Providing children as well as adults with hours upon hours of reading some of the very best dialogue ever to be put on paper, and witnessing some of the best drawings to be sketched, in 1939, a new type of entertainment media is born. This is no doubt the birth of what is to become one of the greatest comic book companies of all time – Marvel Comics.
A young, already very popular Martin Goodman, founded the now ‘Marvel’ in 1939 as ‘Timely Publications’. Timely Publications brought to life new characters such as Silly Seal and Ziggy Pig. Timely also introduced comic fans with books that reflected the war and the new way of life.
All through the 1940’s Timely Publications would continue to grow and gain momentum when suddenly in 1950 the name was changed to Atlas Comics. Being that post war America had enough of the same sort of superheroes, this was a really smart move that Goodman decided to make. They needed something new and fresh. Atlas Comics provided just that. Atlas expanded into new genres such as westerns, drama, humor and espionage to name but a few! Atlas did well despite the fact that they made no attempt at innovation. They instead let popular culture dictate what was to be included in their new material.
Finally in 1961 a brand of comic books is revealed. Marvel Comics is born and with it comes a new comic anthology – ‘Amazing Adventures’ which proves to be a smash! All the while a strong rivalry was created between Marvel and DC Comics. In response to DC Comic’s ‘Justice League of America’, Marvel Comics came forward with the acclaimed ‘The Fantastic 4′ during this time. Back in the spotlight again were some new superheroes and it was time for Marvel to take that spotlight.
Marvel worked on a variety of comic book series which would secure its’ place as Comic Book King. The series included X-Men, The Hulk, Iron Man, Spider-man and several more.
Why on earth was Marvel Comics such a smashing success? There’s an easy way to explain this and it’s known as humility. Marvel’s superheroes weren’t the handsome, perfect or athletic heroes found in traditional comic books. Marvel steered away from the defacto standard and revolutionized characterization allowing the readers to relate and therefore make personal connections with the superheroes.
Spider-man, for example, has mixed feelings about his super powers and is filled with self doubt making him a very relatable character. Quite frankly it is great stories combined with intricate character build-ups that led to the success and finally top spot as Comic Books kings for Marvel Comics.
Marvel Comic Books are as popular as ever and still line the shelves of many a comic book store across the nation. You will even find adults still reading the same comics they did as kids! New series are being printed all of the time in the Marvel Universe. Martin Goodman persevered, stood the test of time, and built the greatest comic book company in existence, sharing great stories and introducing great characters along the way.
