Offered for sale is an authentic Merry Marvel Marching Society Decal + Original Cellophane Sleeve (circa 1964, MCG), which features a great graphic of The Thing, and is a rare to find collector's item as these could only be purchased through the back pages of the comices (see bio info below).  The decal measures 4" x 3", is in "EXCELLENT" condition, and is suitable for display in a permanent archive.  The asking price is $29.99 + FREE shipping / handling ($4.95 value; US Domestic only), and is the only example of it's kind for sale on eBay.  Overseas orders must pay shipping costs, and CA State Residents please add 10% sales tax to final purchase price.  Please visit my other auctions, as I combine shipping costs on all orders.

Merry Marvel Marching Society

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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

  [hide] 

• 1History
• 2In popular culture
• 3References
• 4External links

History[edit]

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 comics cover-dated February 1965, released in the fall 1964. Generally abbreviated as the "M.M.M.S", the club offered readers a $1 membership kit that initially included a

• welcoming letter
• membership card
• one-sided, 33?13 rpm record, "The Voices of Marvel"
• scratch pad
• sticker
• pinback button and
• 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[4] 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.[5]

The club proved successful, with Marvel secretary and club coordinator Flo Steinberg remarking that they "were working seven days a week just opening these envelopes" containing the subscription fee.[5] Soon, the club offered a range of other money-spinning products, including:[5]

• 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 Swingin' Stationery"
• Fantastic Four family portrait T-shirt by Kirby.

The M.M.M.S. membership had ranks indicated by three-letter abbreviations (such as Q.N.S. for "Quite 'Nuff Sayer" to F.F.F. for "Fearless Front-Facer"), based on a proposal by young comics fan Mark Evanier.[6]

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.

In popular culture[edit]

The character of Hiro Nakamura on Heroes is reported to be an M.M.M.S. member in the episode "Don't Look Back".

The M.M.M.S. is mentioned in the end-theme of the syndicated 1966 TV show The Marvel Super Heroes, which featured the lyric "You belong to the Merry Marvel Marching Society".[citation needed] The "Merry Marvel Marching Society" song also played during the end credits of the video game Lego Marvel Super Heroes[citation needed], as well having Stan Lee humming the tune in some of his perils throughout the game.[citation needed]

Thing (comics)

The ThingVariant cover of Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #1 (May 2009). Art by Marko Djurdjevic.Publication informationPublisherMarvel ComicsFirst appearanceThe Fantastic Four #1 (November 1961)Created byStan Lee (writer)
Jack Kirby (artist)In-story informationAlter egoBenjamin Jacob "Ben" GrimmSpeciesHuman MutateTeam affiliationsFuture Foundation
Fantastic Four
UCWF
West Coast Avengers
Thunderiders
Yancy Street Gang
Avengers West Coast
New Avengers
Guardians of the Galaxy
The WorthyNotable aliasesBlackbeard the Pirate, Angrir: Breaker of Souls, Dr. Josiah Verpoorteen, El MorritoAbilities

• Skilled street fighter and hand to hand combatant
• Superhuman strength, stamina and durability
• Rock-like skin
• Excellent dexterity
• Above-average reflexes
• Enhanced lung capacity

The Thing (Benjamin "Ben" Grimm) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four. The Thing was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and he first appeared in The Fantastic Four #1 (November 1961).

The character is known for his trademark rocky appearance, sense of humor, and famous battle cry, "It's clobberin' time!" The Thing's speech patterns are loosely based on those of Jimmy Durante.[1] Actor Michael Bailey Smith played Ben Grimm in The Fantastic Four film from 1994, Michael Chiklis portrayed the Thing in the 2005 film Fantastic Four and its 2007 sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, while Jamie Bell acted the part in Fantastic Four (2015).

In 2011, IGN ranked the Thing 18th in the "Top 100 Comic Book Heroes",[2] and 23rd in their list of "The Top 50 Avengers" in 2012.[3] The Thing was named Empire magazine's tenth of "The 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters" in 2008.[4]