Today in Comics History, January 18: Happy birthday, Martin Goodman!

Born on this day in 1908: publisher Martin Goodman, but we ought to also say born on this day: Marvel Comics, because without Goodman there wouldn't be no Captain America, Sub-Mariner, Human Torch...Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Daredevil, X-Men, Squirrel Girl, Obnoxio the Clown...you get the picture?


from "Meet the Gang in the Merry Marvel Bullpen" in Marvel Tales Annual #1 (Marvel, September 1964)



Starting his career in newspaper and magazine distribution, Goodman worked upwards in the industry until he was publishing a wide range of pulp magazines specifically designed for the lurid audiences of the 1930s. (And me, I can tell ya.) At Newsstand Publications, Inc, Goodman put out pulp magazines like All Star Adventure Fiction, Complete Western Book, Mystery Tales, Real Sports, Star Detective, Marvel Science Stories (pay attention to that title) and Ka-Zar (that one, too), and became intrigued with the popular rise of superheroes in 1938 thanks to that red-yellow-and-blue Boy Scout over at what would eventually be known as the Distinguished Composition. Luckily, Goodman and his wife did not take the Hindenburg back from Europe on its final flight, so he was around to kickstart his own line of comics. That was a lucky brush with history! Oh, the comicity!


from Amazing Fantastic Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir (Simon & Schuster, January 2019), script by Peter David and Stan Lee, art by Colleen Doran
Goodman created (with packager "Funnies, Inc.") his first comic book: Marvel Comics #1 (1939), which cover-starred the Human Torch and also included the first appearance of that old sea dog, Namor, the Sub-Mariner. It sold almost 900,000 copies — that's a lotta copies, so if you happen to have one laying arund your place, I'll take it off your hands for free. Hiring an in-house staff (including Joe Simon from Funnies), Goodman started up Timely Comics to publish a series of comic books, including the tremendously popular Captain America Comics. Yep, this is when you can say "The Marvel Age of Comics Has Just Begun!" But, not in the silly voice I just did it in.


from Comic Book Comics #2 (Evil Twin, October 2008); script by Fred Van Lente; pencils, inks, and letters by Ryan Dunlavey
Joe Simon brought Jack Kirby on board, and the rest is, if I haven't already said that, four-color history.


from Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of the King of Comics (Ten Speed, July 2020), script and art by Tom Scioli
The Golden Age saw the first cameo appearance of Martin Goodman, Big-Time Comics Publisher, within his own Timely Comics, as editor of a story that's gonna get Human Torch creator Carl Burgos killed by Nazis. If that's not surprising enough, take a look at Goodman's suit! Where do you get a green suit?


from "Carl Burgos Meets the Human Torch" in Marvel Mystery Comics #34 (Marvel/Timely, August 1942); script, pencils, and inks by Carl Burgos
Legend tells us (or the infamously swiss-cheese memory of Stan Lee tells us, which is pretty much the same thing) that the new Marvel Age of Comics in the sixties began when Goodman had a golf game with DC Publisher Jack Liebowitz and heard how well their new Justice League of America title was selling:



from Amazing Fantastic Incredible
Naturally, that started a universe-making ball rolling which will never stop. (Sentence only certifiably valid through 2021; future may vary in your area.)


Not that everybody always made out like bandits in the Marvel Age. Ha! Jack, you dreamer! The Inhumans, up on the television screen?!? That surely has never happened that we remember and are willing to admit to.


from Jack Kirby
More cameo appearances by Goodman, and I don't mean big lovable actor John!


from Sgt. Fury [and His Howling Commandos] #100 (Marvel, July 1972), script by Gary Friedrich, pencils by Dick Ayers, inks by Mike Esposito, letters by Artie Simek


from All-Winners Squad: Band of Heroes #2 (Marvel, September 2011), script by Paul Jenkins, pencils and inks by Carmine Di Giandomenico, colors by Andy Troy, letters by Dave Lanphear
Not all appearances in comics can be happy ones, though.


from Marvel Age #117 (Marvel, October 1992), by Steve Saffel
Happy birthday, Martin Goodman!