, in what became known as the Marvel Method, and contributed greatly to Marvel's product and success. The Marvel Method is a form of Comic book writer-artist collaboration in which the artist works from a story synopsis rather than a full script creating page-by-page plot details Kirby in particular is generally credited for many of the cosmic ideas and characters of Fantastic Four and The Mighty Thor, such as the Watcher, the Silver Surfer and Ego the Living Planet, while Steve Ditko is recognized as the driving artistic force behind the moody atmosphere and street-level naturalism of Spider-Man and the surreal atmosphere of Dr. Strange. The Watchers are a Fictional Extraterrestrial race of Cosmic entities that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. } The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics Superhero created by Jack Kirby. Ego the Living Planet is a Fictional extraterrestrial being that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Naturalism is a movement in Theatre, film, and Literature that seeks to replicate a believable everyday reality, as opposed to such Doctor Strange is a Fictional character, a Comic book sorcerer and Superhero in the. Lee, however, continues to receive credit for his well-honed skills at dialogue and story sense, for his keen hand at choosing and motivating artists and assembling creative teams, and for his uncanny ability to connect with the readers — not least through the nickname endearments he bestowed in the credits and the monthly "Bullpen Bulletins" and letters pages, giving readers humanizing hype about the likes of "Jolly Jack Kirby", "Rascally Roy Thomas", "Jazzy Johnny Romita" and others, right down to letterers "Swingin' Sammy Rosen" and "Adorable Artie Simek". Roy Thomas (born November 22 1940, Missouri, United States) is a Comic book Writer and editor, and John Romita Sr (better known as simply John Romita) (born January 24, 1930) is an Italian-American Comic-book artist best known Sam Rosen, often credited as S Rosen, is an American Calligrapher best known as a Letterer for Marvel Comics during the period fans Arthur "Artie" Simek, sometimes credited as Art Simek ( January 6, 1916 - February 1975 was an American Calligrapher best
Lesser-known staffers during the company's industry-changing growth in the 1960s (some of whom worked primarily for Marvel publisher Martin Goodman's umbrella magazine corporation) included circulation manager Johnny Hayes, subscriptions person Nancy Murphy, bookkeeper Doris Siegler, merchandising person Chip Goodman (son of publisher Martin) and Arthur Jeffrey, described in the December 1966 "Bullpen Bulletin" as "keeper of our MMMS [Merry Marvel Marching Society] files, guardian of our club coupons and defender of the faith". Martin Goodman (born January 18, 1908; died June 6, 1992, Palm Beach Florida) was an American Publisher of Merry Marvel Marching Society (often referred to by the abbreviation "M
In the fall of 1968, company founder Goodman sold Marvel Comics and his other publishing businesses to the Perfect Film and Chemical Corporation. It grouped these businesses in a subsidiary called Magazine Management Co. Goodman remained as publisher. [14]
1970s
In October 1976, Marvel, which already licensed reprints in different countries, including the UK, created a superhero specifically for the British market. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Captain Britain debuted exclusively in the UK, and later appeared in American comics. Captain Britain ( Brian Braddock) briefly known as Britannic is a Fictional character, a Superhero appearing in the comic books published by
In 1971, Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Stan Lee was approached by the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to do a comic book story about drug abuse. Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber; December 28, 1922) is an American Writer, editor, creator of comic book characters Lee agreed and wrote a three-part Spider-Man story portraying drug use as dangerous and unglamorous. Spider-Man is a Fictional character appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. 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. The Comics Code Authority ( CCA) is part of the Comics Magazine Association of America (CMAA and was created to regulate the content of comic books in the United 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 Amazing Spider-Man is the name of several media Presentations which feature the Marvel Comics Superhero Spider-Man, The storyline was well-received and the Code was subsequently revised the same year. [15]
Goodman retired as publisher in 1972 and was succeeded by Lee, who stepped aside from running day-to-day operations at Marvel. 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 success with titles themed to horror (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 ("Killraven" in Amazing Adventures). Horror fiction is broadly Fiction in any medium intended to scare unsettle or horrify the audience Tomb of Dracula is a horror Comic book series published by Marvel Comics from April 1972 to August 1979 Martial arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for Combat. Shang-Chi ( is a Marvel Comics character often called the "Master of Kung Fu " Sword and sorcery ( S&S) is a fantasy subgenre generally characterized by swashbuckling heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian, from the name of his homeland Cimmeria) is a Fictional character often associated with Red Sonja, the She-Devil with a Sword, is a Fictional character, a Low fantasy Sword and sorcery heroine created by Roy Thomas Satire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and Performing arts In satire human Howard the Duck is a Comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik Jonathan Raven, best known as Killraven, the " Warrior of the Worlds " is a fictional Freedom fighter in a post-apocalyptic Amazing Adventures is the name of several Anthology Comic book series all but one published by Marvel Comics. Some of these were published in larger-sized black-and-white magazines, targeted for mature readers. 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. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company Goodman increase 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. [16]
In 1973, Perfect Film and Chemical Corporation changed its name to Cadence Industries, which in turn renamed Magazine Management Co. as Marvel Comics Group. Goodman, now completely disconnected from Marvel, created a new company called Atlas/Seaboard Comics in 1974, reviving Marvel's old Atlas name, but this project lasted only a year-and-a-half. Atlas/Seaboard is the term Comic-book historians and collectors use to refer to the 1970s line of comics published as Atlas Comics by the American company [17]
In the mid-1970s, Marvel was affected by a decline of the newsstand distribution network. Cult hits such as Howard the Duck were the victims of the distribution problems, with some titles reporting low sales when in fact they were being resold at a later date in the first specialty comic-book stores. 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. The direct market is the dominant distribution and retail network for North American Comic books.
