Martin Goodman

Martin Goodman (born January 18, 1908, New York City; died June 6, 1992, Palm Beach, Florida) was an American publisher of pulp magazines, paperback novels and comic books, launching the company that would become Marvel Comics.

Related Topics:
1908 - New York City - 1992 - Palm Beach - Florida - American - Publisher - Pulp magazines - Paperback novels - Comic books - Marvel Comics

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In 1931, along with Louis Silberkeit and Maurice Coyne, Goodman formed Columbia Publications to publish pulp magazines. The following year, Goodman went out on his own; Silberkeit and Coyne would join with John L. Goldwater in 1939 to form what is now Archie Comics. Goodman's companies included Red Circle and his pulps included All Star Adventure Fiction Complete Western Book, Mystery Tales, Real Sports, Star Detective, the science fiction magazine Marvel Science Stories and the jungle-story magazine Ka-Zar.

Related Topics:
1931 - John L. Goldwater - 1939 - Archie Comics - Science fiction

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At the close of the 1930s, Goodman responded to the growing new field of comic books by contracting with comic-book packager Funnies, Inc. to supply material for Goodman's first effort, Marvel Comics #1 (October 1939), featuring the first appearance of the original Human Torch, and the first generally available appearance of Namor the Sub-Mariner. The comic, which changed its name to Marvel Mystery Comics with issue #2, proved a hit, launching the company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. Goodman, whose business strategy involved using many different corporate names, used Timely Comics as the general umbrella title for this company.

Related Topics:
Funnies, Inc. - Marvel Comics - Human Torch - Namor the Sub-Mariner

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His comic-book company continued its success in 1941 with the introduction of the seminal "patriotic" superhero, Captain America, created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.

Related Topics:
1941 - Captain America - Joe Simon - Jack Kirby

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With the post-war lessening of interest in superheroes, Goodman turned his comics company to a variety of genres, including horror, Westerns, teen humor, crime and war comics during the 1950s, when company was known generally as Atlas Comics.

Related Topics:
Horror - Westerns - Crime - 1950s

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Goodman also started paperback-novel line, Lion Books, in 1949, using the name Red Circle Books for the first seven books plus an additional two later. Eventually, he developed two lines, the 25¢ Lion and the 35¢ Lion Library. New American Library bought Lion in 1957, and several Lion titles were reprinted under its Signet label. Authors that Lion published included such notables as Robert Bloch, David Goodis and Jim Thompson.

Related Topics:
Robert Bloch - David Goodis - Jim Thompson

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In 1961, following rival DC Comics' successful revival of superheroes a few years earlier, comics editor-in-chief Stan Lee and freelance artist Kirby debuted The Fantastic Four #1, the first hit of what would become Marvel Comics. The newly naturalistic comics, in which superheroes bickered, worried about money and behaved more like everyday people than noble archetypes, changed the industry. Lee, Kirby and such artists as Steve Ditko and Don Heck eventually ushered in a string of hit characters, including Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Hulk and the X-Men.

Related Topics:
1961 - DC Comics - Stan Lee - The Fantastic Four - Steve Ditko - Don Heck - Spider-Man - Iron Man - Hulk - X-Men

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In 1968, Goodman sold his publishing businesses to the Perfect Film and Chemical Corporation. It grouped these businesses in a subsidiary called Magazine Management Co. Goodman remained as publisher until 1972. Two years later he founded a new comics company, Seaboard Periodicals, but it folded a year after that.

Related Topics:
1972 - Seaboard Periodicals

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Goodman's Magazine Management Company also published such men's magazines as For Men Only, Male and Stag, edited during the 1950s by Noah Sarlat. As well, there was such ephemera as a black-and-white "nudie cutie" comic, The Adventures of Pussycat (Oct. 1968) that reprinted some stories of the sexy, tongue-in-cheek secret-agent strip that ran in some of his men's magazines. Marvel/Atlas writers Lee, Larry Lieber and Ernie Hart and artists Wally Wood, Al Hartley, Jim Mooney and Bill Everett and "good girl art" cartoonist Bill Ward, possibly among others, contributed.

Related Topics:
1950s - 1968 - Larry Lieber - Ernie Hart - Wally Wood - Al Hartley - Jim Mooney - Bill Everett - Good girl art - Cartoonist - Bill Ward

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Another division, Humorama, published digest-sized magazines of girlie cartoons by Ward, Bill Wenzel and Archie Comics great Dan De Carlo, as well as black-and-white photos of pin-up models including Bettie Page, Eve Meyer, stripper Lili St. Cyr and actresses Joi Lansing, Tina Louise, Irish McCalla, Julie Newmar and others. Abe Goodman, a relative, headed this division. Titles included Breezy, Gaze, Gee-Whiz Joker, Stare and Snappy. They were published from at least the mid-1950s to mid-1960s.

Related Topics:
Digest - Bill Wenzel - Archie Comics - Dan De Carlo - Photos - Pin-up models - Bettie Page - Eve Meyer - Stripper - Lili St. Cyr - Joi Lansing - Tina Louise - Irish McCalla - Julie Newmar

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