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Timely Comics is the common name for the group of corporations that was the earliest comic book arm of American publisher Martin Goodman, and the entity that would evolve by the 1960s to become
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...
. "Timely Publications became the name under which Goodman first published a comic book line. He eventually created a number of companies to publish comics ... but Timely was the name by which Goodman's Golden Age comics were known." "Marvel wasn't always Marvel; in the early 1940s the company was known as Timely Comics, and some covers bore this shield." Founded in 1939, during the era called the
Golden Age of comic books The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era of American comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. The superhero archetype was created and many well-known chara ...
, "Timely" was the umbrella name for the comics division of
pulp magazine Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 to the late 1950s. The term "pulp" derives from the cheap wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed. In contrast, magazine ...
publisher Goodman, whose
business strategy In the field of management, strategic management involves the formulation and implementation of the major goals and initiatives taken by an organization's managers on behalf of stakeholders, based on consideration of resources and an assessmen ...
involved having a multitude of
corporate A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and r ...
entities all producing the same product. The company's first publication in 1939 used Timely Publications,Postal indicia in issue, pe
''Marvel Comics'' #1 [1st printing] (October 1939)
at the
Grand Comics Database The Grand Comics Database (GCD) is an Internet-based project to build a database of comic book information through user contributions. The GCD project catalogues information on creator credits, story details, reprints, and other information useful ...
: "Vol.1, No.1, MARVEL COMICS, Oct., 1939 Published monthly by Timely Publications, ... Art and editorial by Funnies Incorporated..."
Per statement of ownership, dated October 2, 1939, published in '' Marvel Mystery Comics'' #4 (Feb. 1940), p. 40; reprinted in ''
Marvel Masterworks ''Marvel Masterworks'' is an American collection of hardcover and trade paperback comic book reprints published by Marvel Comics, with the main goal of republishing classic ''Marvel Comics'' storylines in a hardcover, premium edition, often with ...
: Golden Age Marvel Comics'' Volume 1 (Marvel Comics, 2004, , ), p. 239
based at his existing company in the McGraw-Hill Building at 330 West 42nd Street in New York City. In 1942, it moved to the 14th floor of the
Empire State Building The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931. Its name is derived from " Empire State", the nickname of the ...
, where it remained until 1951. In 2016, Marvel announced that Timely Comics would be the name of a new imprint of low-priced reprint comics.


