Episode 1 - Murdock and Marvel: 1961-1963
Normally we will be moving a year at a time, starting with Daredevil’s introduction in 1964.  But this week we want to set the stage, with a quick look at the early years of the Marvel Universe, from 1961-1963.
Reintroducing Ourselves
The Year in Comics
Comic books in the early 1960s were selling at levels that today’s publishers can’t even hope to attain, but the industry still down in comparison to the heady days of the pre-code “Golden Age” of comics during the 1940s and 1950s.
SALES DATA 

Publisher  


Monthly Copies 


Market Share 


Dell  


 9,686,424  


 37% 


National (DC)  


 6,653,485  


 25% 


Harvey  


 2,514,879  


 10% 


Charlton  


 2,500,000  


 10% 


Marvel  


 2,253,112  


 9% 


Archie  


 1,608,489  


 6% 


ACG  


 975,000  


 4% 

 
The Year in Marvel
Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin Goodman
First title was Marvel Comics #1 with the Sub-Mariner and the Human Torch 
Joe Simon was first Editor-In-Chief
Jack Kirby was hired in 1940, and co-created Captain America with Simon that year 
Also in 1940, Stanley Lieber, the teenage cousin of Goodman’s wife, was hired as an office assistant. 
In 1961 Timely became Marvel, just in time for FF #1.  The 1st Marvel branded comics were Journey into Mystery #69 and Patsy Walker #95 

Many important creators worked for Marvel during this time, but according to the data in the Grand Comics Database it was primarily the work of 2 writers, 3 artists, 3 inkers, two letterers and one colorist that set the groundwork for the Marvel universe. These 11 creators are: 

Stan Lee 


476 


Writer/Editor 


Larry Lieber 


260 


Writer 


Steve Ditko 


253 


Writer/Artist 


Jack Kirby 


222 


Writer/Artist 


Don Heck 


132 


Artist 


Dick Ayers 


173 


Inker for Kirby / Penciller 


Paul Reinman 


52 


Inker for Kirby / Penciller 


Sol Brodsky 


36 


Inker / Production Manager 


Artie Simek 


303 


Letterer 


Ray Holloway 


62 


Letterer.  Black creator 


Stan Goldberg 


424 


Colorist / Artist (humor stuff) 

 
The Year in Daredevil 
Way back in 1940 Jack Binder created the first Daredevil as a boomerang wielding vigilante who had a tragic backstory like Batman and was fighting Hitler in the comics before the US entered the war like Captain America.  The character was popular through the 1940s, but was mothballed when superheroes went out of favor in the 1950s.
Note: Jack Binder is the older brother of Otto Binder, co-creator of Mary Marvel, Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes!  Otto was one of the all-time greats in comics, with over 50,000 pages written over parts of five decades. For more about him check out: 
Otto Binder: The Life and Work of a Comic Book and Science Fiction Visionary by Bill Schelly (2016) 
https://www.penguinrandomhouseretail.com/book/?isbn=9781623170370

This Week's Spotlight
No spotlight this week because there haven't been any Daredevil comics published yet! The fun starts next week. 
The Takeaway
The Marvel boom of the 1960s heralded a fundamental transformation of the comics industry.  Marvel books skewed towards older audiences, with more disposable income.  Marvel fans increasingly looked at comic writing or drawing as a preferred career choice, and both the comic industry and comic fandom began a transformation that would result in the creation of specialty shops and the direct market.  One way to see this change is to look at how the popularity of comic “genres” changed over time. 
Marvel genres in the early 1960s 
Humor (13 titles, 116 issues, 25%) 
SF/Fantasy/Monsters (7 titles, 108 comics, 23%)  
Romance (11 titles, 94 issues, 20%)  
Superhero (7 titles, 47 issues, 10%)  
Western (4 titles, 44 issues, 10%)  
Pinup (4 titles, 42 issues, 10%)  
War (1 title, 4 issues, 1%) 

Marvel by the late 1960s is over 50% Superhero! 
Questions or comments
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