Overview

It was 1939, and the world stood on the brink of war. Yet Martin Goodman, an ambitious magazine publisher in New York City, saw opportunity amidst the anxiety. The new comic books featuring costumed superheroes were gaining popularity. Sensing a gap in the market, Goodman founded Timely Publications to capitalize on this trend. He struck gold with Timely's first comic in 1939, featuring writer-artist Carl Burgos' fiery android superhero, the Human Torch. This auspicious debut went on to sell nearly a million copies. Yet Timely remained small fish compared to pioneer National Comics, home of iconic Superman. Through changing times and genres, scrappy Timely persevered under Goodman's business moxie. After the superhero decline post-WWII, timely reinventions kept them afloat - teen humor comics, horrors, westerns, monsters - riding publishing fads while awaiting the next spark.... That spark emerged in 1961 when Editor Stan Lee and legendary artist Jack Kirby collaborated on The Fantastic Four. Blessed with superpowers after cosmic rays, this landmark release marked the dawn of Marvel Comics' 1960s revolution praised for pioneering flawed, relatable protagonists facing outsized struggles. Sales skyrocketed as the ambitious stories tackled civil rights, nuclear anxiety, Cold War themes rather than the Golden Age's simplistic tropes. Blockbusters followed starring Spider-Man, the Hulk, Thor and the X-Men establishing Lee and Kirby's creative synergy. By forging flawed outsiders facing universal underdog struggles, Marvel branched into successful multimedia licensing increasingly rivaling Detective Comics' dominance through the 1960s. The horizon seemingly heralded fortunes lifting Marvel to entertainment prominence its founders dreamed achieving... But unexpected turmoil continually tested underdog Marvel - soaring peaks followed by devastating valleys that almost destroyed them many times over the decades. Rights sales, corporate shakeups, market crashes and distribution upheavals constituted near fatal blows. Even rival DC's parent Warner Brothers acquiring distributor Diamond in 1995 threatened permanently crippling Marvel's operations. Yet undaunted optimism and persistence saw Marvel emerging reborn after each crisis. The spirit persisted awaiting the next turnaround chapter in this death-defying underdog saga...

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