全通翻譯/翻譯社

Marvelous Marvel

Think superheroes, and you're almost certainly thinking of Marvel. While other comic book publishers might have given Marvel a run for its money over the years, few have created as many characters with such mass appeal.

The company dates back to 1939 when it was founded under the name of Timely Publications. It wasn't until 1961 that the name Marvel first began to be used, and that same year, the publisher introduced its first superhero team, the Fantastic Four. The following year saw the first comic to feature perhaps the most iconic of Marvel’s crime-fighters, Spider-Man. This character immediately resonated with young people as it was the first teenager in a leading role. Previous to this, youngsters had always been relegated to sidekick status. 

Other characters to appear in the early 1960s include the Hulk, Ironman, and the band of mutant heroes known as the X-men. By 1968, Marvel was selling an incredible 50 million comic books a year. Legendary editor in chief and writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby are credited with being responsible for most of this early success. Things slowed down in the 1980s, and though there was a resurgence in the 1990s, by the turn of the century the company's parent group was filing for bankruptcy.

英雄印鈔機—漫威娛樂

講到超級英雄，你幾乎一定會想到漫威。雖然其他的漫畫出版商多年來與其激烈競爭，但少有對手創造出這麼多膾炙人口的角色。

這家公司可追溯至一九三九年，當時以及時出版公司之名成立。漫威這個名字直到一九六一年才開始使用，同年漫威推出了第一個超級英雄小組：驚奇四超人。隔年則推出蜘蛛人這個或許是漫威最具代表性的罪犯打擊者所擔綱的首部漫畫。這個角色馬上獲得年輕人的共鳴，因為這是第一次有青少年擔任主角。在這之前，青少年一直處於助手的地位。

其他在一九六○年代早期出現的角色包括浩克、鋼鐵人，以及被稱作 X 戰警的變種英雄團隊。到了一九六八年，漫威一年賣出了驚人的五千萬本漫畫。傳奇性總編輯兼作家史丹．李和藝術家傑克．科比被歸功為這間公司早期成功的主要推手。營運成長情況在一九八○年代趨緩，儘管在九○年代曾一度復甦，但到了世紀之交時，漫威的母公司卻聲請破產。

資料來源：biz互動英語報