The Birth of Marvel: How It All Began
In 1960, Marvel Comics didn’t exist—at least not under that name.
Martin Goodman, born Moe Goodman in 1908 in New York City, had already built a career in the world of pulp magazines. Starting as a circulation manager and editor, he launched his own publishing company, Newsstand Publications, in 1933, producing mostly Western and science fiction titles.
By the late 1930s, pulp sales were on the decline. Meanwhile, rival publisher National Comics (later DC) struck gold with an original comic book package titled Action Comics, featuring the debut of Superman—a character so popular, he was soon given his own title.
Goodman saw an opportunity.
In 1939, he launched Timely Publications, with Marvel Comics #1 as its flagship title. The issue introduced readers to two original characters: The Human Torch and The Sub-Mariner. This debut was produced entirely by a comic book packaging studio called Funnies Inc., led by writer-artist Joe Simon.
Marvel Comics #1, cover dated October 1939, sold through its initial print run of 80,000 copies so quickly that Goodman ordered a second printing—cover dated November 1939—which sold an astounding 800,000 copies. It was a certified hit.
Capitalizing on this success, Goodman hired Joe Simon as Timely’s first official employee and Editor-in-Chief. In 1941, Simon brought in his creative partner, Jack Kirby, and the two launched Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941), creating another instant classic with Captain America punching Hitler on the cover. Artist Syd Shores was soon added to the growing team, followed by Goodman’s young cousin-in-law, Stanley Lieber, who joined as an editorial assistant.
At the time, Simon reportedly viewed Lieber as little more than a "gofer," but the young assistant had bigger dreams. Wanting to save his real name for a future career as a “serious writer,” Lieber began using the pen name Stan Lee while scripting required text stories (which helped comics qualify for lower postal rates).
The Decline of Timely and the Rise of Atlas
As World War II shifted the cultural landscape, interest in superhero comics began to fade. Readers wanted grittier, more grounded stories, and Timely adjusted by shrinking its staff and shifting toward new genres: Westerns, Romance, and the increasingly popular Horror.
Horror comics, however, brought trouble. Publishers kept pushing the limits of graphic content, eventually drawing scrutiny from parents' groups and the U.S. Congress. The outcry over comic books’ influence on juvenile delinquency led to the creation of the Comics Code Authority—a self-governing body that heavily censored content, especially horror.
Goodman, always a shrewd businessman, had been operating under a variety of publishing imprints—from Animirth Comics to Zenith Publications—a strategy that created confusion. In 1951, he began unifying his titles under the Atlas name, using the globe logo from his own newsstand distribution company. Timely was phased out, and Atlas Comics became the new face of his publishing empire. It would take until 1959 to fully consolidate these shell companies.
But Atlas was struggling. Sales declined, and Goodman slashed costs across the board. The once-busy offices emptied out until only one employee remained: Stan Lee.
The Birth of “The Marvel Style”
Tasked with keeping costs low, Lee leaned on reprints and produced only a small amount of new content. To streamline the process, he developed what would later be called “The Marvel Style” of storytelling.
Rather than hiring writers to script full stories, Lee wrote loose plots, sometimes just two sentences long for a 10-page story. He then handed these outlines to dependable freelance artists like Jack Kirby or Steve Ditko, who would flesh out the action visually. Once the art came back, Lee added dialogue and captions—giving birth to a dynamic, collaborative approach that would become the foundation of modern Marvel storytelling.
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