Creation

In 1939, with the emerging
medium Medium may refer to: Science and technology Aviation * Medium bomber, a class of war plane * Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Communication * Media (communication), tools used to store and deliver information or data * Medium ...
of comic books proving hugely popular, and the first
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
es setting the trend, pulp-magazine publisher Martin Goodman founded Timely Publications, basing it at his existing company in the McGraw-Hill Building at 330 West 42nd Street in New York City. Goodman – whose official titles were editor, managing editor, and business manager, with Abraham Goodman officially listed as publisher – contracted with the newly formed comic-book "packager" Funnies, Inc. to supply material. His first effort, ''
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...
'' #1 (Oct. 1939), featured the first appearances of writer-artist
Carl Burgos Carl Burgos (; born Max Finkelstein ; April 18, 1916 – March 1, 1984) Note: Gives only month and year of death. was an American comic book and advertising artist best known for creating the original Human Torch in ''Marvel Comics'' #1 (Oct. 1 ...
' android
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
, the Human Torch, and Paul Gustavson's costumed detective the
Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles ...
. As well, it contained the first published appearance of Bill Everett's
anti-hero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who may lack conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform actio ...
Namor the Sub-Mariner, created for the unpublished movie-theater giveaway comic '' Motion Picture Funnies Weekly'' earlier that year, with the eight-page original story now expanded by four pages. Also included were Al Anders' Western hero the
Masked Raider The Masked Raider is an alias of several fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The original character went by the name of Jim Gardley and appeared in comic books published during the 1930s and 1940s per ...
; the jungle lord Ka-Zar the Great, with Ben Thompson beginning a five-issue adaptation of the story "King of Fang and Claw" by Bob Byrd in Goodman's pulp magazine ''Ka-Zar'' #1 (Oct. 1936); the non-continuing-character story "Jungle Terror", featuring adventurer Ken Masters, drawn and possibly written by Art Pinajian under the quirky pseudonym "Tohm Dixon" or "Tomm Dixon" (with the published signature smudged); "Now I'll Tell One", five single-panel, black-and-white gag cartoons by Fred Schwab, on the inside front cover; and a two-page prose story by
Ray Gill Ray Gill (8 December 1924, Manchester – 17 September 2001, Rochdale) holds the Football League appearance record for Chester. The full-back played in 406 league games for Chester from 1951 to 1962, putting him seven ahead of Ron Hughes (who ...
, "Burning Rubber", about
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. A painted cover by veteran science-fiction pulp artist Frank R. Paul featured the Human Torch, looking much different from the interior story.''Marvel Comics'' #1
at the
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That initial comic, cover-dated October 1939, quickly sold out 80,000 copies, prompting Goodman to produce a second printing, cover-dated November 1939. The latter is identical except for a black bar over the October date in the inside-front-cover indicia, and the November date added at the end. That sold approximately 800,000 copies.Per researcher Keif Fromm, ''Alter Ego'' #49, p. 4 (caption) With a hit on his hands, Goodman began assembling an in-house staff, hiring Funnies, Inc. writer-artist
Joe Simon Joseph Henry Simon (October 11, 1913 – December 14, 2011) was an American comic book writer, artist, editor, and publisher. Simon created or co-created many important characters in the 1930s–1940s Golden Age of Comic Books and served as the ...
as editor. Simon brought along his collaborator, artist
Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gre ...
, followed by artist Syd Shores. Goodman then formed Timely Comics, Inc., beginning with comics cover-dated April 1941 or Spring 1941. There is evidence that "Red Circle Comics" – a name that would be used for an unrelated imprint of
Archie Comics Archie Comic Publications, Inc., is an American comic book publisher headquartered in Pelham, New York.Les Daniels Leslie Noel Daniels III, better known as Les Daniels (October 27, 1943 – November 5, 2011), was an American writer. Background Daniels attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he wrote his master's thesis on ''Frankenstei ...
, referring to Goodman's pulp-magazine line, describes the name Red Circle as "a halfhearted attempt to establish an identity for what was usually described loosely as 'the Goodman group'
ade Ade, Adé, or ADE may refer to: Aeronautics *Ada Air's ICAO code *Aden International Airport's IATA code *Aeronautical Development Establishment, a laboratory of the DRDO in India Medical * Adverse Drug Event *Antibody-dependent enhancement * AD ...
when a new logo was adopted: a red disk surrounded by a black ring that bore the phrase 'A Red Circle Magazine.' But it appeared only intermittently, when someone remembered to put it on pulp magazine'scover. Historian Jess Nevins, conversely, writes that, "Timely Publications as howGoodman's group f companieshad become known; before this, it was known as 'Red Circle' because of the logo that Goodman had put on his pulp magazines...." The
Grand Comics Database The Grand Comics Database (GCD) is an Internet-based project to build a database of comic book information through user contributions. The GCD project catalogues information on creator credits, story details, reprints, and other information useful ...
identifies 23 issues of Goodman comic books from 1944 to 1959 with Red Circle, Inc. branding, and a single 1948 issue under Red Circle Magazines Corp.


