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.
Originally in 1939 Marvel was founded under the name of ‘Timely Publications’ by a young but already highly popular Martin Goodman. 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.
Timely Publications continued to pick up momentum and achieve exponential growth all through the 1940′s, then suddenly in 1950, it was branded under the new name ‘Atlas Comics’. This was a smart move on Goodman’s behalf because post-war America was tired of the same old superheroes. Something fresh and new is what they needed. Atlas Comics provided just that. They expanded into genres such as humor, westerns, drama, espionage and so much more! 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.
Fast forward to 1961 when a new brand of comic books in launched. Marvel Comics launches their first comic anthology ‘Amazing Adventures’ and it proves to be a hit. All the while a strong rivalry was created between Marvel and DC Comics. It was during this time that Marvel released their acclaimed ‘The Fantastic 4′ in response to DC’s ‘Justice League of America’. 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. These included Spider-man, X-men, The Hulk, Daredevil, Iron Man and so many more.
Why was Marvel such a smashing success? There’s an easy way to explain this and it’s known as humility. Your traditional athletic, handsome, perfect superheroes weren’t being created in the Marvel 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! Marvel still continues to print new series after new series. 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.