Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics was started by pulp publisher Martin Goodman in 1939 with the anthology comic book title Marvel Comics (which was changed to Marvel Mystery Comics with issue #2). During the golden age of comics, the publisher developed a popular core of characters including Captain America, Bucky, Human Torch, Submariner, Miss America, Golden Girl, Red Skull, and many others by creators such as Jack Kirby, Joe Simon, Bill Everett, Stan Lee, and others.

Goodman used a number of corporate brands for Marvel throughout his tenure, including Timely Publications, Atlas Comics. The company was one of the largest publishers of Pre-Code Horror comic books during the early 1950s.

During the years following World War II, like many comic book publishers, the company transitioned to horror, crime, romance, and western titles among others. Marvel titles from this era include Journey into Mystery, Marvel Tales, Strange Tales, Venus, and countless others.

But the 1961 debut of The Fantastic Four signalled the start of the Marvel Universe we're familiar with today. Characters and teams such as Hulk, Ant Man, Wasp, Avengers, X-Men and more by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, John Romita, and others became the foundational characters which Marvel has expanded upon since that time.

In 1968, a company called Perfect Film and Chemical Corporation acquired Marvel from founder Martin Goodman. Marvel was acquired by film and media company New World Entertainment in 1986. New World sold the publisher to Ronald Perelman in 1989, who took the company public.

After riding high on a booming comics market and trading cards and other merchandise through the next few years, but its fortunes quickly turned with a slumping industry and other factors, and Marvel filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December 1996.

Toy Biz, headed by Avi Arad and Isaac Perlmutter, acquired Marvel the next year, ending the bankruptcy. In 2004, Marvel Studios' acquired funding from Merrill Lynch to self-finance its own films, and with the 2008 debut of Iron Man, the company's rise to prominence in both the American and global film industry began.  The Walt Disney Company acquired Marvel Entertainment on December 31, 2009, for $4 Billion.


It Cant Just Be Shawarma &#8211 Utica Greens And The Diet Of The Avengers

It Can't Just Be Shawarma – Utica Greens And The Diet Of The Avengers

The most recent Avengers #11 by Jed MacKay and C.F. Villa sees Jarvis the Butler helping the local AI The City with the dietary requirements and preferences of a number of Avengers, giving new insight into their lifestyle patterns. So the Scarlet Witch prefers utica greens, a traditional dish from Utica, in upstate New York, […]

Captain America Doesnt Like Big CGI Superhero Movies Either

Captain America Doesn't Like Big CGI Superhero Movies Either

From yesterday's Captain America #7 by J. Michael Straczynski and Carlos Magno published by Marvel Comics, Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson kick back with a beer to enjoy a movie. I say "enjoy"… because they both have a problem with the big superhero movie CGI fests, even in the Marvel Universe. J Michael Straczynski, folks, […]

PrintWatch: Justice League Panther Spider-Men Avengers Wolverine

PrintWatch: Justice League, Panther, Spider-Men, Avengers, Wolverine

PrintWatch: We have multiple printings for Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong #1-#4, Ultimate Black Panther, Spectacular Spider-Men, Mad Magazine, Avengers Twilight, Weapon X and Wolverine as well as some previously unreleased covers. PrintWatch: Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong is seeing the first four issues heading back to press, for their final printings in […]

Chris Claremont Returns For Uncanny X-Men #700/X-Men #35 In June 2024

Chris Claremont Returns For Uncanny X-Men #700/X-Men #35 In June 2024

The Krakoan Age of X-Men ends in June with X-Men #35 or Uncanny X-Men #700. Notably, House Of X writer/showrunner Jonathan Hickman never allowed a comic called Uncanny X-Men for the Krakoan Age. This acknowledgement of an anniversary for Uncanny X-Men, however you choose to count it, acknowledges a big chance. As well as the […]

Can We Keep Calling Both Peter Parker &#038 Miles Morales Spider-Man

Can We Keep Calling Both Peter Parker & Miles Morales, Spider-Man?

Today Marvel Comics published two comic books prominently featuring both Peter Parker and Miles Morales flavours of Spider-Man. Daredevil: Gang War #4 by Erica Schultz and Sergio Davila and Spectacular Spider-Men #1 by Greg Weisman and Humberto Ramos. Just the first keeps them apart for thirteen minutes, like a sandwich with Elektra in the middle. […]

X-Men Orchis Ms Marvel Illyana Cannonball And Fascism (XSpoilers)

X-Men, Orchis, Ms Marvel, Illyana, Cannonball And Fascism (XSpoilers)

This week sees Marvel publish X-Men #32 and Ms Marvel: Mutant Menace #1 in print, and X-Men Unlimited #129 digitally. But there are also moments relevant to the whole Krakoa/Orchis fight in Thanos #4 and Avengers #11. Spoilers ahead of course. While all manner of other aspects of modern life get dragged into the allegory. […]

A Very Different Ultimate X-Men #1 From Peach Momoko (Spoilers)

A Very Different Ultimate X-Men #1 From Peach Momoko (Spoilers)

Of all the new Ultimate line of books, Ultimate X-Men is the greatest departure from what has been. Ultimate Spider-Man reframes the superhero story as one of a mid-life crisis rather than adolescent angst and Ultimate Black Panther as a political story of isolationist and colonial motivations. But they both fit within the expectations of […]

Marvel Announces Thanos Return In The Summer Of 2024

Marvel Announces Thanos' Return In The Summer Of 2024

Thanos was created by Jim Starlin for the Iron Man comic books in 1973 as an Eternal–Deviant warlord from the moon Titan. A regular foe in the decades since, he gained greater prominence in the Silver Surfer and spinoff Infinity Gauntlet series, and has fought the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Fantastic Four, […]

