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.
Well, well, well, if it isn't another heart-racing, fur-flying edition of nostalgia cash-in—X-Men '97 #2. Hitting the shelves this Wednesday, April 10th, it seems like the '90s never ended, especially for Wolverine, who's once again on the comprehensive facial exfoliation program courtesy of Sabretooth. Let's take a peek at the melodrama the X-Men will be […]
Well, well, well, if it isn't time for another joyride through the bloody bonds of symbiotic matrimony in Carnage #6, coming to a comic shop near you on Wednesday, April 10th. Before you rush out to renew your vows with Marvel's most psychotic symbiote couple, let's get a sneak peek at what's tearing them apart […]
Oh joy, fellow masochists in comic indulgence, brace your wallets and prepare to sharpen your claws for the impending release of Weapon X-Men #2, hitting the shelves this Wednesday, April 10th. Because what we've all been hankering for is yet another tale of Wolverine(s)—only this time, with a twist! It's the story of a Wolverine […]
Look, I know you've been lying awake at night, staring at the ceiling, wondering when Marvel is going to launch yet another Spider-Person into the great comic book frontier. Well, insomniacs and Spider-fanatics, sleep easy: Edge of Spider-Verse #3 is swinging through the galaxy to your local comic shop this Wednesday, April 10th. INTRODUCING STAR-SPIDER! […]
You know, there's no creature on earth more terrifying than an ex, except maybe your ex armed with a sentient pile of alien goo. This Wednesday, April 10th, those of you not fortunate enough to be pursued by your sinister symbiote-wielding past lovers can live vicariously through Symbiote Spider-Man 2099 #2. Here's the lovely tale […]
Alright, esteemed couch potatoes of the comic book world, buckle up because this Wednesday, April 10th, Marvel is delivering a fresh twist on the classic superhero challenge in Invincible Iron Man #17. Before I dig into the meat of the matter, let's lay eyes on the elegantly penned synopsis that screams "reading this might just […]
Well, well, well, look who's trading in their spandex for schoolbooks. That's right, the latest dive into teenage angst and mutant mayhem comes to us in the form of Ultimate X-Men #2, sliding into your local comic shop on Wednesday, April 10th. It's like "Saved by the Bell" with more existential dread and less Screech. […]
Hey there, Star Wars fans and involuntary cyborg sympathizers, get ready to mark your calendars for a Vader-vent you won't want to miss! This Wednesday, April 10th, the galaxy gets a little chillier with the release of Star Wars: Darth Vader #45. A SECRET PLAN TO TAKE DOWN THE EMPEROR! DARTH VADER has used the […]
Amazing Fantasy #15, the first appearance of Spider-Man by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee is also the first use of Aunt May giving wheatcakes to her nephew Peter Parker. Which are, for the uninformed American-style pancakes made with whole wheat flour and buttermilk, beaten eggs, butter, and egg whites. Although Aunt May has a more involved […]
Well, web-heads, it's that time again where we strap on the ol' web-shooters and swing into yet another "thrilling" adventure with our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Stay with me as we dive into the melodramatic clone-infused antics of Amazing Spider-Man #47, webbing its way into comic book stores on Wednesday, April 10th. What's on tap this […]
Hey there, fans of comic book deja vu, it's your less-than-enthused arbiter of anticipatory comic analysis here, Jude Terror, letting you know that once again, someone got the bright idea to resurrect a character they barely finished killing. That's right, kids, we're back at it with Resurrection of Magneto #4, hitting your local comic shop […]
Well, here we are again, folks. Another week, another dollar—diminishing in value against the single-issue price tag. This time into the comic book fray drops Fantastic Four #19, a gumshoe tale with a side of spandex, slated to hit stores on Wednesday, April 10th. Miss "Susie" Storm is in over her head, but isn't that […]
Well, would you look at that—it's your good ol' masochistic pleasure of the week: reading about yet another comic where characters with more lives than a carton of eggs duke it out. Get ready for Wolverine #47, hitting the shelves this Wednesday with the subtlety of a sledgehammer at a china convention. Let me spoon-feed […]
Two weeks worth of the Bleeding Cool Weekly Bestseller List. This weekend and…. I seem to have lost a week. Sorry about that.This week Batman #146 tops X-Men #33 but also see four comics from Image Comics smash their weay into the top ten, the usual Void Rivals but also all three Ghost Machine comic […]
Well, look at the time. It's time for another episode of everyone's favorite space chess game, as Star Wars: Thrawn Alliances #4 hits the racks this Wednesday. That's right, April 10th marks the date when your local comic shop becomes a battleground for control of the galaxy—or at least for the hearts and minds of […]
Well, well, well, if it isn't time once again to see how Marvel can twist the knife into the back of nostalgia. This Wednesday, we've got Aliens: What If #2 hitting the shelves, providing everyone with a heaping helping of daddy issues in space. Because let's face it, what's a sci-fi horror story without some […]
Well, get your popcorn ready, and not just for the incoming media circus. Kamala Khan, also known as Ms. Marvel, is finding out that being a teenager is hard enough, but also juggling the job as a part-time Avenger, part-time X-Man, and now, full-time Mojo magnet? Let's just say that Ms. Marvel might be wishing […]
Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Dark Horse, Titan, 2000AD, Oni and more continue to push out their Omnibus collections, though some have seen their schedule slip. But here are a bunch planned for later 2024 courtesy of Amazon, PRH and more. And it begins with an Omnibus for Bruce Wayne: Murderer Turned Fugitive. Just don't ask […]
PrintWatch: Marvel Comics is to put the new Deadpool #1 by Cody Ziglar and Roge Antonio to a second printing for the 15th of May, which also comes with a 1:25 variant. Covers – and cover artists – are not yet announced. PrintWatch: Stray Dogs team Tony Fleecs and Trish Forstner has "sold out instantly […]
Deadpool and Youngblood creator, founder of Image Comics and Extreme Studios, Rob Liefeld is writing a memoir entitled Robservations, planned for publication in early 2025 through BenBella Publishing. Recently, Rob has been running a podcast with the same name, looking at the history of comic books and his involvement in it. He has been heavily critical […]
