While it was revitalizing the comic book industry and ushering in the Marvel Age of Comics in the 1960s, then-upstart Marvel Comics and writer Stan Lee were in need of an infallible marketing strategy to attract a new era of readers. Following in the footsteps of comic rival DC Comics, the ever-persistent competition Marvel conceived an interactive fan club of their own: The Merry Marvel Marching Society.
DC Comics (then known as National Comics) first introduced a set of fan clubs to its readers, including The Junior Justice Society and the Supermen of America. In order to distance Marvel from the competition, writer and later editor-in-chief Stan Lee initially balked at the concept of a standalone Marvel fan club. However, the surprise success of Lee and artist Jack Kirby's Fantastic Four #1 reopened the door in developing a communal fan club designed to attract incoming readers to potential new titles. Abbreviated to simply M.M.M.S., the Merry Marvel Marching Society became a lynchpin of Marvel's Silver Age period. While "the House of Ideas" was not quite the fan club pioneer of the comic book industry, Lee envisioned the club as a gateway for the publisher's readership to not only become familiar with their new superheroes but firmly attached with the Marvel brand itself.
According to Scoop, early into the development of the Merry Marvel Marching Society, ambiguous advertisements for the organization were scattered throughout issues of The Amazing Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, and Strange Tales. Dedicated Marvel fans needed to submit a donation of 75 cents -$1 to join the ranks of the Merry Marvel Marching Society. Every participating member of the M.M.M.S. initiative would be treated to their own collectible membership kit, which included a series of commemorative pins and stickers, an official membership card, welcome letter, and even a record containing the ever catchy "You Belong" theme song. Classic Marvel phrases "Make Mine Marvel," "I Belong," and "The M.M.M.S. Wants You" are direct taglines from the M.M.M.S.promotional material.
A major force in the success of Marvel's new fan organization was Stan Lee's secretary, the "Fabulous" Flo Steinberge, who would eventually serve as a writer on several independent comic titles herself. As the M.M.M.S. saw a gradual increase in membership, Flo gradually transitioned from merely a receptionist to the company's primary fan liaison in perhaps its most critical period. Steinberg's participation allowed Marvel fans the opportunity to send in letters of their own, either supporting or criticizing the company. Long before discussion boards and chat rooms, the M.M.M.S. served as the quintessential Marvel fan space.
The Merry Marvel Marching Society came to an unceremonious end in the early 1970s. Marvel Comics made a brief attempt at launching several spiritual successors in the form of F.O.O.M. a.k.a. Friends of Old Marvel and Marvelmania International. While neither quite got off the ground, comic book fandom received an even greater boost in the form of comic conventions. Conventions such as the San Diego Comic-Con began to take the world by storm around the same time as M.M.M.S. membership was beginning to drop off. It's undeniable that the current Marvel fanbase for both the comics and films owes much to the strides that the company aimed for in its formative comic years.
Marvel Studios may be the undisputed kings of the box office, but it's easy to forget these world-class superheroes were not always icons. Their publisher needed to create new ways to market these untested creations to avid readers around the world. Stan Lee's Merry Marvel Marching Society not only helped to cement Marvel Comics' place in history but propelled an oasis of fan culture surrounding the comic industry.
Source: Scoop.com
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