Golden Age of Comic Books

''Marvel Comics'' was rechristened ''Marvel Mystery Comics'' with issue #2 (Dec. 1939); the magazine would continue under that title through #92 (June 1949) before becoming '' Marvel Tales'' through #159 (Aug. 1957). Timely began publishing additional series, beginning with ''
Daring Mystery Comics ''Daring Mystery Comics'' is an American comic-book series published by Timely Comics, a predecessor of Marvel Comics, during the 1930-1940s period fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books. Primarily a superhero anthology, it ran ei ...
'' #1 (Jan. 1940), '' Mystic Comics'' #1 (March 1940), ''
Red Raven Comics ''Red Raven Comics'' was a title of Timely Comics (the predecessor of Marvel Comics). Only a single issue was published, cover-dated August 1940. It was replaced by the title '' The Human Torch'', which began with issue #2 (Fall 1940), continuing ...
'' #1 (Aug. 1940), ''The Human Torch'' #2 (premiering Fall 1940 with no
cover date The cover date of a periodical publication is the date displayed on the cover, which is not necessarily the true date of publication (the on-sale date or release date); later cover dates are common in magazine and comic book publishing. More unu ...
and having taken over the numbering from the unsuccessful ''Red Raven''), and ''
Captain America Comics Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...
'' #1 (March 1941). Going on sale in December 1940, a year before the bombing of
Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the ...
and already showing the hero punching
Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
, that first issue sold nearly one million copies. With the hit characters Human Torch and Sub-Mariner now joined by Simon & Kirby's seminal patriotic hero Captain America, Timely had its "big three" stars of the era fans and historians call the
Golden Age of Comic Books The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era of American comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. The superhero archetype was created and many well-known chara ...
. Rival publishers National Comics Publications /
All-American Comics ''All-American Comics'' was a comics anthology and the flagship title of comic book publisher All-American Publications, one of the forerunners of DC Comics. It ran for 102 issues from 1939 to 1948. Characters created for the title, including Gre ...
, the sister companies that would evolve into
DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...
, likewise had their own "big three": Superman and
Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939. I ...
plus the soon-to-debut
Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byrne, are credited as bein ...
. Timely's other major competitors were Fawcett Publications (with Captain Marvel, introduced in 1940);
Quality Comics Quality Comics was an American comic book publishing company which operated from 1937 to 1956 and was a creative, influential force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of Comic Books. Notable, long-running titles published by Qualit ...
(with Plastic Man and Blackhawk, both in 1941); and Lev Gleason Publications (with
Daredevil Daredevil may refer to: * A stunt performer Arts and media Comics * Daredevil (Lev Gleason Publications), a fictional 1940s superhero popularized by writer-artist Charles Biro * Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), a Marvel comic book superhero ...
, introduced in 1940 and unrelated to the 1960s Marvel hero). Other Timely characters, many seen both in modern-day retroactive-continuity appearances and in flashbacks, include the
Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles ...
, the next-most-popular character in terms of number of appearances; the
Destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed ...
, an early creation of future Marvel chief
Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...
; super-speedster the Whizzer; the flying and super-strong
Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on competitors' talent performances and interviews. As ...
; the original Vision, who inspired Marvel writer
Roy Thomas Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly ...
in the 1960s to create a Silver Age version of the character; and the Blazing Skull and the Thin Man, two members of the present-day
New Invaders The Invaders is the name of two fictional superhero teams appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Publication history The original team was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Sal Buscema in '' The Avengers'' #71 (Dec ...
. Just as Captain America had his teenage sidekick Bucky and DC Comics' Batman had
Robin Robin may refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including: **European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'') ** Bush-robin **Forest r ...
, the Human Torch acquired a young partner, Toro, in the first issue of the Torch's own magazine. The Young Allies—one of several "kid gangs" popular in comics at the time—debuted under the rubric the Sentinels of Liberty in a text story in ''Captain America Comics'' #4 (June 1941) before making it to the comics pages themselves the following issue, and then eventually into their own title. Seeing a natural "fire and water" theme, Timely was responsible for comic books' first major crossover, with a two-issue battle between the Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner that spanned ''Marvel Mystery Comics'' #8–9—telling the story from the two characters' different perspectives. After the Simon & Kirby team moved to DC late 1941, having produced ''Captain America Comics'' through issue #10 (Jan. 1942),
Al Avison Alfred Dean Avison (July 7, 1920 – December 1984) was an American comic book artist known for his work on the Marvel Comics characters the Whizzer, which he co-created, and Captain America during the 1930–1940s period known to fans and h ...
and Syd Shores became regular
penciler A penciller (or penciler) is an artist who works on the creation of comic books, graphic novels, and similar visual art forms, with a focus on the initial pencil illustrations, usually in collaboration with other artists, who provide inks, colors ...
s on the title, with one generally inking over the other.
Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...
(né Stanley Lieber), a cousin of Goodman's by marriage who had been serving as an assistant since 1939, at age 16, was promoted to interim editor just shy of his 19th birthday. Showing a knack for the business, Lee stayed on for decades, eventually becoming Marvel Comics' publisher in 1972. Fellow Timely staffer Vincent Fago would substitute during Lee's
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
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. The staff at that time, Fago recalled, was, " Mike Sekowsky. Ed Winiarski. Gary Keller was a production assistant and letterer. Ernest Hart and Kin Platt were writers, but they worked freelance; Hart also drew. George Klein, Syd Shores, Vince Alascia, Dave Gantz, and Chris Rule were there, too". In 1942, Goodman moved his publisher operations to the 14th floor of the
Empire State Building The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931. Its name is derived from " Empire State", the nickname of the ...
, where it remained until 1951.


