Marvel Comics Silver Age - What Made There Superheroes Like Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk Great!
I was thinking about 1960′s Marvel Comics and what made that foundation of a comic book universe great, why those characters and books got popular, and I came up with 3 concepts which I will expand upon:
1. Community
2. Lack of Space Alien Origins
3. Relatable Heroes
1. Community
The Marvel Heroes lived mostly in the same real world city and connected together and ran into each other. With DC Comics for example, it seems that every hero lives in their own fictional city made just for them. Batman has Gotham City. Superman has Metropolis. Green Lantern has Coast City. You get the idea.
With Marvel Comics, most of them occupied New York City. For readers, this made for a relatable setting. Where you as a reader could believe such meetings could take place. And even better was, as a writer setting up a situation to make heroes living in the same city meet is not that difficult.
2. Lack of Space Alien Origins
This was a key factor overlooked by most anyone I hear mention Marvel's success. Outside of the Silver Surfer and Thor, EVERY Marvel superhero made then was just a human being. They did not get their powers from some outer space creature, or some other unrelatable idea.
I think the whole "alien origin" aspect dilutes a character into that of "just another silly comic book character" from the mainstream public viewpoint. A regular person on the street can't relate to that. And having an alien origin just seems silly to a non comic buyer.
Now sure you can say: Is getting hit with a gamma bomb? Or a bite from a spider more relatable? I hear what you are saying, and you are right, but also wrong. I think the elements like the above are more plausible and believable for a comic book setting. The whole "suspension of disbelief" thing. But something like an alien origin is too over the top.
Check out the Spider-Man movie or the X-men movie for example. Their origins sound plausible enough on the surface that the public can accept it. Now say in the above movies, a space ship drops down and zaps a guy who then becomes Spider-Man. That sounds rather silly doesn't it? Or a space ship drops down and zaps a guy turning him into the Hulk. Not as cool an origin right? And that's my point. Whether by planning or random luck, Stan Lee and company avoided the alien origins idea.
As for Thor and the Surfer, they didn't spoil the whole thing because it was just a few that had alien origins and therefore can still fit in.
Also Thor was made very human first by Stan Lee. He was really a human who acquired Thor's power. That human base really anchored Thor as a character.
And the Surfer brought about and was used as an outside observer of humans. Looking at us from a viewpoint that we could never see. Telling us how basically how our world was a paradise. If only we would stop destroying each other and live in peace, could we see this world for the gift it really is.
3. Relatable Heroes
This is why those Marvel heroes got popular as well. These Marvel heroes had problems and situations we could relate to. Despite their fantastic powers and battles, they were also down to earth. They had anchors that made us relate or feel sorry for them. These were not invincible heroes, like DC comics had. The DC Heroes being mostly perfect and in essence rather shallow when you peeled back the layers. The Marvel Heroes were given a depth and understanding that DC did not have.
For example, with the exception of Iron Man, everyone else had financial problems. And you really did not want to be Iron Man, who had to suffer in secret.
Spider-Man had relationship, financial, and school problems.
The X-men had trouble fitting in with society, yet at the same time an obligation to protect us.
In Closing
I think these three factors were the keys that made Marvel Comics the successful universe that it is today. And the reason why back then readers picked up the books in the first place. Even today I notice many creators DO NOT use these same rules. For example when I read Image Comics Savage Dragon and the Pitt with their alien origins. My feel for them as a character got disappointed. They just lost a relatable factor with me.
Or you have generic Punisher knock offs, who are blood thirsty heroes. Yet their is no emotional origin for these heroes to make me care for them or their situations.
Making a successful comic book universe today is difficult, if not all but impossible. But I think if you stick to the above three principles, you won't be steered far wrong.
Rob is a long time comic book fan, collector and commentator. He likes to share his thoughts, opinions and ideas about comic books and related pop culture media.
Top 100 Best Villains of Marvel Comics
The search for top 100 best Marvel villains of all time can be compared to an epic journey. The initial idea was to come up with a top 10 list. A top 10 list was quickly thrown away because limiting this list to 10 would be an injustice. The top 10 transitioned to a top 25, then to a top 50, then it was clear a top 100 was needed due to the sheer number of villains to choose from. Marvel villains are epic and we needed to create a list equally epic.
