''Marvel Fireside Books'' were a series of full-color trade paperbacks featuring

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...

stories and characters co-published by Marvel and the

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publi ...

division Fireside Books from 1974 to 1979. The first book, 1974's '' Origins of Marvel Comics'', was very successful, and inspired a series of annual sequels. These books enabled fans of the old

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

s to have access to the stories without having to pay exorbitant prices for the original back issues. It introduced new readers to the work of

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gre ...

Steve Ditko Stephen John Ditko Page contains two reproductions from school yearbooks. A 1943 Garfield Junior High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen Ditko". A 1945 Johnstown High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen J. Ditko" under extracurricular act ...

, and other Marvel creators, and packaged the material in a traditional book format that carried more cachet than the flimsy pamphlet style of a typical comic book. Many of the books featured painted covers illustrated by such artists as

Bob Larkin Bob Larkin (born July 10, 1949) is an American comics artist primarily known for his painted covers for Marvel Comics' magazine-format titles Marvel Magazines in the 1970s and early 1980s and for his 32 painted covers on the Bantam Books paperba ...

, John Romita Sr., and

Earl Norem Earl H. Norem (April 17, 1923 – June 19, 2015), who signed his work simply Norem, was an American artist primarily known for his painted covers for men's-adventure magazines published by Martin Goodman's Magazine Management Company and for G ...

. In this way, the series was an antecedent to the now common practice of packaging "classic" stories into archival editions and trade paperback collections including Marvel's 1998 book ''Grandson of Origins of Marvel Comics''.

Publishing history

Marvel Publisher

came up with the idea of compiling the origins of some of their most popular characters in a book format similar to

Jules Feiffer Jules Ralph Feiffer (born January 26, 1929)''Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1650; February 2009; Page 107 is an American cartoonist and author, who was considered the most widely read satirist in the country. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1986 as North- ...

's 1965 book ''The Great Comic Book Heroes''. Teaming up with Fireside, the paperback imprint of Simon & Schuster, Marvel initially produced '' Origins of Marvel Comics'' in 1974, featuring the origins of the

Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in ''The Fantastic Four'' #1 (cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first s ...

, the

Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk' ...

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the Si ...

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, ...

, and

Doctor Strange Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as Sorce ...

. Like the books to follow, ''Origins'' featured a foreword by Lee, and short introductions to each section, which followed the format of presenting the character's origin followed by a contemporary story by current Marvel contributors. ''Origins of Marvel Comics'' was followed in 1975 with ''Son of Origins of Marvel Comics,'' featuring the origins of the

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...

Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The cha ...

, the Avengers,

Daredevil Daredevil may refer to: * A stunt performer Arts and media Comics * Daredevil (Lev Gleason Publications), a fictional 1940s superhero popularized by writer-artist Charles Biro * Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), a Marvel comic book superhero ...

Nick Fury Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury Sr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, he first appeared in '' Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos' ...

, the Watcher, and the

Silver Surfer The Silver Surfer is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character also appears in a number of movies, television, and video game adaptations. The character was created by Jack Kirby and first a ...

. The two ''Origins'' books were followed by ''Bring on the Bad Guys'', origins of a selection of Marvel villains; and ''The Superhero Women,'' featuring some of Marvel's most popular female superheroes. Eventually, the series moved away from origin stories and published collections of classic stories with individual characters such as Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the Hulk,

Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...

, and Doctor Strange. One of the ''Marvel Fireside Books'' superhero story editions was not a reprint but an original story. ''The Silver Surfer'' (1978) by Stan Lee, with art by Kirby and

Joe Sinnott Joseph Leonard Sinnott (; October 16, 1926 June 25, 2020) was an American comic book artist. Working primarily as an inker, Sinnott is best known for his long stint on Marvel Comics' '' Fantastic Four'', from 1965 to 1981 (and briefly in the l ...

, was a new take on the late 1960s icon; and is considered by many to be one of the first true "

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

s". In conjunction with their reprint collections, Marvel and Fireside also produced a number of activity and game books by

Owen McCarron Owen McCarron (1929 in Halifax, Nova Scotia – June 27, 2005) was a Canadian comics artist and publisher. As a publisher, he was a prolific packager of promotional comic books. He also produced work for American comic book publishers, including ...

, how-to books, and even a cookbook, again all featuring Marvel characters. The most well-known and popular book of this kind was 1978's ''

How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way ''How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way'' is a book by Stan Lee and John Buscema. The book teaches the aspiring comic book artist how to draw and create comic books. The examples are from Marvel Comics and Buscema artwork. It was first published in ...

'', which is still in print. Marvel/Fireside published 24 different books, many with multiple printings in both hardcover and paperback.

Original graphic novels

* ''The Silver Surfer: The Ultimate Cosmic Experience'', 114 pages, September 1978,

Reprint collections

* ''Origins of Marvel Comics'' collects ''

'' #1 and #55, ''

The Incredible Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book a ...