In October 1976, Marvel, which already licensed reprints in different countries, including the UK, created a superhero specifically for the British market. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Captain Britain debuted exclusively in the UK, and later appeared in American comics. Captain Britain ( Brian Braddock) briefly known as Britannic is a Fictional character, a Superhero appearing in the comic books published by
1980s
By the 1980s, one-time DC wunderkind Jim Shooter was Marvel's editor-in-chief. This article refers to the 1984 Secret Wars comic book series Mike Zeck is an American Comic book illustrator He was born in Greenville Pennsylvania on September 6, 1949 to Michael and Kathryn Jean James Shooter (born September 27 1951 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American Writer, occasional fill-in artist editor, and Although a controversial personality, Shooter cured many of the procedural ills at Marvel (including repeatedly missed deadlines) and oversaw a creative renaissance at the company. This renaissance included institutionalizing creator royalties, starting the Epic imprint for creator-owned material in 1982, and launching a brand-new (albeit ultimately unsuccessful) line named New Universe, to commemorate Marvel's 25th anniversary, in 1986. Epic Comics was a creator-owned Imprint of Marvel Comics started in 1982 lasting through the mid-1990s and being briefly revived on a small scale in the mid-2000s Creator ownership is an arrangement in which the creator or creators of a work of fiction retain full ownership of the material regardless of whether it is self-published or The New Universe is a Comic book Imprint from Marvel Comics that was published in its original incarnation from 1986 to 1989 However, Shooter was responsible for the introduction of the company-wide crossover (Contest of Champions, Secret Wars) and was accused by many creators, especially near the end of his tenure, of exercising his job in a draconian manner and interfering with the writers' creative process. Contest of Champions is a three-issue Limited series published from June to August in 1982 by comics publisher Marvel Comics. This article refers to the 1984 Secret Wars comic book series . In 1981 Marvel purchased the DePatie-Freleng Enterprises animation studio from famed Looney Tunes director Friz Freleng and his business partner David H. DePatie. DePatie-Freleng Enterprises (DFE was a Hollywood-based American animated production company active from 1963 to 1981 Isadore "Friz" Freleng ( August 21, 1906 &ndash May 26, 1995) was an Animator, Cartoonist, director David Hudson DePatie (b May 26, 1935) was the last executive in charge of the original classic Warner Brothers cartoon studio and was charged with The company was renamed Marvel Productions and it produced well-known animated TV series and movies featuring such characters as G.I. Joe, The Transformers, Jim Henson's Muppet Babies, and such TV series as Dungeons & Dragons, as well as cartoons based on Marvel characters, including Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends. Marvel Productions Ltd was a television and motion picture studio based in Hollywood California. Since its debut in 1982 the Comic book history of GI Joe has seen three separate publishers and four main-title series all of which have been based on the Jim Henson's Muppet Babies was a popular American animated television series that aired from September 15, 1984 to December 29 Dungeons & Dragons is an American Animated television series based on TSR's Dungeons & Dragons Role-playing game. Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends is an animated series produced by Marvel Productions Ltd
In 1986, Marvel was sold to New World Entertainment, which within three years sold it to MacAndrews and Forbes, owned by Revlon executive Ronald Perelman. New World Communications was an independent motion picture and television production company and later Television station owner in the United States from the MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings Inc is the principal Holding company used by and wholly owned by Private equity investor Ronald Perelman. Revlon ( is an American Cosmetics company History Revlon was founded in the midst of the Great Depression, 1932, by Charles Ronald Owen Perelman (born January 1 1943 is an American billionaire Investor who made his fortune buying beleaguered corporations and re-selling them later for enormous Perelman took the company public on the New York Stock Exchange and oversaw a great increase in the number of titles Marvel published. The New York Stock Exchange ( NYSE) is a Stock exchange based in New York City. As part of the process, Marvel Productions sold its back catalog to Saban Entertainment (acquired in 2001 by Disney), and Marvel management closed the animation studio, opting to outsource. Saban Entertainment was an independent television production company formed in 1983 by music and television producers Haim Saban and Shuki Levy (who
