Marvel Comics

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the comic book company using this name beginning in 1961. For the earlier
comic book series, see Marvel Mystery Comics.

Marvel Comics

Parent company

Marvel Entertainment, LLC

(The Walt Disney Company)

Status

Active

Founded

1939 (as Timely Comics)

Country of origin

US

Headquarters

135 W. 50th Street, New York City

location

Key people

Axel Alonso (EIC)

Dan Buckley (publisher, COO)
Stan Lee (former EIC, publisher)

Publication types

Comics/See List of Marvel Comics publications

Fiction genres

Crime, horror, mystery, romance, science

fiction, war, Western, superheroes

Imprints
Revenue
Official website

imprint list
US$125.7 million (2007)
Official website

Marvel Worldwide Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing,
Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American publisher of comic books and related media. In
2009, The Walt Disney Company acquired Marvel Entertainment, Marvel Worldwide's parent
company.
Marvel started in 1939 as Timely Publications, and by the early 1950s had generally become known
as Atlas Comics. Marvel's modern incarnation dates from 1961, the year that the company
launched The Fantastic Four and other superhero titles created byStan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve
Ditko and many others.
Marvel counts among its characters such well-known properties as Spider-Man, Wolverine, Iron
Man, Captain America, the Hulk,Thor, the Silver Surfer, Daredevil and Ghost Rider, such teams as
the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the Guardians of the Galaxy andX-Men, and antagonists such
as Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin, Kingpin, Magneto, Doctor Doom, Loki, Thanos, Hydra and
the Red Skull. Most of Marvel's fictional characters operate in a single reality known as the Marvel
Universe, with locations that mirror real-life cities. Characters such as Spider-Man, the Fantastic
Four, the Avengers, Daredevil and Dr. Strange are based in New York City,[1][2]whereas the X-Men
have historically been based in Salem Center, New York[3][4][5] and the Hulk's stories often have been
set in the American Southwest.[6]
In 2013, Marvel held a 33.50% share of the comics market, compared to its competitor DC Comics'
30.33% share. By comparison, the companies held 40.81% and 29.94% shares in 2008,
respectively.[7]