Editing Marvel Comics (section)

=== Cadence Industries ownership ===
In 1968, while selling 50&nbsp;million{{citation needed|date=October 2023}} comic books a year, company founder Goodman revised the constraining distribution arrangement with [[Independent News]] he had reached under duress during the Atlas years, allowing him now to release as many titles as demand warranted.<ref name=stjames/> Late that year, he sold Marvel Comics and its parent company, [[Magazine Management]], to the [[Cadence Industries|Perfect Film & Chemical Corporation (later known as Cadence Industries)]], though he remained as publisher.<ref>Daniels, Les (September 1991). ''Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics'', Harry N Abrams. p. 139.</ref> In 1969, Goodman finally ended his distribution deal with Independent by signing with [[Curtis Circulation|Curtis Circulation Company]].<ref name=stjames>{{cite book |url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Marvel-Entertainment-Group-Inc-Company-History.html |chapter=Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. |title=International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 10 |publisher=[[Gale (publisher)|Gale]] / St. James Press, via FundingUniverse.com |year=1995 |location=Farmington Hills, Michigan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711054637/http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Marvel-Entertainment-Group-Inc-Company-History.html |archive-date=July 11, 2011 |access-date=September 28, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1971, the [[United States Department of Health and Human Services|United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare]] approached Marvel Comics editor-in-chief [[Stan Lee]] to do a comic book story about drug abuse. Lee agreed and wrote a three-part [[Spider-Man]] story portraying drug use as dangerous and unglamorous. However, the industry's self-censorship board, the [[Comics Code Authority]], refused to approve the story because of the presence of narcotics, deeming the context of the story irrelevant. Lee, with Goodman's approval, published the story regardless in ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' #96–98 (May–July 1971), without the Comics Code seal. The market reacted well to the storyline, and the CCA subsequently revised the Code the same year.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Nyberg |first1=Amy Kiste |title=Seal of Approval: The Origins and History of the Comics Code |date=1994 |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |isbn=9781604736632 |page=170 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WGDschFUKRQC}}</ref>

Goodman retired as publisher in 1972 and installed his son, Chip, as publisher.<ref name=Ronin /> Shortly thereafter, Lee succeeded him as publisher and also became Marvel's president<ref name=Ronin /> for a brief time.<ref name="autobio">Lee, Mair, p. 5.</ref> During his time as president, he appointed his associate editor, prolific writer [[Roy Thomas]], as editor-in-chief. Thomas added "Stan Lee Presents" to the opening page of each comic book.<ref name=Ronin />

[[File:Howard The Duck -8.jpg|left|thumb|''[[Howard the Duck]]'' #8 (Jan. 1977). Cover art by [[Gene Colan]] and [[Steve Leialoha]].]]
A series of new editors-in-chief oversaw the company during another slow time for the industry. Once again, Marvel attempted to diversify, and with the updating of the Comics Code published titles themed to [[horror (genre)|horror]] (''[[The Tomb of Dracula]]''), martial arts (''[[Master of Kung Fu (comics)|Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu]]''), [[sword-and-sorcery]] (''[[Conan (Marvel Comics)|Conan the Barbarian]]'' in 1970,<ref name="bcnr">{{cite news|last1=Wickline|first1=Dan|title=Conan the Barbarian Returns to Marvel Comics – Bleeding Cool News|url=https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/01/12/conan-barbarian-returns-marvel-comics/|access-date=January 17, 2018|work=Bleeding Cool News And Rumors|date=January 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118064641/https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/01/12/conan-barbarian-returns-marvel-comics/|archive-date=January 18, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Red Sonja]]''), satire (''[[Howard the Duck]]'') and science fiction (''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (comics)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]'', "[[Killraven]]" in ''[[Amazing Adventures]]'', ''[[Battlestar Galactica (comics)|Battlestar Galactica]]'', ''[[Star Trek (comics)|Star Trek]]'', and, late in the decade, the long-running ''[[Star Wars (1977 comic book)|Star Wars]]'' series). Some of these were published in larger-format black and white magazines, under its [[Curtis Magazines]] imprint.

Marvel was able to capitalize on its successful superhero comics of the previous decade by acquiring a new newsstand distributor and greatly expanding its comics line. Marvel pulled ahead of rival [[DC Comics]] in 1972, during a time when the price and format of the standard newsstand comic were in flux.<ref>{{cite book |quote=Marvel took advantage of this moment to surpass DC in title production for the first time since 1957, and in sales for the first time ever. |author-link=Paul Levitz |last=Levitz |first=Paul |title=75 Years of DC Comics The Art of Modern Mythmaking |publisher=[[Taschen|Taschen America]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-3-8365-1981-6 |page=451}}</ref> Goodman increased the price and size of Marvel's November 1971 cover-dated comics from 15 cents for 36 pages total to 25 cents for 52 pages. DC followed suit, but Marvel the following month dropped its comics to 20 cents for 36 pages, offering a lower-priced product with a higher distributor discount.<ref>Daniels, ''Marvel'', pp. 154–155.</ref>