Funny animals, and people

The superheroes were the products of what Timely referred to as the "adventure" bullpen. The company also developed an "animator" bullpen creating such movie tie-in and original talking animal comics as '' Terrytoons Comics'', '' Mighty Mouse'', '' All Surprise Comics'', '' Super Rabbit Comics'', ''Funny Frolics'', and ''Funny Tunes,'' renamed ''Animated Funny Comic-Tunes''. Former
Fleischer Studios Fleischer Studios () is an American animation studio founded in 1929 by brothers Max and Dave Fleischer, who ran the pioneering company from its inception until its acquisition by Paramount Pictures, the parent company and the distributor of ...
animator Fago, who joined Timely in 1942, headed this group, which consisted through the years of such writer/artists as Hart, Gantz, Klein, Platt, Rule, Sekowsky, Frank Carin (né Carino), Bob Deschamps, Chad Grothkopf, Pauline Loth, Jim Mooney, Moss Worthman a.k.a. Moe Worth, and future '' Mad'' magazine cartoonists Dave Berg and
Al Jaffee Allan Jaffee (born Abraham Jaffee; March 13, 1921) is an American cartoonist. He is notable for his work in the satirical magazine '' Mad'', including his trademark feature, the ''Mad'' Fold-in. Jaffee was a regular contributor to the magazine ...
. Features from this department include "Dinky" and "Frenchy Rabbit" in ''Terrytoons Comics''; "Floop and Skilly Boo" in ''Comedy Comics''; "Posty the Pelican Postman" in ''Krazy Komics'' and other titles; "Krazy Krow" in that character's eponymous comic; "Tubby an' Tack", in various comics; and the most popular of these features, Jaffee's "
Ziggy Pig and Silly Seal Ziggy Pig and Silly Seal are fictional, talking animal comic-book characters created by cartoonist Al Jaffee for Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, during the period fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books. Initiall ...
" and Hart's "
Super Rabbit Super Rabbit is a fictional, talking animal superhero in comic books published by Timely Comics, a predecessor of Marvel Comics, during the 1930s and 1940s period fans and historians call the Golden Age of comic books. Created by cartoonist E ...
", the cover stars of many different titles. Timely also published one of humor
cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and g ...
Basil Wolverton's best-known features, ''
Powerhouse Pepper Powerhouse Pepper is a character in American humor comic books published in the 1940s by Timely Comics, a predecessor of Marvel Comics. Created by writer-artist Basil Wolverton, the character was a dim-witted but big-hearted boxer with superhuman s ...
''. The first issue, cover-dated January 1943, bore no number, and
protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
Pepper looked different from his more familiar visualization (when the series returned for four issues, May–Nov. 1948) as the bullet-headed naif in the striped turtleneck sweater. Additionally, Timely in 1944 and 1945 initiated a sitcom selection of titles aimed at female readers: '' Millie the Model'', ''Tessie the Typist'' and ''Nellie the Nurse''. The company continued to pursue female readers later in the decade with such superheroines as Sun Girl; the Sub-Mariner spin-off
Namora Namora () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Ken Bald and Syd Shores, she first appeared in '' Marvel Mystery Comics'' #82 (May 1947). She is from Atlantis and is the daughter of a ...
; and
Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never f ...
, the
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of love, posing as a human reporter. '' Patsy Walker'', ''Millie the Model'', ''Tessie the Typist'' and other Timely humor titles also included Harvey Kurtzman's "Hey Look!" one-pagers in several issues. Future Comic Book Hall of Fame artist Gene Colan, a Marvel mainstay from 1946 on, recalled that, "The atmosphere at Timely was very good, very funny. ... worked ina big art room and there were about 20 artists in there, all stacked up. Syd horeswas in the last row on my side, and there was another row on the other side. Dan DeCarlo was there, several other people – Vince Alascia was an inker; Rudy LaPick sat right behind me," with Mike Sekowsky "in another room". Yet after the wartime boom years – when superheroes had been new and inspirational, and comics provided cheap entertainment for millions of children, soldiers and others – the post-war era found superheroes falling out of fashion. Television and mass market paperback books now also competed for readers and
leisure time Leisure has often been defined as a quality of experience or as free time. Free time is time spent away from business, work, job hunting, domestic chores, and education, as well as necessary activities such as eating and sleeping. Leisur ...
. Goodman began turning to a wider variety of genres than ever, emphasizing horror, Westerns, teen humor,
crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in C ...
and war comics, and introducing female heroes to try to attract girls and young women to read comics. In 1946, for instance, the superhero title ''All Select Comics'' was changed to ''Blonde Phantom Comics'', and now starred a masked secretary who fought crime in an
evening gown An evening gown, evening dress or gown is a long dress usually worn at formal occasions. The drop ranges from ballerina (mid-calf to just above the ankles), tea (above the ankles), to full-length. Such gowns are typically worn with evening ...
. That same year, ''Kid Komics'' eliminated its stars and became ''Kid Movie Comics''. ''All Winners Comics'' became ''All Teen Comics'' in January 1947. Timely eliminated virtually all its staff positions in 1948.