The Marvel comic universe is quite expansive and it was extremely difficult to come up with a top 100. This list is not perfect - lists never are - but we hope the reception is warm because we love comics just as much as you. We'd like to discuss one of our favorite Marvel Villains on the list - Mad Thinker.
Mad Thinker is ranked #34 on our list. For many years the police did not know the Mad Thinker's existence, despite the various criminal activities he had masterminded over that period. He only leapt into the public eye when he went head-to-head with the Fantastic Four. A brilliant strategist, he tempted each of them away from New York with various impossible-to-refuse jobs.
He subsequently used their absence to enter the Baxter Building and steal Reed Richards' inventions. Manufacturing superhuman androids based on Richards' designs he used them to battle the Fantastic Four. His motives remain unclear - perhaps no one is brilliant enough to understand them or could the Mad Thinker just be enjoying the game?
Mad Thinker is just one of many reasons why we decided to expand our list to a top 100. As we were saying before, there are so many great villains in the Marvel Comic universe that to leave a villain as great as the Mad Thinker off would be an incredible injustice. Another Marvel villain that unfortunately would have been left off our list if it was a top 10 list is Scorpion.
Let's discuss a little bit of Scorpions background. Dr. Farley Stillwell had developed a method of giving animals the attributes of other creatures. When newspaper editor J. Jonah Jameson found out, he asked Stillwell to test it out on a human guinea pig, a private investigator named Mac Gargan. Stillwell's amazing procedure gave Gargan the strength and agility of a scorpion.
Stillwell also provided him with a specially designed mechanical tail. Nothing comes without a price and the cost to Gargan - now calling himself the Scorpion - was the loss of his sanity. Contracted to put an end to SPIDER-MAN, it was only by his wits that the wallcrawler defeated the hugely powerful, and vengeful Scorpion. Since then, Scorpion has become an assassin-for-hire, his intermittent attempts to defeat Spider-Man being repeated foiled.
You are invited to check out the bios for all 100 Marvel Villains.
Know More About Marvel Comic Characters
Comics are a favorite of mostly all kids and quite a number of teenagers and grownups. You would get to see some or the other comic book in the rooms of the little ones. One such very famous comic book is marvel comic. Moreover marvel comic is the very company that has given the entire world the extremely famous super heroes. Yes the marvel comic characters are eminent worldwide. To name a few you have the X-Men, Thor, Ghost Rider, Wolverine, the Silver Surfer, Spider-Man, the Hulk, Namor the Submariner, Captain America, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, Daredevil, the Punisher, Doctor Strange; villains like the Green Goblin, Red Skull, Dr. Octopus, Dr. Doom, Venom, Galactus, Sabretooth, Kingpin, Magneto, Bullseye and others.
The marvel publishing runs by the name of marvel Entertainment under the Walt Disney Company. There are so many characters in that you could not remember the name if you come to see the list for the first time. Interestingly most of them are quite different from the other in appearance, powers, abilities, skills, likes and dislikes etc it is this uniqueness of each character that the characters are so famous individually. Each character, be it the leading super hero, the villains, the comic ones or the several others have been created with great dedication and innovation. Every character has a different voice and a specific speaking style. The company was initially founded as the Timely Publications in 1939, which later got to be known as the Atlas Comics, it got renamed as marvel comic only in the year 1961. They put forward all sorts of story lines to its readers from Crime, horror, mystery, romance, science fiction, war to Western.
The very exclusive fact about all the marvel comic characters is that exist in a hypothetical world called Marvel Universe, and know what this place looks like any other American city (New York, Los Angeles and Chicago etc.). Marvel comic launched itself with Fantastic Four and till date is the leading comic book brand. The company has surpassed some of the very famous comic publishers of the place.
Spiderman is the most famous amongst the numerous marvel comic characters. He's liked by all the children and the alders as well. His leaps and clings are the most fascinating thing to watch. Hopefully marvel comic is going to come with some new avatar soon.
