In the mid-1960's, Marvel Comics was very eager to merchandise and allowed anyone to manufacture items of its Super Heroes, so long as they paid a fee. However, some of the products had many design flaws that were not well-received by Marvel or its thousands of dedicated Marvelites. A good example of this was the Super Hero Club buttons, released by Button World, in 1966. The artwork was so crude on most that Marvel sent stats and forced them to release revised versions.
In the 1970's, style guides were issued illustrating the approved artwork for a character so as to insure quality. Each double-sided, glossy page (Some have several) is 8.5 x 11 inches. On the front is a published cover with a color chart along its right-hand side (Except on the Marvel Super Heroes). On the back is details of the character's dimensions via several, black and white drawings.
Style guides were included with each licensing package. They were never for sale or given out to the general public. To date, thirteen types are known to have been printed from 1975-1980. They are The Avengers, Captain America, The Fantastic Four, Hulk, Howard The Duck, Ms. Marvel, Marvel Super Heroes, The Silver Surfer, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, The Super Villains, Thor and The X-Men.
If you have one from this time period that is not shown in the picture then please contact me.
If you have one from this time period that is not shown in the picture then please contact me.
