In 1964, Marvel released teaser marketing saying “The M.M.M.S. wants you!” on the covers of their comics with Thing pointing a la the Uncle Sam recruiting posters of WWII. In 1965, the mystery of the M.M.M.S. was revealed: Marvel unveiled their very first official fan club – the Merry Marvel Marching Society. For $1, you got a kit that included:
• welcoming letter
• membership card
• one-sided, 33⅓ rpm record, "The Voices of Marvel"
• scratch pad
• sticker
• pinback button
• certificate
Today, a complete set of this kit fetches thousands of dollars. The record “The Voices of Marvel” itself is an amazing piece of kitch art that featured a “tour” of the Marvel studios at the time and includes the voices of Stan Lee (of course), Jack Kirby, a mention of reclusive Steve Ditko (he never does interviews) and all the authors, artists and even the secretary! It all ends with the song posted up top. The record is really fun and shows the easy-going, fun-loving personality of Marvel compared to their primary competition DC comics. Marvel has certainly come a long way since those halycon days of yore.
You can listen to the record here.
-Deceptisean
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