- Merry Marvel Marching Society
-
Merry Marvel Marching Society (often referred to by the abbreviation "M.M.M.S.") was a fan club for Marvel Comics started by Marvel editor Stan Lee and/or Marvel publisher Martin Goodman in 1964.
Contents
History
Creation
Following teaser promotion in Marvel comic books cover-dated November 1964, Marvel Comics introduced the company's in-house fan club, the Merry Marvel Marching Society, in its February 1965 comics, released in the fall of 1964. Generally abbreviated as "the M.M.M.S". the club offered readers a $1 membership kit that initially included a welcoming letter; a membership card; a one-sided, 33 1/3 rpm record, "The Voices of Marvel"; a scratch pad; a sticker; a pinback button; and a certificate.[1] The company offered permutations of this kit, plus additional promotional merchandise such as posters and sweatshirts, through comics cover-dated October 1969.[2]
As author Marc Flores, who writes under the pen name Ronin Ro,[3] described, "Stan made up cards and had production people Sol Brodsky and Marie Severin help create a pin, eight stickers prominently featuring the heroes, "a nutty new notepad," a minibook, a pencil, a certificate, and a membership card. Stan wanted his bullpen to join him in a special recording he'd include in the $1 membership kit. Most of the bullpen was willing, except for [Steve] Ditko".[4]
Demise
The M.M.M.S. was absorbed into the subsequent Marvel fan club, Marvelmania International, in 1969. This second club lasted until 1971. A third official Marvel Comics fan club, FOOM (Friends of 'Ol Marvel) followed from 1973 to 1976.
Ranks
The ranks of M.M.M.S. membership, all identified by three letter abbreviations (such as Q.N.S. for "Quite 'Nuff Sayer" to F.F.F. for "Fearless Front-Facer") were invented by young comics fan, and Jack Kirby-confidante Mark Evanier.
The society was a great success, with "Fabulous" Flo Steinberg remarking that they "were working seven days a week just opening these envelopes" (containing the subscription fee).[4] Soon, the club offered a range of other money-spinning products, including:[4]
- Six-foot "life-size, full-color Spidey pin-up" made from a Steve Ditko drawing of Spider-Man
- $1.50 T-shirt with a Ditko-drawn Dr. Strange
- Thing drawing by Jack Kirby on "Official Swinging' Stationary"
- Fantastic Four family portrait T-shirt by Kirby.
In popular culture
The character of Hiro Nakamura on Heroes is reported to be an M.M.M.S. member in the episode "Don't Look Back", although at present in real life, it would be an anachronism.
Audio
- Pratt, Doug. "The MMMS Records Remastered", DogRat.com, September 23, 2007. The Voices of Marvel and Scream Along with Marvel. Archive.org archive, WebCitation archive.
Footnotes
- ^ House ad, Marvel Comics issues cover-date February 1965
- ^ Ballman, J. The Full-Color Guide to Marvel Silver Age Collectibles from M.M.M.S. to Marvelmania, p. 80. (Totalmojo Productions, 2007) ISBN 978-0-9815349-0-9
- ^ Ives, Nat (January 31, 2005). "MediaTalk; Who Deserves The Credit (and Cash) For Dreaming Up Those Superheroes?". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30B12FB3E5F0C728FDDA80894DD404482&fta=y&archive:article_related.
- ^ a b c Ro, Ronin. Tales to Astonish: Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and the American Comic Book Revolution, p. 84 (Bloomsbury, 2004)
External links
- Merry Marvel Marching Society (fan site)
Categories:- Organizations established in 1964
- 1969 disestablishments
- Fan clubs
- Marvel Comics
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
