Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics {{nyse|MVL}}, (AKA Marvel Entertainment Group, Marvel Characters, Inc., and Marvel Enterprises, Inc.) sometimes called by the nickname The House of Ideas, is an American comic book company. Its best-known comics include The Fantastic Four, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, and X-Men. Since the 1960s, it has been one of the two largest American comics companies, along with DC Comics. Located in New York City, Marvel has been successively headquartered in the McGraw-Hill Building on West 42nd Street (when the company originated as Timely Comics in 1939); Empire State Building; at 575 Madison Avenue; at 387 Park Avenue South; at 10 East 40th Street; and at 417 5th Avenue.

History

In the beginning

Marvel Comics was founded by established pulp magazine publisher Martin Goodman in 1939 as an eventual group of subsidiary companies under the umbrella name Timely Comics. Its first publication was Marvel Comics #1 (October 1939), featuring the first appearance of Carl Burgos' android superhero, the Human Torch, and the first generally available appearance of Bill Everett's mutant anti-hero Namor the Sub-Mariner. The following year, Timely introduced Joe Simon and Jack Kirby's seminal patriotic hero Captain America in Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941). 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 The Angel. Timely also published one of humor cartoonist Basil Wolverton's best-known features, Powerhouse Pepper.

Related Topics:
Pulp magazine - Publisher - Martin Goodman - 1939 - Timely Comics - Carl Burgos - Android - Superhero - Human Torch - Bill Everett - Mutant - Anti-hero - Namor the Sub-Mariner - Joe Simon - Jack Kirby - Captain America - 1941 - Retcon - Whizzer - Miss America - The Destroyer - Vision - Paul Gustavson - The Angel - Basil Wolverton - Powerhouse Pepper

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Sales of all comic books declined drastically in the post-war era, and the superheroic übermensch archetype popular during the Depression and the war years went out of fashion. Like other comics companies, Timely ? now generally known as Atlas Comics ? followed pop-cultural trends with a variety of genres, including funny animals, Western, horror, war, crime, humor, romance, spy fiction and even medieval adventure with varying degrees of success. An attempted superhero revival in 1954 with the Human Torch, the Sub-Mariner and Captain America failed.

Related Topics:
Funny animals - Western - Horror - War - Crime - Humor - Romance - Spy fiction

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In 1957, Atlas almost closed its doors due to the bankruptcy of its distributor. During this time the company, following popular movie trends, primarily published monster comics with a science fiction bent.

Related Topics:
Bankruptcy - Distributor - Monster - Science fiction

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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 decided to follow suit. Editor/writer Stan Lee and freelance artist Jack Kirby created the Fantastic Four, modeled in a fashion after DC's adventuring quartet the Challengers of the Unknown. The book was a success, and Marvel began publishing further superhero titles featuring such heroes and anti-heroes as Spider-Man, the Hulk, Iron Man, Ant-Man, the X-Men and Daredevil, and such memorable antagonists as Doctor Doom, Magneto, Galactus and the Green Goblin. The most successful new series was The Amazing Spider-Man, by Lee and Steve Ditko.

Related Topics:
1960s - The Justice League of America - Stan Lee - Jack Kirby - Fantastic Four - Challengers of the Unknown - Spider-Man - Hulk - Iron Man - Ant-Man - The X-Men - Daredevil - Doctor Doom - Magneto - Galactus - Green Goblin - Steve Ditko

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Marvel's comics were noted for focusing on characterization to a greater extent than most superhero comics before them ? Spider-Man in particular, its young hero suffering 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 of the Marvel heroes looked like villains and monsters. In time, this non-traditional approach would revolutionize comic books.

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Lee became one of the best-known names in comics, with his charming personality and relentless salesmanship of the company. In later years it became clear the artists often had as much to do with Marvel's product and success as Lee. Kirby in particular is often credited as the creative well from which sprang many of the cosmic ideas and characters of The Fantastic Four and The Mighty Thor (such as The Watcher, The Silver Surfer and Ego the Living Planet) while 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. Lee, however, continues to deserve great credit for his well-honed skills at dialog and story sense; for his keen hand at choosing and motivating artists and in assembling creative teams; and for his uncanny ability to connect with the readers.

Related Topics:
The Mighty Thor - The Watcher - The Silver Surfer - Ego the Living Planet - Naturalism - Dr. Strange

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In 1968, company founder Martin 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.

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1970s

In 1972, Goodman retired as publisher 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 achieved moderate success with titles themed to horror (Tomb of Dracula), martial arts, (), sword-and-sorcery (Conan the Barbarian, Red Sonja), satiric humor (Howard the Duck) and science fiction ("Killraven" in Amazing Adventures). 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. Even more importantly, during a time when the price and format of the standard newsstand comic were in flux, Marvel captured a significant piece of DC's market share by offering a lower-priced product with a higher distributor discount.

Related Topics:
Horror - Tomb of Dracula - Martial arts - Sword-and-sorcery - Conan the Barbarian - Red Sonja - Humor - Howard the Duck - Killraven - Amazing Adventures

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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.

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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. An attempt by Marvel to buy DC was frustrated by DC's refusal to sell its entire library of characters (wanting to retain control of Superman and Batman), and DC was sold to Warner Communications instead.