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I was thinking about 1960′s Marvel Comics and what made that foundation of a comic book universe great, why those characters and books got popular, and I came up with 3 concepts which I will expand upon:
1. Community
2. Lack of Space Alien Origins
3. Relatable Heroes
1. Community
The Marvel Heroes lived mostly in the same real world city and connected together and ran into each other. With DC Comics for example, it seems that every hero lives in their own fictional city made just for them. Batman has Gotham City. Superman has Metropolis. Green Lantern has Coast City. You get the idea.
With Marvel Comics, most of them occupied New York City. For readers, this made for a relatable setting. Where you as a reader could believe such meetings could take place. And even better was, as a writer setting up a situation to make heroes living in the same city meet is not that difficult.
2. Lack of Space Alien Origins
This was a key factor overlooked by most anyone I hear mention Marvel's success. Outside of the Silver Surfer and Thor, EVERY Marvel superhero made then was just a human being. They did not get their powers from some outer space creature, or some other unrelatable idea.
I think the whole "alien origin" aspect dilutes a character into that of "just another silly comic book character" from the mainstream public viewpoint. A regular person on the street can't relate to that. And having an alien origin just seems silly to a non comic buyer.
Now sure you can say: Is getting hit with a gamma bomb? Or a bite from a spider more relatable? I hear what you are saying, and you are right, but also wrong. I think the elements like the above are more plausible and believable for a comic book setting. The whole "suspension of disbelief" thing. But something like an alien origin is too over the top.
Check out the Spider-Man movie or the X-men movie for example. Their origins sound plausible enough on the surface that the public can accept it. Now say in the above movies, a space ship drops down and zaps a guy who then becomes Spider-Man. That sounds rather silly doesn't it? Or a space ship drops down and zaps a guy turning him into the Hulk. Not as cool an origin right? And that's my point. Whether by planning or random luck, Stan Lee and company avoided the alien origins idea.
As for Thor and the Surfer, they didn't spoil the whole thing because it was just a few that had alien origins and therefore can still fit in.
Also Thor was made very human first by Stan Lee. He was really a human who acquired Thor's power. That human base really anchored Thor as a character.
And the Surfer brought about and was used as an outside observer of humans. Looking at us from a viewpoint that we could never see. Telling us how basically how our world was a paradise. If only we would stop destroying each other and live in peace, could we see this world for the gift it really is.
3. Relatable Heroes
This is why those Marvel heroes got popular as well. These Marvel heroes had problems and situations we could relate to. Despite their fantastic powers and battles, they were also down to earth. They had anchors that made us relate or feel sorry for them. These were not invincible heroes, like DC comics had. The DC Heroes being mostly perfect and in essence rather shallow when you peeled back the layers. The Marvel Heroes were given a depth and understanding that DC did not have.
For example, with the exception of Iron Man, everyone else had financial problems. And you really did not want to be Iron Man, who had to suffer in secret.
Spider-Man had relationship, financial, and school problems.
The X-men had trouble fitting in with society, yet at the same time an obligation to protect us.
In Closing
I think these three factors were the keys that made Marvel Comics the successful universe that it is today. And the reason why back then readers picked up the books in the first place. Even today I notice many creators DO NOT use these same rules. For example when I read Image Comics Savage Dragon and the Pitt with their alien origins. My feel for them as a character got disappointed. They just lost a relatable factor with me.
Or you have generic Punisher knock offs, who are blood thirsty heroes. Yet their is no emotional origin for these heroes to make me care for them or their situations.
Making a successful comic book universe today is difficult, if not all but impossible. But I think if you stick to the above three principles, you won't be steered far wrong.
Rob is a long time comic book fan, collector and commentator. He likes to share his thoughts, opinions and ideas about comic books and related pop culture media.
Top 100 Best Villains of Marvel Comics
The search for top 100 best Marvel villains of all time can be compared to an epic journey. The initial idea was to come up with a top 10 list. A top 10 list was quickly thrown away because limiting this list to 10 would be an injustice. The top 10 transitioned to a top 25, then to a top 50, then it was clear a top 100 was needed due to the sheer number of villains to choose from. Marvel villains are epic and we needed to create a list equally epic.
