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From Cents to Pence: Marketing Mighty World of Marvel, the first British Marvel weekly, back in 1972

By downthetubes Guests on July 6, 2023 • ( 1 )

Author Rob Kirby, still working on his much-anticipated book about Marvel UK, From Cents to Pence, brings us some fascinating background on how the company’s first weekly title, published back in 1972 was “sold in” to potential readers…

Mighty World of Marvel 1, cover dated 7th October 1972 - with Hulk T-Shirt Transfer free gift — *Mighty World of Marvel 1, cover dated 7th October 1972 – with Hulk T-Shirt Transfer free gift*

I well remember my delight in first seeing two Mighty World of Marvel-related images posted by designer Steve Cook on his Secret Oranges blog, which he’s since kindly shared with me.

As regular readers of downthetubes know, the images hint at plans to call this groundbreaking comic The Wonderful World of Marvel – but what made Marvel’s Stan Lee change his mind?

Designer and photographer Steve Cook, who worked at Marvel UK, unearthed the dummy for The Mighty World of Marvel No. 1 - discussed here on his "Secret Oranges" blog - a crumpled photocopy suggesting the title "The Wonderful World of Marvel" was considered — Designer and photographer Steve Cook, who worked at Marvel UK, unearthed the dummy for The Mighty World of Marvel No. 1 – discussed here on his “Secret Oranges” blog – a crumpled photocopy suggesting the title “The Wonderful World of Marvel” was considered

Well, Dez Skinn, who would later head up the company, has previously noted Stan Lee was told he needed to modify the title so as not to tread on Disney’s toes. Which is kind of ironic, considering Marvel has ended up being owned by the House of the Mouse!

As always, I have discovered there’s a bit more to this, because a few years later, because after making contact with Ray Wergan, Marvel UK’s original manager, resulting in much more additional research, I stumbled upon the online deposit box catalogue for the Stan Lee Collection at the Wyoming University-based American Heritage Centre.

Amongst the paperwork they kindly scanned for me was a short message concerning the need to finalise the changes to the Mighty World of Marvel ad artwork quickly, the date of which shows how close to publication the changes had been made.

But where had that final advert been placed? Following a hunch based on things Wergan had told me about focussing his competitions on boys’ hobbies, I found a specialist dealer in football newspapers, and he kindly checked his stock for the period around MWOM‘s launch, and, lo and behold, located two consecutive issues of Inside Football and Striker, where that same advert ran, one cover dated 30th September 1972.

*Inside Football and Striker, cover dated 30th September 1972, featured one of the very first adverts for the first Marvel UK comic, Mighty World of Marvel*

Would that Stan had saved even more paperwork from 1970-1972, as well as post 1974, which is where the AHC holdings concerning the UK division ran out, as those 50 odd pages were a goldmine of info long since stripped bare! Still, saving the footage he’d also deposited, recorded at London’s Roundhouse in 1975, partly makes up for that, I guess…

Rob Kirby

Our thanks to Rob for bringing us this snippet of Marvel UK history from his book, From Cents to Pence. Rob has been hugely supportive of our much smaller efforts to document Marvel UK projects, providing plenty of information, for example, to add to our “Marvel UK: “Genesis ’92” – Looking Back and What Might Have Been” resource

• Check out and follow A Distant Beacon, Rob’s web journal

WEB LINKS

*Stan Lee posing with some of his comics. Box 7, Stan Lee papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming*

• Stan Lee’s papers, held by the American Heritage Center, are among its most popular collections. American Heritage Center is at the University of Wyoming, 1000 E. University Ave., Dept. 3924 Laramie, WY 82071

Comprised of nearly 200 boxes, Stan Lee’s papers, donated by Lee himself at various times between 1981 and 2011, give insights into the personality of the man behind many of Marvel’s best loved comic book heroes and villains, and help researchers learn more about the life of the writer who, along with others at Marvel, “humanised” superheroes.

Lee’s papers are also featured on the Wyoming History Day (WHD) website under “Theme and Topics.” WHD, administered by the AHC, occurs every year in April or May. It’s part of National History Day, which is a year-long education program that engages American students in grades 6-12 in the process of discovery and interpretation of historical topics. The national contest occurs in June.

The Stan Lee papers include manuscripts and working drafts of many Marvel Comics productions including the Spider-Man daily comic strips and Vera Valiant, as well as a host of other comic books such as the Silver Surfer, X-Men, Captain America, The Tomorrow Chronicles, the Fantastic Four, and the Incredible Hulk. Also included is fan mail and correspondence.

Stan Lee gave a talk at London's Roundhouse about Marvel UK on 25th October 1975. Tickets were a snip at 60p, and a recording of the event is held by the American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming — Stan Lee gave a talk at London’s Roundhouse about Marvel UK on 25th October 1975. Tickets were a snip at 60p, and a recording of the event is held by the American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming

Much of the correspondence is between Lee and business associates regarding the management and operation of Marvel Comics Group and its production of comic books and other publications. There are numerous magazine and news articles about Stan Lee and Marvel Comics Group, and there are other professional and photograph files that relate to Stan Lee, Marvel Comics Group, and the comics industry.

Also included are audio-visual materials including audiotapes, DVDs, and numerous videotapes of Stan Lee interviews and Stan Lee events such as presentations, autograph sessions, conventions, and talk show appearances. There is a small amount of material related to Lee’s internet site, Stan Lee Media.

• Jon Carpenter covers Stan Lee’s 1975 visit to London here on his Starlogged blog

• Excelsior! – Honoring a Lifetime of Stan Lee’s Work