Pepe Larraz &#038 Jed MacKays Bloodcoven For Marvel Comics Blood Hunt

Pepe Larraz & Jed MacKay's Bloodcoven For Marvel Comics' Blood Hunt

Jed MacKay and Pepe Larraz are creating a new vampire faction for the Marvel Universe as part of the upcoming Blood Hunt event. The Bloodcoven are a mysterious and deadly vampire faction consisting of Megrim, Cruel, Unusual, the Damascene, Smoke Eater, and their leader, Bloodstorm One, a clone of Dracula created by Hydra. The group's […]

Captain America #7 Preview: Steves Cabaret Calamity

Captain America #7 Preview: Steve's Cabaret Calamity

Hey, folks. Jude Terror here, back once again to serve you up another heaping portion of comic book previews, whether you like it or not. Sliding into stores this Wednesday, March 6th, is an issue of patriotic proportions – Captain America #7. America's favorite star-spangled man with a plan is back at it, but this […]

X-Men #32 Preview: Pryde and Rasputins Bigot Beatdown

X-Men #32 Preview: Pryde and Rasputin's Bigot Beatdown

Hey there, folks. Dust off your knuckle dusters and grab your best "Go Mutants" cheerleading outfit. The X-Men are at it again in X-Men #32, ready to hit shelves this Wednesday, March 6th. Before you rush to your local comic supplier, let me give you the lowdown on what's in store. BESTIES WITH BLOODY BLADES! […]

Star Wars: The High Republic #4 Preview: Jedi Gone Rogue

Star Wars: The High Republic #4 Preview: Jedi Gone Rogue

Listen up, Padawans and seasoned Jedi Masters alike, because it's about to get disobedient up in the Star Wars universe. Mark your calendars, or whatever they use a long time ago in a galaxy far far away, because come Wednesday, March 6th, you're about to witness some serious Jedi defiance. In Star Wars: The High […]

Sentry #4 Preview: Sentry Smackdown Spectacle

Sentry #4 Preview: Sentry Smackdown Spectacle

Ah, reunions. You know, there's nothing like the sweet nostalgia of old friends meeting up only to pummel each other into the pavement. If that's your cup of tea, then you'll be thrilled to know Marvel's bringing us another episode of superhero therapy in the form of Sentry #4 hitting stores this Wednesday. Grab your […]

Jack Kirbys Daughter Susan Kirby Was A Sixties Pop Star In Britain

Jack Kirby's Daughter, Susan Kirby, Was A Sixties Pop Star In Britain

Former 30th Century comic store owner Will Morgan made quite the find the other day which sent me down a rabbit hole. He posted to Facebook, "In addition to comics, I sometimes flog vintage mags on my eBay page, and was surprised to discover this item about Jack Kirby's daughter in the women's mag Petticoat […]

Amazing Spider-Man #44 Tops Bleeding Cool Weekly Bestseller List

Amazing Spider-Man #44 Tops Bleeding Cool Weekly Bestseller List

Amazing Spider-Man #44 concluding the Gang War tops the Bleeding Cool Weekly Bestseller List this week, as it usually does when there isn't a Batman main book that week. Avengers Twilight continues to outperform and Duke keeps Image's Energon Universe front and centre. Just the one DC book in the top ten and it's the […]

Giant-Size Spider-Gwen #1 Preview: MJs Sticky Situation

Giant-Size Spider-Gwen #1 Preview: MJ's Sticky Situation

Well, well, if it isn't Marvel squeezing out yet another oversized issue for a little character sprawl; Giant-Size Spider-Gwen #1 hits the shelves on Wednesday and, let me tell you, it's sticking to the traditional formula—friends in danger, and the heroine has to save the day. They're really spinning the classics with this one, folks. […]

Tom Brevoort On Big Plans Wokeness And Disneys Input Into X-Men

Tom Brevoort On Big Plans, "Wokeness", And Disney's Input Into X-Men

This year will see Marvel Executive Editor and SVP Tom Brevoort take over Group editorship of the X-Men comic books from Jordan D White, marking the end of the Jonathan Hickman Krakoan Age of the X-Men comics, which began in 2019. Tom Brevoort posted to his Substack newsletter about upcoming plans for the X-Men titles, […]

Avengers #11 Preview: Jarvis Saves the Day—Again

Avengers #11 Preview: Jarvis Saves the Day—Again

Well, true believers, it looks like the Avengers have invested in a little piece of that sweet, sweet orbital real estate with their swanky Impossible City. But as any homeowner will tell you, the trouble always starts once you've unpacked the boxes. Luckily, Avengers #11 is dropping on Wednesday, March 6th to walk us through […]

Star Wars #44 Preview: Landos Legal Lament

Star Wars #44 Preview: Lando's Legal Lament

Well, folks, if you thought the most dramatic courtroom action you'd see this year involved celebrity defamation cases, think again. Marvel's dropping Star Wars #44 on us this Wednesday, March 6th, and it's packing all the legal drama of prime-time TV—if your cable package includes channels broadcasting from a galaxy far, far away, that is. […]

Sensational She-Hulk #6 Preview: Space Love in Peril

Sensational She-Hulk #6 Preview: Space Love in Peril

Time to buckle up, true believers, because Sensational She-Hulk promises to bring the cosmic courtroom drama to a whole new level this Wednesday, March 6th. Strap in for an issue that decides if Jen Walters will sit with the cool kids at the Avengers' lunch table, or if she'll spiral into a cataclysmic lovers' tiff […]