The Marvel comic universe is quite expansive and it was extremely difficult to come up with a top 100. This list is not perfect - lists never are - but we hope the reception is warm because we love comics just as much as you. We'd like to discuss one of our favorite Marvel Villains on the list - Mad Thinker.
Mad Thinker is ranked #34 on our list. For many years the police did not know the Mad Thinker's existence, despite the various criminal activities he had masterminded over that period. He only leapt into the public eye when he went head-to-head with the Fantastic Four. A brilliant strategist, he tempted each of them away from New York with various impossible-to-refuse jobs.
He subsequently used their absence to enter the Baxter Building and steal Reed Richards' inventions. Manufacturing superhuman androids based on Richards' designs he used them to battle the Fantastic Four. His motives remain unclear - perhaps no one is brilliant enough to understand them or could the Mad Thinker just be enjoying the game?
Mad Thinker is just one of many reasons why we decided to expand our list to a top 100. As we were saying before, there are so many great villains in the Marvel Comic universe that to leave a villain as great as the Mad Thinker off would be an incredible injustice. Another Marvel villain that unfortunately would have been left off our list if it was a top 10 list is Scorpion.
Let's discuss a little bit of Scorpions background. Dr. Farley Stillwell had developed a method of giving animals the attributes of other creatures. When newspaper editor J. Jonah Jameson found out, he asked Stillwell to test it out on a human guinea pig, a private investigator named Mac Gargan. Stillwell's amazing procedure gave Gargan the strength and agility of a scorpion.
Stillwell also provided him with a specially designed mechanical tail. Nothing comes without a price and the cost to Gargan - now calling himself the Scorpion - was the loss of his sanity. Contracted to put an end to SPIDER-MAN, it was only by his wits that the wallcrawler defeated the hugely powerful, and vengeful Scorpion. Since then, Scorpion has become an assassin-for-hire, his intermittent attempts to defeat Spider-Man being repeated foiled.
You are invited to check out the bios for all 100 Marvel Villains.
Know More About Marvel Comic Characters
Comics are a favorite of mostly all kids and quite a number of teenagers and grownups. You would get to see some or the other comic book in the rooms of the little ones. One such very famous comic book is marvel comic. Moreover marvel comic is the very company that has given the entire world the extremely famous super heroes. Yes the marvel comic characters are eminent worldwide. To name a few you have the X-Men, Thor, Ghost Rider, Wolverine, the Silver Surfer, Spider-Man, the Hulk, Namor the Submariner, Captain America, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, Daredevil, the Punisher, Doctor Strange; villains like the Green Goblin, Red Skull, Dr. Octopus, Dr. Doom, Venom, Galactus, Sabretooth, Kingpin, Magneto, Bullseye and others.
The marvel publishing runs by the name of marvel Entertainment under the Walt Disney Company. There are so many characters in that you could not remember the name if you come to see the list for the first time. Interestingly most of them are quite different from the other in appearance, powers, abilities, skills, likes and dislikes etc it is this uniqueness of each character that the characters are so famous individually. Each character, be it the leading super hero, the villains, the comic ones or the several others have been created with great dedication and innovation. Every character has a different voice and a specific speaking style. The company was initially founded as the Timely Publications in 1939, which later got to be known as the Atlas Comics, it got renamed as marvel comic only in the year 1961. They put forward all sorts of story lines to its readers from Crime, horror, mystery, romance, science fiction, war to Western.
The very exclusive fact about all the marvel comic characters is that exist in a hypothetical world called Marvel Universe, and know what this place looks like any other American city (New York, Los Angeles and Chicago etc.). Marvel comic launched itself with Fantastic Four and till date is the leading comic book brand. The company has surpassed some of the very famous comic publishers of the place.
Spiderman is the most famous amongst the numerous marvel comic characters. He's liked by all the children and the alders as well. His leaps and clings are the most fascinating thing to watch. Hopefully marvel comic is going to come with some new avatar soon.
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