1990s
Marvel earned a great deal of money and recognition during the early decade's comic-book boom, launching the highly successful 2099 line of comics set in the future (Spider-Man 2099, etc. Marvel 2099 is a Marvel Comics imprint begun in 1993, that explores one possible future of the Marvel Universe. Spider-Man 2099 ( Miguel O'Hara) of the Marvel 2099 imprint is a Marvel Comics Superhero, a Fictional character created ) and the creatively daring though commercially unsuccessful Razorline imprint of superhero comics created by novelist and filmmaker Clive Barker. Razorline was an Imprint of American Comic book company Marvel Comics that ran from 1993-1995 A superhero (sometimes rendered super-hero or super hero) is a Fictional character "of unprecedented physical prowess dedicated to acts of derring-do Clive Barker (born 5 October 1952) is an English author film director and visual artist Yet by the middle of the decade, the industry had slumped and Marvel filed for bankruptcy amidst investigations of Perelman's financial activities regarding the company. Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay their Creditors Creditors may file a bankruptcy petition against
In 1990, Marvel began selling Marvel Universe Cards with trading card maker Impel. Marvel Universe Cards were Collectible Trading cards based on the characters and events of the Marvel Universe. A trading card (or collectible card) is a small Card, usually made out of Cardboard or thick Paper, which usually contains an image of a These were collectible trading cards that featured the characters and events of the Marvel Universe.
Marvel in 1992 acquired Fleer Corporation, known primarily for its trading cards, and shortly thereafter created Marvel Studios, devoted to film and TV projects. The Fleer Corporation founded by Frank H Fleer in the mid-19th century was the first company to successfully manufacture Bubblegum. A trading card (or collectible card) is a small Card, usually made out of Cardboard or thick Paper, which usually contains an image of a Marvel Studios is an American Television and Motion picture studio based in Beverly Hills California. Avi Arad became director of that division in 1993, with production accelerating in 1998 following the success of the film Blade. Avi Arad (אבי ארד is an Israeli American Businessman. He became the CEO of the company Toy Biz in the 1990s and Blade is a 1998 vampire Action film starring Wesley Snipes and Stephen Dorff, loosely based on the published stories
In 1994, Marvel acquired the comic book distributor Heroes World to use as its own exclusive distributor. 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.[18] Creatively and commercially, the '90s were dominated by the use of gimmickry to boost sales, such as variant covers, cover enhancements, regular company-wide crossovers that threw the universe's continuity into disarray, and even special swimsuit issues. Diamond Comic Distributors Inc (often called Diamond Comics, DCD, or casually Diamond) is the largest Comic book distributor In Comic books a variant cover (sometimes variant edition) refers to an issue of a comic book printed with multiple covers with each unique cover art From 1991 through 1995 Marvel Comics published an annual magazine-sized Marvel Swimsuit issue featuring pin-ups In 1996, Marvel had almost all its titles participate in the Onslaught Saga, a crossover that allowed Marvel to relaunch some of its flagship characters, such as the Avengers and the Fantastic Four, in the Heroes Reborn universe, in which Marvel defectors Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld were given permission to revamp the properties from scratch. Onslaught is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Avengers is a team of fictional Superhero characters in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Fantastic Four is a fictional Superhero team appearing in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Heroes Reborn was a 1996 - 1997 crossover story arc among Comic-book series published Jim Lee (born August 11, 1964) is a Korean-American Comic book Artist, Creator and Publisher. Rob Liefeld, (born October 3 1967) is an American Comic book writer illustrator and publisher After an initial sales bump, sales quickly declined below expected levels, and Marvel discontinued the experiment after a one-year run; the characters returned to the Marvel Universe proper. The Marvel Universe is the fictional Shared universe where most of the comic stories published by Marvel Comics take place In 1998, the company launched the imprint Marvel Knights, taking place within Marvel continuity; helmed by soon-to-become editor-in-chief Joe Quesada, and featuring tough, gritty stories showcasing such characters as the Inhumans, Black Panther and Daredevil, it achieved substantial success. Marvel Knights is an Imprint of Marvel Comics. Dealing with more mature themes than the regular imprint it is not intended for Children However it does Joseph "Joe" Quesada (born December 1 1962) is an American Comic book editor writer and artist The Inhumans are a fictional race of Superhumans created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The Black Panther ( T'Challa) is a Fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe who is the first modern Black Daredevil is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Marvel goes public
