Marvel is looking back on 85 years of storytelling that has featured iconic moments crafted by some of the greatest minds ever in comics, including Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Steve Ditko. Since the company opened its doors as Timely Comics in 1939, the publisher has given the world some of its most legendary superheroes.

Marvel marked the occasion with a heartwarming celebratory video that reminded us all about the power and necessity of good storytelling, especially through the special and unique medium of comics. The video fittingly opens with gleeful kids welcoming the great Stan Lee to discuss comics and his favorite characters. Marvel Studio President Kevin Feige then recalls how the publisher’s famous 1960s bullpen, with Lee, Kirby, and Ditko, helped create some of the most iconic characters in fiction. The era spawned the Avengers, the X-Men, and Marvel’s first family, the Fantastic Four. “The House of Ideas. (Marvel)’s called that for a reason,” Feige asserts.

Marvel stories from the comics have continued to inspire different generations, and their characters have reached and inspired even more people around the world through Marvel movies, within and outside the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The late great Lee believed that no matter the medium, telling good stories was the most crucial element to Marvel’s staying power. “I have always tried to do stories that the characters have human qualities anybody can relate to,” stated Lee.

Founded by Martin Goodman as Timely Comics, the company became known as Atlas Comics in the early 50s before the advent of its Marvel era in 1961, which began with the launch of The Fantastic Four. Marvel’s superheroes include Spider-Man, Iron Man, Wolverine, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Black Widow, Star Lord, Captain Marvel, Storm, and Black Panther. Some of its notable supervillains are Doctor Doom, Magneto, Green Goblin, Red Skull, Loki, Ultron, Thanos, Kang the Conqueror, Venom, and Galactus.

Marvel Studios variant covers, showcasing artwork by Marvel Studios’ Head of Visual Development Ryan Meinerding, will adorn several of the publisher’s most popular titles, including Amazing Spider-Man and Avengers, in September. The variant covers will arrive for Immortal Thor #15, Amazing Spider-Man #57, Incredible Hulk #17, Avengers #18, Phases of the Moon Knight #2, and Avengers Annual #1. The lineup also features two wraparound variant covers for Avengers Assemble #1 and Amazing Spider-Man #58.

The new variant cover line will offer a glimpse of what to expect from Meinerding’s upcoming art book, slated to arrive on October 1. Marvel Studios: The Art of Ryan Meinerding covers “the breadth of Meinerding’s work on the Marvel Cinematic Universe with illustrations, sketches, character designs, insights, and much more. The variant covers pull from Meinerding’s long career with Marvel Studios, stretching back to the early days of Iron Man (2008).”

Source: Marvel