By the mid-1960's, Marvel Comics was experiencing a surge in sales.  The Merry Marvel Marching Society fan club was a huge hit and 1966 brought the first tidal wave of profits from their newly licensed line of merchandise.  It was also the year that the Marvel Super Heroes cartoon debuted on network television.  Its success  brought Marvel a great deal of exposure and most importantly showcased its brand to the world.  The Fantastic Four and Spider-Man aired the following year. 

​Ben Cooper was producing Halloween costumes for kids but adults were making their own outfits for various events.  Some of these were very good while others were rather embarrassing.  Regardless, it showed that fans loved to see their favorite Super Heroes in person and that their appearances drew a lot of attention.

In 1966, Stan Lee had Captain America and Spider-Man costumes made for the marketing department.  A "lucky" Marvel staffer would be given the honor of dressing up for a news interview, magazine article or photo-op.  One of the last times these were used was at the 1976 Marvel Comics convention.  They were so well-received by fans at the conventions that letters arrive inquiring if they could be rented for private events.

There was information about the history of Marvel Comics and a biography of its fabulous front man, Stan "The Man" Lee.

At first, there were only seven Super Heroes available and bios were provided for each.

The fee was $250 per actor, per day. The client was also responsible for transportation and accommodations to/from the event, as well as agree to specific guidelines and working conditions.  As part of the service Marvel provided appearance posters and artwork that could be used for local advertising.  

The first year of bookings was an overwhelming success.  Spider-Man was the most requested due to both his popularity and the live-action series which aired on television that year.  In 1978, the Incredible Hulk show boosted his appearances as well.  More characters were added to the roster including Howard The Duck and the new breakout toy superstar, ROM.

ROM's costume was unbelievable, and in 1979 Parker Brothers booked him for a nationwide, toy store tour.  Marvel Super Heroes brought in big crowds for promoters and touched young fans's hearts in the process.  Marvel always requested pictures from the events that the marketing department used to entice more parties into the program. 

Feedback was very important to the marketing department.  After each appearance a survey form was mailed to the organizer.  Stan Lee stressed the importance of them to improve upon the service and justify additional characters and funding.

The program was so popular and successful that all the Super Heroes were booked by The White House (twice) and used in government campaigns for drug-abuse, energy conversation, literacy and recycling.

If you have ever come across a 1970's comic book or piece of merchandise that was signed with just a Super Hero's name it was from one of the hundreds of actors hired by Marvel.  

Unfortunately, the inscriptions don't add to the monetary value (and in some cases actually depreciates it); however, they will bring back priceless memories for those kids (now adults) that waited in those long lines to meet their favorite Super Heroes and get their autographs.

Hello all, I was asked to provide some information about the 1973 San Diego Comic Convention poster.  This was due to an eBay seller that states the example he is auctioning has a hand-drawn, Mister Miracle sketch, by Jack Kirby, on its opposite side.  Here are the facts.  Its dimensions are 11 x 17 inches and was designed by Shel Dorf.

This poster is showcased in the book Comic-Con: 40 Years Of Artists, Writers, Fans And Friends!, on page 28 (Full-page).  

To the untrained eye it does look like a freehand drawing done in graphite (pencil).  However, when the image is magnified (in the pics below) the black dots bare testament to the printing process that "recreated" it.

If you still can't see them then let me increase the magnification by 10 times.

The tell-tale sign that no original art collector wants to see.  Shel wanted this poster to be both informative and a neat souvenir for fans, especially those of Jack Kirby.  It is the only convention poster by Shel that was double-sided.

I am told that the seller was informed of these facts, by a very prominent Marvel Comics collector (And friend), but had not revised the auction's description.  As a result, both he and the current bidders believe it is original art.  Hopefully, this blog entry will provide the facts needed to convince them, as well as serve as a reference for all other collectors that discover one of these in an attic, basement, flea market or website.

It's current value ranges from $50-$125.

In the early-1970's, children magazines saw the impact that Marvel Comics (Especially Spider-Man) was having on young readers worldwide.  Dynamite, Bananas and The Electric Company had all jumped on board the "Mighty Marvel Express", so it was time for another to join the scholastic ranks.

It was entitled SMASH, and in 1974 it made just that with its plentiful contents of celebrity interviews, games and posters.

Marvel was nearing the end of a very popular campaign where it printed numbered stamps in its comics that the fans would clip and collect.  SMASH wanted to do something similar so created the Mighty Marvel Mix-And-Match Marathon.  

In my opinion, this was a much better version with actual stamps and included cards to stick them on:  Marvel's were paper cut-outs with a book to paste them in for an extra fee, as well as up to 6 weeks waiting time for it to arrive.  

The program was introduced in the first issue and ended in its last issue of the season, number 6.  Currently, no collector can determine why.

SMASH remained in circulation for another season before ending in 1976.  It was never sold in stores and only available for purchase/subscription in Weekly Readers, distributed by participating schools.  It is the rarest of all the magazines and hardest to find 100% intact and complete due to all of the pull-out premiums within its pages. Every once in a while, a collector will come across one of its goodies and either recognize its origins immediately or go insane (for years) trying to figure out from where.

Here is a great photo of a kid wearing the Ben Cooper Spider Man costume, from 1956.  This was the version without the cowl where it just covered the front part of the face with elastic band tie.  It's a shame that the photographer purposely told the children to take off their masks for the picture.  The person also waited two months to develop the film as it was actually taken on Halloween of 1956. but developed in January of 1957.

Collectors and Marvel historians will never know how influential these questionnaires were to the Marvelmania creators, but they are rare to find and especially left blank.  Only one version was thought to have been distributed to members but a second was recently discovered, by me.  Is there a third, fourth or fifth version?  Who knows, but I will be on the hunt!

Once the Merry Marvel Marching Society fan club kits ceased production, in late-1968, the Marvelmania International club moved in to grab M.M.M.S. members.  It was not created or staffed by Marvel but given Stan Lee's blessings.  This kit was all in color with a catalog that offered unique merchandise ONLY available to members for a whopping $1.75, but as you can see the price was well worth it.

Several months later, a letter was sent to members detailing changes to the membership kit.

In 1970, a new kit was offered to both new and existing members, for $1.00.  It was bereft of both color and bountiful contents, but Marvelites ordered it anyway.

This fan club, unlike the M.M.M.S., was plagued with problems.  Many members never received their kits or orders.  In fact, apology letters were as numerous as the merchandise, and these will be showcased in an upcoming blog.

England's Souvenir Press/Four Square was lucky enough to get the rights to publish Spider-Man's first, international paperback debut, in 1967.

They were also given permission for the Incredible Hulk and Mighty Thor which made this trilogy a Marvel U.K. triumph.

In the early days of the Merry Marvel Marching Society fan club Marvel staffers actually typed or wrote the person's name on the membership card.  Below is a response (Editor's postcard) to a Marvelite whose name was horribly misspelled.