In 1991, Pereleman took Marvel public in a stock offering underwritten by Merrill Lynch and First Boston Corporation. A stock market, or (equity market is a private or public market for the trading of company Stock and derivatives of company Merrill Lynch & Co Inc () is a global financial services firm First Boston Corporation was a New York-based Investment bank, founded in 1932 and acquired by Credit Suisse in 1988 when it became 'CS First Boston' Following the rapid rise of this immediately popular stock, Perleman issued a series of junk bonds that he used to acquire other children's entertainment companies. In Finance, a high yield bond ( non-investment grade bond, speculative grade bond or junk bond) is a bond that is rated below Many of these bond offerings were purchased by Carl Icahn Partners, which later wielded much control during Marvel's court-ordered reorganization after Marvel went bankrupt in 1996. In Finance, a bond is a Debt security, in which the authorized issuer owes the holders a debt and is obliged to repay the principal and Interest Carl Celian Icahn (born February 16, 1936) is an American Billionaire Financier, Corporate raider and Private equity Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay their Creditors Creditors may file a bankruptcy petition against In 1997, after protracted legal battles, control landed in the hands of Isaac Perlmutter, owner of the Marvel subsidiary Toy Biz. Isaac "Ike" Perlmutter is an American Businessman and Financier. Marvel Toys (formerly Toy Biz) is the Toy division of Marvel Entertainment. With his business partner Avi Arad, publisher Bill Jemas, and editor-in-chief Bob Harras, Perlmutter helped revitalize the comics line. Avi Arad (אבי ארד is an Israeli American Businessman. He became the CEO of the company Toy Biz in the 1990s and Bill Jemas (born 1958 in Princeton New Jersey) is an American media entrepreneur and writer Robert "Bob" Harras (b January 11 1959 is an American comics Writer and Editor, who was Editor-in-chief of Marvel
2000s
With the new millennium, Marvel Comics escaped from bankruptcy and again began diversifying its offerings. In 2001, Marvel withdrew from the Comics Code Authority and established its own Marvel Rating System for comics. The Comics Code Authority ( CCA) is part of the Comics Magazine Association of America (CMAA and was created to regulate the content of comic books in the United The Marvel Rating System is a system for rating the content of Comic books, with regard to appropriateness for different age groups The first title from the era to not have the code was X-Force #119 (Oct. X-Force is a Fictional Marvel Comics Superhero team one of several Spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise 2001). It also created new imprints, such as MAX, a line intended for mature readers, and Marvel Age, developed for younger audiences. In the Publishing Industry, an imprint can refer to two different things It can mean a Brand name under which a work is published MAX is an Imprint of Marvel Comics for adult audiences launched in 2001 after Marvel broke with the Comics Code Authority and established its own Marvel Age is an Imprint of Marvel Comics intended for younger audiences including children established in 2003 In addition to this is the highly successful Ultimate Marvel imprint, which allowed Marvel to reboot their major titles by deconstructing and updating its major superhero and villain characters to introduce to a new generation. Ultimate Marvel is an Imprint of Comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and updated versions of the company's most popular Superhero Reboot, in serial Fiction, means a discarding of much or even all previous continuity in the series to start anew This imprint exists in a universe parallel to mainstream Marvel continuity, allowing writers and artists freedom from the characters' convoluted history and the ability to redesign them, and to maintain their other ongoing series without replacing the established continuity. This also allowed Marvel to capitalize on an influx of new readers unfamiliar with comics but familiar with the characters through the film and TV franchises. The company has also revamped its graphic novel division, establishing a bigger presence in the bookstore market. A As of 2007, Marvel remains a key comics publisher, even as the industry has dwindled to a fraction of its peak size decades earlier.