Related Topics:
DC - Superman - Batman - Warner Communications

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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) and the sales increase of previously borderline books ? such as the canceled '60s title The Uncanny X-Men, revived to become a hit series under team of writer Chris Claremont and artist John Byrne, or the more naturalistic, urban-crime superhero comic Daredevil, by writer/artist Frank Miller.

Related Topics:
Chris Claremont - John Byrne - Frank Miller

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1980s

By the 1980s, one-time wunderkind Jim Shooter was Marvel's Editor-in-Chief. 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, and launching a brand-new (albeit ultimately unsuccessful) line named New Universe, to commemorate Marvel's 25th anniversary, in 1986. 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.

Related Topics:
1980s - Jim Shooter - Epic - New Universe - Contest of Champions - Secret Wars

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In 1981 Marvel purchased the DePatie-Freleng Enterprises animation studio from famed Looney Tunes director Friz Freleng and his business partner David H. DePatie. The company was renamed Marvel Productions Ltd. and it produced well known animated TV series such as G.I. Joe, The Transformers and Jim Henson's Muppet Babies, Dungeons & Dragons and movies based on the G.I. Joe and The Transformers TV series. Following the acquisition of Marvel by Ronald Perelman, Marvel Productions sold its back catalog to Saban Entertainment and Marvel management permanently closed the animation studio opting to have its animation projects contracted out to third party production companies.

Related Topics:
1981 - DePatie-Freleng Enterprises - Friz Freleng - David H. DePatie - Marvel Productions Ltd. - G.I. Joe - The Transformers - Jim Henson's Muppet Babies - Dungeons & Dragons - Ronald Perelman - Saban Entertainment

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In 1982, Marvel launched its creator-owned imprint Epic Comics, specifically for the "direct market," the emerging retail phenomenon of comic-book stores.

Related Topics:
1982 - Epic Comics

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In 1988, Marvel was bought by investor/entrepreneur Ronald Perelman, who made Marvel a public company listed on the New York Stock Exchange and oversaw a great increase in the number of titles published by the company.

Related Topics:
1988 - Investor - Entrepreneur - New York Stock Exchange

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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.) and the creatively daring though commercially unsuccessful Razorline imprint of superhero comics created by novelist and filmmaker Clive Barker. Yet by the middle of the decade, the industry had slumped and Marvel filed for bankruptcy amidst accusations that Perelman had strip-mined the company for his own gain. The casualties included the comic-book distribution industry in 1994, when Marvel announced it was acquiring Heroes World to use as its exclusive distributor. As the industry's other major publishers made exclusive distribution deals with other companies, the loss of the industry's largest companies threw the majority of the comic book distributors out of business. Although Marvel's plan failed, only Diamond Comic Distributors Inc. now exists as the major distributor of comic books in North America, a development many comic retailers believe profoundly damaged the business status of the industry.

Related Topics:
2099 - Razorline - Superhero - Clive Barker - Bankruptcy - 1994 - Diamond Comic Distributors Inc. - North America

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Investor Carl Icahn attempted to take control of Marvel, but after protracted legal battles, in 1997 control of the company landed in the hands of Isaac Perlmutter, owner of the Marvel subsidiary Toy Biz. With his business partner Avi Arad and their appointed (and controversial) publisher Bill Jemas and Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada, Perlmutter helped Marvel back on its feet. In addition to revitalizing the company's comic books, several of its properties have been licensed to become hit movies, most notably X-Men and Spider-Man.

Related Topics:
Carl Icahn - 1997 - Isaac Perlmutter - Toy Biz - Avi Arad - Bill Jemas - Joe Quesada - Licensed - X-Men - Spider-Man

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Creatively and commercially, the 90s were dominated by the use of gimmickry to boost sales, such as variant covers, cover enhancements and regular company-wide crossovers that threw the universe's continuity into disarray. In 1996, Marvel had almost all their titles participate in the Onslaught Saga, a massive crossover that allowed Marvel to relaunch some of its oldest 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. After an initial sales bump, sales quickly declined below expected levels, and Marvel killed the experiment after its planned one-year run; the characters 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, and featuring tough, gritty stories showcasing such characters as the Inhumans and Daredevil, it achieved substantial success.

Related Topics:
Variant cover - Onslaught Saga - Avengers - Fantastic Four - Heroes Reborn - Jim Lee - Rob Liefeld - Marvel Knights - Inhumans

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2000s

With the new millennium, Marvel escaped from bankruptcy and once again began diversifying its offerings. In 2001, Marvel Comics withdrew from the Comics Code Authority and established its own rating system, the Marvel Ratings System for comics. It also created new imprints, such as MAX, a line intended for mature readers, and Marvel Age, developed for younger audiences, including children. The company has also revamped their graphic novels division, establishing a bigger presence in the bookstore market.

Related Topics:
2001 - Comics Code Authority - Marvel Ratings System - Imprint - MAX - Marvel Age - Graphic novel

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Marvel remains a key publisher in the comics business, even as the industry has dwindled to a fraction of its peak size decades earlier. Stan Lee is no longer officially connected to the company, save for the title of "Chairman Emeritus," but remains a visible face in the industry and occasionally remarks on his fondness for the characters. His relationship with the company turned more acrimonious when 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; Marvel had tried (unsuccessfully) to avoid paying him his fair share through the use of Hollywood-style "creative accounting." Marvel has also become a key player in Hollywood, with many of their characters being turned into successful film franchises.

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