Origins of the Marvel Universe: character creation
I actually don't know at what point the Silver Age creations were being made specifically to play off the others: rather than just a great variety of titles/ attempts to catch readers with something novel.
Certainly by 'Daredevil' in 1964, the way a character fits into the bigger Marvel picture's becoming part of the thought.
(from Captain Marvel #29, 1973, pg. 8)
Thanos and the company of Titan are generated to play with the rest of the MU. The Avengers title (cover date, Sept. 1963- so, summer of '63) is made to fit the line-up together. Characters are being made for stories, to play off title characters, always. Later characters like Deathlok and Killraven in the 1970s, and Dreadstar in the 1980s, are created as 'stand-alone' storylines- so creativity did eventually dictate a departure from the integrated-world approach.
(From Tales to Astonish #26, 1974)
Arguably, everyone's origin, preceding this point I reference in its vagueness, was retroactively considered as part of one world. Even Stan's recounting of early Marvel was like "we had one of these, now how about one like this?"
Afterwards, other comics universes would be put together with thought for how the pieces assembled, interlay.
I can see other publishing models- outside comics, too- that focused on brainstorming a variety of appealing titles. Multi-media conglomerates became the norm (Eg., there's four of the six perennially biggest book publishers left in full operation as of 2020). Before that, most magazine publishers were more singular in their approach to branding. This aspect is also one I think makes, say, the Marvel Universe so appealing: an attempt to offer as daring an array of different tastes as the market could hold. There were still brand elements, however, uniting most of the product. Costumed, super-powered heroes are still the Marvel brand. I guess what became of the b & w magazine line's already documented by interested parties, too, as I've explored, writing for Back Issue Magazine.
Would you care to pinpoint some spot where it seems sure that Marvel characters are now being created as a deliberate story-world ensemble?
I realize I'd never pinpointed when the shared world might've emerged from that 'at first' condition. Sort of like looking back into the creative Big Bang of Marvel.
Certainly by 'Daredevil' in 1964, the way a character fits into the bigger Marvel picture's becoming part of the thought.
(from Captain Marvel #29, 1973, pg. 8)Thanos and the company of Titan are generated to play with the rest of the MU. The Avengers title (cover date, Sept. 1963- so, summer of '63) is made to fit the line-up together. Characters are being made for stories, to play off title characters, always. Later characters like Deathlok and Killraven in the 1970s, and Dreadstar in the 1980s, are created as 'stand-alone' storylines- so creativity did eventually dictate a departure from the integrated-world approach.
(From Tales to Astonish #26, 1974)Arguably, everyone's origin, preceding this point I reference in its vagueness, was retroactively considered as part of one world. Even Stan's recounting of early Marvel was like "we had one of these, now how about one like this?"
Afterwards, other comics universes would be put together with thought for how the pieces assembled, interlay.
I can see other publishing models- outside comics, too- that focused on brainstorming a variety of appealing titles. Multi-media conglomerates became the norm (Eg., there's four of the six perennially biggest book publishers left in full operation as of 2020). Before that, most magazine publishers were more singular in their approach to branding. This aspect is also one I think makes, say, the Marvel Universe so appealing: an attempt to offer as daring an array of different tastes as the market could hold. There were still brand elements, however, uniting most of the product. Costumed, super-powered heroes are still the Marvel brand. I guess what became of the b & w magazine line's already documented by interested parties, too, as I've explored, writing for Back Issue Magazine.
Would you care to pinpoint some spot where it seems sure that Marvel characters are now being created as a deliberate story-world ensemble?
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