Stan Lee, no longer officially connected to the company save for the title of "Chairman Emeritus", remains a visible face in the industry. Emeritus (ɨˈmɛrɨtəs is an Adjective that is used in the title of a retired Professor, Bishop or other professional In 2002, he sued successfully for a share of income related to movies and merchandising of Marvel characters, based on a contract between Lee and Marvel from the late 1990s; according to court documents, Marvel had used "Hollywood accounting" to claim that those projects' "earnings" were not profits. In Accountancy, Hollywood accounting is the practice of distributing the Profit earned by a large project to corporate entities which though technically Marvel Comics' parent company Marvel Entertainment continues to be traded on the New York Stock Exchange as MVL. Some of its characters have been turned into successful film franchises, the highest-grossing being the X-Men film series, starting in 2000, and the Spider-Man series, beginning in 2002[19]
In 2006, Marvel's fictional crossover event "Civil War" established federal superhero registration in the Marvel universe, creating a political and ethical schism throughout it. X-Men is a 2000 Superhero film based on the fictional Marvel Comics characters of the same name. Spider-Man is a 2002 American Superhero film based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete Fictional characters, settings or universes into the context of a single In Marvel Comics ' fictional Marvel Universe, the Registration Acts —the Mutant Registration Act (or MRA) and Superhuman Registration Act Also that year, Marvel created its own wiki. A wiki is a page or collection of Web pages designed to enable anyone who accesses it to contribute or modify content using a simplified Markup language. [20]
The company launched a major online initiative late in 2007, announcing Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited, a digital archive of 2,500 back issues available for viewing, for a monthly or annual subscription fee. Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited is an Online service by Marvel Comics which distributes past issues of their comics via the Internet [21]
In November of 2007, Marvel contacted the popular comic book bittorrent site, Z-Cult FM, and gave it three days to remove illegal scans of Marvel comic books before Marvel pressed charges. Z-Cult contacted Marvel and negotiated that it would remove all Marvel comics from its site within seven days. [22]
Editors-in-chief
The Marvel editor-in-chief oversees the largest-scale creative decisions taken within the company. While the fabled Stan Lee held great authority during the decades when publisher Martin Goodman privately held his company, of which the comics division was a relatively small part, his successors have been to greater and lesser extents subject to corporate management. Martin Goodman (born January 18, 1908; died June 6, 1992, Palm Beach Florida) was an American Publisher of
The position evolved sporadically. In the earliest years, the company had a single editor overseeing the entire line. As the company grew, it became increasingly common for individual titles to be overseen separately. The concept of the "writer-editor" evolved, stemming from when Lee wrote and managed most of the line's output. Overseeing the line in the 1970s was a series of chief editors, though the titles were used intermittently. Confusing matters further, some appear to have been appointed merely by extending their existing editorial duties. By the time Jim Shooter took the post in 1978, the position of editor-in-chief was clearly defined. James Shooter (born September 27 1951 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American Writer, occasional fill-in artist editor, and
In 1994, Marvel briefly abolished the position, replacing Tom DeFalco with five "group editors", though each held the title "editor-in-chief" and had some editors underneath them. Tom DeFalco (b June 26 1950) is an American comics Writer and Editor, well-known for his association with Marvel It reinstated the overall editor-in-chief position in 1995, installing Bob Harras. Robert "Bob" Harras (b January 11 1959 is an American comics Writer and Editor, who was Editor-in-chief of Marvel Joe Quesada became editor-in-chief in 2000. Joseph "Joe" Quesada (born December 1 1962) is an American Comic book editor writer and artist
- Joe Simon (1940-1941)
- Stan Lee (1941-1942)
- Vincent Fago (acting editor during Lee's military service) (1942-1945)
- Stan Lee (1945-1972)
- Roy Thomas (1972-1974)
- Len Wein (1974-1975)
- Marv Wolfman (black-and-white magazines 1974-1975, entire line 1975-1976)
- Gerry Conway (1976)
- Archie Goodwin (1976-1978)
- Jim Shooter (1978-1987)
- Tom DeFalco (1987-1994)
- No overall editor-in-chief (1994-1995)
- Bob Harras (1995-2000)
