Marvel Comics: Special comic released to mark its 80th anniversary

Marvel-comic-cover.Image source, Marvel/Alex Ross
Image caption,

This is the cover of issue #1000 - look at all those superheroes!

Marvel Comics has turned 80!

To celebrate the big anniversary all of Marvel's characters have appeared in one massive comic for the first time.

Captain America, Iron Man and The Hulk all feature in the 89-page epic.

The issue is called Marvel Comics #1000 and has been made by 80 creative teams from throughout the company's history.

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

A special banner at Disney's Marvel Studio booth at Ani-Com & Games in Hong Kong celebrates 80 years of Marvel

Each page of the issue tells the story of an important event in Marvel's past through the last 80 years.

The first story in the comic is about the creation of the Human Torch in 1939 - who appeared in the very first Marvel comic.

There are stories honouring people who have played an important part in Marvel's journey, like Stan Lee who was once Marvel's president.

Other tales include a page that is set in 1944, where Captain America explains why he fights, and there's even a story dedicated to Iron Man's suit in 2008.

Marvel: Did you know...?

★ Marvel published its first ever comic book in 1939, featuring the Human Torch amongst other characters.

★ Today it's one of the biggest names in entertainment but Marvel nearly went bankrupt in the 1990s when the comic collector market dried up.

★ Times were so tough that in 1999 Marvel had to sell the Spider Man film rights to Sony for just $7m.

★ In 1996 Marvel and DC comics created Amalgam Comics - merging characters like Batman and Wolverine to make Darkclaw, and Superman and Captain America into Super Soldier.

In 2008 the latest Marvel film franchise was launched. The final film in the series Avengers: Endgame came out earlier this year.

Nowadays, it's Marvel's films that make the most money for the company, but they say they'll still be making comics 80 years from now.