'' #1 and #118, ''

Amazing Fantasy ''Amazing Adult Fantasy'', retitled ''Amazing Fantasy'' in its final issue, is an American comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics from 1961 through 1962, with the latter title revived with superhero features in 1995 and in the 2000 ...

'' #15, ''

The Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its main protagonist. Being in the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a bimonthly per ...

'' #72, ''

Journey into Mystery ''Journey into Mystery'' is an American comic book series initially published by Atlas Comics, then by its successor, Marvel Comics. Initially a horror comics anthology, it changed to giant-monster and science fiction stories in the late 1950s. ...

'' #83, ''

'' #143, and ''

Strange Tales ''Strange Tales'' is a Marvel Comics anthology series. The title was revived in different forms on multiple occasions. Doctor Strange and Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. made their debuts in ''Strange Tales''. It was a showcase for the science ...

'' #110, #115, and #155, 254 pages, September 1974, * ''Son of Origins of Marvel Comics'' collects ''

'' #1, '' Tales of Suspense'' #39 and #97, '' The Avengers'' #1, ''

'' #1 and #47, ''Strange Tales'' #135, and ''

The Silver Surfer The Silver Surfer is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character also appears in a number of movies, television, and video game adaptations. The character was created by Jack Kirby and first ...

'' #1, 249 pages, October 1975, * ''Bring on the Bad Guys: Origins of the Marvel Comics Villains'' collects ''Fantastic Four'' #5, ''Fantastic Four Annual'' #2, ''Strange Tales'' #126–127, ''Journey into Mystery'' #112–113, and 115, ''Tales of Suspense'' #66–68, ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #40, ''

Tales to Astonish ''Tales to Astonish'' is the name of two American comic book series and a one-shot comic published by Marvel Comics. The primary title bearing that name was published from January 1959 to March 1968. It began as a science-fiction anthology tha ...

'' #90–91, and ''The Silver Surfer'' #3, 253 pages, October 1976, * ''The Superhero Women: Featuring the Fabulous Females of Marvel Comics'' collects ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #62 and #86, ''Marvel Feature'' vol. 2 #4, ''Fantastic Four'' #22, '' Ms. Marvel'' #1, ''Thor'' #189–190, '' The Cat'' #1, ''Tales to Astonish'' #44, ''

Savage Tales ''Savage Tales'' is the title of three American comics series. Two were black-and-white comics-magazine anthologies published by Marvel Comics, and the other a color comic book anthology published by Dynamite Entertainment. Publication history Ma ...

'' #1, and ''

Shanna the She-Devil Shanna the She-Devil (Shanna O'Hara, Lady Plunder) is a fictional jungle adventurer superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Carole Seuling and penciller George Tuska, she made her first appeara ...

'' #2, 254 pages, November 1977, * ''The Best of Spidey Super Stories'' collects '' Spidey Super Stories'' #2, 4, 9–10, 16, 18–19, and 22, 128 pages, January 1978, * ''The Incredible Hulk'' collects ''The Incredible Hulk'' #3, ''Fantastic Four'' #12, ''The Avengers'' #3, ''Tales to Astonish'' #60–74 and #88, 253 pages, July 1978, * ''Marvel's Greatest Superhero Battles'' collects ''Fantastic Four'' #25–26, ''Daredevil'' #7, ''X-Men'' #3, ''The Silver Surfer'' #4, ''Tales of Suspense''#79–80, ''Tales to Astonish'' #82, ''Strange Tales'' #139–141, and ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #69, 253 pages, November 1978, * ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' collects ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #42–43, 82, and 96–98, 128 pages, May 1979, * ''The Fantastic Four'' collects ''Fantastic Four'' #4, 48–50, and 87, 128 pages, September 1979, * ''Doctor Strange: Master of the Mystic Arts'' collects ''Strange Tales'' #111, 116, 119–120, 123, 131–133, ''The Amazing Spider-Man Annual'' #2, and ''Marvel Premiere'' #3, 132 pages, October 1979, * ''Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty'' collects ''Captain America Comics'' #3, ''Tales of Suspense'' #59, 63, 79–81, ''The Avengers'' #4, and ''Captain America'' #110 and 122, 128 pages, October 1979,

Activity and how-to titles

* ''The Mighty Marvel Superheroes Fun Book'' 128 pages, June 1976, * '' The Mighty Marvel Comics Strength and Fitness Book'' 128 pages, September 1976, * ''The Mighty Marvel Superheroes Fun Book'' #2 128 pages, June 1977, * ''The Mighty Marvel Superheroes Cookbook'' 95 pages, September 1977, * ''

'' 192 pages, December 1977, * ''The Mighty Marvel Fun Book'' #3 128 pages, July 1978, * ''Marvel Mazes to Drive You Mad'' October 1978, * ''The Mighty Marvel Pin-Up Book'' 45 pages, November 1978, * ''The Mighty Marvel Fun Book'' #4 (January 1979), * ''The Mighty Marvel Fun Book'' #5 (October 1979), * ''Marvel Word Games'' August 1979, * ''The Mighty Marvel Jumbo Fun Book'' 352 pages, 1979,

References

External links