Time after Timely

The precise end-point of the Golden Age of comics is vague, but for Timely, at least, it appears to have ended with the cancellation of ''Captain America Comics'' at issue #75 (Feb. 1950) – by which time the series had already been ''Captain America's Weird Tales'' for two issues, with the finale featuring merely anthological horror/suspense tales and no superheroes. ''Sub-Mariner Comics'' and ''Human Torch Comics'' had already ended with #32 (June 1949) and #35 (March 1949) respectively, and the company's flagship title, '' Marvel Mystery Comics'', starring the Angel, ended that same month with #92, becoming the horror anthology '' Marvel Tales'' beginning with issue #93 (Aug. 1949). Goodman began using the globe logo of the Atlas News Company, the newsstand-distribution company he owned, on comics cover-dated Nov. 1951.Marvel_:_Atlas_[wireframe_globe
/nowiki>_(Brand).html" ;"title="ireframe globe">Marvel : Atlas [wireframe globe
/nowiki> (Brand)">ireframe globe">Marvel : Atlas [wireframe globe
/nowiki> (Brand)at the Grand Comics Database
In 2015, Marvel registered the trademark "Timely Comics". The following year, Marvel announced that Timely Comics would be the name of a new imprint of low-priced reprint comics.


Marvel branding

Publisher Martin Goodman's business strategy involved having his various magazines and comic books published by a number of companies all operating out of the same office and with the same staff. One of these shell companies under which Timely Comics was published was named Marvel Comics by at least '' Marvel Mystery Comics'' #55 (May 1944). As well, some comics' covers, such as ''All Surprise Comics'' #12 (Winter 1946–47), were labeled "A Marvel Magazine" many years before Goodman would formally adopt the name in 1961.Cover, ''All Surprise Comics'' #12
at the
Grand Comics Database The Grand Comics Database (GCD) is an Internet-based project to build a database of comic book information through user contributions. The GCD project catalogues information on creator credits, story details, reprints, and other information useful ...


Timely characters and creators

''List of characters making multiple appearances, either in Timely Comics solely or in Timely and subsequent companies Atlas Comics and Marvel Comics''.


Notes


References


Further reading

* ''All in Color for a Dime'' by Dick Lupoff & Don Thompson * ''The Comic Book Makers'' by
Joe Simon Joseph Henry Simon (October 11, 1913 – December 14, 2011) was an American comic book writer, artist, editor, and publisher. Simon created or co-created many important characters in the 1930s–1940s Golden Age of Comic Books and served as the ...
with Jim Simon * ''Excelsior! The Amazing Life of Stan Lee'' by Stan Lee and George Mair * ''Masters of Imagination: The Comic Book Artists Hall of Fame'' by Mike Benton * ''The Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide'' by Robert Overstreet — Edition #35 * '' Origins of Marvel Comics'' by Stan Lee * ''The Steranko History of Comics'', Vol. 1 & 2, by James Steranko – Vol. 1 *
Thomas, Roy Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly ...
, ''The Golden Age of Marvel Comics'' (Marvel, 1997; ) Introduction, p. 3


External links


Timely
at the
Grand Comics Database The Grand Comics Database (GCD) is an Internet-based project to build a database of comic book information through user contributions. The GCD project catalogues information on creator credits, story details, reprints, and other information useful ...
* Nevins, Jess
A Guide to Golden Age Marvel Characters
* {{Comic book publishers in North America navbox American companies established in 1939 American companies disestablished in 1950 Publishing companies established in 1939 Publishing companies disestablished in 1950 Marvel Comics imprints Publishing companies based in New York City Defunct comics and manga publishing companies 1939 establishments in New York City 1939 comics debuts 1950 comics endings 1950 disestablishments in New York (state)