Talk:Timely Comics

Additional Info
There were also a slew of minor characters, for example Gypo the giant Gypsy or Whitewash (Whizzer's Amos n' Andy-esque sidekick). These aren't usually referenced by fans likely because they consist of racist cariactures that are no longer acceptable.

A partial list of Timely characters confirmed as part of the Marvel Universe: Angel (as one or two people, survived to old age but may or may not have been killed by the Scourge), Black Marvel (survived to old age, then died after a deal with the devil), Black Widow (seen in non-speaking cameos), Blazing Skull (revealed as functionally immortal), Blonde Phantom (aged well, succeeded by her daughter), Blue Diamond (survived to old age, moved to space), Captain America & Bucky (both alive and active in modern times), Captain Terror (survived to old age, revealed as retired in Captain America), Challenger (transported to the present by unknown means), Citizen V (died in the 1940s, succeeded by his decendents), Destroyer (still active), Fin (ages extremely slowly, still active), Human Torch (recently died, but exists as the Vision), Hurricane (revealed as Eternal Makarri), Jack Frost (frozen in an ice worm in modern times), Mercury (revealed as Hurricane/Makarri), Miss America (died in childbirth), Namora (believed dead), Patriot (died in old age), Red Raven (active), Sub-Mariner (active), Thin Man (active, believed dead), Thunderer (survived to old age, revealed as retiredin Captain America), Vision (active in 1940s), Whizzer (died in modern times).

-Kevingarcia 07:54, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

The Twelve and The Marvels Project
A number of old Timely characters will be reappearing as part of The Twelve - which will bring more characters into the Marvel Universe (see above). I have dropped a note into the Comics Project with some ideas about filling in the gaps in the characters and would appreciate as much input as possible so that we can have something in place for when the series starts to roll. (Emperor 15:21, 6 August 2007 (UTC))

I'm also including notes on The Marvels Project, as it added new layers of complexity to the Golden Age and reintroduced a lot of old character into continuity. I am adding these characters to the list, as well as 'reintroduction' dates/issues. --Maninthewomb (talk) 15:42, 30 August 2010 (UTC)

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CC of note posted at User talk:Spshu
[RE: "Red Circle Comics"] Hi. I'm not sure this is precisely correct. International Catalogue, which makes that statement, says its taking its information from Nevins. But Nevins is referring to Timely Publications, the overall pulp and comics publisher, and not the Timely Comics imprint: "Timely Publications (as Goodman's group had become known; before this it was known as "Red Circle" because of the logo that Goodman had put on his pulp magazines)." And Bellman refers to "a multitude of corporate entities (including Red Circle Comics) all producing the same product," just as Goodman had done with Azimuth, Zenith, etc. under the Atlas Comics imprint.

If you go to the Grand Comics Database, there's no listing for Red Circle as a publisher (except related to Archie Comics decades later) and the only "indicia publisher" paper corp. related to Goodman is a handful of 1950s Atlas comics. And Marvel Comics #1 was published by Timely Publications. (See GCD here), and there was no red circle on any subsequent issues. (See GCD here.) Goodman's pulps have a red circle on their covers, and that's what Nevins is referring to. As for Bellman, as I said, the only Red Circle Comics that Goodman published were a handful of Atlas titles in the 1950s.

I'd like to discuss this with you first before I edit that line. --Tenebrae (talk) 15:15, 17 August 2011 (UTC)


 * What I'm thinking of, specifically, is to put the Nevins and Bellman quotes and the GCD data into a footnote and only mention Red Circle there, since neither GCD and nor any other standard source that I can find supports that Timely Comics was originally known as Red Circle Comics. These sources includes Les Daniels' Marvel Five Fabulous Decades; Marvel Chronicle; and Peter Sanderson's Marvel Universe. The Daniels book, in particular, notes that Red Circle was only used for the pulps, and even then only "halfheartedly ... when someone would remember to put it on a cover." --Tenebrae (talk) 16:18, 17 August 2011 (UTC)

I have come upon a Jest comic magazine dated May 1961 is this one of your magazine ? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.67.25.66 (talk) 21:01, 17 November 2011 (UTC)

New Timely Comics
Just to be clear, there is only one company called Timely Comics / Timely Publications. The current Timely Comics is not a company ... it's simply a publishing imprint, like Epic Comics, or Razorline, or Marvel Knights. --Tenebrae (talk) 16:50, 4 July 2017 (UTC)
 * Don't worry, I was personally aware of that. After all, I was the person that updated this article with the Timely Comics imprint infobox. Iftekharahmed96 (talk) 16:54, 4 July 2017 (UTC)

where did the word Timely actually appear in the original comics?
...or the shield logo?

looking through the covers in Mikes NewsStand (throughout the 1940s, but here for eg [|March 1941]), I cant see any covers with this logo. Did the name or logo appear within the comics, for instance in house ads? My understanding is the fine print/legalese never said Timely, but rather each issue was published by one of hundreds of shell companies owned by Goodman. I know its historic convention now to refer to Golden Age Marvel comics as Timely, but were they really known by this name at the time, and if so how, when the name and logo were not displayed?

Perhaps this could be explained in more detail in the article. Also if there were certain months where the Timely logo did appear on the cover this could be noted (in the Atlas page it is specified the first and last month the Atlas logo appeared and when the IND logo replaced it).

On the other hand, there were at least two Marvel comics logos that did sometimes appear on these Golden Age Marvel comics, very rarely but easier to spot than any use of the Timely logo on a cover. All Winners 21 for example has the Marvel Magazine corner logo that appears to have been used sporadically in early 1947. There was also this circular A Marvel Comic logo that appears on the cover of some 1949/1950 comics, eg Captain America Comics 71 March 1949

ah here's an actual appearance of the Timely logo Comedy Comics 10 from June 1942 ... and that seems to be the only month I can find an example for. Definitely used less than either Marvel logo of the late 1940s.

a related question therefor would be why Timely/Marvel was so reluctant to brand their comics with a unifying logo? There must have been some strategic logic. I think all rival companies of the era had their easily recognised logos prominent on their covers, so not using a logo was a choice. This is especially ironic considering the brand loyalty encouraged by Marvel starting in the 1960s, and the notion of "Marvel zombies"

J Edward Malone (talk) 18:19, 30 December 2021 (UTC)