In 1973, Perfect Film & Chemical renamed itself as Cadence Industries and renamed Magazine Management as Marvel Comics Group.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rhoades|first=Shirrel|title=A Complete History of American Comic Books|year=2008|publisher=Peter Lang Publishing|location=New York, NY|page=103|isbn=9781433101076|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O16BXbITZwEC&q=Al+Landau+Marvel+President&pg=PA103}}</ref> Goodman, now disconnected from Marvel, set up a new company called [[Atlas/Seaboard Comics|Seaboard Periodicals]] in 1974, reviving Marvel's old Atlas name for a new [[Atlas/Seaboard Comics|Atlas Comics]] line, but this lasted only a year and a half.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Cooke |first=Jon B. |title=Vengeance, Incorporated: A history of the short-lived comics publisher Atlas/Seaboard |url=http://twomorrows.com/comicbookartist/articles/16goodman.html |access-date=September 28, 2011 |magazine=[[Comic Book Artist]] |issue=16 |publisher=[[TwoMorrows Publishing]]|date=December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101201104708/http://twomorrows.com/comicbookartist/articles/16goodman.html |archive-date=December 1, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>
In the mid-1970s a decline of the newsstand distribution network affected Marvel. Cult hits such as ''Howard the Duck'' fell victim to the distribution problems, with some titles reporting low sales when in fact the first specialty comic book stores resold them at a later date.{{Citation needed|date=April 2008}} But by the end of the decade, Marvel's fortunes were reviving, thanks to the rise of [[direct market]] distribution—selling through those same comics-specialty stores instead of newsstands.

Marvel ventured into audio in 1975 with a radio series and a record, both had Stan Lee as narrator. The radio series was [[Fantastic Four#In other media|Fantastic Four]]. The record was ''Spider-Man: Rock Reflections of a Superhero'' concept album for music fans.<ref>{{cite news|last1=McMillan|first1=Graeme|title=Marvel Partners With Stitcher for Scripted 'Wolverine' Podcast|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/wolverine-long-night-podcast-coming-marvel-stitcher-1064525|access-date=December 12, 2017|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=December 5, 2017|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213010606/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/wolverine-long-night-podcast-coming-marvel-stitcher-1064525|archive-date=December 13, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Secretwars1.png|thumb|''[[Secret Wars|Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars]]'' #1 (May 1984). Cover art by [[Mike Zeck]] depicting Captain America, Wolverine, Cyclops, Hawkeye, Rogue, She-Hulk, The Thing, Colossus, Monica Rambeau, Nightcrawler, Spider-Man, Human Torch, Hulk, Iron Man and Storm.<ref>Both pencils and inks per UHBMCC; GCD remains uncertain on inker.</ref>]]
Marvel held its own [[comic book convention]], Marvelcon '75, in spring 1975, and promised a Marvelcon '76. At the 1975 event, Stan Lee used a [[Fantastic Four]] panel discussion to announce that [[Jack Kirby]], the artist co-creator of most of Marvel's signature characters, was returning to Marvel after having left in 1970 to work for rival [[DC Comics]].<ref>[[Bullpen Bulletins]]: "The King is Back! 'Nuff Said!", in Marvel Comics [[cover date]]d October 1975, including ''[[Fantastic Four]]'' #163</ref> In October 1976, Marvel, which already licensed reprints in different countries, including the UK, created a superhero specifically for the British market. [[Captain Britain]] debuted exclusively in the UK, and later appeared in American comics.<ref>Specific series- and issue-dates in article are collectively per GCD and other databases given under References</ref> During this time, Marvel and the Iowa-based [[Register and Tribune Syndicate]] launched a number of syndicated [[comic strips]]—''[[The Amazing Spider-Man (comic strip)|The Amazing Spider-Man]]'', ''[[Howard the Duck]]'', ''[[Conan the Barbarian (comics)|Conan the Barbarian]]'', and ''[[The Incredible Hulk (comic strip)|The Incredible Hulk]]''. None of the strips lasted past 1982, except for ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', which is still being published.

In 1978, [[Jim Shooter]] became Marvel's editor-in-chief. Although a controversial personality, Shooter cured many of the procedural ills at Marvel, including repeatedly missed deadlines.  During Shooter's nine-year tenure as editor-in-chief, [[Chris Claremont]] and [[John Byrne (comics)|John Byrne]]'s run on the ''[[Uncanny X-Men]]'' and [[Frank Miller]]'s run on ''[[Daredevil (Marvel Comics series)|Daredevil]]'' became critical and commercial successes.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Howe |first1=Sean |title=After His Public Downfall, Sin City's Frank Miller Is Back (And Not Sorry) |url=https://www.wired.com/2014/08/frank-miller-sin-city-a-dame-to-kill-for/ |access-date=January 21, 2015 |magazine=Wired |publisher=Condé Nast |date=August 20, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150122001104/http://www.wired.com/2014/08/frank-miller-sin-city-a-dame-to-kill-for/ |archive-date=January 22, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> Shooter brought Marvel into the rapidly evolving [[direct market]],<ref>{{cite journal |title=Marvel Focuses On Direct Sales |journal=[[The Comics Journal]] |number=59 |date=October 1980 |pages=11–12}}</ref> institutionalized creator royalties, starting with the [[Epic Comics]] imprint for [[creator ownership|creator-owned]] material in 1982; introduced company-wide crossover story arcs with ''[[Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions|Contest of Champions]]'' and ''[[Secret Wars]]''; and in 1986 launched the ultimately unsuccessful [[New Universe]] line to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Marvel Comics imprint. [[Star Comics]], a children-oriented line differing from the regular Marvel titles, was briefly successful during this period, although hampered by legal action by the owners of the recently defunct [[Harvey Comics]] for purposefully plagiarizing their house style.<ref>"Harvey Sues Marvel Star Comics, Charges Copyright Infringement", ''The Comics Journal'' #105 (Feb. 1986), pp. 23–24.</ref>