- Joe Quesada (2000-present)
Offices
Located in New York City, Marvel has been successively headquartered in the McGraw-Hill Building (where it originated as Timely Comics in 1939); in suite 1401 of the Empire State Building; at 635 Madison Avenue (the actual location, though the comic books' indicia listed the parent publishing-company's address of 625 Madison Ave. Joseph H Simon (born October 11, 1913) is a Jewish-American Comic book Writer, Artist, editor, and publisher Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber; December 28, 1922) is an American Writer, editor, creator of comic book characters Vincenzo Francisco Gennaro Di Fago (born November 28, 1914, Yonkers New York; died June 13, 2002) was an American Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber; December 28, 1922) is an American Writer, editor, creator of comic book characters Roy Thomas (born November 22 1940, Missouri, United States) is a Comic book Writer and editor, and Len Wein (born June 12, 1948) is an American Comic book Writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics Marvin A "Marv" Wolfman (born May 13, 1946) is an award-winning American Comic book Writer. Black-and-white is a number of Monochrome forms in Visual arts. Gerard F "Gerry" Conway ( September 10, 1952 -) is an American Writer of Comic books and Television shows Archie Goodwin ( September 8, 1937 &ndash March 1, 1998) was an American Comic book writer editor and artist James Shooter (born September 27 1951 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American Writer, occasional fill-in artist editor, and Tom DeFalco (b June 26 1950) is an American comics Writer and Editor, well-known for his association with Marvel Robert "Bob" Harras (b January 11 1959 is an American comics Writer and Editor, who was Editor-in-chief of Marvel Joseph "Joe" Quesada (born December 1 1962) is an American Comic book editor writer and artist The City of New York See also McGraw-Hill Building 330 West 42nd Street is also known as the McGraw Hill Building. Timely Comics is the 1940s Comic book Publishing company that would evolve into first Atlas Comics, and then Marvel Comics The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco Skyscraper in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street ); 575 Madison Avenue; 387 Park Avenue South; 10 East 40th Street; and 417 Fifth Avenue.
Marvel characters in other media
Marvel characters and stories have been adapted to many other media. Some of these adaptations were produced by Marvel, while others were produced by companies licensing Marvel material.
Television programs
Many television series, both live action and animated, have been based on Marvel Comics characters. Below is a list of television series and accompanying Television movies based on Marvel Comics properties These include multiple series for popular characters such as Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four. Of particular note were the animated series from the mid to late 90's, which were all part of the same Marvel animated universe. The Marvel animated universe (aka MAU) is a series of animated television shows and related spin-offs which share the same continuity
Additionally, a handful of television movies based on Marvel Comics characters have been made.
Films
Marvel characters have been adapted into films including the Spider-Man, Blade and X-Men trilogies; the Fantastic Four, Hulk, and The Punisher duologies; Daredevil, Elektra, Ghost Rider, and Iron Man. Below is a list of films based on Marvel Comics characters and properties Spider-Man is a 2002 American Superhero film based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. Blade is a 1998 vampire Action film starring Wesley Snipes and Stephen Dorff, loosely based on the published stories X-Men is a 2000 Superhero film based on the fictional Marvel Comics characters of the same name. Fantastic Four is a 2005 Superhero film based on the Marvel Comics comic Fantastic Four. See also Hulk (video game Hulk (also known as The Hulk) is a 2003 Superhero film based on the fictional The Punisher is a 2004 film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name starring Thomas Jane as Frank Castle and Daredevil is a 2003 Superhero film written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Elektra is a 2005 action movie directed by Rob Bowman. It is a Spin-off to the 2003 movie Ghost Rider is a 2007 Superhero film based on the fictional Marvel Comics character of the same name. Iron Man is a 2008 Superhero film
Additionally, a series of direct-to-DVD animated films began in 2006 with Ultimate Avengers. Ultimate Avengers (also known as Ultimate Avengers The Movie) is a direct-to-DVD animated film based on the Marvel comic book
Video games
Imprints
Defunct
- Amalgam Comics
- Curtis Magazines
- Epic Comics
- Marvel 2099
- Marvel Absurd
- Marvel Age
- Malibu Comics
- Marvel Edge
- Marvel Music
- Marvel UK
- New Universe
- Paramount Comics
- Razorline
- Star Comics
- Tsunami
See also
- Marvel Multiverse
- Major Events of the Marvel Universe
- List of Marvel Comics alien races
- List of Marvel Comics characters
- List of Marvel Comics cosmic entities
- List of Marvel Comics movies
- List of Marvel Comics people
- List of Marvel Comics publications
- List of Marvel Comics teams and organizations
- Marvel Golden Age characters
- Toy Biz v. United States
Footnotes
- ^ Annual Report 2007 (PDF). Marvel Next was a short lived Imprint that was launched by the American comics publisher Marvel Comics in early 2005. Icon Comics is an Imprint of Marvel Comics for creator-owned titles Marvel Age is an Imprint of Marvel Comics intended for younger audiences including children established in 2003 Marvel Knights is an Imprint of Marvel Comics. Dealing with more mature themes than the regular imprint it is not intended for Children However it does Marvel Illustrated is an Imprint from Marvel Comics for comic adaptations of classic literature MC2 ( Marvel Comics 2) is an Imprint from Marvel Comics whose Comic books depict an alternative future timeline MAX is an Imprint of Marvel Comics for adult audiences launched in 2001 after Marvel broke with the Comics Code Authority and established its own Ultimate Marvel is an Imprint of Comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and updated versions of the company's most popular Superhero Dc2005svg|New DC logo from 2005|125px|right]] Amalgam Comics was an American Comic book publisher of Metafiction; it was a collaboration between Marvel Curtis Magazines was a short-lived Imprint of Marvel Comics that existed from 1971 to 1975 Epic Comics was a creator-owned Imprint of Marvel Comics started in 1982 lasting through the mid-1990s and being briefly revived on a small scale in the mid-2000s Marvel 2099 is a Marvel Comics imprint begun in 1993, that explores one possible future of the Marvel Universe. Marvel Absurd is a Marvel Comics imprint under which comics based on Ren & Stimpy, Earthworm Jim and Beavis and Butt-head were published Marvel Age is an Imprint of Marvel Comics intended for younger audiences including children established in 2003 Malibu Comics was an American Comic book publisher active in the late 1980s and early 1990s best known for its Ultraverse line of Superhero Marvel Edge was a short-lived Marvel Comics Imprint lasting from 1995 to 1996, right before the Onslaught Saga. Marvel Music was a short-lived Marvel Comics Imprint published in the mid-90's Marvel UK was an Imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint US produced stories for the British weekly comic market though The New Universe is a Comic book Imprint from Marvel Comics that was published in its original incarnation from 1986 to 1989 Paramount Comics is the name of a former Comic book Imprint of Marvel Comics that was active for about two years beginning in 1996. Razorline was an Imprint of American Comic book company Marvel Comics that ran from 1993-1995 Star Comics was an Imprint of Marvel Comics that began in 1984 and continued to publish Comic books until early 1988 Tsunami, in comics, may refer to Tsunami (DC Comics, a character Tsunami (Marvel Comics, an imprint Within Marvel Comics, most tales take place within the fictional Marvel Universe, which in turn is part of a larger multiverse. For decades Marvel Comics has been telling noteworthy fictional stories TalkList of Marvel Comics characters for formatting and stylistic guidelines for this page Below is a list of films based on Marvel Comics characters and properties Marvel Comics is an American Comic book company. These are some of the people (artists editors executives writers who have been associated Marvel Comics is an American Comic book company. These are some of the publications it has released in its history while this is See also List of teams and Organisations: Related articles External Links List of teams Toy Biz v United States was a 2003 decision in the Court of International Trade that determined that for purposes of Tariffs, Toy Biz 's Action figures Marvel. com SEC Filings. Retrieved on 2008-05-08. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen
- ^ a b Per statement of ownership, dated Oct. 2, 1939, published in Marvel Mystery Comics #4 (Feb. Marvel Mystery Comics (first issue titled simply Marvel Comics) is an American Comic book series published during the 1930s-1940s period known 1940), p. 40; reprinted in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Marvel Comics Volume 1 (Marvel Comics, 2004, ISBN 0-7851-1609-5), p. 239
- ^ 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 is 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. Per Fromm also, the first issue of Captain America Comics sold nearly one million copies.
- ^ Grand Comics Database: "Powerhouse Pepper"
- ^ A Smithsonian Book of Comic-Book Comics (Smithsonian Institution / Harry N. Abrams, 1981)
- ^ Jones, Gerard. Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book (Basic Books, 2004; trade paperback ISBN 0-465-03657-0
- ^ Library of Congress copyright information at Grand Comics Database: Amazing Adventures #3
- ^ Hembeck.com (Nov. 12 2004): "Tales of the Mysterious Mr. Ditko (and the Not-So-Mysterious Mr. Lee...)", by Fred Hembeck
- ^ Apocryphal legend has it that in 1961, Timely and Atlas publisher Martin Goodman was playing golf with either Jack Liebowitz or Irwin Donenfeld of rival DC Comics, then known as National Periodical Publications, who bragged about DC's success with the Justice League (which had debuted in The Brave and the Bold #28 [Feb. The Library of Congress is the De facto National library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of Literature or Information &ndash the activity of making information available for public view Martin Goodman (born January 18, 1908; died June 6, 1992, Palm Beach Florida) was an American Publisher of Irwin Donenfeld ( March 1, 1926 - November 29, 2004) was the son of Harry Donenfeld, co-founder of the DC Comics company DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company 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 (Dec. Michael E Uslan is the originator of the Batman movies and was the first professor to teach "Comic Book Folklore" 2004), pp. 43-44:
Goodman, a publishing trend-follower aware of the JLA's strong sales, confirmably directed his comics editor, Stan Lee, to create a comic-book series about a team of superheroes. Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber; December 28, 1922) is an American Writer, editor, creator of comic book characters According to Lee in Origins of Marvel Comics (Simon and Schuster/Fireside Books, 1974), p. Simon & Schuster Inc, a division of CBS Corporation, is a Publisher founded in New York in 1924 by Richard L 16:“ 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 . Jack Adler is an artist who worked as an inker for DC comics. . . 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. ” “ 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?' ” - ^ 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
- ^ It has been suggested, not least by comics historian Greg Theakston, that the decision to include monsters and initially distance the new breed of superheroes from costumes was a conscious one, and borne of necessity. Since DC was distributing Marvel's output at the time, Theakston theorises 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 knock-on effect that they ventured "into deeper waters, where DC had never considered going". See: Ro, Ronin. Tales to Astonish: Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and the American Comic Book Revolution, pp. 86-88 (Bloomsbury, 2004)
- ^ Time (Oct. 31, 1960): "The Real Brand X"
- ^ Sanderson, Peter. IGN. com (Oct. 10, 2003): Comics in Context #14: "Continuity/Discontinuity"
- ^ Daniels, Les, Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics (Harry N. Les Daniels (born 1943 is an American Writer. Background He attended Brown University in Providence Rhode Island, where Abrams, New York, 1991), p. 139. ISBN 0-8109-3821-9.
- ^ Nyberg, Amy Kiste. Seal of Approval: History of the Comics Code. University Press of Mississippi, Jackson, Miss. , 1998
- ^ Daniels, Marvel, pp. 154-155
- ^ Atlas Archives
- ^ Rozanski, Chuck, "Diamond Ended Up With 50% of the Comics Market". MileHighComics.com (n.d.)
- ^ Box Office Mojo: "Franchises: Marvel Comics"
- ^ Marvel Universe wiki
- ^ Colton, David. "Marvel Comics Shows Its Marvelous Colors in Online Archive", USA Today, Nov. USA TODAY is a national American daily Newspaper published by the Gannett Company. 12, 2007
- ^ McLean, Tom, "Marvel, DC Bite into BitTorrent", Variety. com, Bags and Boards (column), November 26, 2007]
References
- Marvel Entertainment official site
- The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
- Marvel Guide: An Unofficial Handbook of the Marvel Universe
- All in Color for a Dime by Dick Lupoff & Don Thompson ISBN 0-87341-498-5
- The Comic Book Makers by Joe Simon with Jim Simon ISBN 1-887591-35-4
- Excelsior! The Amazing Life of Stan Lee by Stan Lee and George Mair ISBN 0-684-87305-2
- Jack Kirby: The TCJ Interviews, Milo George, ed. Joseph H Simon (born October 11, 1913) is a Jewish-American Comic book Writer, Artist, editor, and publisher (Fantagraphics Books, Inc. , 2001). ISBN 1-56097-434-6
- Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics, by Les Daniels (Harry N. Abrams, New York, 1991) ISBN 0-8109-3821-9
- Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book by Gerard Jones (Basic Books, 2004) trade paperback ISBN 0-465-03657-0
- Stephen Korek- Marvel comics and the future
- Origins of Marvel Comics by Stan Lee ISBN 0-7851-0579-4
- The Steranko History of Comics, Vol. 1 by James Steranko ISBN 0-517-50188-0
- Tales to Astonish: Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and the American Comic Book Revolution by Ronin Ro (Bloomsbury, 2004) ISBN 1-58234-345-4
- A Timely Talk with Allen Bellman
- Atlas Tales
- The Marvel/Atlas Super-Hero Revival of the Mid-1950s
- Jack Kirby Collector #25: "More Than Your Average Joe"
- Clive Barker official site: Comics
- Independent Heroes from the USA: Clive Barker's Razorline
- Buzzscope (June 23, 2005): "Addicted to Comics" #10 (column) by Jim Salicrup
- Daredevil: The Man Without Fear fan site: Marv Wolfman interview
External links
- Big Comic Book DataBase: Marvel Comics
- Marvel News
- Marvel Directory
- Ultimate Central
- The Jack Kirby Museum & Research Center
- Marvel Database
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic